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5,500-year-old gate found at Tell Erani

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Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have discovered a 5,500-year-old gate at the multi-period archaeological site of Tell Erani in the Southern District of Israel.

Tell Erani, also known as ʻIrâq el-Menshiyeh, was first occupied in the Chalcolithic period, but the majority of archaeological remains date from the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

The site was first documented by Claude Reignier Conder and Herbert Kitchener in their 1872–1877 survey for the Palestine Exploration Fund, revealing evidence of people also inhabiting the site from the Hellenistic, Byzantine, and Mamluk periods.

Previous excavations by the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland indicate that the most ancient artefacts at the site could potentially trace back to around 4,000 BC, aligning with the Amratian culture of Naqada I period.

A recent study by IAA archaeologists have discovered a gate and fortifications to defend the settlement that date from the Early Bronze IB around 3,300-years-ago.

The gate is preserved to a height of 1.5 metres and is comprised of a passageway built of large stones that leads into the ancient city. Flanking the gate are two towers, which along with the gate are attached to defensive walls that surrounded the city.

According to Emily Bischoff, Director of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority: “This is the first time that such a large gate dating to the Early Bronze IB has been uncovered. To construct the gate and the fortification walls, stones had to be brought from a distance, mudbricks had to be manufactured and the fortification walls had to be constructed. This was not achieved by one or a few individuals. The fortification system is evidence of social organisation that represents the beginning of urbanisation.”

IAA

Header Image Credit : Emil Aladjem

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Archaeology

Archaeologists find preserved Bronze Age wooden well

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Archaeologists from Oxford Archaeology have uncovered a well-preserved Bronze Age wooden well in Oxfordshire, England.

The discovery was made during construction works for the Benson Relief Road in compliance with planning conditions to ensure archaeological finds are recorded.

John Boothroyd, Senior Project Manager at Oxford Archaeology, said: “When investigating what appeared to be a standard pit for the site, the archaeological team started exposing the remains of a preserved wooden post driven vertically into the ground.”

Excavations revealed that the posts formed the uprights of a wattle structure lining the edge of the pit, which have been well-preserved due to the soil conditions being waterlogged.

The timber structure was digitally recorded, before being carefully dismantled by hand for removal to the Oxfordshire Museum Service.

Samples of the preserved wood have been sent for further analysis to indicate the type of wood used in the construction. Excavations also found pieces of struck flint, animal bone and pottery used for storage and waste.

Previous studies of the area around Benson and as far as Wallingford have revealed traces of Bronze Age activity and settlement.

“Despite the extremely challenging conditions, the team were able to expose and fully record the well. The specialist soil samples collected will also help establish what the surrounding landscape would have been like, and the intensity to which it was settled, when the well was actively being used.”

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy, said: “This find gives fantastic insight into the area’s past land use. It is thought the well may have been used for agricultural irrigation purposes for settlements nearby. Archaeological surveys like this are an important part of the process of delivering construction schemes. They help us identify and understand past residents of the area and record them for future generations.”

Header Image Credit : Oxford Archaeology

Sources : Oxfordshire County Council

This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily

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Archaeology

Dune restoration project uncovers intact WWII bunkers

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A restoration project to remove invasive plants from dunes in the Heist Willemspark, Belgium, has led to the discovery of three intact WWII bunkers.

Heist Willemspark is located in the Knokke-Heist municipality, situated on the coastline of Belgium near the border with the Netherlands.

During WWI, the area of the park was used as a German position for heavy artillery batteries known as “Freya” and “Augusta”, and a series of forward observation bunkers for ranging shipping in the English Channel.

A number of these structures were repurposed by the German army in WWII, and further fortified as part of the Atlantic Wall, a system of coastal defences built between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe. The area of the Atlantic Wall at Heist Willemspark was designated by the German army as Stützpunkt Heyst.

Image Credit : Municipality of Knokke-Heist

According to a press statement by the Municipality of Knokke-Heist, the bunkers were discovered by the Agency for Nature and Forests during a restoration project called LIFE DUNIAS.

Excavations at a depth of only a few feet revealed three Gruppenunterstand Type VF2a bunkers. The VF2a is intended for housing a Gruppe (the smallest German unit consisting of 10 soldiers) who operated forward radar positions. The bunkers at Heist Willemspark measure 6 by 7 metres externally, and are capped by a concrete reinforced roof measuring 1 metre thick.

The project also found traces of brick trenches, a fragment of a concrete track, and large amounts of rubble containing objects such as utensils, ammunition, cabling, and water pipes.

A representative of LIFE DUNIAS said: “These ruins illustrate the previous attempts to completely erase the park’s war history. The lighter structures were demolished and reduced to rubble, while heavier bunkers were covered with a layer of soil and hidden, as if they had never existed.”

Header Image Credit : Municipality of Knokke-Heist

Sources : Municipality of Knokke-Heist

This content was originally published on www.heritagedaily.com – © 2023 – HeritageDaily

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