Recent discoveries in Bethlehem (Palestine): results of the 8th (2022) Italian-Palestinian research season

The joint Italian-Palestinian Expedition of Sapienza University of Rome and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Palestine – Department of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage (MoTADACH) to Bethlehem, funded by Sapienza University and by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, 1 has been active since 2015 with annual excavation seasons and research study on the necropolis of Khalet al-Jam’a, and with emergency excavations, surveys and documentation campaigns in other threatened sites, in order to protect the archaeological heritage of the district of Bethlehem, subject to increasing building activity. The following is the summary report of the research activities carried out during the 8th season, in spring 2022

Bethlehem. Rescue excavations 2015–2020 by Sapienza University of Rome and the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities

Sapienza University of Rome and the Palestinian MoTA-DACH have been carrying on several campaigns for the protection of the archaeological heritage in the urban area of Bethlehem since 2015. A large necropolis with tombs dating from the Early Bronze IV, the Middle Bronze Age, and the Iron Age II was discovered and excavated at Khalet al-Jam’a. Rescue interventions involved other cemeteries, such as that of Jebel Dhaher, Bardhaa, and Hindaza, with similar chronological ranges. The overall results provide important insights into the history of Bethlehem during the pre-classical periods and, perhaps even more significantly, has allowed, at those locations, the PNA to manage heritage while promoting a sustainable development notwithstanding the grave constraints imposed from the outside