In January–February 2020 a trial excavation was conducted in the North Talpiyot neighborhood in Jerusalem (Permit No. A-8643; map ref. 221340–44/629334–54; Fig. 1), following the discovery of knapped flint items and remains of contemporary structures, in trial trenches opened prior to construction. The excavation, on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and funded by the US embassy, was directed by A. Levy (field photography), assisted by N. Nehama (administration), S. Halevy (aerial photography), M. Smilanski (flint drawing) and Y. Zelinger and O. Barzilai (scientific consultation).
Five excavation squares (4 ´ 4 m) were opened and four strata were identified (1–4): Strata 4 and 3 consist primarily of soil, pebbles and knapped flint items, dating mostly from the Lower and Middle Paleolithic periods; Stratum 2 yielded modern architectural remains and Stratum 1 is a surface layer. The excavation did not reach bedrock. Only the lowest stratum (4) had not been disturbed by modern activities. The excavation area (c. 780 m asl) lies on the slope of a spur, along the national watershed. The geology of the area is the Mishash Formation, which consists of flint and limestone, and is covered by a layer of clay (Picard 1956; Sneh and Avni 2011).
The contemporary architectural remains exposed in the excavation and in the trial trenches probably belong to a military base (Allenby base) that occupied the site. It was built by the Ottoman army in the First World War, captured by British forces, and following the end of the British mandate was captured by a company of the Haganah organization (Levi 1986:228–234).
Stratum 4. A light-colored clay sediment, sloping gently to the northeast, with many embedded flint nodules and a few knapped flint items. Most knapped items could not be assigned to a specific culture, except for a few Levallois cores that are characteristic of the Mousterian culture (Middle Paleolithic period) and Acheulian hand axes (Lower Paleolithic period). The flint items were distributed throughout the thickness of the layer (0.4–0.5 m) and not in a distinct archaeological horizon, evidence of secondary deposition.
Stratum 3. A layer of compacted dark brown clay, with embedded flint nodules, a few knapped flint items, potsherds, pieces of metal and modern garbage. It appears that the source of the ancient items in this layer is in secondary deposition processes that were disturbed by modern activities.
Stratum 2. A contemporary floor (Fig. 2) was exposed, made up of ceramic tiles placed on a concrete bedding; the northern part of the floor has not survived, probably due to recent activities. In the southern part of the floor, remains of concrete pilasters, and adjacent to the floor to the south, a concrete drainage channel were exposed.
Stratum 1 is the present-day surface: light and dark brown earth, with modern garbage, potsherds, natural flint, and a few knapped flint items.
The Flint. Altogether 166 flint items were collected (Table 1), most from Strata 4 and 3. They were all made from brecciated flint of the Mishash Formation. Most are patinated and encrusted, worn and eroded. The assemblage includes debitage, cores and tools.
Flakes make up most of the debitage; other components are few, with no chips and only very few primary elements.
Table 1. The flint assemblage
Item
|
N
|
%
|
Debitage
|
|
|
Primary flakes
|
7
|
4%
|
Primary blades
|
2
|
1%
|
Flakes
|
44
|
27%
|
Blades
|
1
|
1%
|
Core maintenance debitage
|
4
|
2%
|
Chunks
|
21
|
13%
|
Total debitage
|
79
|
48%
|
Tools
|
59
|
36%
|
Cores
|
28
|
17%
|
Total
|
166
|
100%
|
Twenty-eight cores were collected (Table 2), defined as items on which at least three reduction surfaces could be observed. The most common are flake cores, which appear in different sizes and non-uniform knapping, making their attribution to a specific period difficult. The next most common are Levallois cores, characteristic of the Middle Paleolithic period (Fig. 3). They are typical (centripetal), and were used for producing flakes, although their shape is not uniform.
Table 2. Cores
Type
|
N
|
%
|
Flake core
|
21
|
75%
|
Levallois core
|
4
|
14%
|
Core on flake
|
2
|
7%
|
Fragment
|
1
|
4%
|
Total
|
28
|
100%
|
Fifty-nine tools were found (Table 3). The most common type is the retouched flake (68%); it was produced on a great variety of flakes of different sizes and the style of their retouching is not uniform. The second most common type is the awl (Fig. 4:1). These tools were prepared on flakes, and the functional end was modeled on the distal end of the flake by forming a shallow notch. Another tool is the borer (Fig. 4:2). Borers were formed on natural pieces or on massive flakes, by applying flaking that produced a pointed active edge. Two oval hand axes, characteristic of the Acheulian culture in the Lower Paleolithic period, were found as well. A third object seems to belong with them: a massive flake, found in Stratum 3, with some bifacial flaking on the left lateral side, appears to be an unfinished hand axe (Fig. 5).
Table 3. Tools
Type
|
N
|
%
|
Retouched flake
|
40
|
68%
|
Retouched blade
|
1
|
2%
|
Awl
|
5
|
8%
|
Borer
|
4
|
7%
|
Notch
|
3
|
5%
|
Denticulate
|
1
|
2%
|
End Scraper
|
1
|
2%
|
Side scraper
|
1
|
2%
|
Hand axe
|
3
|
5%
|
Total
|
59
|
100%
|
The meager knapped flint items collected in the excavation were found in secondary deposition. Most items are worn, patinated and encrusted, and seem to have been naturally eroded. Some items show that the excavation site is probably close to a knapping site. Most flint items are not indicative, and their dating is problematic. However, the two hand axes and the few Levallois cores indicate the presence of Middle and Lower Paleolithic period sites in the vicinity
—evidence that matches that of items found in the past at Ramat Ra
ḥel (
Barzilai, Birkenfeld and Crouvi 2009), Meqor
Ḥayyim (
Barzilai 2011), in the Baqa‘a neighborhood (
Barzilai 2014), on Harakevet St. (Barzilai, Agha and Crouvi 2010) and in Qiryat Moriyya (
Levy 2021).
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Ḥayyim.
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Barzilai O. 2014. Jerusalem, ‘Emeq Refa’im.
HA-ESI 126.
Barzilai O., Agha N. and Crouvi O. 2010. The Prehistoric Remains in ‘Emeq Refa’im. In D. Amit, G.D. Steibel and O. Peleg-Bareket eds. New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and its Region: Collected Papers 4. Jerusalem. Pp. 31–39 (Hebrew).
Barzilai O., Birkenfeld M. and Crouvi O. 2009. Jerusalem, Ramat Ra
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HA-ESI 121.
Levy A. 2021. Jerusalem, Qiryat Moriyya.
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Levi Y. 1986. Tisha Qabin: Yerushalaim Bekravot Milhemet Haatzmaut. Tel Aviv (Hebrew).
Picard, L. 1956. The State of Geology in Jerusalem. In M. Avi-Yonah ed. Sepher Yerushalayim (The book of Jerusalem): Jerusalem, its Natural Conditions, History and Development from the Origins to the Present Day. Jerusalem. Pp. 35–40 [Hebrew])
Sneh A and Avni Y. 2011. Geological Map of Jerusalem, Israel (Geological Survey of Israel Report OD/2/11). Jerusalem.