Bir ed-Duwali
 Mikveh | |
  Shown within the West Bank | |
| Location | State of Palestine |
|---|---|
| Region | Samaria |
| Coordinates | 31°53′22.9″N 35°09′46″E / 31.889694°N 35.16278°E |
| Grid position | Israel Ref. 210166/670117 |
| Type | Settlement ruins |
| Part of | Hasmonean kingdom, Second Temple period, province of Judaea, Byzantine period, Early Muslim period |
| History | |
| Periods | Second Temple period |
| Cultures | Second Temple Judaism |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Ownership | Public |
| Public access | Yes |
Bir ed-Duwali is an ancient archeological site with the remains of a Jewish settlement established in the early Hasmonean period up to the second year of the First Jewish–Roman War. After the revolt, there was a settlement gap, with the site only repopulated in the Late Roman period, up until the early Muslim period. The site is located 820m above sea level, on a narrow ridge, 2.5 km northeast of Giv'at Ze'ev and southwest to Beitunia.[1]
Survey history[edit]
The site was surveyed by Kalai and later by Finkelstein, who reported very few findings dating to the Byzantine period. Later it was surveyed again by Har Even who found ruined buildings, terraces, remains of oil press, agricultural facilities and ceramic shards dating to the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and early Muslim periods.[1]
During the three excavations conducted between 1994 and 2005 findings dating to the Second Temple period were discovered as well as findings dating to the other periods mentioned above. After the Great Jewish revolt, the settlement was reinhabited again only during the late Roman period and continued up to the early Muslim period. At some stage a large church was built there.[1]
Archeological findings[edit]
The three excavations conducted at the site enabled dating its establishment as a Jewish settlement to the Hasmonean period, in the days of John Hyrcanus.Second Temple period residential buildings, 5 mikvehs were found with grey plaster, three of them with a single opening and the other two with two openings, oil presses, water cisterns, lime pit, oil presses, Basalt millstones. Other findings include stone tools manufactured in Jerusalem and over 300 bronze coins the earliest from the days of John Hyrcanus and the latest dating to the second year of the Great revolt.[1]
At the settlements' necropolis that is located about a km to the west, remains of 51 humans were found, men, women and children. Morphologic analysis shows typical characteristics of Jewish Second Temple period population.[1]
Analysis[edit]
Bir ed-Duwali is among numerous Jewish settlements in the Bejamin historical region, dating back to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. These settlements thrived during the Hasmonean period until the conclusion of the Great Revolt, spanning from the lower Shephelah to the desert's edge. It serves as an example of the settlements and farms that were established and prospered in these regions.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f היזמי, חנניה; Hizmi, H. (2011). "Bir ed-Duwali—A Jewish Village of the Second Temple Period in the Land of Benjamin / ביר א-דוולי - כפר יהודי מתקופת הבית השני בארץ בנימין". Qadmoniot: A Journal for the Antiquities of Eretz-Israel and Bible Lands / קדמוניות: כתב-עת לעתיקות ארץ-ישראל וארצות המקרא. מד (142): 88–94. ISSN 0033-4839.