Metallic and Non-Metallic Jewelery from the renewed excavations at Tell Beth Shean

EXCAVATIONS AT TEL BETH-SHEAN

1989–1996

VOLUME III

THE 13TH–11TH CENTURY BCE STRATA IN AREAS N AND S

NAVA PANITZ-COHEN AND AMIHAI MAZAR (EDITORS)

With contributions by

U. Baruch, B. Brandl, A. Cohen-Weinberger, D. Collon, A.-L. D’Agata,

A. David, A. Golani, O. Goldwasser, C. Herrmann, A.E. Killebrew, M.E. Kislev,

O. Lernau, L. Maroz, M.A.S. Martin, A. Mazar, Y. Melamed, H. Mommsen,

N. Panitz-Cohen, I. Segal, S. Shalev, O. Shamir, S. Sherratt, O. Simchoni,

D. Sweeney, C.M. Thompson, S. Wimmer, N. Yahalom-Mack,

A. Yasur-Landau, A. Zukerman

The Israel Exploration Society

The Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Jerusalem, 2009

CONTENTS

List of Contributing Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IX

List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X

List of Pottery Plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XIII

List of Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XIV

Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XVI

Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XIX

Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview A. Mazar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 2. Area N North: Stratigraphy and Architecture A.E. Killebrew and A. Mazar. . . . . 33

Stratum N-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Stratum N-3b . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Stratum N-3a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Strata N-2 and N-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

List of Loci in Area N North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

List of Walls in Area N North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Chapter 3. Area N South: Stratigraphy and Architecture A. Mazar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Stratum N-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Stratum N-3b . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Stratum N-3a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Stratum N-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

List of Loci in Area N South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

List of Walls in Area N South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Chapter 4. Area S: Stratigraphy and Architecture N. Panitz-Cohen and A. Mazar . . . . . . . 94

Stratum S-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Stratum S-4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Stratum S-3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Stratum S-2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

List of Loci in Area S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

List of Walls in Area S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Chapter 5. The Local Canaanite Pottery N. Panitz-Cohen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Introduction, Methodology, Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Bowls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Chalices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Kraters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Cooking pots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Storage jars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Pithoi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

Jugs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Closed vessels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

Juglets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Flasks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Amphoriskos, Cup and Saucer, Pyxis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

Stands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Cypriot and Mycenaean Imports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

Summary and Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

Pottery Plates 1–74. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

Chapter 6. The Egyptian Assemblage M.A.S. Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434

Introduction, Technology, Decoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434

Bowls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443

Beer jars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447

Drop-shaped jars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448

Funnel-necked jars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449

Neckless storage jars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451

Imported handled cups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451

Imported amphorae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453

Varia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453

Discussion and appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454

Chapter 7. The Aegean-Style Pottery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478

Chapter 7A. Imported Mycenaean IIIC Pottery S. Sherratt . . . . . . . . . . . . 478

Chapter 7B. Notes on Pottery with Philistine, Cypriot and Aegean Affinities

A. Zukerman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500

Chapter 7C. Neutron Activation Analysis of Mycenaean IIIC-style Pottery

H. Mommsen, A-L. D’Agata, and A. Yasur-Landau . . . . . . . . . . 510

Chapter 8. Petrographic Studies A. Cohen-Weinberger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519

Chapter 9. Clay Figurative Art and Cult Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530

Chapter 9A. Clay Figurines and Cult Vessels A. Mazar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530

Chapter 9B. Clay Cobras: Ramesside Household Cult or Apotropaic Device?

A. David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556

Chapter 9C. Clay Wall Brackets N. Panitz-Cohen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561

Chapter 10. The Metal Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564

Chapter 10A. Typology of the Metal Objects N. Yahalom-Mack . . . . . . . . . . 564

Appendix: Evidence for Metal-working . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581

Chapter 10B. The Chemical Composition and Microstructure of the Metal Objects

S. Shalev and N. Yahalom-Mack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585

Chapter 10C. Provenancing Copper-based Objects Using Lead Isotope Analysis

N. Yahalom-Mack and I. Segal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589

Chapter 11. Precious Metals and Jewelry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597

Chapter 11A. Three 20th Dynasty Silver Hoards from the Egyptian Garrison

C.M. Thompson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597

Appendix: A Linen Textile Fragment O. Shamir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 608

Chapter 11B. Metallic and Non-Metallic Jewelry A. Golani . . . . . . . . . . . . 612

Chapter 11C. Gold-Foil Objects N. Panitz-Cohen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 634

Chapter 12. Glyptics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 636

Chapter 12A. Scarabs, Seals, Sealings and Seal Impressions B. Brandl . . . . . . 636

Chapter 12B. A ‘Kirgipa’ Commemorative Scarab of Amenhotep III

O. Goldwasser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 685

Chapter 12C. Two Cylinder Seals D. Collon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 689

Chapter 13. Various Egyptian Finds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 692

Chapter 13A. Hieroglyphics Inscribed on a Bone O. Goldwasser . . . . . . . . . 692

Chapter 13B. A Hieratic Inscription: “The Bow of Anat”? S.J. Wimmer. . . . . . 696

Chapter 13C. A Relief Depicting a Man on a Folding Chair and a Cornice Block

D. Sweeney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700

Chapter 13D. Egyptian 20th Dynasty Wall Paintings A. David. . . . . . . . . . . 706

Chapter 13E. Faience Amulets C. Herrmann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714

Chapter 14. Groundstone Implements N. Yahalom-Mack and N. Panitz-Cohen. . . . . . . . . 719

Chapter 15. Textile-Related Objects and a Basket Imprint N. Panitz-Cohen and

N. Yahalom-Mack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737

Chapter 16. Various Finds: Clay, Stone, Ivory, Bone and Faience Objects and Vessels

N. Panitz-Cohen, N. Yahalom-Mack, and A. Mazar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 742

Chapter 17. Botanical Remains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 764

Chapter 17A. Food and Industrial Crops M.E. Kislev, O. Simchoni, Y. Melamed

and L. Maroz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 764

Chapter 17B. Wood Remains U. Baruch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 772

Chapter 18. Fish Bones O. Lernau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 774

Index of Finds by Loci Compiled by N. Panitz-Cohen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 782

Index of Loci by Building Compiled by N. Panitz-Cohen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 790

CHAPTER 11B. METALLIC AND NON-METALLIC JEWELRY

Amir Golani

A total of 136 jewelry items were recovered during

the nine excavation seasons in Areas S and N. The

jewelry, both metallic and non-metallic, includes

earrings, rings, pendants, beads and toggle pins.

The majority of the objects were recovered from

stratigraphic contexts attributed mostly to the time

of the 20th Dynasty.

Context of the Finds

Most of the objects originated from stratified

deposits that included a variety of contexts, such as

occupation debris, destruction debris, earth layers,

floors, walls, and streets. In Stratum S-3, beads

were found in every single building. Objects found

together in one group may indicate the composition

of a necklace or bracelet, as opposed to singular

finds that appear to have been lost or otherwise

abandoned during the course of occupation at the

site. Noteworthy are the following groups: eight

carnelian beads (Cat. No. 49),1 which may have

comprised part of a single necklace found on

Stratum S-3 Floor 10812 in Building SJ (Chapter 4,

Fig. 4.6a) and a concentration of 15 beads and two

pendants (Cat. Nos. 30, 33, 39–44, 52, 75, 79, 83–

84, 91–92, 97, 100) in Stratum S-3 Building SL

(Chapter 4, Fig. 4.6b). In Stratum N-4, a cache of

27 faience beads (Cat. No. 62), two glass beads

(Cat. Nos. 70–71) and a faience ring (Cat. No. 22)

was found in Building NC (Locus 38703; Chapter

2, Fig. 2.1), although in the neighboring Building

NB, which was rich in finds and considered admin-

istrative in nature, not a single bead was found.

Three groups of silver objects that are inter-

preted as hoards were found on Floor 88866 in

Stratum S-4 Building SD. The jewelry types in the

silver hoards of Locus 88866 are itemized and illus-

trated in Chapter 11A, Table 11.1 and Fig. 11.1, and

are cross-referenced in Table 11.12 in this chapter.

Additional jewelry found in association with the

hoards includes two unpaired gold earrings, a silver

signet ring, two carnelian beads, a glass bead, and a

carnelian pendant (Table 11.12, discussed and

illustrated in this chapter and cross-referenced in

Chapter 11A, Table 11.2).

Methodology

The basic data for all the objects is presented in

Table 11.12. The typological and descriptive frame-

work employed in this report is based on that devel-

oped in previous jewelry studies (Golani 1996;

2009) and used in the publication of jewelry from

other sites of the Bronze and Iron Ages (e.g.,

Golani and Sass 1998; Golani 2004; Golani and

Ben-Shlomo 2005).

Identification of the materials was based on

unaided visual inspection alone. In the identifica-

tion of siliceous materials, substances defined as

faience are so-called as the term is commonly used

in the literature, even though it often refers to a

wide range of composite siliceous materials that are

not really faience. Three measurements are pre-

sented: height by length by width. The first mea-

surement in beads is always that of the stringing

axis and in earrings and pendants, that of the sus-

pending length.

Materials

The jewelry items were made from a variety of

materials that included metals, stones, siliceous

materials, bone/ivory and shell (Table 11.5). One of

the primary materials for the production of jewelry

is metal, from which almost every kind of ornament

may be made. Not only does metal have an aes-

thetic, economic and possibly cultic value, but it is

also durable and may be cast, hammered or bent

into almost every desirable shape. The metallic

jewelry items from Tel Beth-Shean were fashioned

from three primary metals: silver, gold and copper

alloy.2 All the silver, and some of the gold objects,

were associated exclusively with the silver hoards

mentioned above; none of the copper alloy objects

were associated with these hoards.

Three of the copper alloy jewelry items were

612

sampled for chemical analysis by N. Yahalom-

Mack (Chapter 10B). Cat. No. 12 (an earring) was

made of copper with 9.5% Sn (tin) and 0.6% Pb

(lead). Cat. No. 18 (a small ring) was made of

copper alloyed with 32% Ag (silver) and 0.6% Au

(gold). Cat. No. 102 (a stick pin) was made of

copper alloyed with 7.5% Sn and 3% Pb. Lead Iso-

tope Analysis performed by N. Yahalom-Mack on

Cat. Nos. 18 and 102 showed that both were most

likely made of copper from the Timnaª region in the

Arabah (see details in Chapter 10C).

The non-metallic jewelry objects are composed

of a variety of semi-precious stones, siliceous mate-

rials, bone, ivory and shells. Of the stones, the pre-

dominant material is carnelian, comprising 80%

(n=40). Carnelian stone is commonly found in the

eastern desert of Egypt, as well as in Iran, India and

various parts of Europe (Andrews 1990: 41; Lucas

and Harris 1962: 391–392). The predominance of

carnelian among stone bead and pendant jewelry

assemblages at Beth-Shean is nearly identical to

that found in the Iron Age I–II levels at Tel Miqne-

Ekron (77.4%; Golani forthcoming). Other types of

stone used in the production of pendants and beads

at Beth-Shean include various kinds of agate, rock

crystal, lapis lazuli and other stones of different

colors that are not identified with certainty. Agate

and rock crystal are plentiful in Egypt, Arabia,

India, northern Iran and Sicily (Lucas and Harris

1962: 402–403). Agate is also found in southern

Israel (Negev), Jordan and southern Iraq (Andrews

1990: 39; Ogden 1982: 109). The very limited pres-

ence of lapis lazuli (perhaps one item, Cat. No. 61)

at Beth-Shean suggests that this bead had reached

the site from Egypt, where this material, probably

imported from Afghanistan (Sarianidi 1971), was

more common.

Of the siliceous materials, faience is an inex-

pensive medium that can be made of locally avail-

able material and may be formed into almost any

shape and decorated by almost any color, thus

effectively becoming an artificial precious stone

(Nicholson 1993: 9). This material comprised 72%

of all the siliceous objects in the present assem-

blage. A similar proportion (78.6%) of faience in

relation to other siliceous materials is known from

the stratified jewelry of the Iron Age I levels at Tel

Ashdod (Golani and Ben-Shlomo 2005). At Tel

Miqne-Eqron, faience comprised 57% of the sili-

ceous materials in the Iron Age I, yet its use

increased dramatically in the Iron Age II, when it

made up close to 98% (Golani forthcoming). While

some of the faience may have been imported from

Egypt, local faience production during the Late

Bronze Age and the Iron Age I at Tel Beth-Shean

has been established through chemical analyses

(McGovern 1992). Nearly all the faience objects

from Tel Beth-Shean appear to lack an outer glaze.

While the glaze could have worn off, the method of

production may have involved mixing an alkaline

glaze material with a silica-calcium carbonate-

natron paste before firing (Lucas and Harris 1962:

METALLIC AND NON-METALLIC JEWELRY 613

Table 11.5: Distribution of jewelry materials by stratum (n=136)

Material/Stratum S-4 S-3 S-2 S-1 N-4 N-3

n %** n % n % n % n % n %

Silver 11* 50 – – – – –

Gold 3 14 3 5 1 20 – – –

Bronze/copper alloy 1 4 7 11 1 20 – – –

Faience 1 4 9 14 2 40 1 25 28 85 3 43

Glass 2 9 10 15 – 1 25 3 9 2 28

Bone – 2 3 – 1 25 – –

Stone 3 14 31 48 1 20 1 25 2 6 2 28

Shell – 2 3 – – – –

Ivory – 1 1 – – – –

Egyptian Blue 1 4 – – – – –

Total 22 65 5 4 33 7

* All from the silver hoards (Chapter 11A).

** Percentages rounded-off.

164–165; Noble 1969), resulting in a compact sur-

face that is generally matt (Moorey 1999: 184). The

piece is entirely homogenous in composition, the

core being the same color as the surface. This

method, called self-glazing or efflorescence, was

common in Egypt since pre-dynastic times

(Nicholson 1993: 8).3 The Late Bronze Age faience

objects found by the UME at Tel Beth-Shean were

made exclusively by this technique (McGovern

1985: 104).

Glass objects comprised 17% of the siliceous

items from the present asssemblage. At Tel

Ashdod, glass made up nearly 21% of the siliceous

material in the Iron Age I levels (Golani and Ben-

Shlomo 2005), while at Iron Age I Tel Miqne-

Ekron the amount was 37% and plummetted to only

1% in the Iron Age II. Its ability to imitate semi-

precious stones, which were far harder to model,

caused glass, like faience, to be produced as a sub-

stitute for stone, especially in the production of

beads and inlays (Moorey 1999: 189 ff.). A cake of

Egyptian Blue frit and fragments of other such

cakes were recovered from UME Level VII, sug-

gesting that this was imported as raw material by

the Egyptian garrrison and was possibly used to

manufacture glass objects at the site (James and

McGovern 1993: 151–152).

The use of bone for jewelry items is common,

since it is an inexpensive and readily accessible

material, while shells and ivory can be evidence of

trade contacts. A singular object of what appears to

be ivory (Cat. No. 34) is probably made of an

African elephant tusk, although hippopotamus

tusks were more commonly used to make primarily

utilitarian ivory objects during the Iron Age I (Ben-

Shlomo and Dothan 2006). The few shells found in

use as beads at Beth-Shean indicate trade contacts

with the Red Sea region.

Typology

The following section presents a discussion of the

jewelry types recovered during the 1989–1996

excavation seasons in Areas S and N. The jewelry

items are described and discussed in the following

sequence: earrings, small rings, large rings, pen-

dants, beads and varia.4 As many of the more

common jewelry objects, such as beads, are not cul-

turally or chronologically instructive, parallels and

the dating of each type are discussed only when rel-

evant.

Earrings

Earrings may be broadly defined as ornaments that

hang from a hole pierced in the ear lobe or are oth-

erwise attached to the ear. Thus, the main identi-

fying characteristic that defines an earring as such

is its means of attachment to the ear. This is usually

found in the form of a wire hoop, the narrow end of

which is inserted in the pierced lobe of the ear and

then bent downwards, meeting the other end below

the lobe. Earring hoops are generally oval and at

their base, a thickening or an attachment substanti-

ates their function as an earring. Such objects could

also have been worn as nose-rings and could also

have been attached to clothes. Some of the small

open-ended rings may also have functioned as ear-

rings, yet their use as finger-, hair- or nose-rings

cannot be ruled out.

Type I.1a. Small, Plain Earrings with Short Hoop

Five earrings with a solid, crescentic body and a

tapered, bent-over short hoop, the ends usually

meeting at one side. Four are made of gold (Cat.

Nos. 1–4), while the fifth (Cat. No. 5) is made of

copper alloy and is corroded. Three of the gold ear-

rings and the copper alloy earring are complete,

while the largest of the gold earrings is missing a

part of its hoop. The latter (Cat. No. 2) was found in

association with the silver hoards and exhibits ham-

mering or paring marks on the inner arc of the cres-

cent.

Such earrings, also described in the literature as

boat-, leech-, lunate- or crescent-shaped, occur in a

wide range of sizes. Most commonly found made of

copper alloy, this type is also found in gold, silver

and electrum. This type of earring is very common

throughout the ancient Near East, first attested at

Sumer in the middle of the third millennium BCE

(Woolley 1934: 241, Pl. 138), from where it spread

throughout the Levant, reaching Assyria (Maxwell-

Hyslop 1971: 240), as well as being locally intro-

duced during the Middle Bronze Age (i.e., at Tell

el-ªAjjul; Petrie 1934: Pl. 18:85).5 Although rare,

this earring form appeared in New Kingdom Egypt

and may have been an imported Asiatic form

(Aldred 1971: 198).

Type I.1b. Small, Plain Earrings with Short or

Long Hoop and Top Closure

Seven earrings with a solid crescentic body and a

tapered hoop, the ends meeting at the top (Cat. Nos.

614 CHAPTER 11B

6–12). One, made of copper alloy, is complete (Cat.

No.12), while the other six, made of silver (Cat.

Nos. 6–11), are missing the tapering ends of their

hoop. These six earrings all originate from the

silver hoards (Chapter 11A, Fig. 11.1:3–4, 8, 19,

21, 23d). Cat. No. 8 (Chapter 11A, Fig. 11.1:21) has

bands of incised lines positioned at set intervals

along the circumference of the crescent. The silver

hoards also contained other fragments of silver ear-

ring hoops that may possibly be associated with any

of the six earrings cited here (see Chapter 11A, Fig.

11.1:11, 23a–c, and 31).

The closure found on earring Type I.1b (the

ends meeting on top) is known from the Middle

Bronze Age II until Iron Age I, but is virtually

lacking in Iron Age II.


Fig. 11.2: Metal jewelry items; numbers in parentheses are Cat. Nos. in Table 11.12 (scale 1:1)

Photo 11.7. Gold earrings (a: Fig. 11.2:1; b: Fig. 11.2:2; c: Fig. 11.2:3; d: Fig. 11.3:4; e: Fig.11.2:6; f: Fig. 11.2:7) (scale 1:1)

Type I.6a. Sling Earrings with Multiple Lobes

An earring made of solid triple crescents or lobes

(Cat. No. 13), tapered at both ends as in a Type I.1

earring, and then soldered together side by side

with the two tapered ends bent over and meeting at

the side, producing a form reminiscent of a broad

sling or hammock. This earring was found in asso-

ciation with the silver hoards (Chapter 11A, Table

11.2).

This distinctive form is commonly found in

western Anatolia during the Early Bronze Age III,

such as at Troy, where they are identified as hair-

rings (see Antonova, Tolstikov and Treister 1996:

53–74, 203–206, Cat. Nos. 17–67) and at Tarsus

(Maxwell-Hyslop 1971: 61–62, Fig. 42c). By

MBIIB, examples are found in the southern Levant

and continue well into Iron Age I and even later, as

examples in Table 11.6 show. Later examples from

the Iron Age II, such as from Eshtemoªa and Tell el-

Farªah(S) (see Table 11.6) are suspect as heirlooms,

yet may also express the retention of this design

over numerous centuries. In the Persian period,

multiple-lobed earrings continue to be found, i.e.,

at Tel Michal (Muhly and Muhly 1989: Fig.

25.10:182) and Kamid el-Loz (Hachmann and

Penner 1999: Fig.16:6), although these are made by

a different technique.

Type II.2. Earrings with Solid Hemispherical

Attachment

A silver earring (Cat. No. 14) with a slightly thick-

ened hoop and a solid hemispherical attachment

soldered onto the lower, outer side of the crescent.

This earring was part of the silver hoards (Chapter

11A, Fig. 11.1:9).

This distinctive type is a local form, usually

made of silver or gold and occasionally, copper

alloy, that began during the MBII and continued to

be found throughout the Late Bronze Age and Iron

Age I, becoming common in Iron Age II and the

Persian period, when the attachment becomes

slightly larger.

Small Rings

Any ring up to 3 cm in diameter is defined here as

small. Such rings could have been worn on the fin-

gers or the toes (e.g., Tell el-Farªah(S), Tombs 222

and 226: Petrie 1930: 11–12), yet they could have

also been used as earrings, nose-rings or hair-rings

or may have even been threaded and hung, as in

beads and pendants. At Tel Beth-Shean, the latter

possibility is supported by the association of one of

the rings (Cat. No. 22) with a cache of 27 faience

disc beads (Cat. No. 62) that were most likely

strung together.

616 CHAPTER 11B

Table 11.6: Selected comparisons to Type I.6a earrings

Site Material Amount Provenance Date (BCE) Reference Remarks

Tell el-

Farªah(S)

Copper

alloy

1 Tomb 212 10th–9th* c. Petrie 1930: Pl.

42:333

Two lobes

Eshtemoªa Silver 1 From hoard 10th c.6 Yeivin 1990: Fig.

16:8

Three lobes

Wadi el-

Makkuk

Pale gold

(electrum?)

1 From hoard 11th–10th c. Sass 2002: 24, Fig. 3 Three lobes

Tell el-

Farªah(S)

Unknown 1 Tomb 641 12th c. Petrie 1930: Pl.

30:128

Two lobes

Tell el-

Farªah(S)

Silver 1 Tomb 914 13th c. Starkey and Harding

1932: Pl. 48:19

Two lobes

Tel Dan Gold 1 “Mycenaean”

tomb

14th–13th c. Biran and Ben-Dov

2002: Fig. 2.135

Three lobes

Tell el-

ªAjjul

Gold 1 From a gold-

work hoard

16th–15th c. Petrie 1934: Pl. 18:79 Two lobes

Tel Beth-

Shean

Gold 4 Stratum R-5

burial

17th c. Yahalom-Mack 2007:

Fig. 9.8:1–4

Two lobes, hollow,

made of gold sheet

* Dates for Tell el-Far’ah(S) from: Laemmel, S. 2003. A Case Study of the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age Cemeteries of Tell

el-Far’ah(South). Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation. Oxford.

Small rings are usually open-ended, although a

few are closed, as are some examples in the present

assemblage. When worn on the finger, small rings

that bore an inscription were used not only as

objects of adornment, but were employed as an

insignia of rank and office and as personal seals.

Type I.1. Plain, Open-Ended Rings

A small plain ring made of gold wire, round in sec-

tion, with tapering terminals (Cat. No. 15; Fig.

11.2:7). Such rings are a very simple and basic

form, found locally already in the Early Bronze

Age (Ben-Tor 1975: Fig. 12:12). They are most

commonly made of copper alloy, although gold,

silver and iron7 examples are also present.

Type III.2a. Flattened, Open-Ended Rings

Six rings made of a flattened, hammered-out metal

with rounded, tapering or squared-off ends that

usually overlap. Five of the rings are of copper

alloy (Cat. Nos. 16–20; Fig. 11.2:8–11), while one

ring (Cat. No. 21) is made of silver and originates

from the silver jewelry hoards (Chapter 11A, Fig.

11.1:12). The latter bears signs that are, in fact,

incoherent, and are perhaps imitations of Hittite

hieroglyphs. See discussion by Thompson in

Chapter 11A.8

This type of small ring is commonly made of

copper alloy, occasionally of silver and gold, and

rarely, of iron; most examples are simple and

undecorated. Decorated examples occur primarily


Table 11.7: Selected comparisons to Type II.2 earrings


Tell el-

Mazar

Silver 2 Grave 42 6th–5th c. Yassine 1984: 38, 95; Pl.

55:131–132

With granule collar

Tel Miqne-

Ekron

Silver 2 Stratum IB 7th c. Golani 1996: 30–31, Fig.

6:7; Golani and Sass 1998:

64, Fig. 10:4

With granule collar

Tel Miqne-

Ekron

Gold 1 Stratum IB 7th c. Golani forthcoming With carnelian bead

strung on hoop

Megiddo Copper

alloy?

1 Stratum III 8th–7th c. Lamon and Shipton 1939:

Pl. 86:21

Lachish Silver 1 Level IVb 9th–8th c. Sass 2004: Figs. 28.17:1;

28.32:1

Partial

Akhziv Copper

alloy

1 Tomb 1,

Phase 3

9th–7th c. Mazar 2004: Fig. 24:20 Partial

Lachish Silver 1 Tomb 1004 late 9th c. Tufnell 1953: Pl. 57:9

Eshtemoªa Silver 6 From hoard 10th c.* Yeivin 1990: Fig. 16:3–7,

19, 20

Akhziv

Tomb 1

Silver 1 Phase 1 10th–9th c. Mazar 2004: Fig. 24:19 With granule collar

Tawilan Gold 1 From hoard 10th–9th c. Ogden 1995: Fig. 8:24

Beth-Shean Gold 1 Level V

Southern

Temple

11th–10th c. Rowe 1940: Pl. 30:32 Very small

Tell el-

Farªah(S)

Silver 1 Tomb 952 13th c. Starkey and Harding 1932:

Pl. 49:952

Tell el-

ªAjjul

Gold 13 Groups

1740, 1468

15th–13th c. Petrie 1934: Pls. 18:84,

92,101,107–108,114–119;

34:532, 534

Megiddo Gold 1 Stratum X,

Tomb 3054

17th–16th c. Loud 1948: Pls. 225:5; 338 Found near skele-

ton’s ears

*see note 6

during the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age I and

although not common, continue into the early Iron

Age II as well (see Table 11.8).

One of the copper alloy rings (Cat. No. 20)

bears a grooved decoration around its circumfer-

ence, very similar to rings found in a dolmen in the

Golan Heights and dated to the late Iron Age II

(Epstein 1985: Fig. 5:14–15). Despite excessive

corrosion, it is possible to discern traces of a relief

decoration on the flat outer panel, consisting of a

rectangular or square pattern, along with several

short, parallel lines.

Type III.2b. Flattened, Closed Rings

Two small rings (Cat. Nos. 22–23), mold-made of

light blue faience; both lack any evidence of a

glaze. One ring is complete and bears a deep groove

around its circumference (Cat. No. 22), while the

other ring is a fragment (Cat. No. 23). Such rings

are usually made of metal and are not common in

faience.

Type III.3c. ‘Stirrup’ Rings With Oval-shaped

Bezel

A massive, solid silver ring with an oval-shaped

blank bezel that appears to have been filed down

(Cat. No. 24). The ring and shank were cast in one

piece, the outlines of which resemble a stirrup. This

ring was found in association with the silver hoards

(Chapter 11A, Table 11.2).

In Egypt, such rings begin during the 16th cen-

tury BCE (Williams 1924: 93) and are typical of the

New Kingdom, when they are produced as signet

rings in gold, carnelian or faience, all bearing an

official title (Andrews 1990: 164, Fig. 148:f–h;

Ogden 1982: 125, Fig. 7:3; Wilkinson 1971: 128,

Fig. 56). After the New Kingdom, this form, with or

without an inscription, continued to be produced in

Canaan until the end of the Iron Age I in a variety of

materials.

Petrie noted that the weight of a ring of this

type in gold found at Tell el-ªAjjul (see Table 11.9)

conformed to a Babylonian (16.64 gr) and not an

Egyptian weight standard (18.85 gr), suggesting

that this ring was of local and not Egyptian crafts-

manship (Petrie 1933: 5). The present example

from Beth-Shean weighs 17.0 gr, slightly over the

Babylonian standard and 1.76 gr less than the

618 CHAPTER 11B

Photo 11.8. a: Copper alloy earring (Fig. 11.2:8); b: Silver

ring (Fig. 11.2:12) (scale 1:1)

Table 11.8: Selected comparisons to decorated Type III.2a rings


Tell el-

Farªah(S)

Gold 1 Tomb 220 10th–9th c. Petrie 1930: Pl.

36:upper center

Decorated intaglio

Megiddo Copper

alloy

1 Stratum

VIB

12th–11th c. Loud 1948: Pl. 224:16 With incised herring-

bone decoration

Tell el-

Farªah(S)

Gold 1 Tomb 532 12th c. Petrie 1930: Pls.

22:198; 36:upper left

From ‘Philistine’ tomb,

decorated intaglio

Tel Miqne-

Ekron

Copper

alloy and

silver

plating

2 Stratum

VIB

12th c. Golani forthcoming With incised decora-

tion

Megiddo Gold 2 Tomb 39 12th c. Guy 1938: Pl. 166:3–4;

Fig. 176:12

With incised designs,

possibly of Hittite

inspiration

Sahem Silver 1 Mixed tomb 13th–12th c. Fischer 1997: Fig. 29:8 Partial, with incised

design

Egyptian. As the bezel of the Beth-Shean ring was

filed down and some of the metal mass of the ring

may have been lost to corrosion and cleaning, it is

not unfeasible that the original weight of this ring

conformed to the Egyptian standard. However,

Egyptian use of silver until the Third Intermediate

Period was extremely rare, at the same time that the

use of silver in Canaan became predominant during

the Iron Age I and especially during the Iron Age II

(Thompson 2003). Thus, the ring itself is more

probably of local production, possibly retaining an

Egyptian weight standard in its manufacture.

Large Rings

Large rings are differentiated from small rings on

the basis of size and probable function. Although

their use as earrings or hair-rings cannot be com-

pletely ruled out, it is likely they were bracelets,

armlets or anklets, which are sometimes generally

referred to as bangles (Tufnell 1953; Platt 1972).

The most common type of large ring has two open

ends that are usually either tapering or squared-off.

Type I.1. Large Square-sectioned Ring

A cut fragment of what may have been a large open

ring with a polygonal cross-section, made of silver,

was found in one of the silver hoards (Cat. No. 25;

Chapter 11A, Table 11.1:6). On two opposing and

flattened facets of the ring’s circumference is an

incised chevron design, very similar to that found

on open large rings made of copper alloy that were

revealed in a ‘Philistine’ tomb at Tel ªEitun

(Edelstein and Aurant 1992: Fig. 12:10–12), dated

to the 12th–11th centuries BCE.

Pendants

Pendants are defined as any jewelry object in which

the stringing hole is found near one of the ends,

enabling their suspension from a cord, thong or

wire so that they may be worn around the neck, arm


Table 11.9: Selected comparisons to Type III.3c rings

Site Material Amount Provenance Date (BCE) Reference Comments

Tel Miqne-

Ekron

Faience

(light

blue)

1 Stratum

IVA–B

11th–10th c. Dothan 1998: Fig. 2,

center

Bezel shows depiction

of Sekhmet, from

cache of precious items

Tell el-

Farªah(S)

Faience 1 Tomb 110 11th c. Petrie 1930: Pl. 35:402 Bezel shows Egyptian

deity, likely used as a

seal

Megiddo Copper

alloy

1 Stratum VII 12th c. Loud 1948: Pl. 224:11 Seal design indistin-

guishable

Madaba Copper

alloy

1 Disturbed

tomb

13th–11th c. Harding 1950: Fig.

11:220; Pl. 5:220

Bezel engraved with

two animal figures

Tell el-

Farªah(S)

Faience 1 Tomb 934 13th–12th c. Starkey and Harding

1932: Pl. 53:201a

Bezel includes geo-

metric designs

Sahab Copper

alloy

1 Tomb 13th–12th c. Dajani 1970: Pl.

23:SA.180

With incised

hieroglyphs intaglio

Tell el-

ªAjjul

Gold 1 Governor’s

Tomb

13th–12th c. Petrie 1933: Pl. 8:2. Bezel bearing title of

Tutankhamen intaglio

Tell Abu

Hawam

Bone 1 Stratum

IVA

13th–12th c. Hamilton 1934: Pls.

32:204; 38:204

Worn depiction of Ptah

or Osiris, standing and

holding snakes(?)

Aphek Faience 1 Stratum

X12

13th c. Kochavi 1989: 69, Fig.

52

Bezel bears

hieroglyphs with a

blessing to Amon-Ra

Deir el-

Bala¢

Carnelian 1 Tomb 118 15th–14th c. Dothan 1979: Ills. 219,

221

Stirrup-shaped carne-

lian ring, bezel incised

with meaningless lines

or hand.9 Pendants can take on almost any shape

and be made of metal, stone, bone/ivory, shell, sili-

ceous materials or terracotta, not to mention perish-

able items such as wood that are obviously invisible

in the archaeological record. An amulet is a per-

sonal ornament, which by magical means endows

the wearer with certain powers or capabilities (see

Chapter 13E); since most amulets were also sus-

pended, they may be considered a type of pendant.

Pendants can also be used with beads as part of a

necklace or collar and they may also be worn on

headdresses, girdles and other garments.

Type I.9. Triangular Gold Plaque Pendants

A small triangular-shaped pendant made of gold

foil (Cat. No. 26). On the short end of the triangle is

a small tang, rolled over towards the front of the

piece to produce a suspension loop. A repousée

decoration was produced from the back and con-

sists of a line of dots arranged at set intervals along

the perimeter, while a few rough lines in the front

center may represent a schematic rendition of a

mouth, eyes and nose.

Triangular jewelry plaques, usually produced

of gold foil, yet occasionally of silver or copper

alloy, are a common phenomenon among precious

metal jewelry of the Late Bronze Age (McGovern

1985: 29–33). These pendants usually depict a

standing figure or a face that may be schematically

rendered, as in the present example. Such pendants

do not occur any later than the Late Bronze–Iron

Age I transition (13th–12th centuries BCE) and

have been interpreted as representing pelvic jew-

elry covering a woman’s genital area (Platt 1972:

349–377; 1976). The highly schematic rendition in

the present example and its diminutive size in rela-

tion to most such pendants of the Late Bronze Age,

suggest that this is a debased 11th century BCE

example of an older tradition of triangular plaques

and is the latest example known so far of this form.

Type II.2b. Inverted Triangular Pendants

A triangular pendant, carved in a broad ‘V’ and

hung with the apex pointing downwards, and perfo-

rated lengthwise between the two corners of the

base (Cat. No. 28). It is made of whitish agate with

light orange veins, with a few inclusions of other

minerals in the form of small dark gray chunks.

Examples of this type are nearly always made

of semi-precious banded stone, such as agate or

onyx, that are carefully carved and well-polished.

The variegation of the stone, usually ranging from

opaque white to dark brown, is well exploited.

Although it has a local chronological range

from the Iron Age I until the Persian period, this

type of pendant is distinctive in its unique form and

distribution in much earlier periods in other

regions. The origin of this form appears to have

been from Mesopotamia or Anatolia, where it is

found already during the third millennium BCE

(Ogden 1982: 109). Numerous such pendants are

known from Ur and Uruk in Mesopotamia, Tepe

Hissar in Iran, in addition to sites in Georgia,

Anatolia and Romania, where they are dated from

the middle of the third and well into the second mil-

lennium BCE (see Rudolph 1995: 35, 45–46, for a

full listing and references). The limited amount of

local examples should probably be seen as imports

from these regions.

Type II.4. Lotus Seed-shaped Pendants

Nine pendants sculpted in the form of a lotus seed

bud with a stringing hole drilled through the top

(Cat. Nos. 29–37). Six of the pendants are made of

carnelian (Cat. Nos. 29–33, 37), two are of a highly

polished white stone (Cat. Nos. 35–36) and another

(Cat. No. 34) appears to have been carved from

ivory.

These pendants are usually made of carnelian,

although the use of other kinds of stone, in addition

to faience, glass, gold and terracotta, is also known

(cf., McGovern 1985: 47–48; Herrmann 2006:

231–233, Cat. Nos. 452–464). The use of ivory is so

far unrecorded. This pendant type is found in a

variety of forms, ranging from naturalistic depic-

tions of lotus seed buds to more schematic repre-

sentations. In general, these pendants may be

categorized into two main varieties: flat-backed

(McGovern 1985: Type IV.F.5.a) and a more

common, fully rounded type (McGovern 1985:

Type IV.F.5.b; Beck 1928:29, Type XXVI.B.3.d).

Seven of the present examples are of the rounded

type (Cat. Nos. 29–35), while two are flat-backed

(Cat. Nos. 37–38).

620 CHAPTER 11B

Photo 11.9. Gold pendant

(Fig. 11.2:13) (scale 1:1)

Lotus seed-shaped pendants are of Egyptian

inspiration and were very common during the 19th

and 20th Dynasties, the time of heightened Egyp-

tian involvement in Canaan (McGovern 1985: 47–

48).11 They are common in the anthropoid coffin

group in the Northern Cemetery of Beth-Shean, all

made of carnelian (Oren 1973: 129, Tombs 7, 66,

219 and 241). Petrie observed that this pendant was

characteristic of the 18th–19th Dynasties (Petrie

1914: 51; Pl. 43:271). Only sporadic examples con-

tinued into the Iron Age II, for example in Tomb ZR

XXIX at Akhziv (Dayagi-Mendels 2002: Fig.

4.21:65) and in Strata III and II at Megiddo (Lamon

and Shipton 1939: Pl. 90:7, 20).

Beads

Beads are one of the simplest and most ancient

forms of jewelry. A bead is here defined as any

object used for adornment in which a stringing hole

is found pierced through a central axis. While they

usually comprise necklaces and bracelets, this is

not the only function of beads, which can be used as

singular items for adornment in girdles, head-

dresses or armlets, or sewn to the fringe of a gar-

ment. They may also function as pendants, seals,

amulets, spindle whorls, tools, net weights, bur-

nishers and touch stones (Francis 1988; Hughes-

Brock 1999: 279–280), as well as serving as items

of cultic or symbolic significance.

As beads may be made of a wide range of mate-

rials, they have a great diversity, yet the use of dif-

ferent materials usually dictates their form and

decoration. The beads from Beth-Shean may be

divided into four general categories according to

material: stone, siliceous materials (glass, faience,

Egyptian Blue), bone and shell.

Stone Beads

Stone beads are relatively common in most jewelry

assemblages and before the widespread use of

faience and glass in the latter half of the second

millenium BCE, semi-precious stone was the pri-

mary raw material used in bead manufacture. The

range of stone bead forms during the Iron Age I and

II is a direct development of that found during the

Late Bronze Age. It is primarily during the latter

period, with the invention of advanced drilling

techniques (cf., Stocks 1989), that a wider range of

forms was produced. From the Late Bronze Age

and into the Iron Age II, little or no typological

development may be noted in the forms of stone

beads and they are therefore very poor chronolog-

ical indicators. Four primary types of stone beads

were identified at Beth-Shean.


Photo 11.10. Beads (a: Fig. 11.3:3; b: Fig. 11.3:16; c: Fig.

11.3:21; d: Fig. 11.3:31; e: Fig. 11.3:32; f: Fig. 11.3:42;

g: Fig. 11.3:58) (scale 1:1)

Table 11.10: Selected comparisons to Type II.2b pendants


Tel Michal Agate 1 Tomb 2007 6th–4th c. Herzog and Levy 1999:

Fig. 4:10

Part of a carnelian sca-

raboid beads necklace

Lachish Onyx 2 Cave 4005 10th–6th c. Tufnell 1953: Pl. 67:115

Tell el-

Farªah(S)

Carnelian 3? Tombs 643,

649

12th c. Starkey 1930: Type

W:60,65,70

Yavneh Onyx 1 Topsoil Kletter and Nagar

forthcoming10

Gerar Carnelian 1 Unclear Petrie 1928: Pl. 22, far

upper right

622 CHAPTER 11B

Fig. 11.3 (Nos. 1–41). Beads; numbers in parentheses are Cat. Nos. in Table 11.12 (scale 1:1)

Type II.2. Short, Oblate Globular Beads

Nine globular beads, slightly oblate in general form

(Beck 1928: Type I.B.1.a.) (Cat. Nos. 38–46). The

stringing axis is usually slightly less than the diam-

eter. Such beads are extremely common throughout

most archaeological periods.

Type II.4. Short, Truncated Biconical Beads

Twelve short biconical beads with carinated sides

and truncated ends (Beck 1928: Type I.B.2.f.) (Cat.

Nos. 47–51). Eight such beads were found on Floor

10812 (Cat. No. 49) and may have once been strung

together.


Fig. 11.3 (Nos. 42–67). Beads; numbers in parentheses are Cat. Nos. in Table 11.12 (scale 1:1)

Type II.6a–b. Long, Convex Biconical Beads

Four elongated beads with a bulging rounded cari-

nation (Type II.6a: Beck 1928: Type I.D.1.f) (Cat.

Nos. 52–55). A variant of this form (Type II.6b;

Cat. No. 56), made of transparent rock crystal, is

ground down and flattened on two opposite sides.

Type II.10a–b. Cylindrical Beads

Four elongated straight-sided beads of cylindrical

shape (Type II.10a: Beck 1928: Type I.D.2.b.) (Cat.

Nos. 57–60). A variant of this form is elongated and

faceted with a hexagonal cross-section (Type

II.10b, Cat. No. 61). Although uncommon, this

latter variant has a wide chronological range from

the Iron Age I (e.g., Tell el-Farªah(N) — Chambon

1984: Pl. 74:36) and into the Persian period (e.g.,

Tel Michal: Herzog and Levy 1999: Fig. 8:46). At

Beth-Shean, this latter bead appears to have been

made of lapis lazuli.

Siliceous Beads

Glass, faience and occasionally Egyptian Blue, are

all quartz-based siliceous materials that were hand-

shaped or worked in a furnace to produce various

jewelry items, most commonly beads. Glass is

found as early as the Middle Bronze Age (Ilan,

Vandiver and Spaer 1993) and faience even earlier

(e.g., at Early Bronze Arad; see Amiran et al. 1978:

55, Pl. 69:16–19), yet both enjoyed widespread use

in the production of beads and pendants only from

the Late Bronze Age onwards. Beads of faience and

Egyptian Blue are unichrome and are often made in

a mold, enabling mass-production in standardized

forms. Because they are individually made, glass

beads are less common and have more variation in

form and decoration, although for the most part,

they continue the same forms found in faience.

As with the stone beads, most of the siliceous

beads are generalized forms that are not culturally

or chronologically instructive.

Type III.1. Small Flat Disc Beads

Usually found made of unglazed faience of various

colors, small flat disk beads (Beck 1928: Type

I.A.2.b) may be made by cutting slices from a

tubular bead formed around a thin wire or stick

when still in a plastic state prior to firing. Such

beads, commonly found from the Early Bronze Age

on, are often mass-produced and may be strung in

the hundreds to form a necklace or a more complex

beadwork decoration (Bosse-Griffiths 1975).

Of the 34 faience examples from Beth-Shean

(Cat. Nos. 62–68), 27 beads (Cat. No. 62)12 were

found together in a cache in Area N (Locus 38703,

Stratum N-4), suggesting that they were probably

strung together.

Type III.2. Short, Oblate Globular Beads

Thirteen short, globular beads, slightly oblate in

general form (Beck 1928: Type I.B.1.a.), made of

glass and faience (Cat. Nos. 69–81). The stringing

axis is usually slightly less than the diameter.

Most of the glass beads were made by taking a

gob of molten glass around a stick or wire and then

‘twirling’ the mass into a round form until it cooled.

A fragment of one such bead was found with the

remains of a metal wire in its perforation (Cat. No.

69). The faience examples were made by shaping

the bead in a plastic state around a stick or wire and

then firing, or by impressing the material into a

mold. This form is very common from the Middle

Bronze Age onwards.

Type III.3b. Short, Truncated Convex Biconical

Beads

One short biconical faience bead of lentoid shape,

truncated at both ends, with convex sides (Beck

1928: Type I.C.1.f.) (Cat. No. 82). This form, found

from the Middle Bronze Age onwards, appeared

primarily during the Late Bronze Age to the Iron

Age I, and virtually disappeared during Iron Age II.

This bead was made by molding faience around a

stick or wire, or by impressing it in a mold.

Type III.4. Long, Truncated Convex Biconical

Beads

Two elongated barrel-shaped glass beads with

rounded sides (Beck 1928: Type I.D.1.f.) (Cat. Nos.

83–84), made of glass free-formed on a rod and

then rolled on a hard, flat surface into shape.

This type is extremely common, being found in

faience as early as the Early Bronze Age and

appearing also in glass primarily during the Late

Bronze Age.

Type III.5. Long, Thin Cylinder Beads

One long, thin, tubular faience bead (Beck 1928:

Type I.D.2.b.) (Cat. No. 85), made by molding

faience around a stick or wire prior to firing. This

form is common from the Middle Bronze Age

onwards.

Type III.6a. Long, Thick Cylinder Beads

One long, thick cylindrical glass bead (Beck 1928:

624 CHAPTER 11B

Type XLVII.A.7.) (Cat. No. 86), made by molding

molten glass around a wire core.

These beads are common primarily with the

major onset of glass production during the Late

Bronze Age, continuing into the Persian period.

Type III.7. Small Segmented Beads

Three mold-made or hand-sculpted tubular faience

beads, with a grooved band decoration that divides

the bead into segments (Beck 1928: Type

XVII.A.1.a.) (Cat. Nos. 87–89), made in a similar

fashion to Type III.5 beads discussed above. The

grooved bands may have been produced by rolling

a faience tube when still moist under a blade.

These beads are usually found in faience and

Egyptian Blue (as our examples), but very rarely in

glass. They first appear during the Middle Bronze

Age.

Type III.9a. Multi-tubular Spacer Beads

A flat multi-tubular bead, also termed a ribbed

spacer bead (Beck 1928: Type XVII.A.2.a.) (Cat.

No. 90), made of faience, formed by at least five

thin long cylinder beads (see Siliceous Bead Type

III.5) that are fused parallel to each other. Most

examples of this type contain two to seven parallel

tubes and are common throughout the Late Bronze

and Iron Age I (Spaer 1984; 2001: 58–60; Taniichi

1992).

Such beads are normally referred to as ‘spac-

ers’, as they have more than one perforation. How-

ever, as these beads are often found together, they

may have been a recurring component on a

beadwork necklace, thus also being used as ordi-

nary beads, rather than for spacing strands of beads,

e.g., in Late Bronze Age Tomb 2010 at Megiddo

(Loud 1948: Pl. 211:46; Fig. 343).

Type III.12d. Short, Oblate Beads with Eye-like

Decoration

A short oblate glass bead with circular patches

around its circumference; these are the remains of

glass spots representing ‘eyes’ that were applied in

relief, that appear to have broken off (Beck 1928:

Type XLVII.C.1.a.) (Cat. No. 91).

Such beads begin locally during the LBII and

are common throughout the Iron Age and into the

Persian period. Most are made by simply pressing a

glob of glass into the bead. Others have the spot

formed by the addition of impressed circular glass

trails around the spot.

Type III.13. Disc-shaped Bead

One disc-shaped glass bead perforated through its

diameter (Beck 1928: Type XVI.C.1.a.) (Cat. No.

92). Two deep grooves are found around the cir-

cumference of the bead on its side, while another

groove is found on both flat sides, along the perim-

eter.

This type is common throughout the Late

Bronze and Iron Ages.

Type III.16. Fluted Beads

These are beads of various forms, all bearing

fluting along their length. They are also termed

‘melon’ or ‘gadrooned’ beads and are most com-

monly found in siliceous materials. While they first

appear during the MBII, most fluted bead varieties

began during the Late Bronze Age, when they were

quite common among bead assemblages, and con-

tinued through the Iron Age I and into the Iron Age

II.

Three sub-types were identified in the Beth-

Shean assemblage:

Type III.16a. Short, Oblate Fluted ‘Melon’ Bead.

Faience; short, oblate shape; the most common

form of this group (Beck 1928: Type XXIII.B.1.a)

(Cat. No. 93).

Type III.16b.Elongated Fluted ‘Melon’ Bead.

Faience; elongated shape (Beck 1928: Type

XXIII.D.1.b.) (Cat. No. 94).

Type III.16d. Fluted Plano-Convex Bead. Faience;

plano-convex shape (Beck 1928: Type

XXIII.B.1.d.) (Cat. No. 95).

Bone Beads

Although bone is a readily accessible and inexpen-

sive material, beads made of this material are gen-

erally not very common, probably because bone

does not possess the color range or properties of

semi-precious stone and various siliceous mate-

rials.

Three types of bone beads were identified in

the Beth-Shean assemblage:

Type V.1. Elongated Spacer Bead

One elongated spacer bead made of carved and pol-

ished bone, fashioned into a long strip while a

series of three holes are drilled through the width

(Beck 1928: Type XVII.A.3.b.1.) (Cat. No. 96).

This form is occasionally found in bone and ivory

from the end of the Late Bronze Age and into Iron

Age II (see Table 11.11).


Type V.3. Cylindrical Beads

One roughly formed cylindrical bead, made of a cut

and hollowed bone segment (Beck 1928: Type

I.D.2.b.) (Cat. No. 97).

Type V.13. Flat Square Beads

One flat square-shaped bead (Beck 1928: Type

IX.A.1.d.) (Cat. No. 98). On one side is an incised

decoration of two concentric rings, that surround a

row of small dotted circles; the bead is very worn so

that the ring and dot decoration is barely

discernable.

This bead is unique in form, although the use of

incised lines, along with the ring and dot motif, is

well known in the decoration of small bone/ivory

and stone objects from the Middle Bronze Age

onwards, possibly representing a schematic depic-

tion of an eye (Platt 1978).

Shell Beads

Shells may have been used as beads or pendants

whenever they are found perforated, whether natu-

rally or artificially. Archaeologically, a perforated

shell can reasonably be assumed to be a bead or

pendant if it is found in a certain context (e.g., a

burial), if it is part of a series of similarly perforated

shells found together (e.g., a necklace), or if it

exhibits clear signs of artificial perforation (Francis

1982). While shells are an inexpensive and readily

available material, their use as ornaments is always

limited by the size and structure of the raw material.

The origin of the shells can be an indicator of trade

connections.

Type VI.2. Square ‘Conus Whorl’ Beads

Flat beads made of the apical or body whorl of a

large Conus shell, produced by sawing or abrading

to a square or rectangular shape that is often well-

polished. Such beads may also be found in circular

form. The perforation, usually wide, was drilled

through the center of the broad side or may have

been a natural opening in the shell (Beck 1928:

Type IX.A.2.b) (Cat. Nos. 99–100).

Such beads, in square and rectangular form,

have been termed ‘Conus Whorl Beads’ and are

found throughout the ancient Near East as early as

the Chalcolithic period (Reese 1986: 324–326).

One of the species of the Conus shell originating

from the Red Sea was probably used for the Beth-

Shean beads, as the Mediterranean species (Conus

mediterraneus) is too small for the production of

such a bead (D. Reese, personal communication).

Varia

Toggle Pins

A fragment of a silver toggle pin consisting of the

head that ends in a slightly flaring ‘mushroom’

below which are incisions depicting a net pattern

626 CHAPTER 11B

Table 11.11: Selected comparisons to Type VI.1 beads


Tell el-

Farªah(S)

Bone 1 Tomb 241 10th c. Petrie 1930: Pl.

42:318

Flat, three holes

Tell el-

Farªah(S)

Bone 1 Tomb 119 11th–9th c. Petrie 1930: Pl. 36

(lower right)

Three holes

Tel Miqne-

Ekron

Bone 2 Stratum V 11th c. Golani 1996: 88;

Fig. 19:2

Six holes

Tel Miqne-

Ekron

Bone 1 Pre-Stratum VIB 12th–11th

c.?

Golani forthcoming Two holes

Tel Miqne-

Ekron

Bone 1 Stratum VIB 12th c. Golani forthcoming Three holes

Beth-Shean Ivory 3 Tomb 7, from disturbed

anthropoid coffin?

13th–12th c. Oren 1973: Figs.

41:28–29; 77:4

Eight holes

Photo 11.11. Conus whorl beads (a: Fig. 11.3:66; b: Fig.

11.3:67) (scale 1:1)

(Cat. No. 101; Chapter 11A, Table 11.1:7). The

fragment of this pin gives no indication as to the

form or position of the eyelet, crucial to the differ-

entiation between forms of the Middle and Late

Bronze Ages (Henschel-Simon 1938: 175; Type II)

and those of the Iron Age I (ibid.: Type III). How-

ever, the slightly flaring mushroom head and

incised pattern are exactly paralleled in a silver

specimen from Tomb 1507 at Tell el-ªAjjul, which

is dated to the 13th–11th centuries BCE (Petrie

1932: Pl. III:16).

A stick pin (Cat. No. 102) made of bronze, of a

form typical of the Late Bronze–Iron Age I transi-

tion, is discussed in Chapter 10A, No. 51.

Discussion

The jewelry objects discussed in this report repre-

sent a local assemblage that is typical of, but not

exclusive to the Iron Age I in the southern Levant.

The present collection from Tel Beth-Shean well

suits the date of the strata in which they were found

(see Chapter 1). Since the forms and techniques

typical of Iron Age I in the southern Levant are

nearly always derived from earlier traditions of the

Late Bronze Age, nearly all the Iron Age I jewelry

may be considered ‘retrospective’, being a continu-

ation of earlier jewelry traditions (see also Chapter

11A, this volume). However, it is the large amount

of silver jewelry, generally rare in assemblages of

the Late Bronze Age, that places the present assem-

blage in the Iron Age I sphere.

Although many of the jewelry types have a

very broad range from the Middle Bronze Age into

the Iron Age II and are therefore not chronologi-

cally instructive, the relatively large number of

Type II.4 lotus bud pendants is more indicative of

the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age I, when these

were most common in the southern Levant. Egyp-

tian influences are apparent in these items, yet they

were not necessarily of Egyptian manufacture. The

production of such pendants in materials other than

carnelian, such as white stone (two examples) and

ivory (one example) is unusual, as they are nearly

always found made from reddish carnelian.

The materials used in the manufacture of the

non-metallic jewelry bear witness to trade connec-

tions with Egypt and the Red Sea region. The pre-

dominance of carnelian among the semi-precious

stone beads and pendants alludes to the powerful

symbolic importance ascribed to this material. The

presence of glass in contexts that are clearly Iron

Age I is further indication of this material’s contin-

uous production and use from the Late Bronze Age

and into the Iron Age. The predominance of faience

among the siliceous materials highlights the eco-

nomic feasibility of using this cheaper material

over glass and stone, the production of which is

more labor-intensive.


Table 11.12: Catalogue of jewelry items from Areas N and S

Cat.No.

Item Type Material Amount Pres. Reg. No. Dimensions(cm)

Locus Level Stratum Comments Fig. Photo

1 Earring I.1a Gold 1 Co 987084 1.5×1.1×0.3 98711 92.14 S-4 11.2:1 11.7a

2 Earring I.1a Gold 1 P 888336/1 2.3×2.0×0.9 88866 92.20 S-4 Associated with

silver hoard, Ch.

11A, Table 11.2;

well-polished,

hammering or

paring marks on

inner crescent

11.2:2 11.7b

3 Earring I.1a Gold 1 Co 107222 2.0×1.8×0.5 10728 93.23 S-3b Well-polished 11.2:3 11.7c

4 Earring I.1a Gold 1 Co 788174 1.4×1.0.0.2 78827 93.49 S-3a 11.2:4 11.7d

5 Earring I.1a Copper alloy 1 P 188058 1.5×1.2×0.4 18804 92.88 S-3a Corroded

6 Earring I.1b Silver 1 P 888337/1 2.5×2.3×0.5 88866 92.20 S-4 From silver

hoard, Ch. 11A:

Fig. 11.1:3


hoard, Ch. 11A:

Fig. 11.1:4

628 CHAPTER 11B

Cat.No.




hoard, Ch. 11A:

Fig. 11.1:21


hoard, Ch. 11A:

Fig. 11.1:19


hoard, Ch. 11A:

Fig. 11.1:8


hoard, Ch. 11A:

Fig. 11.1: 23d

12 Earring I.1b Bronze 1 P 187091 1.8×1.6×0.4 78722 93.24 S-3b Ch. 10B, Table

10.3, No. 24

11.2:5

13 Earring I.6a Gold 1 Co 888336/2 2.0×1.2×1.0 88866 92.20 S-4 Associated with

silver hoard, Ch.

11A: Table 11.2

11.2:6 11.7e

14 Earring II.2 Silver 1 P 888337/1 1.6×1.0×0.4 88866 92.20 S-4 From silver

hoard, Ch. 11A:

Cat. No. 9; Fig.

11.1:9

15 Ring I.1 Gold 1 Co 788084 1.7×1.6×1.0 78827 94.03 S-3a 11.2:7 11.7f

16 Ring III.2a Copper alloy 1 Co 288258 2.4×2.3×0.5 78740 93.38 S-3a 11.2:8 11.8a

17 Ring III.2a Copper alloy 1 Co 108141 2.1×2.0×0.6 10830 91.80 S-4 Corroded 11.2:9

18 Ring III.2a Bronze 1 Co 288145 2.3×2.3×0.7 28833 93.31 S-3b Ch. 10C, Table

10.4, BS-13b

11.2:10

19 Ring III.2a Copper alloy 1 P 787240 1.6×0.5×0.3 78717 93.48 S-3a?

20 Ring III.2a Copper alloy 1 P 787112 2.0×1.7.0.8 78704 94.49 S-2 Corroded 11.2:11

21 Ring III.2a Silver 1 P 888337/1 1.2×2.2×0.8 88866 92.20 S-4 From silver

hoard, Ch. 11A:

Cat. No. 12, Fig.

11.1:12

22 Ring III.2b Faience (light

blue)

1 Co 387509/1 1.5×1.5×0.3 38703 91.29 N-4 Groove around

circumference

11.3:1

23 Ring III.2b Faience (light

blue)

1 P 787019 1.9×0.8×0.4 78714 94.12 S-3a 11.3:2

24 Ring III.3c Silver 1 Co 888335 2.5×2.3×1.1 88866 92.20 S-4 Associated with

silver hoard, Ch.

11A, Table 11.2

11.2:12 11.8b

25 Large

ring

I.1 Silver 1 P 888337/1 2.2×1.0×0.6 88866 92.20 S-4 From silver

hoard, Ch. 11A:

Fig. 11.1:6

26 Pendant I.9 Gold 1 Co 787323 2.2×0.9×0.3 78704 93.89 S-2 11.2:13 11.9

27 Pendant?/

Inlay

– Copper alloy 1 Co 788160 1.9×0.9×0.3 78828 93.60 S-3? Ch. 10A, Table

10.1:52

28 Pendant II.2b Agate 1 Co 787167 1.0×1.9×0.8 78724 93.71 S-3a 11.3:3 11.10a

29 Pendant II.4 Carnelian 1 Co 988155 1.4×0.5×0.5 88866 92.10 S-4 11.3:4

30 Pendant II.4 Carnelian 1 Co 787028a 1.4×0.9×0.9 78711 94.62 S-3a 11.3:5

31 Pendant II.4 Carnelian 1 Co 787220 1.8×0.7×0.7 78726 93.18 S-3a 11.3:6

32 Pendant II.4 Carnelian 1 Co 788176 1.2×0.5×0.5 78822 93.80 S-3a 11.3:7

33 Pendant II.4 Carnelian 1 Co 787028c 1.2×0.5×0.5 78711 94.62 S-3a 11.3:8

34 Pendant II.4 Ivory? 1 Co 787276 1.7×0.7×0.7 68703 93.39 S-3a? 11.3:9

(Table 11.12. cont.)


Cat.No.



35 Pendant II.4 Unidentified

white stone

1 P 787248 1.9×0.8×0.8 78724 93.75 S-3a 11.3:10

36 Pendant II.4 Unidentified

white stone

1 Co 787324 1.7×0.9×0.5 Y.G

2555

92.62 S-3a 11.3:11

37 Pendant II.4 Carnelian 1 P 387231 2.1×1.2×0.4 38721 92.52 N-3a 11.3:12

38 Bead II.2 Carnelian 1 Co 104251 0.4×0.8×0.8 10427 91.90 N-3a 11.3:13

39 Bead II.2 Unidentified

black stone

1 P 787042a 1.2×1.4×1.0 78711 94.31 S-3a 11.3:14

40 Bead II.2 Carnelian 1 Co 787042f 1.6×1.8×1.8 78711 94.31 S-3a 11.3:15


veined stone

1 Co 787354b 1.8×2.0×2.0 78733 93.24 S-3 11.3:16 11.10b

42 Bead II.2 Carnelian 1 Co 787354d 1.5×1.9×1.9 78733 93.24 S-3 11.3:17

43 Bead II.2 Carnelian 1 Co 787354f 0.6×0.7×0.7 78733 93.24 S-3 11.3:18

44 Bead II.2 Carnelian 1 Co 787288 0.5×0.5×0.5 78737 93.08 S-3 11.3:19


light blue and

white stone

1 Co 788087 0.8×0.9×0.9 78811 93.61 S-2–3? 11.3:20

46 Bead II.2 Carnelian 1 Co 788163 0.7×0.9×0.9 78836 94.11 S-2 11.3:21 11.10c

47 Bead II.4 Carnelian? 1 Co 387305 0.7×1.1×1.1 38719 92.03 N-4 11.3:22

48 Bead II.4 Carnelian 1 Co 387001 0.4×0.6×0.6 38701 91.37 N-4 11.3:23

49 Bead II.4 Carnelian 8 Co 108097 0.4×0.6×0.6 10812 92.20 S-3 Part of necklace? 11.3:24

50 Bead II.4 Carnelian 1 Co 787064 0.4×0.7×0.7 78722 93.92 S-3a 11.3:25


dark green

stone

1 Co 107160 1.9×1.8×1.9 10728 93.35 S-3b Part of necklace?

Striations of

drilling inside

11.3:26

52 Bead II.6a Carnelian 1 Co 787028b 1.3×0.5×0.5 78711 94.62 S-3a 11.3:27

53 Bead II.6a Carnelian 1 Co 888188 1.5×0.8×0.8 88854 92.73 S-4 11.3:28


55 Bead II.6a Carnelian 1 Co 988057 1.6×1.0×1.0 98808 93.89 S-1b* 11.3:30

56 Bead II.6b Rock crystal 1 Co 787275 2.0×1.2×0.7 78724 93.57 S-3a 11.3:31 11.10d

57 Bead II.10a Carnelian 1 Co 787233 2.9×1.1×1.1 68703 93.34 S-3a 11.3:32 11.10e




61 Bead II.10b Lapis lazuli? 1 Co 987168a 0.7×0.5×0.5 98725 92.26 S-3 11.3:36

62 Bead III.1 Faience (light

blue)

27 Co 387509 0.2×0.5×0.5 38703 91.29 N-4 11.3:37


blue)

1 Co 387139 0.1×0.4×0.4 38715 92.07 N-3b


blue)

1 Co 102155 0.1×0.4×0.4 10253 92.60 N-3a 11.3:38


blue)

1 Co 887029 0.1×0.2×0.2 68703 93.24 S-3a 11.3:39

66 Bead III.1 Faience (off-

white)

1 Co 887217 0.2×0.5×0.5 88714 92.66 S-3b 11.3:40


blue)

2 Co 787092 0.1×0.5×0.5 78708 94.28 S-3a


630 CHAPTER 11B

Cat.No.




blue)

1 Co 988132 0.2×0.5×0.5 98821 93.53 S-1b* 11.3:41

69 Bead III.2 Glass (off-

white)

1 P 102242 1.6×1.7×0.8 10240 92.54 N-4 With remains of

copper alloy wire

in perforation

11.3:42 11.10f


white)

1 P 387509/2 0.4×0.5×0.5 38703 91.29 N-4


white)

1 P 387632 0.8×1.0×1.0 38703 91.33 N-4 11.3:43

72 Bead III.2 Glass (pale

light green)

1 Co 104137/1 0.4×0.6×0.6 10414 91.90 N-3b

73 Bead III.2 Glass (pale

gray blue)

1 Co 104137/2 0.1×0.4×0.4 10414 91.90 N-3b Crumbled


white)

1 P 107087 0.7×1.3×1.3 10704 91.60 S-4 Restored 11.3:44

75 Bead III.2 Glass

(brown-gray)

1 Co 787042b 1.0×1.2×1.2 78711 94.31 S-3a 11.3:45


white)

1 Co 388273 0.5×0.6×0.6 28808 93.32 S-3a


white and

gray)

1 P 787042c 0.8×1.1×1.1 78711 94.31 S-3a

78 Bead III.2 Faience

(white)

1 Co 787400 1.7×2.0×2.0 78740 94.21 S-3a 11.3:46


white)

1 Co 787354c 1.6×2.1×2.1 78733 93.24 S-3 11.3:47


white)

1 Co 888191 0.5×0.7×0.7 88854 92.73 S-4 11.3:48

81 Bead III.2 Glass (dark

gray)

1 P 788023 0.5×0.9×0.4 78808 94.25 S-1?*

82 Bead III.3b Faience (light

blue)

1 Co 787067 0.4×1.3×1.3 78714 93.99 S-3a 11.3:49


white)

1 Co 787042d 1.6×0.6×0.6 78711 94.31 S-3a 11.3:50

84 Bead III.4 Glass

(cream)

1 P 787016 2.5×0.8×0.8 78711 94.57 S-3a 11.3:51


blue)

1 Co 987239 1.5×0.3×0.3 98732 91.25 S-4 11.3:52

86 Bead III.6a Glass (off-

white)

1 Co 987168b 1.5×0.5×0.5 98725 92.26 S-3 11.3:53

87 Bead III.7 Egyptian

Blue

1 P 987301 0.3×0.2×0.2 98732 91.30 S-4 11.3:54

88 Bead III.7 Faience

(brown-red)

1 Co 388218 0.4×0.2×0.2 38848 92.58 S-3a 11.3:55


blue)

1 Co 387152 0.8×0.3×0.3 38715 92.97 N-3b 11.3:56

90 Bead III.9a Faience (light

blue)

1 P 188071 1.1×1.9×0.5 18804 93.20 S-3a 11.3:57

91 Bead III.12d Glass (off-

white)

1 Co 787354a 0.9×1.3×1.3 78733 93.24 S-3 11.3:58 11.10g

92 Bead III.13 Glass (gray) 1 P 787376 2.0×2.1×0.7 78733 93.21 S-3 11.3:59


NOTES

1 Throughout this chapter, ‘Cat. No.’ refers to the running

number of the item in Table 11.12, where contextual

information and referral to illustrations are provided.

2 As only a metallurgical analysis can determine whether

tin was deliberately added and in what amounts, all

copper-based items have been identified as ‘copper

alloy’, aside from those that were analyzed and found to

be made of bronze; the latter are discussed in Chapter 10B.

3 Note that other scholars have proposed a much later date

in the 22nd or 26th Dynasties for this technique (Lucas

and Harris 1962: 164–165).

4 As this typological scheme is being continuously

refined and expanded, the present report includes a

number of new typological designations. Lacunae in the

typological numbering sequence are due to the absence

of that type in the present assemblage. Although

referred to in this report, Beck’s (1928) commonly-used

classification of beads and pendants has not been

employed here as it is based entirely on form. The

present typology distinguishes beads and pendants ini-

tially by material and subsequently by form.

5 See Gjerstad 1948: 385 for a broad survey of the devel-

opment of this earring type.

6 For a suggested re-dating of this hoard to the 8th century

BCE, see Kletter and Brand 1998.

7 The use of iron in the production of small rings,

although not common, is found already at the beginning

of Iron Age I, such as at Tell el-Farªah(S) (Petrie 1930:

Pl. 30:11). Numerous iron rings were found in Tomb 65

at Khirbet Nisya (Livingston 2002: Fig. 8), dated to the

12th–10th centuries BCE.

8 Illiterate epigraphic imitations are also known from

Phoenician rings bearing meaningless, possibly

amuletic Egyptian hieroglyphic sequences that are a

characteristic shared by many rings found outside of

Egypt during the late Iron Age II (Krauss, Lombard and

Potts 1983: 162–163; Boardman 1967: 6), implying a

non-Egyptian or possibly Phoenician origin. The

present example from the silver hoard, while based on

an Anatolian prototype, is most likely not Anatolian in

manufacture and should probably be seen as a local

product of Syrian (northern Levantine) origin of the ear-

lier (LB) period, or a debased 12th century product

based on more ancient Hittite forms.

9 An unperforated copper alloy item that might be an

amulet depicting the Egyptian nefer sign was possibly

worn as jewelry and is discussed in Chapter 10A, No. 52.

10 The author would like to thank Raz Kletter for allowing

him to cite this as yet unpublished object.

11 For the Egyptians, the sun rose from the lotus flower

during the creation of the universe and the hope of

future regeneration was encapsulated within the lotus

bud (Rudolph and Rudolph 1973: IX–X).

12 Fig. 11.3:37 is a representative example of the other 26

beads found together with this one in Locus 38703 in

Area N North.


Cat.No.



93 Bead III.16a Faience

(gray-green)

1 Co 988084 0.9×1.0×1.0 98815 94.20 S-2 With slight

remains of glaze

11.3:60

94 Bead III.16b Faience

(gray)

1 Co 987105 0.8×0.6×0.6 98716 92.00 S-3 11.3:61

95 Bead III.16d Faience?

(blue-gray)

1 Co 787206 0.3×1.1×1.1 78704 94.04 S-2 11.3:62

96 Bead V.1 Bone 1 Co 787174 0.7×2.5×0.4 78722 93.61 S-3a 11.3:63

97 Bead V.3 Bone 1 Co 787042 0.6×1.0×1.1 78711 94.31 S-3a 11.3:64

98 Bead V.13 Bone 1 Co 388071 0.5×1.7×1.8 38807 93.33 S-1b* Incised decora-

tion of lines, rings

and dots

11.3:65

99 Bead VI.2 Conus shell 1 Co 188037 0.5×1.5×1.6 10809 92.44 S-3b 11.3:66 11.11a

100 Bead VI.2 Conus shell 1 P 787102 0.5×1.8×1.3 78711 93.66 S-3a Burnt 11.3:67 11.11b

101 Toggle

Pin

– Silver 1 P 888337/1 2.7×0.9×0.6 88866 92.20 S-4 From silver

hoards. Ch. 11A:

Fig. 11.1:7

102 Stick

Pin

– Bronze 1 Co 288283 11.7×0.7×0.7 28831 93.25 S-3a Ch. 10C, Table

10.4, BS-5b

* See TBS I; Pres. = preservation; Co = complete; P = partial


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aldred, C. 1971. Jewels of the Pharoahs, Egyptian Jewel-

lery of the Dynastic Period. New York.

Amiran, R., Paran, U., Shiloh, Y., Brown, R., Tsafrir, Y. and

Ben-Tor, A. 1978. Early Arad. The Chalcolithic Settle-

ment and Early Bronze City I: First–Fifth Seasons of

Excavations, 1962–1966. Jerusalem.

Andrews, C. 1990. Ancient Egyptian Jewelry. London.

Antonova, I., Tolstikov, V. and Treister, M. 1996. The Gold

of Troy: Searching for Homer’s Fabled City. London.

Beck, H.C. 1928. Classification and Nomenclature of

Beads and Pendants. Oxford.

Ben-Shlomo, D. and Dothan, T. 2006. Ivories from

Philistia: Filling the Iron Age I Gap. IEJ 56(1): 1–38.

Ben-Tor, A. 1975. Two Burial Caves of the Proto-Urban

Period at Azor, 1971 (Qedem 1). Jerusalem.

Biran, A. and Ben-Dov, R. 2002. Dan II: A Chronicle of the

Excavations and the Late Bronze Age “Mycenean”

Tomb. Jerusalem.

Boardman, J. 1967. Archaic Finger Rings. Antike Kunst 10: 3–31.

Bosse-Griffiths, K. 1975. The Use of Disc-Beads in Egyp-

tian Bead Compositions. Journal of Egyptian Archae-

ology 61: 114–124.

Chambon, A. 1984. Tell el-Farªah I, l’Âge du Fer. Paris.

Dajani, R.W. 1970. A Late Bronze–Iron Age Tomb Exca-

vated at Sahab, 1968. ADAJ 15: 29–34.

Dayagi-Mendels, M. 2002. The Akhziv Cemeteries, the

Ben-Dor Excavations, 1941–1944 (IAA Reports No.

15). Jerusalem.

Dothan, T. 1979. Excavations at the Cemetery of Deir el-

Bala¢ (Qedem 10). Jerusalem.

Dothan, T. 1998. An Early Phoenician Cache from Ekron.

Pp. 259–272 in Magness, J. and Gitin, S. (eds.), Hesed

Ve-Emet: Studies in Honor of Ernest S. Frerichs. Atlanta.

Edelstein, G. and Aurant, S. 1992. The ‘Philistine’ Tomb at

Tell ‘Eitun. ªAtiqot 21: 23–41.

Epstein, C. 1985. Dolmens Excavated in the Golan. ªAtiqot

17: 20–58.

Fischer, P.M. 1997. A Late Bronze to Early Iron Age Tomb

at Sahem, Jordan (Abhanlungen des Deutschen

Palästina-Vereins Band 21). Wiesbaden.

Francis, P. 1982. Experiments with Early Techniques for

Making Whole Shells into Beads. Current Anthro-

pology 23: 713–714.

Francis, P. 1988. When is a Bead not a Bead? Ornament

11/3: 33, 66–69, 71–76.

Gjerstad, E. 1948. The Swedish Cyprus Expedition, Vol. 4/2.

The Cypro-Geometric, Cypro-Archaic, and Cypro-

Classical Periods. Stockholm.

Golani, A. 1996. Jewelry and the Jeweler’s Craft at Tel

Miqne-Ekron During the Iron Age. Unpublished M.A.

Thesis. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Jerusalem.

Golani, A. 2004. Jewelry. Pp. 189–202 in Ben-Arieh, S.

Bronze and Iron Age Tombs at Tell Beit Mirsim (IAA

Reports No. 23). Jerusalem.

Golani, A. 2009. The Development, Significance and Func-

tion of Jewelry and the Evolution of the Jeweler’s Craft

in the Southern Levant During the Iron Age II Period.

Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation. Tel Aviv University.

Tel Aviv.

Golani, A. forthcoming. The Jewelry Objects. In: Gitin, S.

(ed.), Tel Miqne-Ekron Objects and Material Culture

Studies: Middle Bronze II–Iron Age II. Jerusalem.

Golani, A. and Ben-Shlomo, D. 2005. The Jewelry. Pp.

247–264 in Dothan, M. and Ben-Shlomo, D. Ashdod

VI, The Excavation of Areas H and K (1968–1969)

(IAA Reports No. 24). Jerusalem.

Golani, A. and Sass, B. 1998. Three Seventh-Century

B.C.E. Hoards of Silver Jewelry from Tel Miqne-

Ekron. BASOR 311: 57–81.

Guy, P.L.O. 1938. Megiddo Tombs (Oriental Institute Publi-

cations Vol. 33). Chicago.

Hachmann, R. and Penner, S. 1999. Kâmid el-Lôz 3. Der

eisenzeitliche Friedhof und seine kulturelle Umwelt (Sa-

arbrücker Beiträge zur Altertumskunde Band 21). Bonn.

Hamilton, R.W. 1934. Excavations at Tell Abu Hawwam.

QDAP IV: 1–69.

Harding, G.L. 1950. Four Tomb Groups from Jordan. PEFA

Vol. VI.

Henschel-Simon, E. 1938. The ‘Toggle-Pins’ in the Pales-

tine Archaeological Museum. QDAP VI: 169–209.

Herrmann, C. 2006. Ägyptische Amulette aus Palästina/

Israel Band III (OBO 24). Fribourg.

Herrmann, G. 1968. Lapis Lazuli: The Early Phases of the

Trade. Iraq 30: 21–57.

Herzog, Z. and Levy, Y. 1999. Excavations at the Persian

Period Cemetery at Tel Michal. ªAtiqot 38: 5*–24*

(Hebrew). Pp. 221–222 (English summary).

Hughes-Brock, H. 1999. Mycenean Beads: Gender and

Social Contexts. OJA 18/3: 277–296.

Ilan, D., Vandiver, P.B. and Spaer, M. 1993. An Early Glass

Bead from Tel Dan. IEJ 43: 230–234.

James, F.W. and McGovern, P.E.1993. The Late Bronze

Egyptian Garrison at Beth Shan: A Study of Levels VII

and VIII. Philadelphia.

Kletter R. and Brand E. 1998. A New Look at the Iron Age

Silver Hoard from Eshtemoªa. ZDPV 114: 139–154.

Kochavi, M. 1989. Aphek-Antipatris: Five Thousand Years

of History. Tel Aviv (Hebrew).

Kletter, R. and Nagar, Y. forthcoming. Bronze and Iron Age

Burials and Later Remains at Yavneh. ªAtiqot.

Krauss, R., Lombard, P. and Potts, D. 1983. The Silver

Hoard from City IV, Qala’at al-Bahrain. Pp. 161–166

in Potts, D. (ed.), Dilmun: New Studies in the Archae-

ology and Early History of Bahrain. Berlin.

632 CHAPTER 11B

Lamon, R.S. and Shipton, G.M. 1939. Megiddo I. Chicago.

Livingston, D. 2002. A Middle Bronze Age II and Iron Age

I Tomb (No. 65) at Khirbet Nisya. ªAtiqot 43: 17–35.

Loud, G. 1948. Megiddo II (Oriental Institute Publications

No. 62). Chicago.

Lucas, A. and Harris, J.R. 1962. Ancient Egyptian Mate-

rials and Industries. London.

Maxwell-Hyslop, K.R. 1971. Western Asiatic Jewellery c.

3000–612 B.C. London.

Mazar, E. 2004. The Phoenician Family Tomb N.1 at the

Northern Cemetery of Ackhziv (10th–6th Centuries

BCE) (Cuadernos de Arquelogía Mediterránea — Vol.

10). Barcelona.

McGovern, P.E. 1985. Late Bronze Palestinian Pendants,

Innovation in a Cosmopolitan Age (JSOT/ASOR

Monographs). Sheffield.

McGovern, P.E. 1992. Silicate Industries of Late Bronze

Age — Early Iron Palestine: Technological Interaction

between Egypt and the Levant. Pp. 91–114 in Bimson,

M. and Freestone, I.C. (eds.), Early Vitreous Materials

(British Museum Occasional Paper 56). London.

Moorey, P.R.S. 1999. Ancient Mesopotamian Materials and

Industries, The Archaeological Evidence. Winona

Lake.

Muhly, J.D. and Muhly, P. 1989. Metal Artefacts. Pp. 267–

295 in Herzog, Z., Rapp, G. and Negbi, O. (eds.), Exca-

vations at Tel Michal, Israel. Minneapolis.

Nicholson, P.T. 1993. Egyptian Faience and Glass.

Buckinghamshire.

Noble, J.V. 1969. The Technique of Egyptian Faience. AJA

73: 435–439.

Ogden, J.M. 1982. Jewellery of the Ancient World. New

York.

Ogden, J.M. 1995. The Gold Jewellery. Pp. 69–124 in

Bennet, C.M. and Bienkowski, P. (eds.), Excavations

at Tawilan in Southern Jordan. London.

Oren, E.D. 1973. The Northern Cemetery of Beth Shan.

Leiden.

Petrie, W.M.F. 1914. Amulets. London.

Petrie, W.M.F. 1928. Gerar. London.

Petrie, W.M.F. 1930. Beth Pelet I. London.

Petrie, W.M.F. 1932. Ancient Gaza II. London.

Petrie, W.M.F. 1933. Ancient Gaza III. London.

Petrie, W.M.F. 1934. Ancient Gaza IV. London.

Platt, E.E. 1972. Palestinian Iron Age Jewelry from Four-

teen Excavations. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation.

Harvard University. Boston.

Platt, E.E. 1976. Triangular Jewelry Plaques. BASOR 221:

103–111.

Platt, E.E. 1978. Bone Pendants. BA 41: 23–28.

Reese, D.S. 1986. The Marine and Freshwater Shells. Pp.

320–332 in McGovern, P.E. The Late Bronze and Early

Iron Ages of Central Transjordan: The Baqªah Valley

Project 1977–1981. Philadelphia.

Rowe, A. 1940. The Four Canaanite Temples of Beth-Shan.

Philadelphia.

Rudolph,W. 1995. A Golden Legacy, Ancient Jewelry from

the Burton Y. Berry Collection. Bloomington.

Rudolph, W. and Rudolph, E. 1973. Ancient Jewelery from

the Collection of Burton Y. Berry. Bloomington.

Sarianidi, V.I. 1971. The Lapis Lazuli Route in the Ancient

Near East. Archaeology 24(1): 12–15.

Sass, B. 2002. An Iron Age Jewelry Hoard from Cave II/3

in Wadi el-Makkuk. ªAtiqot 41/2: 21–34.

Sass, B. 2004. Section A: Vessels, Tools, Personal Objects,

Figurative Art and Varia. Pp. 1983–2057 in Ussishkin,

D. The Renewed Archaeological Excavations at

Lachish (1973–1994) (Institute of Archaeology Mono-

graphs 22). Tel Aviv.

Spaer, M. 1984. On Some of our Earliest Glass Finds. Israel

Museum Journal. Volume III: 14–16.

Spaer, M. 2001. Ancient Glass in the Israel Museum: Beads

and other Small Objects. Jerusalem.

Starkey, J.L. 1930. Beads of Beth-Pelet in Duncan, J.G.

Corpus of Dated Palestinian Pottery. London.

Starkey, J.L. and Harding G.L. 1932. Beth Pelet II: Prehis-

toric Fara and the Beth-Pelet Cemetery (Publications

of the British School of Archaeology in Egypt Vol. 52).

London.

Stocks, D.A. 1989. Ancient Factory Mass-Production Tech-

niques: Indications of Large-Scale Stone Bead Manu-

facture during the Egyptian New Kingdom Period.

Antiquity 63: 526–531.

Taniichi, T. 1992. Spacer Glass Beads in the Second Millen-

nium B.C. Orient 28: 132–146.

Thompson, C.M. 2003. Sealed Silver in Iron Age Cisjordan

and the ‘Invention’ of Coinage. OJA 22(1): 67–107.

Tufnell, O. 1953. Lachish III (Tell ed-Duweir) The Iron

Age. London.

Wilkinson, A. 1971. Ancient Egyptian Jewellery. London.

Williams, C.R. 1924. Gold and Silver Jewelry and Related

Objects. Catalogue of Egyptian Antiquities Numbers

1–160. New York.

Winter, I.J. 1994. Radiance as an Aesthetic Value in the Art

of Mesopotamia (With Some Indian Parallels). Pp.

123–129 in Saraswati, B.N., Malik, S.C. and Khanna,

M. (eds.), Art: The Integral Vision. A Volume of Essays

in Felicitation of Kapila Vatsyayan. New Delhi.

Woolley, C.L. 1934. Ur Excavations: The Royal Cemetary

II. London.

Yahalom-Mack, N. 2007. The Metal Objects: Catalogue

and Discussion. Pp. 606–620 in Mazar, A. and Mullins,

R. (eds.), Excavations at Tel Beth-Shean 1989–1996.

Volume II: The Middle and Late Bronze Age Strata in

Area R. Jerusalem.

Yassine, K. 1984. Tell el-Mazar I: Cemetary A. Amman.

Yeivin, Z. 1990. The Silver Hoard from Eshtemoªa. ªAtiqot

10: 43–56 (Hebrew).


Metallic and Non-Metallic Jewelery from the renewed excavations at Tell Beth Shean

Documents

Transcript of Metallic and Non-Metallic Jewelery from the renewed excavations at Tell Beth Shean