FROM CHRONOLOGICAL NETWORKS TO BAYESIAN MODELS: CHRONOLOG AS A FRONT-END TO OXCAL

We present a new method for creating an OxCal Bayesian model that bypasses the complex task of writing OxCal code. Our methodology employs the recent ChronoLog software as a graphical front-end for generating OxCal scripts. This approach enables archaeologists to create complex Bayesian models—including termini post and ante quem, duration bounds and synchronisms—with the help of a user-friendly interface. The target audience can be divided into beginners, who might struggle to create chronological models using OxCal directly, and experienced OxCal users, who should find that ChronoLog saves time when coding complex models. Three case-studies from recent publications are presented

An Early Byzantine Ecclesiastical Complex at Ashdod-Yam: Correlating Geophysical Prospection With Excavated Remains

In this study we show the successful deployment of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) together with Electrical Resistivity Surveys (ERS) in guiding the archeological excavations at Ashdod-Yam (southern coast of Israel). This approach enabled the precise identification of excavation targets relating to an Early Byzantine ecclesiastical complex located in a residential neighborhood of the modern city of Ashdod. Applied over the course of five years, the combined use of GPR and ERS, interspersed with phases of archeological excavation, not only facilitated an efficient exploration but also ensured the preservation of valuable historical structures. The geophysical data, corroborated by drone images of the post-excavation site, revealed a striking correlation between excavation and non-intrusive survey data. This study not only charts a successful excavation journey but serves as a methodological blueprint for future archeological explorations. The techniques and strategies detailed here have broader implications for the preservation and public presentation of historical sites

Reconstructing biblical military campaigns using geomagnetic field data.

The Hebrew Bible and other ancient Near Eastern texts describe Egyptian, Aramean, Assyrian, and Babylonian military campaigns to the Southern Levant during the 10th to sixth centuries BCE. Indeed, many destruction layers dated to this period have been unearthed in archaeological excavations. Several of these layers are securely linked to specific campaigns and are widely accepted as chronological anchors. However, the dating of many other destruction layers is often debated, challenging the ability to accurately reconstruct the different military campaigns and raising questions regarding the historicity of the biblical narrative. Here, we present a synchronization of the historically dated chronological anchors and other destruction layers and artifacts using the direction and/or intensity of the ancient geomagnetic field recorded in mud bricks from 20 burnt destruction layers and in two ceramic assemblages. During the period in question, the geomagnetic field in this region was extremely anomalous with rapid changes and high-intensity values, including spikes of more than twice the intensity of today's field. The data are useful in the effort to pinpoint these short-term variations on the timescale, and they resolve chronological debates regarding the campaigns against the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the relationship between the two kingdoms, and their administrations

From Gabii And Gordion To Eretria And Methone: The Rise Of The Greek Alphabet

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111984/1/bics12000.pd

Iron Age Mediterranean Chronology: A Rejoinder

This article is a rejoinder to a recent paper in this journal by van der Plicht et al. (2009) who use radiocarbon determinations from several sites in Israel, Italy, Spain, and Tunisia to advocate a High Chronology system for the entire Mediterranean Basin. We contend that they reached mistaken conclusions due to problematic selection of sites and data. We argue that a reliable way to provide absolute dates for the Iron Age in the central and western Mediterranean is by employing a combination of well-identified Greek pottery found in well-stratified sites and radiometric results from short-lived samples. For the time being, this combination exists only in the Levant, and provides an anchor for Greek chronology, which supports the Conventional Chronology for the Aegean Basin, which corresponds to the Low Chronology in the Levant.The Radiocarbon archives are made available by Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform February 202

Masters of mudbrick : Geoarchaeological analysis of Iron Age earthen public buildings at Ashdod-Yam (Israel)

Excavations at Ashdod‐Yam exposed a fortification system that features a massivemudbrick wall with large earthen ramparts laid on either side. This fortifiedhorseshoe‐shaped enclosure once surrounded what was likely a human‐made harborand an adjacent acropolis with complex earthen architecture, constructed and activeduring Iron Age IIB–C (eighth–seventh centuries B.C.E.). These Iron Age publicstructures are at the center of the current research. In this paper, we present thegeoarchaeological analyses of Ashdod‐Yam's earthen architecture. We applied amultidisciplinary methodology to new evidence for mudbrick manufacture with thegoal of understanding the relationship between governing bodies and craftsmen.The analyses combine X‐ray fluorescence, loss on ignition, environmental scanningelectron microscopy, and thin‐section petrography to investigate raw materialprocurement, manufacturing choices, and labor organization at Ashdod‐Yam duringIron IIB–C. Construction techniques and the standardization of the mudbrick recipepoint to a local enterprise regarding the site's public earthen architecture.Furthermore, the degree of labor organization must have been closely observedand supervised by a central political power. Thus, it is argued here that constructionand maintenance of the site was carried out by the kingdom of Ashdod, either as apart of its own local initiative or on behalf of the Neo‐Assyrian empire.Peer reviewe