UNEARTHING THE PAST SINCE 1900
  • BECOME A MEMBER
  • RENEW
  • GIVE NOW
  • SEARCH
  • ONLINE PORTAL
  • American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR)American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR)
  • About
    • WELCOME FROM ASOR OFFICERS
    • FACTS & FIGURES—ASOR
    • MISSION, BYLAWS, & STRATEGIC PLAN
    • HISTORY OF ASOR
    • COMMITTEES
    • POLICIES
    • FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS
    • ASOR’s Honors and Awards
    • AFFILIATED RESEARCH CENTERS
    • CONTACT US—ASOR
  • INITIATIVES
    & PROJECTS
    • ASOR CULTURAL HERITAGE INITIATIVES
    • ASOR-AFFILIATED ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECTS
    • ASOR ARCHIVES
    • ONLINE RESOURCES
    • ASOR PUBLICATIONS
    • LEVANTINE CERAMICS PROJECT
    • WOMEN OF ASOR MAP
  • ANNUAL
    MEETING
    • REGISTRATION
    • HOTEL RESERVATIONS
    • Annual Meeting Schedules
    • SPONSOR & EXHIBIT
    • ASOR Online Library
    • HONORS & AWARDS
    • ANNUAL MEETING SCHOLARSHIPS
    • PAST & FUTURE ANNUAL MEETINGS
  • MEMBERSHIP
    • INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIPS
    • INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
    • ONLINE RESOURCES
    • MEMBER DIRECTORY
    • FY24 HONOR ROLL OF DONORS
    • ASOR LEGACY CIRCLE
    • FRIENDS OF ASOR
    • Friends of ASOR Webinars
  • FELLOWSHIPS
    & GRANTS
    • SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FIELDWORK PARTICIPATION
    • GRANTS FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECTS
    • RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS FOR MEMBERS
    • MEMBERSHIP & ANNUAL MEETING SCHOLARSHIPS
    • ASOR-AFFILIATED RESEARCH CENTERS FELLOWSHIPS
    • OTHER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS
  • PUBLICATIONS
    & RESOURCES
    • BULLETIN OF ASOR
    • JOURNAL OF CUNEIFORM STUDIES
    • NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY
    • MAARAV
    • NEWS@ASOR
    • THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY
    • ASOR Online Library
    • LEVANTINE CERAMICS PROJECT
    • BOOK SERIES & MONOGRAPHS
    • EARLY CAREER MEMBER RESOURCES
  • NEWS &
    EVENTS
    • PAST ASOR NEWS, MONTH BY MONTH
    • NEWS@ASOR
    • THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY
    • LIFETIME HONOR ROLL OF DONORS
    • FY24 HONOR ROLL OF DONORS
  • WAYS TO
    DONATE
Chipped stone tools from Tel Beth Shemesh

 SHARE

 
 
 
 
 

NEWS@ASOR E-NEWSLETTER

ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY E-NEWSLETTER

PAST ASOR NEWS, MONTH BY MONTH

ASOR LEGACY CIRCLE MEMBERS

LIFETIME HONOR ROLL OF DONORS

FY24 HONOR ROLL OF DONORS

ASOR ANNUAL MEETING

2022 Joe D. Seger Project Grant Report: Final Analysis of the Chipped Stone Tools Excavated from Tel Beth-Shemesh (2003-2019)

I was the recipient of an ASOR Joe D. Seger Project Grant in 2022, a funding opportunity designed to support the completion of components of ASOR-affiliated excavation projects. I used this funding and matching funds from the University of Lethbridge to complete my work on the chipped stone tools from Tel Beth-Shemesh, Israel.

Selection of chipped stone artifacts excavated from Tel Beth-Shemesh (figure by S. Bubel.)
Selection of chipped stone artifacts excavated from Tel Beth-Shemesh (figure by S. Bubel.)
Large geometric sickle segments arranged in a curved sickle (figure by S. Bubel).
Large geometric sickle segments arranged in a curved sickle (figure by S. Bubel).

Tel Beth Shemesh was occupied from the Middle Bronze II Period through to the Assyrian conquest of the region. Excavations directed by Shlomo Bunimovitz and Zvi Lederman (Tel Aviv University) since 1990 have focused on refining the occupation phases of the site and establishing its role as a border community in the Shephelah region during the Iron Age.

Drawings of selected chipped stone artifacts from Tel Beth-Shemesh (photo by S. Bubel).
Drawings of selected chipped stone artifacts from Tel Beth-Shemesh (photo by S. Bubel).

I joined the project in 2003 and for almost 20 years I have brought students to Israel so they could learn how to carry out archaeological field work. My colleagues and I have trained more than 500 undergraduate and graduate students through the Tel Beth-Shemesh field school. As a Canadian scholar bringing large groups of students to Israel, my summers focused on student learning. Concentrating on the educational components of the project meant that during the short periods of time I spent in Israel, I had less time for the specialized analysis work required to examine the chipped stone tools. Because of the Joe D. Seger Project Grant, I was able to fulfill these research goals during a non-excavation season.

Analysis of chipped stone artifacts from Tel Beth-Shemesh (photo by S. Bubel).
Analysis of chipped stone artifacts from Tel Beth-Shemesh (photo by S. Bubel).
Shawn Bubel analyzing chipped stone artifacts excavated from Tel Beth-Shemesh.
Shawn Bubel analyzing chipped stone artifacts excavated from Tel Beth-Shemesh.

We have excavated more than 2700 diagnostic chipped stone artifacts at Tel Beth-Shemesh, making it one of the largest lithic assemblages amassed from a historic period site in the Levant. These specimens include cores and waste flakes (debitage) from tool production, tool blanks or preforms, and finished tools. Thousands more non-diagnostic chips and chunks of high-quality chert were also collected and examined. It was quickly clear that at least some lithic tool production was taking place on site, but a detailed study of the artifacts was needed to understand the manufacturing process and determine if certain tools were locally manufactured and others acquired through trade. Moreover, the chipped stone artifacts came from Middle Bronze II to Iron II contexts, which allowed me to study diachronic change in the chipped stone industry. This was especially exciting because Tel Beth-Shemesh is one of only a handful of sites that was continually occupied through these periods.

My analysis of the chipped stone artifacts involved a rigorous metric and qualitative assessment of the attributes of each piece. I now have a comprehensive dataset to work with and a catalogue that can be submitted the IAA and shared with other researchers. I was also able to photograph and draw select pieces for publication. With these steps complete, I can now tie my results to the larger study of cultural continuity and change from the Middle Bronze Age through to the Iron Age.

Shawn Bubel drawing chipped stone artifacts excavated from Tel Beth-Shemesh.
Shawn Bubel drawing chipped stone artifacts excavated from Tel Beth-Shemesh.
Subsample of the Large Geometric Sickle Segments excavated from Tel Beth-Shemesh (photo by S. Bubel).
Subsample of the Large Geometric Sickle Segments excavated from Tel Beth-Shemesh (photo by S. Bubel).

I am very grateful to have received the Joe D. Seger Project Grant. Funding like this allows researchers from North America, like myself, to complete analyses on excavated materials.

-Shawn Bubel, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Lethbridge

ASOR plans to award two Seger Project Grants of $2,500 each during 2024. Apply by February 26, 2024 for consideration.

BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE

  • 2025 Call for Vice President
  • Fieldwork Report: Christos Theodorou
  • Message from ASOR’s Board Chair
  • Fieldwork Report: Ofelia Tychon

Tweets by ASOResearch

American Society of Overseas Research
The James F. Strange Center
209 Commerce Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

E-mail: info@asor.org

© 2023 ASOR
All rights reserved.
Images licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Contact Us
Membership
Give
Friends of ASOR
ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives
Terms of Use

COVID-19 Update: Please consider making payments or gifts on our secure Online Portal. Please e-mail info@asor.org if you have questions or need help.

Follow us on:
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
LinkedIn