| Stratum |
Age |
Comments |
| IV |
Early Bronze |
In the massive fills which form the platform for
the Qasr small quantities of Early Bronze I A and
Early Bronze IV pottery were consistently present.
No floor levels or constructions witnessed to occupation
in this area, so the evidence was either
disturbed or in the fills imported for the building of
the Qasr. At the Square Building only EB sherds
were found in the layer of green clay on bedrock,
an occupational layer laid by EB occupants.
Stratum IV then represents the earliest occupation
in the area of the monumental buildings, dating to
the Early Bronze I A and the Early Bronze IV
periods.
|
| III |
Hellenistic (first quarter of the second century BCE) |
The determinations after the 1961 and 1962 campaigns that the Qasr was of Hellenistic construction was
due to its architectural style, the historical references, and the scattered Hellenistic sherds rather than
decisive stratigraphical evidence. Detailed study of the pottery has shown that layers associated with the Qasr's
construction consisted of fills which contained a few Hellenistic as well as EB sherds (Lapp 1963: 22, n. 25, and see
Hellenistic pottery discussion below, ch. 7). Pottery evidence and the stratigraphy thus corroborate the laying of the
Qasr foundations in the early second century B.C. At the Square Building, Stratum III represents the small monumental
building with affinities to the Qasr. Inside the later "square" building well-finished slabs below the Byzantine floors
may have served as part of a Stratum III floor. Outside the building a sandy layer separated later remains from a
system of terrace walls (see plan 5 and section, fig. 6) associated with the Stratum III construction.
Stratum III thus represents the monumental building operations of Hyrancus in the first quarter of the second century B.C.
|
| II |
Early Byzantine I (sometime between 335 and 395 CE) |
Following the construction of the Qasr, left
unfinished by the Hellenistic builders, the monumental buildings were
not used for sedentary occupation until early in the Byzantine period. Stratum II represents reoccupation by the Byzantines when
they made use of the internal Qasr wall foundations, added walls to support their roofs especially
outside the east and west Qasr walls, and laid soil and plaster floors. Two floors of Stratum II were distinguished at a number of places at the Qasr with the earliest at the level of the Hellenistic
pavement either replacing the Hellenistic pavement or providing one where the early builders had
never done so. Stratum II at the Square Building is
the period of the construction of the "square"
building which was the distinguishing feature be fore the 1962 excavations
took place. One floor of Stratum II was delineated there.
Fourth century A.D. pottery is characteristic of Stratum II both at the Qasr and in the Square Building.
At the Qasr the tumbled megaliths of the wall onto the Stratum II floors separate Stratum II
from the one above. A Theodosius I coin dating to A.D. 393-395 (reg. no. 51) from the fill for the
second floor above the destruction debris provides
a terminus ante quem for the catastrophic event,
probably an earthquake. A major earthquake is
known to have taken place in Transjordan in
A.D. 365 (Kallner-Amiran 1950-51: 225) [JW: should be 363 CE. 365 CE date is a common mistake in earlier archeological literature attributing the Crete Earthquake of 365 CE for the Cyril Quakes of 363 CE]. At the
Square Building a Constantine II coin, dated
A.D. 335-337 (reg. no. 180) was found in the Stratum II floor east of the building so a terminus post
quem is provided. The dates, A.D. 335-365, Early
Byzantine I (according to Sauer's terminology,
1973:4), may tentatively be assigned Stratum II,
though a detailed study of the pottery may refine
these dates. |
| I |
Early Byzantine (ca. 335-500) |
Following the earthquake at the Qasr a leveling
off, which in some areas meant the importation of
a massive fill, was necessary to cover the earthquake debris. The main line of the Stratum III
Qasr walls continued to be followed with only
slight deviations. Two floors were distinguished
inside some rooms of the Qasr and outside on the
west. On the porches fallen debris precluded occupation. At the Square Building almost a meter of
debris and three floors were associated with
Stratum I, but no earthquake destruction separated
Stratum I from Stratum II. The floors were distinguished both inside and outside the Square Building
and some of the Stratum II building features were
reused.
The Byzantine pottery of Stratum I is typologically later than that of Stratum II, and more
absolute dates can be assigned the stratum by some
coins. The Theodosius I coin (A.D. 393-395) was in
the fill for the I A floor, that is the second floor
above the earthquake debris. Thus a period of
time, perhaps about thirty years, can be allowed
for the first phase of occupation in Stratum I. At the
Square Building a coin of Arcadius, dated A.D. 383-408
(reg. no. 179), was found laying on the earliest Stratum I
floor. In the fill above the latest floor inside the Qasr
was a coin of Zeno, A.D. 476-491 (reg. no. 24), suggesting
occupation to the end of the fifth century, and the pottery
indicates heavy occupation in the latter half. Stratum I can
tentatively be dated A.D. 365-500, Early Byzantine II-IV
(according to Sauer's terminology, 1973:4). |
| Stratum |
Age |
Comments |
| VI |
Early Bronze I A |
Near the center of the Village excavations, where there was considerable depth of debris, about a
meter of loose brown earth served as the make-up for a packed floor (cf. Lapp 1963: fig. 2, see. F- Area I.7).
The ceramic evidence indicated this was an EB I A surface. A fairly large quantity of EB pottery appeared throughout
the excavated areas, but this is the only clear Stratum VI surface. |
| V |
11th century BCE |
An elaborate system of Stratum V wall foundations were uncovered on the western side of the Village excavations
(cf. plan 2). However, Stratum IV floors lay directly on scraped off Stratum V fill and clear occupational evidence
appeared in only a few places (Areas I.9, I.12, I.1). Two walls were wide enough to suggest a fortification (NW-1 and NW-2),
but a clear relationship could not be established between them and their associated smaller walls. The preliminary study
of the pottery with these constructions dated them to the eleventh century B.C. |
| IV |
ca. 200-175 BCE (= Stratum III at the Qasr) |
The whole area had been leveled off, including scraping away Stratum V debris and chipping off bedrock in some areas,
for the thick plaster floor of Stratum IV. The floor originally extended beyond the north and west Stratum IIIb walls which
bordered the excavations. A drain (Plan 2:10, Area 1.10) and remnants of a few other Stratum IV remains were oriented
differently than earlier or later installations. Except for the bare surface, however, there were only a few vestiges of the
Stratum IV occupation.
When the excavations were extended to the west, the Plaster Building (plan 4) was revealed. The building consisted of an area
19 X 22 meters. Its outer wall was plastered on the interior and a second wall placed concentrically in this area was plastered
on its outer surface. The corridor between the walls was 2.5-3 meters wide and had a hard-packed floor. The inner wall had several
doorways to a courtyard which had a hard-packed floor of poorer quality. Pottery evidence beneath the court floor and near
foundations date the building's construction to the early second century B.C. Three stamped Rhodian handles came from the
Plaster Building excavation, but two of them were illegible (reg. nos. 293 and 294). The other (reg. no. 292), from the Stratum III B leveling off operations over the area, can be dated between 280 and 220 B.C. (see ch. 2 below).
An illegible stamped Rhodian handle (reg. no. 158) came from Stratum IV in the Village (Area I.1), and another (reg. no. 173), dated to 220-180 B.C.,
was found in Stratum I debris. Two Antiochus III coins (reg. nos. 29, 72) and a Seleucus IV coin (reg. no. 177), although also from later strata,
witness to early second century occupation. Early second century pottery associated with Stratum IV features was plentiful.
|
| IIIa |
ca. 100 BCE - 50 CE (with gap?) |
To Stratum IIIb belong the construction of the walls which form the wide corridor with partitions on the east and north side of the excavations
(plan 2 and see Lapp 1963: 10 for details). A plaster floor of poorer quality was laid against walls N-1 and W-1 and in most cases the other walls
were laid on top of this Stratum IIIb floor.
The Stratum IIIa occupants reused the IIIb walls with few alterations. They cleared out earlier domestic installations and artifacts.
In some places they laid forty cm of brown fill on the IIIb plaster floor, but in most other areas they reused the IIIb floor.
The pottery of Stratum III indicates construction of the walls about 100 B.C. Whether occupation was continuous through the first half
of the first century A.D. until the phase IIIa alterations of about A.D. 50, or if there was a short period of abandonment is impossible
to say. Several coins of the first century B.C. and especially the first half of the first century A.D. (reg. nos. 257, 175, 217, 243, 176, and 242)
were found in later debris.
|
| IIIb |
ca. 50 CE |
To Stratum IIIb belong the construction of the walls which form the wide corridor with partitions on the east and north side of the excavations
(plan 2 and see Lapp 1963: 10 for details). A plaster floor of poorer quality was laid against walls N-1 and W-1 and in most cases the other walls
were laid on top of this Stratum IIIb floor.
The Stratum IIIa occupants reused the IIIb walls with few alterations. They cleared out earlier domestic installations and artifacts.
In some places they laid forty cm of brown fill on the IIIb plaster floor, but in most other areas they reused the IIIb floor.
The pottery of Stratum III indicates construction of the walls about 100 B.C. Whether occupation was continuous through the first half
of the first century A.D. until the phase IIIa alterations of about A.D. 50, or if there was a short period of abandonment is impossible
to say. Several coins of the first century B.C. and especially the first half of the first century A.D. (reg. nos. 257, 175, 217, 243, 176, and 242)
were found in later debris.
|
| II |
ca. 100 CE |
The Stratum II occupants continued to use the main walls of Stratum III, adding a parallel north-south wall in the corridor and partition
walls to make smaller rooms (plan 3). The west end of a new building extended into the open courtyard and new rooms were added to the south
corridor. Remnants of Stratum II plaster floors were partially preserved inside the rooms and a disturbed hard surface spread over the
remaining open courtyard. Threshholds, ovens, water channels, and some large homogenous ceramic groups preserved in ash deposits represent the
finds of Stratum II.
Pottery dates the Stratum II operations about A.D. 100, continuing half a century or so. Two coins from Stratum II contribute to absolute dating,
one of Domitian, A.D. 81-96 (reg. no. 181), and one of Trajan A.D. 103-112 (reg. no. 256).
|
| I |
ca. 200 CE |
Stratum II walls were reused in Stratum I with
minor alterations. Evidence for Stratum I floors
was confined to a broken plaster floor, several
threshholds, and remains of ovens. Typological
considerations of the pottery date the final reconstructions of the ancient village to about A.D. 200 |
Figure 3
Figure 5
