Masters of mudbrick

Geoarchaeological analysis of Iron Age earthen public buildings at Ashdod‐Yam (Israel)

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12133738
AutoresMarta Lorenzon (0000-0003-4747-5241, Department of Cultures, Faculty of Arts University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland, autor de correspondencia), Benjamín Cutillas-Victoria (0000-0002-6358-4176, Centre of Excellence in Ancient Near Eastern Empires University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland), Eli Itkin (0009-0001-4284-8603, Institute of Archaeology Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel), Alexander Fantalkin (0000-0001-5996-6465, Institute of Archaeology Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel)
Año2023
Volumen39
Número1
Páginas35-62
Fecha de publicación2023-10-30
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaGeoarchaeology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0883-6353 • E-ISSN: 1520-6548
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/gea.21977
OpenAlexW4388021748
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas8
Referencias citadas46

Excavations at Ashdod‐Yam exposed a fortification system that features a massive mudbrick wall with large earthen ramparts laid on either side. This fortified horseshoe‐shaped enclosure once surrounded what was likely a human‐made harbor and an adjacent acropolis with complex earthen architecture, constructed and active during Iron Age IIB–C (eighth–seventh centuries B.C.E.). These Iron Age public structures are at the center of the current research. In this paper, we present the geoarchaeological analyses of Ashdod‐Yam's earthen architecture. We applied a multidisciplinary methodology to new evidence for mudbrick manufacture with the goal of understanding the relationship between governing bodies and craftsmen. The analyses combine X‐ray fluorescence, loss on ignition, environmental scanning electron microscopy, and thin‐section petrography to investigate raw material procurement, manufacturing choices, and labor organization at Ashdod‐Yam during Iron IIB–C. Construction techniques and the standardization of the mudbrick recipe point to a local enterprise regarding the site's public earthen architecture. Furthermore, the degree of labor organization must have been closely observed and supervised by a central political power. Thus, it is argued here that construction and maintenance of the site was carried out by the kingdom of Ashdod, either as a part of its own local initiative or on behalf of the Neo‐Assyrian empire

Acropolis · Archaeology · Geography · Management · Petrography · Political science · Politics · Procurement · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Engineering · Architecture · Geology · Paleontology