the excavation of gezer 1902 - 1905 and 1907 - 1909. volume 1
TRANSCRIPT
The Excavation of Gezer 1902-1905 and 1907-1909WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS
ONE VOLUME OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PRINTED BY
LONDON AND AYLESBURY.
PREFACE
IN what form the results of the Excavation of Gezer should be finally
presented is a question that has cost me much careful thought. Two
alternatives offered themselves, between which it was difficult to choose.
My preference at first was to follow the natural division of the remains into
epochs and culture levels, and to give a bird's-eye view of the city's life,
so far as 'excavation could reveal it, at each successive stage of the city's
history. Indeed, I made some progress with the writing of the Memoir on
such a plan; but I found before long that it' was not free from serious
in~onvenience. The con1plexity of the stratification of the mound itself made
it difficult to carry through the work of description in the form proposed.
Certain classes of antiquities (such as bronze arrowheads) persist with but
little chan-ge over extended periods of time; so that it would not be easy
to avoid repetition, or else an undue expansion of the earlier chapters, with
many cumbrous cross-references in the later. Inevitable also would be a
dissection of the history of other classes of objects, notably of pottery, into
a large number of -isolated parts, /which the student would afterwards be
obliged to reunite for himself. After giving a fair trial to th'is method of
setting forth the results, I decided to abandon it in favour of the other,
\vhich consists in grouping associated types of objects together, tracing the
history of each independently of the rest.
In Chapter I, accordingly, I give a description of the site with its
history, derived from literary sources, and from results of the excavation
itself. In Chapter I I is told the story of the identification of the site, and
an account is given of the methods of excavation and of recording. This
chapter is written for two practical purposes: to assist future excavators
by giving hints as to methods which' proved the most satisfactory; and to
help the reader by setting forth a prec£s of the chief results of the work,
which will keep him from losing his way among the multiplicity of details Vll
VIU Preface
that follows. Consequently though for convenience the chapter is cast in
narrative form, all trivialities of can1p lif~ and similar matters, picturesque
though they' may be, have been carefully, excluded as being irrelevant to
the ends in view.
Chapters I I I-X are the sections of the book in which the discoveries
themselves are' described in detail. The principles of classification adopted
are explained in Chapter I I, to which the reader may be referred.
It may here be stated, once for all, that no complete picture of the
ancient civilization of the country can be drawn from excavation alone; for
the simple reason that' by far the greater number of the articles in daily
use among the ancient inhabitants have long ago perished by the ordinary
processes of decay. Textiles, wooden furniture and utensils, written docu
n1ents on papyrus or on parchm'ent, which we can hardly doubt were fairly
common in the later periods, have been practically annihilated; and it is
difficult in all cases~ impossible in many, to reconstruct them in the
imagination. We are limited to objects of stone, brick, pottery, bone,
ivory, and metal-many even of these imperfect: and obviously the ,infor
mation drawn from them must be less than half of the whole subject~
Here and there I have endeavoured to indicate how these unavoidable gaps
in ,our knowledge may be filled-by reference to contemporary monuments,
archaeological or literary, or by comparisons with modern customs, which so
often offer valuable illustrations of ancient practices. But to do so 'systema
ticallywould swell the book unduly, and would lead us away too far frorn
its, proper subject-the results of the Excavation of Gezer.
:, ,This book is naturally based. upon the current Reports sent home
during the progress of the work, and published regularly in the Quarterly
Statement of the Palestine EXjJloration Fund from October 1902 onwards.
The matter has, however, been completely re-written; nlany theories and
suggestions thrown out from time to time have had to be modified or
entirely withdrawn. I t is therefore to be remembered, wherever dis
crepancies are found between statements or views expressed in the
Quarterly Reports and in this book, that the former are superseded by
the latter.
Preface IX
arrangement, I have endeavoured to keep the chronology and .stratification
of the. remains prominent throughout. The plans of the successive cities
on Plates i-vii are the foundation of the whole work. These plans are
numbered I-VI: plate vii contains three intermediate plans, numbered IIa, IlIa, Va, necessitated by the subdivision of strata on the Western Hill.
To prevent confusion, the plan$ are numbered with capital letters, the plates
with minuscules. The exact spot in the mound where any ordinary object
chanced to lie is not generally of great importance; thus, so long as we
know the date atwhich a certain type of knife was used, it does not n1uch
matter, as a rule, in which of the houses it was discovered. I have con
tented myself therefore in the majority of cases with. indicating in which
of the trenches the object was found, specifying more closely wherever
necessary, by reference to some conspicuous building in that trench, or,
when exactness is essential, by reference letters in the plan.* 1"'hese
indications .of position are printed in the description of each object in the
form [V 10], which means « Plan V, trench 10." This tells the re·ader
to what period the object so indicated belongs (the Fourth Semitic Period
in the example cited.), which in the great majority of cases is all he will
need or desire to. know. t To limit further the hor£zontal position of
ordinary objects (by east-to-west lines crossing the north-to-south lines that
divide the trenches) would have involved additional labour that hardly
seemed to give information of commensurate value ; while to fix their
vertical position by reference to the sea-level, as has sometimes been done
in descriptions of excavations, is misleading whenever, as at Gezer, the
successive strata of contemporary objects are not horizontal planes.
To save space, the familiar abbreviations " ", for" feet" and" inches"
are used in the dimensions. A table for calculating equivalents in the
metric system is given for theconvenien"ce of Continental readers.
* To avoid confusion, the lettering on the pla.ns is printed in blue, and the trenches are divided by red lines.
t l'he formula V 10 A denotes the object or structure indicated by reference letter A in trench 10 of Plan V. An index to these reference letters is provided with the plates,. so that the· reader examining the plans can \vithout delay find the description of any structure regarding which he may wish for information.
x Preface
The illustrations are selected from the photographs or drawings of
objects, about 10,000 in number, which were made during the progress
of the work. These have been classified and fitted together on the plates,
though it has not always been found possible to arrange the drawings on
the plates in strict order. The illustrations not required for publication in
the book are deposited for reference in the Office of the Fund. For the
representation of pottery and other objects, drawings shewing· the
antiquities "in elevation"· have been preferred to. photographs, though
the latter would have been much less' troublesome to prepare. Photographs,
shewing the objects "in perspective 'J-not always a true perspective-do
not give so exact a record of actual form as measured drawings. 1-'hey are
also apt to emphasize irrelevant detail, shado\vs, etc. Inscriptions, scarabs,
and the like have all been drawn larger than full-size with a camera
lucida, and the drawings then reduced in reproduction to the size of
the original.
I t is now .my duty to express my acknowledgments to Their Excel.
lencies Hamdy Bey and Halil Bey, the eminent Director and Sub-Director
of the Imperial Otton1an Museum, who have throughout displayed a
personal interest in the work, and a courteous desire to meet the wishes
of the excavator.* The Imperial Commissioner attached by the Ottoman
Government to the works, 1'herayyah Efendi .l\l-Khalidi, deserves the
fullest acknowledgment for his unfailing friendliness, and his readiness to
fall in with all suggestions and' requests, so far as his obligations to the
duties of his office permitted hin1 to do so.
'1'0 the Officials of the British En1bassy at Constantinople, and of the
British Consulate and Vice-Consulate at Jerusalem and Jaffa, acknowledg
ments for important services are due: but I would add to this formal
word of thanks an expression of personal regret for one to whom the
Palestine Exploration Fund owes a far more than official care. In the late
British Consul at Jerusalem, Mr. John Dickson, all who were privileged
to come into contact with hin1 lost a friend whose time, energies, and
* 'The death of Hamdy Bey, since this book was sent. to press, is a grave loss to Oriental archaeology.
Xl"
great knowledge of the East and of its ways were ever ungrudgingly at~
their disposal.-
I have also to endeavour to express my thanks-which I fear I cannot:
do adequately-to the Dominican Fathers of Saint-Etienne, to the Rev.
Pere Germer-Durand of Notre-Dame de France, also to the Directors of
the American and of the German Schools of Archaeology, for their constant.
interest and encouragelnent, their ever-ready helpfulness, the freedom with
which they have given me access to the libraries under their control in.
Jerusalem, and many other kindnesses.
Chapter I I I \owes whatever merit it may possess to my father, Professor'
Macalister of Cambridge, who in several visits to the camp made a study,
for which I myself should not have been competent, of the osteological
material accumulated. The sec~ion on the Cond£t£ons of Life in the -City'
is founded on one of many valuable discussions I have had with my friend
Dr. Masterma,n of Jerusalem. F or help and advice on individual l)oints
I have to acknowledge nlY indebtedness to Professor Ridgeway of Cambridge,.
Professor Myres of Liverp901, Dr. L1. Griffith, and many others. I have
endeavoured throughout by footnotes or otherwise to acknowledge the
source of any criticisms or interpretations that I have adopted.
It would be ungrateful to fail to acknowledge the trustworthiness,.
energy, and devotion to duty displayed by the capable foreman of works,.
Yusif Khattar Kinacan, without whom I could not have carried out this.
work single-handed.
About the year 1869 the Inound and other parts of the lands of the
village of Abu Shusheh were acquired by Messrs. Bergheim, sometime.
bankers in Jerusalem. This proved a fortunate circumstance for the
excavator: for to the administrator of the estate, Mr. Serapion Murad,
an incalculable debt is due. He put the site freely at the, disposal of the:
Palestine Exploration Fund; used his great influence with the turbulent
local fellabin to keep them from being unduly troublesome; was always
ready with valuable advice, whenever troubles arose; and last, but not
least, followed .the work with the keenest interest, and proved himself a
pleasant companion ip the solitude of camp life.
XII P1'eface
Certain books that are frequently cited are indicated by the following
abbreviations:-
TH~Tell el Hesy, by W. M. Flinders Petrie. lVIMC-A ...Mound of Many Cities, by F. ]. Bliss.
EP-Excavations in Palestine,by ~"'. ]. Bliss and R. A. S. Macalister. ARP-Archaeological Researches in Palestine, by C. Clermont-Ganneau. RAO-Recueil d'A.rcheologie Orientale, by C. Clermont-Ganneau.
QS-Quarterly StateJnent of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
CCM-Catalogue of the Cyprus Museu1n, by J. L. Myres and M. Ohnefalsch Richter.
VC-Canaan d'apres l'exploration recente, by H. Vincent.
Of other books to which reference is made the full title is given, or
enough of it to enable the reader to identify the work without difficulty.
R. A. S. M. PUBLIN, .
December 1910.
CI-IAP. I: THE SITE AND HISTORY OF GEZER
(§ J. The Site and its Surroundings-§ 2. The History of the City.)
• XXIV
I
CHAP. II: '[HE EXCAVATION OF GEZEH.: METHODS AND RESULTS 45
(§ 3. Identification of the Site-§ 4. Progress of the Excavation-§ 5. rrhe Plan of
the Present Work, and the Chronological Classification of the Remains.)
CHAP. I I I : THE PEOPLE OF GEZER
(§6. Osteology of the Inhabitants-§ 7. Conditions of Life in the City.)
CHAP. I V: DWELLINGS AND DEFENCES
(§ 8. The Caves-§ 9. Other Cuttings in the Rock-surface-§ 10. Stratification
of the Debris-§ I I. The Gezerite House-§ 12. Granaries and Other.
Special Structures-§ 13. The Palaces-§ 14~ The Maccabaean Castle
§ IS. The Syrian Bath-§ 16." A Ron1an Bath-§ 17. The City Walls
§ 18. \Vaterworks.)
(§ 19. Prelilninary Remarks-§ 20. The Troglodyte Crematorium-§ 2 I. Intra
mural Cave-burials and other Interments-§ 22. The "Philistine" Graves
§ 23. The Extra-rnliral Tombs-§ 24. A History of Burial Customs In
Palestine as indicated by the Particulars in the Foregoing Sections.) xiii
7°
CUNEIFORM TABLETS FROM GEZER
FIG.
I. THE MOUND OF GEZER (FROM THE SOUTH) AFTER THE EXCAVATION
2. ROCK-CUT ROADWAY AT THE EAST END OF THE MOUND
3. PALAEOLITHIC IMPLEMENTS FROM THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF GEZER
4. SEALS ON THE FIRST ASSYRIAN TABLET
5. THE NEO-BABYLONIAN TABLET
8. MAP OF THE BOUNDARY INSCRIPTIONS •
9. INSCRIPTIONS No.6 AND NO.4
10. FRAGMENT OF A BYZANTINE TOMBSTONE
II. CURVE OF CEPHALIC INDEX •
12. CURVE OF· NASAL INDEX
13. CURVE OF ORBITAL INDEX
·14. CURVE OF FACIAL INDEX
15. CURVE OF GNATHIC INDEX
r6. CURVE OF VARIATIONS OF STATURE
r7. DISEASED HUMERUS FROM TOMB 155
r8. ABNORMAL CRANIUM FROM TOMB 150 .
19. VIEW OF MUGHARET EL-JAIHAH
20. PLAN OF CAVE 2 I
21. CUPMARKS OUTSIDE THE ENTRANCE OF CAVE :2 I .
22. BRONZE ANIMAL FIGURE FROM CAVE IN TRENCH 3
23. ENTRANCE TO CAVE 3 I
24. POTTERY HEAD FROM CAVE 3 III .
25. ROCK-CUTTING ASSOCIATED WITH CAVE 4 I
26. JAR FROM CAVE 6 I
27. IVORY ORNAMENT FROM CAVE 8 II xv
Frontispiece PAGE
FIG.
29. ROCK-SURFACE ABOVE CAVE 15 I •
30. INTERIOR OF CAVE 15 I
31. BOWL FROM CAVE IS I •
32. INTERIOR OF CAVE IS IV
33. VIEW OF THE STAIRCASE IN CAVE 16 III
34. VIEW OF THE INTERNAL DIVISION IN CAVE 16 III
35. BOWLS FROM CAVE 17 I
36.' PLAN OF CAVES 18 I AND 19 III •
37. VESSELS FROM CAVE 19 I
38. PLAN OF CAVE 28 II
39. PLAN OF CHAMBER WITH CUPMARKS IN CAVE 28 II
40. INTERIOR OF CHAMBER (2), CAVE 28 II
41. INT,ERIOR OF CHAMBER (8), CAVE 28 II
42. OBJECTS FROM CHAMBER (4), CAVE 28 II
43, 44· BRONZE POT ,AND SCARAB FROM THE CISTERN IN CHAMBER (5).. CAVE 28 II
, 45. STONE OBJECT FROM CHAMBER (6), CAVE 28 II
46. BRONZE FIGURE FROM CAVE 30 I
47. PLAN OF CAVE 30 IV
48. GRAFFITO NO.4, CAVE 30 IV
49. GRAFFITI Nos. 7-9, CAVE 30 IV
50. BOWL WITH KNOBS IN FOR1vI OF A SPIRAL .
51. GRAFFITI Nos. 38-41, CAVE 30 IV
52. GRAFFITI Nos. 42-45, CAVE 30 IV
53. ROCK-CUTTINGS IN TRENCH 4
54. VAT IN ROCK SCARP
55. CUPMARKS SURROUNDING A CISTERN MOUTH, WAcRET ET-TAYASHEH .
56. SECTION SHEWING THE STRATIFICATION OF ACCUMULATED DEBRIS
57. TRACE ,OF A PIT DUG IN THE DEBRIS IN ANCIENT TIMES •
58. LARGE BRICK BUILDING IN IlIa •
59. FLOOR ,OF A BUILDING IN IlIa 30
60. LARGE ,HOUSE IN,V 27, 28 .
61. PLAN OF H'OUSE IN RUJM cABD ALLAH
62. DOORWAY OF HOUSE IN RUJM cABD ALLAH.
63. CISTERN OF HOUSE IN RUJM cABD ALLAH
PAGE
86
87
88
91
97
· 101
64. ROCK-CUT FOUNDATIONS • 177
65. WALL CONSISTING OF A Row OF IJARGE STONES WITH SMALLER STONES BETWEEN
THEM. • 178
67, 68. SPECIMENS OF BRICKS
69. SPECIMEN OF BRICK CONSTRUCTION
70. FRAGMENT OF MOSAIC PAVEMENT
71. Cup FOR RECEIVING THE HORN OF A DOOR.
72. SOCKET FOR DOOR-HORN
74. DETAIL OF STONES AT VI 30 C
75. IRON KEY
77. STONE-LINED DOORWAY IN IlIa 28
78. STONE ROOF ROLLER •
79. PART OF A HOUSE SHEWING THE Row OF STONES IN THE FLOOR
--80. BASE OF A COLUMN
81. COLONNADE •
84. STEPS AT THE ENTRANCE OF A HOUSE
85. FRAGMENT OF MOULDING
89. CIRCLE OF STONES IN THE BUILDING ON'THE EASTERN HILL
90. GRANARY AT NORTH .END OF I~ 4
91. GRANARY IN IV 18
92. <P-SHAPED STRlJCTURE .
93. STONE SEAT (?)
96. FOUNDATIONS OF PILLARED HALL OF FIRST PALACE.
97. PLAN OF LARGE BUILDI~G IN IV 14-16
98. ORNA:MENTAL FRAGMENT OF STONE VOL. I
xviii List of Illustral£ons
FIG.
100. THE "PAMPRAS" INSCRIPTION
103. MASONRY OF THE EASTERN TOWER CHAMBER • 216
104. PLAN OF THE MACCABAEAN CASTLE . 217
105. EASTERN JAMB OF THE GATE OF THE MACCABAEAN CASTLE • 218.
106. FURNACE IN THE MACCABAEAN CASTLE • 219
107. DOORWAY OF SUPPOSED POTTER'S OVEN IN OR NEAR THE MACCABAEAN CASTLE 220
108. STRUCTURE OF STONES WEST OF THE MACCABAEAN CASTLE • 221
109. COURSE OF THE DRAIN UNDER THE CASTLE
110. PLAN OF THE SYRIAN BATH-HOUSE
III, 112. Two VIEWS OF TH~ SYRIAN BATH
113. VIEW OF THE SYRIAN BATH, SHEWING DRAIN
114. HYPOGAUST AND TEPIDARIUM OF THE ROMAN BATH •
115. STONE VAT FOUND IN ROMAN BATH •
116. FRIGIDARIUM OF ROMAN BATH
· 223
- 224
225-6
· 227
· 23°
· 231
. 232
118.· THE CITY WALLS . 235
119. SECTION OF THE CENTRAL CITY WALL . 236
120. VIEW OF THE CITY "VALLS, SHEV/ING THE EARTH RAMPART . 237
121. TOWER OF INNER CITY WALL · 238
122. MASONRY OF INNER CITY WALL. . 239
123. NORTH-WEST CORNER TOWER, INNER CITY WALL · 240
124. NORTHERN GATE, INNER CITY WALL: VIEW . 241
125. SOUTHERN GATE, INNER CITY WALL: 'PLAN AND ELEVA-TIONS • 242
126. SOUTHERN GATE, INNER CITY WALL: VIEW • 243
127. CONTRASTING TYPES OF MASONRY, OUTER CITY WALL .. 245
128. TOWER WITH BASTION . 247
129. TOWER WITH BASTION REMOVED' _ · 248
130. SURVIVING JAMB OF SOUTH-WEST GATE, OUTER CITY WALL • 252
131 • SECTION S"HEWING CAST LIMESTONE BETWEEN THE Two PRINCIPAL CITY WALLS 254
132. ENTRANCE TO WATER-PASSAGE . 257
~33. THE WATER-PASSAGE, LOOKING DOWNWARD • 258
134- THE WATER-PASSAGE, LOOKING UPWARD • ,259
List of Illustrations
136. EARTH-CLOD WITH IMPRESSION OF A BASKET
137. THE CENTRAL RESERVOIR.
139. RADIATING GROOVES ROUND CISTERN MOUTH
140. PLAN AND SECTIONS OF CISTERN IN W ACRET SALaMEH
141. STEPfED RESERVOIR
143. CEMENTED POOL IN II 26 A·
144. WATER CHANNEL IN VI 3 A
145. DRAIN OF JARS IN VS B ·
146. VERTICAL BUILT DRAIN, TRENCH 3
147. BRANCHED DRAIN IN III 29
148. PLAN AND SECTION OF THE MACCABAEAN WELL
149. MASON'S MARK
ISO. STONE VAT •
152. OBJECTS FROM PHILISTINE GRAVE No. I
153. AGATE SEAL •
155. BRONZE OBJECTS FROM PHILISTINE GRAVE NO.4
156. SILVER OBJECTS FROM PHILISTINE GRAVE NO.4
157. OBJECTS FROM PHILISTINE· GRAVE NO.5
158. PLAN OF TOMBS IN III 30, AND DEPOSITS THEREIN •
159. PHOTOGRAPH OF TOMBS IN III 30
r60. OBJECTS FROM TOMB 3
161. COW FIGURE FROM TOMB 7
162. ·DEA NUTRIX FIGURE FROM TOMB 7 .
163. CYLINDER :FROM TOMB 29
r64. INTERIQROF TOMB 30 (FROM INSIDE) •
165. INTERIOR OF TOMB 30 (FROM OUTSIDE)
166. BRACELETS FROM TOMB 30
167. LAMPS FROM TOMB 59 •
168. POTTERY FROM TOl'fIB 59
r69. GROTESQUE HEAD FROM JOMB 59
XIX
PAGE
260
265
266
267
272
273
173. Two SCARABS FROM TOMB 82
174.…
ONE VOLUME OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PRINTED BY
LONDON AND AYLESBURY.
PREFACE
IN what form the results of the Excavation of Gezer should be finally
presented is a question that has cost me much careful thought. Two
alternatives offered themselves, between which it was difficult to choose.
My preference at first was to follow the natural division of the remains into
epochs and culture levels, and to give a bird's-eye view of the city's life,
so far as 'excavation could reveal it, at each successive stage of the city's
history. Indeed, I made some progress with the writing of the Memoir on
such a plan; but I found before long that it' was not free from serious
in~onvenience. The con1plexity of the stratification of the mound itself made
it difficult to carry through the work of description in the form proposed.
Certain classes of antiquities (such as bronze arrowheads) persist with but
little chan-ge over extended periods of time; so that it would not be easy
to avoid repetition, or else an undue expansion of the earlier chapters, with
many cumbrous cross-references in the later. Inevitable also would be a
dissection of the history of other classes of objects, notably of pottery, into
a large number of -isolated parts, /which the student would afterwards be
obliged to reunite for himself. After giving a fair trial to th'is method of
setting forth the results, I decided to abandon it in favour of the other,
\vhich consists in grouping associated types of objects together, tracing the
history of each independently of the rest.
In Chapter I, accordingly, I give a description of the site with its
history, derived from literary sources, and from results of the excavation
itself. In Chapter I I is told the story of the identification of the site, and
an account is given of the methods of excavation and of recording. This
chapter is written for two practical purposes: to assist future excavators
by giving hints as to methods which' proved the most satisfactory; and to
help the reader by setting forth a prec£s of the chief results of the work,
which will keep him from losing his way among the multiplicity of details Vll
VIU Preface
that follows. Consequently though for convenience the chapter is cast in
narrative form, all trivialities of can1p lif~ and similar matters, picturesque
though they' may be, have been carefully, excluded as being irrelevant to
the ends in view.
Chapters I I I-X are the sections of the book in which the discoveries
themselves are' described in detail. The principles of classification adopted
are explained in Chapter I I, to which the reader may be referred.
It may here be stated, once for all, that no complete picture of the
ancient civilization of the country can be drawn from excavation alone; for
the simple reason that' by far the greater number of the articles in daily
use among the ancient inhabitants have long ago perished by the ordinary
processes of decay. Textiles, wooden furniture and utensils, written docu
n1ents on papyrus or on parchm'ent, which we can hardly doubt were fairly
common in the later periods, have been practically annihilated; and it is
difficult in all cases~ impossible in many, to reconstruct them in the
imagination. We are limited to objects of stone, brick, pottery, bone,
ivory, and metal-many even of these imperfect: and obviously the ,infor
mation drawn from them must be less than half of the whole subject~
Here and there I have endeavoured to indicate how these unavoidable gaps
in ,our knowledge may be filled-by reference to contemporary monuments,
archaeological or literary, or by comparisons with modern customs, which so
often offer valuable illustrations of ancient practices. But to do so 'systema
ticallywould swell the book unduly, and would lead us away too far frorn
its, proper subject-the results of the Excavation of Gezer.
:, ,This book is naturally based. upon the current Reports sent home
during the progress of the work, and published regularly in the Quarterly
Statement of the Palestine EXjJloration Fund from October 1902 onwards.
The matter has, however, been completely re-written; nlany theories and
suggestions thrown out from time to time have had to be modified or
entirely withdrawn. I t is therefore to be remembered, wherever dis
crepancies are found between statements or views expressed in the
Quarterly Reports and in this book, that the former are superseded by
the latter.
Preface IX
arrangement, I have endeavoured to keep the chronology and .stratification
of the. remains prominent throughout. The plans of the successive cities
on Plates i-vii are the foundation of the whole work. These plans are
numbered I-VI: plate vii contains three intermediate plans, numbered IIa, IlIa, Va, necessitated by the subdivision of strata on the Western Hill.
To prevent confusion, the plan$ are numbered with capital letters, the plates
with minuscules. The exact spot in the mound where any ordinary object
chanced to lie is not generally of great importance; thus, so long as we
know the date atwhich a certain type of knife was used, it does not n1uch
matter, as a rule, in which of the houses it was discovered. I have con
tented myself therefore in the majority of cases with. indicating in which
of the trenches the object was found, specifying more closely wherever
necessary, by reference to some conspicuous building in that trench, or,
when exactness is essential, by reference letters in the plan.* 1"'hese
indications .of position are printed in the description of each object in the
form [V 10], which means « Plan V, trench 10." This tells the re·ader
to what period the object so indicated belongs (the Fourth Semitic Period
in the example cited.), which in the great majority of cases is all he will
need or desire to. know. t To limit further the hor£zontal position of
ordinary objects (by east-to-west lines crossing the north-to-south lines that
divide the trenches) would have involved additional labour that hardly
seemed to give information of commensurate value ; while to fix their
vertical position by reference to the sea-level, as has sometimes been done
in descriptions of excavations, is misleading whenever, as at Gezer, the
successive strata of contemporary objects are not horizontal planes.
To save space, the familiar abbreviations " ", for" feet" and" inches"
are used in the dimensions. A table for calculating equivalents in the
metric system is given for theconvenien"ce of Continental readers.
* To avoid confusion, the lettering on the pla.ns is printed in blue, and the trenches are divided by red lines.
t l'he formula V 10 A denotes the object or structure indicated by reference letter A in trench 10 of Plan V. An index to these reference letters is provided with the plates,. so that the· reader examining the plans can \vithout delay find the description of any structure regarding which he may wish for information.
x Preface
The illustrations are selected from the photographs or drawings of
objects, about 10,000 in number, which were made during the progress
of the work. These have been classified and fitted together on the plates,
though it has not always been found possible to arrange the drawings on
the plates in strict order. The illustrations not required for publication in
the book are deposited for reference in the Office of the Fund. For the
representation of pottery and other objects, drawings shewing· the
antiquities "in elevation"· have been preferred to. photographs, though
the latter would have been much less' troublesome to prepare. Photographs,
shewing the objects "in perspective 'J-not always a true perspective-do
not give so exact a record of actual form as measured drawings. 1-'hey are
also apt to emphasize irrelevant detail, shado\vs, etc. Inscriptions, scarabs,
and the like have all been drawn larger than full-size with a camera
lucida, and the drawings then reduced in reproduction to the size of
the original.
I t is now .my duty to express my acknowledgments to Their Excel.
lencies Hamdy Bey and Halil Bey, the eminent Director and Sub-Director
of the Imperial Otton1an Museum, who have throughout displayed a
personal interest in the work, and a courteous desire to meet the wishes
of the excavator.* The Imperial Commissioner attached by the Ottoman
Government to the works, 1'herayyah Efendi .l\l-Khalidi, deserves the
fullest acknowledgment for his unfailing friendliness, and his readiness to
fall in with all suggestions and' requests, so far as his obligations to the
duties of his office permitted hin1 to do so.
'1'0 the Officials of the British En1bassy at Constantinople, and of the
British Consulate and Vice-Consulate at Jerusalem and Jaffa, acknowledg
ments for important services are due: but I would add to this formal
word of thanks an expression of personal regret for one to whom the
Palestine Exploration Fund owes a far more than official care. In the late
British Consul at Jerusalem, Mr. John Dickson, all who were privileged
to come into contact with hin1 lost a friend whose time, energies, and
* 'The death of Hamdy Bey, since this book was sent. to press, is a grave loss to Oriental archaeology.
Xl"
great knowledge of the East and of its ways were ever ungrudgingly at~
their disposal.-
I have also to endeavour to express my thanks-which I fear I cannot:
do adequately-to the Dominican Fathers of Saint-Etienne, to the Rev.
Pere Germer-Durand of Notre-Dame de France, also to the Directors of
the American and of the German Schools of Archaeology, for their constant.
interest and encouragelnent, their ever-ready helpfulness, the freedom with
which they have given me access to the libraries under their control in.
Jerusalem, and many other kindnesses.
Chapter I I I \owes whatever merit it may possess to my father, Professor'
Macalister of Cambridge, who in several visits to the camp made a study,
for which I myself should not have been competent, of the osteological
material accumulated. The sec~ion on the Cond£t£ons of Life in the -City'
is founded on one of many valuable discussions I have had with my friend
Dr. Masterma,n of Jerusalem. F or help and advice on individual l)oints
I have to acknowledge nlY indebtedness to Professor Ridgeway of Cambridge,.
Professor Myres of Liverp901, Dr. L1. Griffith, and many others. I have
endeavoured throughout by footnotes or otherwise to acknowledge the
source of any criticisms or interpretations that I have adopted.
It would be ungrateful to fail to acknowledge the trustworthiness,.
energy, and devotion to duty displayed by the capable foreman of works,.
Yusif Khattar Kinacan, without whom I could not have carried out this.
work single-handed.
About the year 1869 the Inound and other parts of the lands of the
village of Abu Shusheh were acquired by Messrs. Bergheim, sometime.
bankers in Jerusalem. This proved a fortunate circumstance for the
excavator: for to the administrator of the estate, Mr. Serapion Murad,
an incalculable debt is due. He put the site freely at the, disposal of the:
Palestine Exploration Fund; used his great influence with the turbulent
local fellabin to keep them from being unduly troublesome; was always
ready with valuable advice, whenever troubles arose; and last, but not
least, followed .the work with the keenest interest, and proved himself a
pleasant companion ip the solitude of camp life.
XII P1'eface
Certain books that are frequently cited are indicated by the following
abbreviations:-
TH~Tell el Hesy, by W. M. Flinders Petrie. lVIMC-A ...Mound of Many Cities, by F. ]. Bliss.
EP-Excavations in Palestine,by ~"'. ]. Bliss and R. A. S. Macalister. ARP-Archaeological Researches in Palestine, by C. Clermont-Ganneau. RAO-Recueil d'A.rcheologie Orientale, by C. Clermont-Ganneau.
QS-Quarterly StateJnent of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
CCM-Catalogue of the Cyprus Museu1n, by J. L. Myres and M. Ohnefalsch Richter.
VC-Canaan d'apres l'exploration recente, by H. Vincent.
Of other books to which reference is made the full title is given, or
enough of it to enable the reader to identify the work without difficulty.
R. A. S. M. PUBLIN, .
December 1910.
CI-IAP. I: THE SITE AND HISTORY OF GEZER
(§ J. The Site and its Surroundings-§ 2. The History of the City.)
• XXIV
I
CHAP. II: '[HE EXCAVATION OF GEZEH.: METHODS AND RESULTS 45
(§ 3. Identification of the Site-§ 4. Progress of the Excavation-§ 5. rrhe Plan of
the Present Work, and the Chronological Classification of the Remains.)
CHAP. I I I : THE PEOPLE OF GEZER
(§6. Osteology of the Inhabitants-§ 7. Conditions of Life in the City.)
CHAP. I V: DWELLINGS AND DEFENCES
(§ 8. The Caves-§ 9. Other Cuttings in the Rock-surface-§ 10. Stratification
of the Debris-§ I I. The Gezerite House-§ 12. Granaries and Other.
Special Structures-§ 13. The Palaces-§ 14~ The Maccabaean Castle
§ IS. The Syrian Bath-§ 16." A Ron1an Bath-§ 17. The City Walls
§ 18. \Vaterworks.)
(§ 19. Prelilninary Remarks-§ 20. The Troglodyte Crematorium-§ 2 I. Intra
mural Cave-burials and other Interments-§ 22. The "Philistine" Graves
§ 23. The Extra-rnliral Tombs-§ 24. A History of Burial Customs In
Palestine as indicated by the Particulars in the Foregoing Sections.) xiii
7°
CUNEIFORM TABLETS FROM GEZER
FIG.
I. THE MOUND OF GEZER (FROM THE SOUTH) AFTER THE EXCAVATION
2. ROCK-CUT ROADWAY AT THE EAST END OF THE MOUND
3. PALAEOLITHIC IMPLEMENTS FROM THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF GEZER
4. SEALS ON THE FIRST ASSYRIAN TABLET
5. THE NEO-BABYLONIAN TABLET
8. MAP OF THE BOUNDARY INSCRIPTIONS •
9. INSCRIPTIONS No.6 AND NO.4
10. FRAGMENT OF A BYZANTINE TOMBSTONE
II. CURVE OF CEPHALIC INDEX •
12. CURVE OF· NASAL INDEX
13. CURVE OF ORBITAL INDEX
·14. CURVE OF FACIAL INDEX
15. CURVE OF GNATHIC INDEX
r6. CURVE OF VARIATIONS OF STATURE
r7. DISEASED HUMERUS FROM TOMB 155
r8. ABNORMAL CRANIUM FROM TOMB 150 .
19. VIEW OF MUGHARET EL-JAIHAH
20. PLAN OF CAVE 2 I
21. CUPMARKS OUTSIDE THE ENTRANCE OF CAVE :2 I .
22. BRONZE ANIMAL FIGURE FROM CAVE IN TRENCH 3
23. ENTRANCE TO CAVE 3 I
24. POTTERY HEAD FROM CAVE 3 III .
25. ROCK-CUTTING ASSOCIATED WITH CAVE 4 I
26. JAR FROM CAVE 6 I
27. IVORY ORNAMENT FROM CAVE 8 II xv
Frontispiece PAGE
FIG.
29. ROCK-SURFACE ABOVE CAVE 15 I •
30. INTERIOR OF CAVE 15 I
31. BOWL FROM CAVE IS I •
32. INTERIOR OF CAVE IS IV
33. VIEW OF THE STAIRCASE IN CAVE 16 III
34. VIEW OF THE INTERNAL DIVISION IN CAVE 16 III
35. BOWLS FROM CAVE 17 I
36.' PLAN OF CAVES 18 I AND 19 III •
37. VESSELS FROM CAVE 19 I
38. PLAN OF CAVE 28 II
39. PLAN OF CHAMBER WITH CUPMARKS IN CAVE 28 II
40. INTERIOR OF CHAMBER (2), CAVE 28 II
41. INT,ERIOR OF CHAMBER (8), CAVE 28 II
42. OBJECTS FROM CHAMBER (4), CAVE 28 II
43, 44· BRONZE POT ,AND SCARAB FROM THE CISTERN IN CHAMBER (5).. CAVE 28 II
, 45. STONE OBJECT FROM CHAMBER (6), CAVE 28 II
46. BRONZE FIGURE FROM CAVE 30 I
47. PLAN OF CAVE 30 IV
48. GRAFFITO NO.4, CAVE 30 IV
49. GRAFFITI Nos. 7-9, CAVE 30 IV
50. BOWL WITH KNOBS IN FOR1vI OF A SPIRAL .
51. GRAFFITI Nos. 38-41, CAVE 30 IV
52. GRAFFITI Nos. 42-45, CAVE 30 IV
53. ROCK-CUTTINGS IN TRENCH 4
54. VAT IN ROCK SCARP
55. CUPMARKS SURROUNDING A CISTERN MOUTH, WAcRET ET-TAYASHEH .
56. SECTION SHEWING THE STRATIFICATION OF ACCUMULATED DEBRIS
57. TRACE ,OF A PIT DUG IN THE DEBRIS IN ANCIENT TIMES •
58. LARGE BRICK BUILDING IN IlIa •
59. FLOOR ,OF A BUILDING IN IlIa 30
60. LARGE ,HOUSE IN,V 27, 28 .
61. PLAN OF H'OUSE IN RUJM cABD ALLAH
62. DOORWAY OF HOUSE IN RUJM cABD ALLAH.
63. CISTERN OF HOUSE IN RUJM cABD ALLAH
PAGE
86
87
88
91
97
· 101
64. ROCK-CUT FOUNDATIONS • 177
65. WALL CONSISTING OF A Row OF IJARGE STONES WITH SMALLER STONES BETWEEN
THEM. • 178
67, 68. SPECIMENS OF BRICKS
69. SPECIMEN OF BRICK CONSTRUCTION
70. FRAGMENT OF MOSAIC PAVEMENT
71. Cup FOR RECEIVING THE HORN OF A DOOR.
72. SOCKET FOR DOOR-HORN
74. DETAIL OF STONES AT VI 30 C
75. IRON KEY
77. STONE-LINED DOORWAY IN IlIa 28
78. STONE ROOF ROLLER •
79. PART OF A HOUSE SHEWING THE Row OF STONES IN THE FLOOR
--80. BASE OF A COLUMN
81. COLONNADE •
84. STEPS AT THE ENTRANCE OF A HOUSE
85. FRAGMENT OF MOULDING
89. CIRCLE OF STONES IN THE BUILDING ON'THE EASTERN HILL
90. GRANARY AT NORTH .END OF I~ 4
91. GRANARY IN IV 18
92. <P-SHAPED STRlJCTURE .
93. STONE SEAT (?)
96. FOUNDATIONS OF PILLARED HALL OF FIRST PALACE.
97. PLAN OF LARGE BUILDI~G IN IV 14-16
98. ORNA:MENTAL FRAGMENT OF STONE VOL. I
xviii List of Illustral£ons
FIG.
100. THE "PAMPRAS" INSCRIPTION
103. MASONRY OF THE EASTERN TOWER CHAMBER • 216
104. PLAN OF THE MACCABAEAN CASTLE . 217
105. EASTERN JAMB OF THE GATE OF THE MACCABAEAN CASTLE • 218.
106. FURNACE IN THE MACCABAEAN CASTLE • 219
107. DOORWAY OF SUPPOSED POTTER'S OVEN IN OR NEAR THE MACCABAEAN CASTLE 220
108. STRUCTURE OF STONES WEST OF THE MACCABAEAN CASTLE • 221
109. COURSE OF THE DRAIN UNDER THE CASTLE
110. PLAN OF THE SYRIAN BATH-HOUSE
III, 112. Two VIEWS OF TH~ SYRIAN BATH
113. VIEW OF THE SYRIAN BATH, SHEWING DRAIN
114. HYPOGAUST AND TEPIDARIUM OF THE ROMAN BATH •
115. STONE VAT FOUND IN ROMAN BATH •
116. FRIGIDARIUM OF ROMAN BATH
· 223
- 224
225-6
· 227
· 23°
· 231
. 232
118.· THE CITY WALLS . 235
119. SECTION OF THE CENTRAL CITY WALL . 236
120. VIEW OF THE CITY "VALLS, SHEV/ING THE EARTH RAMPART . 237
121. TOWER OF INNER CITY WALL · 238
122. MASONRY OF INNER CITY WALL. . 239
123. NORTH-WEST CORNER TOWER, INNER CITY WALL · 240
124. NORTHERN GATE, INNER CITY WALL: VIEW . 241
125. SOUTHERN GATE, INNER CITY WALL: 'PLAN AND ELEVA-TIONS • 242
126. SOUTHERN GATE, INNER CITY WALL: VIEW • 243
127. CONTRASTING TYPES OF MASONRY, OUTER CITY WALL .. 245
128. TOWER WITH BASTION . 247
129. TOWER WITH BASTION REMOVED' _ · 248
130. SURVIVING JAMB OF SOUTH-WEST GATE, OUTER CITY WALL • 252
131 • SECTION S"HEWING CAST LIMESTONE BETWEEN THE Two PRINCIPAL CITY WALLS 254
132. ENTRANCE TO WATER-PASSAGE . 257
~33. THE WATER-PASSAGE, LOOKING DOWNWARD • 258
134- THE WATER-PASSAGE, LOOKING UPWARD • ,259
List of Illustrations
136. EARTH-CLOD WITH IMPRESSION OF A BASKET
137. THE CENTRAL RESERVOIR.
139. RADIATING GROOVES ROUND CISTERN MOUTH
140. PLAN AND SECTIONS OF CISTERN IN W ACRET SALaMEH
141. STEPfED RESERVOIR
143. CEMENTED POOL IN II 26 A·
144. WATER CHANNEL IN VI 3 A
145. DRAIN OF JARS IN VS B ·
146. VERTICAL BUILT DRAIN, TRENCH 3
147. BRANCHED DRAIN IN III 29
148. PLAN AND SECTION OF THE MACCABAEAN WELL
149. MASON'S MARK
ISO. STONE VAT •
152. OBJECTS FROM PHILISTINE GRAVE No. I
153. AGATE SEAL •
155. BRONZE OBJECTS FROM PHILISTINE GRAVE NO.4
156. SILVER OBJECTS FROM PHILISTINE GRAVE NO.4
157. OBJECTS FROM PHILISTINE· GRAVE NO.5
158. PLAN OF TOMBS IN III 30, AND DEPOSITS THEREIN •
159. PHOTOGRAPH OF TOMBS IN III 30
r60. OBJECTS FROM TOMB 3
161. COW FIGURE FROM TOMB 7
162. ·DEA NUTRIX FIGURE FROM TOMB 7 .
163. CYLINDER :FROM TOMB 29
r64. INTERIQROF TOMB 30 (FROM INSIDE) •
165. INTERIOR OF TOMB 30 (FROM OUTSIDE)
166. BRACELETS FROM TOMB 30
167. LAMPS FROM TOMB 59 •
168. POTTERY FROM TOl'fIB 59
r69. GROTESQUE HEAD FROM JOMB 59
XIX
PAGE
260
265
266
267
272
273
173. Two SCARABS FROM TOMB 82
174.…