Table of Contents for Bulletin of ASOR 395 (May 2026)
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Pp. 1-15: “Preservation through Transformation: Identifying Late Roman Hula Valley Sites in Panias’s Diocletianic Boundary Stones,” by Roy Marom
This paper identifies Late Roman sites in the Hula Valley mentioned in Diocletianic boundary stones. Employing a threefold methodological framework—toponymic preservation, archaeological evidence, and spatial analysis—it challenges longstanding assumptions that ancient toponyms in the region were entirely lost. Instead, it demonstrates that the majority of place names engraved on the boundary stones have survived, albeit through significant linguistic and morphological transformations over time: Tirthas (Khirbet Turrīthā), Golgol (Juneijil /al-Zūq al-Fawqānī), Mamsia (Marsīna), Beth-Achon (Tell al-Baṭṭīkha), Dēra (al-Dawwāra), Osea (al-ʿĀbsiya), Beth-Anath (Tell ʿAnt), and Migēramē (al-Muqārināt). These identifications are supported by historical-linguistic reconstruction, data from Ottoman and British Mandate cadastral surveys, and targeted archaeological evidence. The study highlights the complex processes of linguistic transformation—such as phonetic shifts, semantic reinterpretation, and folk etymology—that have shaped the survival of these toponyms in the northern Hula Valley. By integrating diverse sources of evidence, the paper not only revises the geographic understanding of Panias’s countryside but also proposes a replicable framework for reassessing ancient settlement continuity and cultural interaction across the broader Levantine frontier.
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Pp. 17-45: “The Life and Afterlife of the Palace of Herod Antipas in Tiberias,” by Shulamit Miller and Frankie Snyder
The city of Tiberias, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, was founded in 19/20 c.e. by King Herod Antipas as his new capital in Galilee. Remains identified as the palace of Antipas, characterized by their construction technique and decorations, were uncovered in Yizhar Hirschfeld’s excavations. This article proposes a new study of the remains, suggesting a reevaluation of the architecture, décor, and chronology that are used to substantiate the identification with the palace of Antipas. It discusses the architecture vis-à-vis palaces of Herod the Great and shows that, while there is continuity in style, there is a visible increase in investment in the Tiberias palace, at least in terms of its marble ornamentation. This article further argues that the stratigraphy defined by Hirschfeld did not differentiate between two distinct architectural phases: the first is a palatial complex, while the second attests to the repurposing of the palace into simple dwellings, probably in the 2nd century c.e. Ultimately this study provides a new understanding of the city’s early evolution as well as insights into developments of palatial architecture in the Roman southern Levant on the background of expanding Mediterranean connectivity in the early decades of the Roman Empire.
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Pp. 47-63: “Baʾude, a World Heritage Site in Northern Syria from the Early Byzantine Era: A Study of the Residential Buildings and Their State of Preservation,” by Afaf Laila and Maamoun Abdulkarim
Baʾude village is part of a network of archaeological villages in northern Syria that are home to numerous well-preserved historical sites from the Roman and Byzantine periods. In 2011, these villages were inscribed on the World Heritage List due to their outstanding cultural significance. Baʾude exemplifies rural life through its architecture and interaction with the natural environment, with houses being the predominant feature of its built heritage. Many of the houses are in good condition due to the use of massive stones in their construction. Several internal facades on the ground floors, overlooking the courtyards, are relatively intact and adorned with diverse decorative styles. These unspoiled architectural elements provide valuable insight into the layout, orientation, size, and design of the houses, while the surrounding environmental factors further enhance the unique character of Baʾude.
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Pp. 65-103: “ʿEn Ḥaẓeva in the Arabah Valley: A “Faynanite” Signature in Late Iron Age I–Early Iron Age IIA Ceramic Assemblages,” by Doron Ben-Ami, Anat Cohen-Weinberger, and Tali Erickson-Gini
This paper presents the results of typological and petrographic analyses of the ceramic assemblages from ʿEn Ḥaẓeva Strata VIII and VII. The typological analysis concludes that the strata date to the late Iron Age I and early Iron Age IIA, respectively. The petrographic analysis reveals that a substantial percentage of the ceramic assemblage originated in the copper districts of the Arabah Valley. Considered together the analyses indicate that during these two Iron Age phases ʿEn Ḥaẓeva was an integral part of the Faynan district and testify to its essential role in the Arabah Valley’s copper trade network.
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Pp. 105-122: “Sargon II’s Defeat of Egypt: Rhetoric or Historical Facts?,” by Peter Dubovský
The Khorsabad Annals portray Sargon II as an illustrious monarch who, from the outset of his reign, exerted unwavering control over the entire ancient Near East. However, the inscriptions dated to earlier years of Sargon II’s reign do not mention the conquest of Gaza, Samaria, and the defeat of the Egyptian troops attributed to his first regnal years in the Khorsabad Annals. Furthermore, an analysis of the chronology of Sargon II’s campaigns reveals the existence of at least two chronological frameworks prior to 713 b.c. This article addresses the chronological problems of Sargon II’s early reign while focusing on the Egyptian and Assyrian control of the southern Levant. It is argued that the events of the first two years did not take place as described in the Khorsabad Annals, since the annals do not reflect the historical reality of the first years of Sargon II’s reign but rather the status quo of the last years of his reign. To support this conclusion, the article presents literary techniques employed by the scribes of Khorsabad, who composed a new account of Sargon II’s reign.
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Pp. 123-158: “Mesha’s Moab: Settlement Patterns and Site Interactions on the Madaba Plateau,” by Andrew J. Danielson, Debra Foran, Stanley Klassen, Heidi Fessler, Grant Ginson, Gregory Braun, Věra Doležálková, and Roselyn A. Campbell
Since the discovery of the Mesha Inscription, the kingdom of Moab has drawn widespread scholarly attention, with numerous surveys and excavations conducted over the past half century. Despite this research, significant questions remain regarding the origins of the kingdom, its structure, and the many settlements and sociopolitical groups that were integrated within the vision of Moab outlined by Mesha. This article presents the preliminary results from a series of archaeological surveys and excavations at several sites on the Madaba Plateau (Khirbat al-Mukhayyat, Khirbat al-Fayha, Khirbat Libb, Tall Maʿin, Khirbat Nitl, and Khirbat ad-Deleilat ash-Sharqiyah). Some of these sites were major settlements in the region during the Iron Age II period, though they have yet to enter scholarly discourse. The introduction of these preliminary summaries presents a significant step in better understanding the region of the Madaba Plateau during the Iron Age II, particularly in relation to site interrelations and hierarchy in the context of the formation of the kingdom of Moab. Preliminary Iron Age data from these sites reveal a system of numerous settlements, fortified sites, and accompanying towers/forts linked via access routes and integrated within an intentional network of intervisibility that bolstered inter-site relations and increased strategic visibility.
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Pp. 159-178: “Connecting and Disconnecting Zones of Interaction in Northern Jordan: Tall al-Assara and Regional Connectivity in the Iron Age IIB–IIC,” by Paula Gheorghiade, Marta Lorenzon, Samuel Reinikainen, Stefan L. Smith, Maher Tarboush, Päivi Miettunen, Paula Kouki, and Antti Lahelma
This study explores landscape mobility among settlements in northwestern Jordan during the Iron Age IIB–IIC periods. Specifically, it considers how interaction changed from the IIB to IIC period in this upland region between the newly discovered site of Tall al-Assara, neighboring settlements, and sites identified during the Tall Yaʾmoun Regional Archaeological Survey (TYRAS) project. The aim is to evaluate how landscape considerations, proximity, and potential for interaction might have shaped cultural affiliations in a region that was, for a period, part of the Neo-Assyrian hinterland. A baseline for mobility across this diverse topography is first established, utilizing a spatial point dataset to model local and regional interactions from Tall al-Assara and four other settlements during the Iron Age IIB and IIC period. Second, the modeling is contextualized with published ceramic and settlement data to assess its robustness. This research contributes to the ongoing scholarly discourse on the interplay between frontier regions as buffer zones for expanding ancient Near Eastern empires, while also highlighting large-scale shifts in occupation during this transformative period.
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Pp. 179-194: “Land Tenure and Fiscal Practices in the Aramaic Corpus of Idumea: Bow-Fields and Horse Estates,” by Mitchka Louise Marie Jeanne Shahryari
The Idumean corpus of Aramaic ostraca sheds light on the structured administrative and fiscal system in the region. This publication raised the possibility of the presence of the terms qaštu (“bow-fields”) and, albeit conjecturally, “horse-estates,” which would offer the first concrete evidence of these land-management practices within the fiscal framework of the Idumean region. These findings resonate with other key terms already mentioned by scholars, such as iškaru and references to tax collectors, which underscore the Persian institutional system of taxation, labor organization, workforce allocation, and resource management. The fiscal vocabulary and classifications of landholding revealed in these texts display parallels with Babylonian, Persepolitan, and Egyptian models, while simultaneously reflecting local adaptations. The ostraca thus demonstrate that Idumea was an integrated part of a hybrid imperial structure that linked local agricultural communities to the broader Persian administration.
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Pp. 195-242: “Dharih (Wadi al-Hasa, Jordan) in the Early Bronze Age: The Evidence from the French-Jordanian Excavations,” by Marta D’Andrea
Dharih, in the modern Tafilah region of southern Jordan, is best known as a signature site for the Nabatean and Roman periods, but the French-Jordanian team that carried out archaeological research there from the 1980s until the 2000s also uncovered evidence of human occupation through the 4th and 3rd millennia b.c.e., in the Early Bronze Age. In Transjordan, this time relates to the development and crisis of early urbanism and to the consequent regional reorganization in the non-urban period. This paper presents the Early Bronze Age evidence uncovered at Dharih, provides a chronological assessment of the finds, and analyzes the 4th and 3rd millennium b.c.e. occupation at the site within a regional context. It discusses how these previously unpublished records for the Early Bronze I–IV (ca. 3800/3700–1950/1920 b.c.e.) may help place the site and its surrounding area into regional patterns of material culture and current narratives for those periods.
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Spring is in the air, and ASOR is pleased to be holding a spring book sale for publications 2+ years old. All proceeds from book sales will go to supporting membership scholarships!
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