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