Straight from Ashkelon to Your Table: The Ascalonian

“We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic…” (Numbers 11:5)

While Ashkelon is noted for many things, such as Philistines, the oldest arched gateway, and horrific Roman-era sewers, it has another, lesser-known claim to fame. It is also the hometown of one of the world’s most popular vegetables: the onion.

More specifically, it is famous for a particular variety of the Alum family. During the Roman era, the name Ashkelon was latinized, becoming Ascalon or Ascalonia. Among the city’s many exports, such as its famous wine, it also cultivated a smaller variety of onion that did not tend to mature to the full bulb, and was known for its mild flavor. Writers such as Theophrastus and Strabo expounded on the qualities of this humble root. And, since it was cultivated in Ascalon, it became known as the ascalonian, or escalonia. Pliny the Elder described it in The Natural History as:

The Ascalonian onion is of a peculiar nature, being barren in some measure in the root; hence it is that the Greeks have recommended it to be reproduced from seed, and not from roots: the transplanting, too, they say, should be done later in the spring, at the time the plant germinates, the result being that it bulbs with all the greater rapidity, and hastens, as it were, to make up for lost time; great dispatch, however, is requisite in taking it up, for when ripe it rots with the greatest rapidity. If propagated from roots, it throws out a long stalk, runs rapidly to seed, and dies.

As the name passed through many centuries and many tongues, it was altered slightly into the French shallot and English scallion. 

The Mighty Ascalonian

Today, scallions are still cultivated in the park, though the crops often suffer from foraging picnicking parties and barbeques. However, in forgotten corners, they have grown quite large, with huge clusters that blossoming archaeologists have to clean out of their grids with pickaxes. It is rather a disappointment to come home smelling like onions without having had the pleasure of eating them.

Clumps of Ascalonians

Life in the Trenches–Ashkelon Grid 16

First of all, we would like to thank our readers for their interest in our photo product–we had a wonderful time putting it together during our Vagabonding Tour, and it is now linked in our sidebar if you would like more information.  As today marks our 2nd Independence Day in Ashkelon, we would like to describe what life has been like for Rebekah for the past 4 weeks.

One of the exciting aspects of field archaeology is the various experiences available: occupation levels, the nature of finds, even the methods used can vary depending on where you are digging, and what you are digging for. Last season, I had the opportunity to work in Grid 38, where we carefully traced floors and occasionally broke out the delicate tools to flake up layers of phytolith (vestiges of organic materials like baskets or grain) or carefully pedestal beautiful Philistine artifacts. However, this season, I have been in the new Grid 16. Together with my old supervisor and a new team of volunteers, we have been excavating a step trench in the North Tel of Ashkelon.

The step trench is an excavation method in which the team digs a trench into a hill or slope of a tel (or rampart) to explore the occupation levels by excavating graduated levels from top to bottom—creating a visual stairway from the latest occupation to the earliest. For us, this was a steep bit on the side of what was at first assumed to be a Crusader-era moat by our friend Richard Cornwall.

Looking from the North Tel across the “moat.”

Our first week was spent transforming what we lovingly termed “The Waterslide,” a flat, slippery grade cleared by heavy equipment, into two squares and 6 steps. Over the past 4 weeks, those steps have been deconstructed and reconstructed as massive amounts of dirt have been dug and dumped by our team, fluctuating from 8 volunteers to 6, plus our two intrepid supervisors. And in those 4 weeks, we have articulated a fantastic tumbled down tower, cleaned out an early-Islamic water channel, sorted through many hundreds of years worth of assorted and intersecting garbage pits, and lovingly cleaned several courses of an Early Bronze Age mudbrick wall.

Grid 16–Week 1

Grid 16–Week 4

Each day is strenuous, as we use large tools like pickaxes and turias to move dirt into gufas and buckets (which we then haul out). And after the big messes are cleaned up, our task is to brush the loose soil off our area to reveal pit or mortar lines (this is an art—it’s really all in the wrist). But it’s exciting. We’re not treasure hunting, and would have been sorely disappointed so far if we were. But we’re seeking answers to questions of what parts of the site were inhabited, and by whom and how they lived. The Crusader and Islamic levels have yielded sherds from Cyprus to China and beautifully glazed local pieces. The Byzantine and Roman levels gave us parts of oil lamps and red-glazed ware. Atticware speaks of the Hellenistic age. Most precious of all have been the few ugly sherds of Early Bronze vessels.

Hauling Gufas with a Smile

Through this quest for ancient humanity, you also learn a lot about modern humanity. You live in a land with foreign customs and politics, and learn to navigate and understand them. You also get to watch a rag-tag bunch of near-strangers from all walks of life evolve into a battle-hardened team unified by pride, mutual respect, and the occasional baked goods.

Grid 16 Family Photo

Grid Foxes of Ashkelon

One of the fun things about traveling is enjoying the ecology of other lands.  For example, Trent’s fox in Grid 20, where they are exploring the Islamic and Crusader fortifications in the “Snake Tower.”  The fellow seems to be an adolescent who is more interested in playing with his rocks and dirt mounds than avoiding humans.  His interest in archaeology has also led to reports of volunteers in the trench looking up to see a fox peering down at them.

Our little friend is part of a long line of Grid Foxes that have graced us with their presence.  The whole family turned out last season to watch us sweat and toil in Grid 38 (and never offered to lend a paw).

Southern Gateways of the Levant, Part 2 — Historical Philistia

Philistia is a rich land, but, in its early history, its population was sporadic at best.  Beginning around the Neolithic period (~8000-4500 BC), very few documented occupations are known, a trend which continued through the Chalcolithic period (~4500-3500 BC).  Most known populations were living on the “fringes” of what is now considered prime land, including the Negev and Judaean Wilderness; though, by the Late Bronze age, the Levant was thoroughly peopled. Egypt often passed through the Philistine gateway to penetrate the Southern Levant, using what is known as the international trunk route, or International Coastal Highway (in time, this would also be called the Way of the Land of the Philistines).  Then, around 1200 BC, Aegean tribes invaded the Nile Delta.  Ramses III repelled them on some level, and the interlopers settled instead in Egypt’s most valuable coastal towns south of Byblos: Gaza and Ashkelon.  These people were known as the Philistines, and adroitly adapted to their new home and opportunities.

Examples of Aegean Influence and Imports in Philistine Pottery (Left to Right): Philistine Monochrome, Cypriot Milk Jar, Another Cypriot Milk Jar, Monochrome Bell Jar Rim and Handle

Products from Philistia eventually appeared all over the known world, as the textile industry flourished with flax and wool work.  Philistia’s access to the Mediterranean also brought harvests of the murex, the mollusk responsible for the highly desired Tyrian purple.  Archaeologists today still unearth the signature Philistine loom weights, as well as other tools for making cloth—tools, dyes, and ceramics all used for spinning and weaving, indicating the textile industry was booming (Ashkelon 1, 204-205).  However, Philistia’s greatest source of wealth and trade were still its roads and coasts.

Ancient Murex Shell found in Iron Age Ashkelon

But, just as the Egyptians lost this region, so would the Philistines.  Assyria seized upon this land of opportunity and stripped it from her former masters.  Then Babylon reared its mighty head.  The juggernaut of antiquity swept through Philistia and wrought havoc, taking advantage of the very roads that had delivered such prosperity.

Ashkelon alone would take almost a century to recover from Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction. Eventually, Philistia prospered again under the Persian Empire until Alexander’s arrival, when he besieged Gaza on his way to Egypt.  After his death until the rise of the Roman Empire, Philistia was again an embattled land as armies crossed and recrossed her while the Seleucids and Ptolemies vied for superiority.  Rome, tired of the squabbling, eventually turned control of Philistia and all Palestine over to the Herodian Dynasty.  Kingdoms would continue to play a territorial tug-of-war after Rome passed away.  The Muslims would seize Philistia during their zealous expansions and the Crusaders, in turn, rolled into Philistia to retake it from the heathen.  From Ottomans to Britain, the State of Israel to Hamas, Philistia has hardly had a moment’s peace since her earliest days in antiquity.

Crusader-Era Wall at Ashkelon

Good resources for historical Philistia can be found in Amihai Mazar’s book Archaeology of the Land of the Bible: 10, 000-586 B.C.E. and details of Philistine material culture are described within Ashkelon excavation reports such as Ashkelon 1 (Cited above, subsection- “Case Study of Indoor Surfaces: A Philistine House.”).  All Ashkelon excavation reports (and other interesting info on Ashkelon) are available online here.

Beginning Week 3

We’ve continued our tour of the country, moved north to south, and now we have begun our central campaign.

Negev

The Negev is the desert region in Southern Israel, extending down to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is a beautiful region, with deserts and makhteshim—the “craters” caused by soft mineral eroding from beneath harder rock, causing the upper layer to collapse.

View of Makhtesh Ramon in the Negev

Arad

Originally built in the Bronze Age, Arad is one of those cities in Israel that has always been there. The lower city excavations are Canaanite, featuring dwellings and palaces. The upper are mostly of Israelite origin, with a Hellenistic tower built in the middle of the fortifications.

Israelite Fortifications at Arad

Be’er Sheva

Beersheba is a oft-mentioned city in the Bible, from Abraham’s covenant with Abimelech to describing Israel’s territory as reaching from “Dan to Beersheba.” The tell itself commands a fabulous view of the surrounding country, which was necessary for the embattled city to defend itself.

Ancient City at Tel Be’er Sheva

Ashkelon

A tell that is near and dear to our hearts, we returned to take a few photographs and recall an ancient site that is best known as one of the Philistine pentapolis. Throughout its long history, this city has been an important port town, and is well known for its wine and oil.

Ashkelon, by the Sea

Ashdod

Another member of the pentapolis, and now a cow pasture, Ashdod was the original resting place of the Ark of the Covenant after its capture by the Philistines. They learned a rather uncomfortable lesson from that incident, and hastily sent it home. It is also described as participating in sea-trade, due to its control of a port 4 miles away from the land-locked city.

Ashdod, Now a Cow Pasture

Lachish

Lachish is an old favorite. As a city that was old before the Israelites conquered it, it came under control of Judah, and was established as a fortified city by Rehoboam, the final defense before an enemy could reach Jerusalem. It acted its part during the siege of Sennacharib, who destroyed the city and publicized the event through a series of reliefs in Nineveh.

Fortress at Lachish

Mareshah

Another of Rehoboam’s fortified cities, Mareshah was the site of a battle between King Asa of Judah and Zerah the Ethiopian. However, the city was taken by the Edomites after Judah’s fall to Babylon, and remained a vibrant city until it rotted away under the Hasmoneans. Today, visitors can explore many of the incredible caves under the city, including subterranean olive presses.

Subterranean Olive Oil Press at Mareshah

Socoh

Positioned in the Elah valley, near Khirbet Qeiyafa, Socoh hosted the Philistines as they drew themselves up in battle array before the Israelite encampment at Qeiyafa. It was between these tells that David and Goliath had their famous “match,” and then the Philistines were pursued up the valley as they fled the wrath of their conquerors.

Tel Socho

Gath (Tel es-Safi)

Speaking of Goliath, number 3 in our tour of the pentapolis was Tel es-Safi, commonly identified as Goliath’s hometown of Gath. It is a unique irony to note that the Brook of Elah runs along the foot of the tell—a ways downstream, it betrayed the giant by yielding a smooth stone to a young shepherd.

Tel es-Safi, Commonly Considered as Gath

Project #2: Vagabonding in Israel for 40 Days (or So)

Picture of the Temple Mount from a south view. You may have to click to see the larger image, but from left to right you can see the Temple Mount, with the Old City walls below it, the Kidron Valley, and then the Mount of Olives (green clump of trees on the right). This shot was from June 14th, on a field trip/break day from the dig.

So you may remember from our first post from back in June, as we ramped up the blog again, we had a few “projects” coming up.  Digging in Ashkelon was #1, vagabonding in Israel for about a month is #2.

How did this project develop?  Project #1 is part of a larger endeavor, which will keep us here in Israel until December (more on that later, Project #3).  Project #2 is the in-between time of projects 1&3, about 40 days.

We faced the question of what to do with those 40 days.  Round-trip plane tickets home?  Sounds logical, but as we looked at that price, the question became, “Could we stay in-country for that or less, and visit the major sites in Israel relevant to the Biblical text?” This would be the ancient cities and tells (ancient mounds), not just popular tourist sites, although some of them are.  A little number crunching indicated that it would be close, assuming we used small hotels, hostels, and perhaps even a Bedouin tent :), and in general, lived life on the cheap.

While we dearly love our families, and desire greatly to see you all soon, you know the adventurous spirits we are. Project # 2 it is.

So, while the sun sets on the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon, the sun rises on explorative vagabonding in Israel.

Sunset on the ancient seaport beach of Ashkelon.

Hopefully, we will be able to keep you more up to date with Project #2, as our schedule will be a little more flexible and not quite so intense.

Ashkelon through the Ages, Part I

Part of the fun of archaeology is watching history rewind itself through the layers–because, how will you get to the oldest stuff if you don’t dig out the newest stuff first? At Ashkelon, we’re fairly certain of what the oldest layer is, and how its history seems to have transpired.

Canaanite Gate, Ashkelon

The earliest significant occupation appears to date from the third millennium (2000s) BC. This is often referred to as the Canaanite occupation, which manifests itself most notably in the monumental Canaanite gate–a magnificent 2-story arched gate leading into what was once Canaanite Ashkelon–and the iconic silver calf shrine. During the Canaanite occupation, the people seemed to live in relative prosperity, while maintaing a strained relationship with its neighbor Egypt, evidenced in the simpering letters from the city ruler to Pharaoh. In Genesis 21:22-34, Abraham interacts with these Canaanites when he makes a treaty between him and Abimelech.

Canaanite Shrine of the Silver Calf, Found at Ashkelon

It is a fascinating realization that history does not occur in a vacuum: rather, history is the interplay of many cultures and many people. A decision in a far-away land may eventually have an impact on another place. Such was the case with Ashkelon. As far west as Spain and as far east as the Levant, a branch of the Mycenaeans landed in search of new homes. Soon, Egypt was invaded by a group known as the Sea People. On the Merenptah Stele, Pharaoh Merenptah details his defeat of the Sea People, driving them out of the land. Having been repulsed from the rich Nile Delta, they tried their luck further up the coast and soon became masters of the fertile Levantine coastline. Here they carried out a booming trade, since they were situated on the greatest trade routes–goods from as far away as Babylon and Cyprus passed through the business-savvy hands of the Ashkelonites. Ashkelon rose in importance, until it became a principle city of the Philistine pentapolis. There are many references to Philistine Ashkelon in the Bible, from Samson’s clothes raid to many dark curses, promising that the Philistines would not rule there forever.

Philistine Baboon Idol, Found at Ekron

Sure enough, in 604 BC, a young king had just taken the throne in Babylon, and new king Nebuchadnezzar wasted no time in finishing the job his father had started. As he had swept up from Egypt to claim his throne, his accompanying army laid out a swath of conquest all about them. As we know, in 605 BC, Jerusalem was swept up in this conquering blitz to begin the period of captivity. But the Jews were not the only people affected by this rapidly expanding empire. As though presenting a preview of coming attractions, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Ashkelon, leaving an astounding layer of destruction–pots, walls, grains, and bodies of all sorts, all placed as though the culture of that day were simply frozen in time. No one had time to clean, throw out their garbage, or finish cooking dinner before their city was reduced to a layer of ash and burnt material.

After Babylon came and went, the Persians exerted their gentle influence. Ashkelon rose from its ashes and blossomed once more into a bustling port town. Fish paste, grain, and wine from Judea all passed through the busy market. Around this time, the Ashkelonites created one of our first pet cemetaries, ritually burying thousands of domestic dogs in a designated part of the town.

Dog Burial at Ashkelon, Photo Courtesy of Elsevier BV (c) 2013

Project #1: Archaeological Dig at Ashkelon, Israel

Rebekah posted a few days ago about an upcoming adventure.  I look at this more as a project, actually.  We have three projects coming soon, of which this is the first.  We thought these projects might interest you, so here we are.

First off, our apologies for the misleading last post.  We truly intended to continue posting continuing content concerning history, culture, art, nature, and such.  We’ve been busy since the last trip and we just could not make the time for it (as we were busy with these projects, among other things of life).

So, what’s the project?  Let’s say you are greatly interested in ancient history and archaeology, particularly in the timeframe of Biblical settings. What is one of the best ways to learn about this history and archaeology?  Rebekah and I asked this question many months ago and the answer landed us (figuratively and literally) on the coast of modern day Israel, just a few days ago. 

This summer we are participating in an archaeological dig, the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon.  Ashkelon is an ancient city mentioned many times in the scriptures.  One of these first mentions is Judges 14:19, when Samson slew 30 men of Ashkelon for their garments.  Ashkelon is an ancient site that was inhabited from the Middle Bronze Age (~2000 B.C.) to the time of the Crusaders.  It has a history from many peoples and cultures who have touched and inhabited this city for many years.  The core inhabitants and conquering nations of Ashkelon include the Canaanites,  Philistines, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Muslims, and finally, the Crusaders.  This spans a time from the early 12^th century B.C. to the 12^th century A.D.

While most of the Biblical activity and mentions of Ashkelon are associated with the Canaanites and Philistines, the city is also a wealth of information for the other nations, as these well known nations had major influences on Ashkelon, just as they played a major role in Bible history.  Information gleaned from this site can help us understand the governments, people, and cultural context of these nations.  This helps us understand how and why they appear in the scriptures and the historical backdrop they help provide.

On archaeological digs, the areas you are excavating are divided into “grids.” Ashkelon is a large site, consisting of about 150 acres, divided into 100 grids.  Being so large, active excavation squares may be quite a distance apart.  Yesterday, Rebekah was working in grid 38, which has had some famous finds over the past few years.  She has spent the past few days excavating a Late Bronze Age courtyard, an Iron Age destruction layer, and a Middle Bronze age Philistine room.  So far, she has uncovered mono- and bichrome Philistine pottery (monochrome is the just-off-the-ship, Grandma’s best pottery; and bichrome is  a later painted form).  She and her digging partner have also found weights, beads, and various stone tools.

I am working in Grid 51 (which some like to refer to as Area 51).  Yesterday, I was working on removing an “occupational layer floor.”  Some layers are that of destruction or abandonment, but an occupational floor is a room where people have once lived and worked.  A destruction or abandonment layer may exist on top of this, but during the occupied time, you can see what the inhabitants left behind on the floor, such as our Persian era floor (538-330 B.C.) that contained pottery and bone fragments.  Pottery is heavily used in dating layers, but it also can tell us how homes are furnished, how they cooked and stored food, and more.   Bone can also tell us many things, such as the peoples diet and sacrificial practices.