Oded Lipschits
Biographic Data
| ID | 103067 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Oded Lipschits |
| GIVEN NAMES | Oded |
| FAMILY NAME | Lipschits |
| SIGNATURE | LIPSCHITS O |
| AFFILIATIONS | Tel Aviv University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9733-9339 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 57 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 83 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 53 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 4 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1999 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Reevaluating Calcite‐Alabaster Production in the Southern Levant
Calcite‐Alabaster vessels found in the Southern Levant during the Bronze Age have traditionally been considered Egyptian imports. This assumption was recently challenged by the discovery of a Bronze Age quarry in the Te'omim Cave. This study investigated six Calcite‐Alabaster objects from Tel Azekah, including two drill cores, to determine raw material provenance and reassess regional production processes. Stable carbon (δ 13 C) and oxygen (δ 18 …
Geomagnetic Intensity of Hellenistic Pottery and Stamped Rhodian Wine Amphorae From Jerusalem
Stamped amphora handles produced on Rhodes during the Hellenistic period are well suited for archaeointensity studies because they often bear the names of annually appointed magistrates (eponyms) and fabricants, allowing dating to narrow time intervals. In this study, archaeointensity experiments were conducted on stamped Rhodian amphora handles recovered from the City of David and the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem ( n = 17; success rate 41%), toge…
A Hieratic Inscribed Jar from the Late Bronze/Iron Age Transition at Tel Azekah
A mass grave of young children and infants from the Persian period in Tel Azekah and its importance for the understanding of burial practices of unweaned infants
During the excavations at Tel Azekah, a cistern was discovered on the tell’s lower plateau containing the remains of a minimum of 68 individuals, almost all of whom were infants and young children. The osteological analysis revealed that approximately 90% of the individuals were under five years of age, 70% even less than two years old. The burial seems to be primary, and the deposition of the remains was dated to the Persian period (ca. 5th cent…
In memoriam Jakob Wöhrle
New Editorial Manager
Shedding a Concealed Light
In this contribution, we examine the custom of depositing lamps concealed between two bowls in a practice that became prevalent in the Southern Levant during the Late Bronze Age and persisted into the early Iron Age. Through meticulous examination of eleven such deposits unearthed at Tel Azekah, we elucidate the chronological evolution of this practice and its constituent elements. This investigation prompts a discussion of the role of the practi…
Invisible destruction? Identifying microscopic evidence of destruction by fire in iron age structures in Jerusalem
A New Assemblage of ‘Private’ Stamped Jar Handles from the Mordot Arnona Excavations, Jerusalem
The site of Mordot Arnona is located c. 750 m northeast of Ramat Raḥel, on the eastern outskirts of the Arnona neighborhood of Jerusalem. Recent salvage excavations at the site showed that in the late eighth and the first half of the seventh century BCE, Mordot Arnona held great significance in the physical and political landscape of the area south of Jerusalem, serving as an administrative center, as evidenced by its monumental structures and th…
Identifying the (Royal) Winepresses in the “Valley of the King”
This paper presents four Iron Age winepresses discovered at ‘Emeq Lavan, Rogem Gannim and Mordot Arnona in Jerusalem. The winepresses located along ‘Emeq Refa’im share a uniform industrial plan featuring three treading surfaces, settling vats and a central collection chamber. The installations date to the late eighth–seventh centuries BCE, when the subjugation of Judah to Assyria created a need for a centralized royal economy. The newly identifie…
Archaeomagnetic Dating of the Outer Revetment Wall at Tel Lachish
The fortifications of Lachish, a key site in archaeology of the Iron Age Southern Levant, are the focus of ongoing debate. The Outer Revetment Wall, encircling nearly the entire site, was traditionally associated with Levels IV-III and was thought to have been in use during the Assyrian campaign in 701 BCE. It has recently been suggested that it was built a millennium earlier. Here we present archaeomagnetic dating of a mudbrick tower incorporate…
The Vegetation History of the Shephelah, Southern Levant
Although the Shephelah region (Israel) is of a great archaeological significance and has been intensively excavated, very little is known about its landscape history. This study presents two large‐scale charred wood assemblages (>2300 items) that were recovered from Tel Azekah and Tel Lachish in order to reconstruct the ancient vegetation of the Shephelah. The two assemblages cover a temporal range from the Middle Bronze Age through the Hellenist…
The Early Iron Age Cemetery of Ḥorvat Tevet
Recent salvage excavations at Ḥorvat Tevet in northern Israel revealed a cemetery consisting of at least 25 burials dated to the Iron I period (11th–10th centuries BCE). In this article, the burial practices employed in this cemetery are analyzed in order to shed light on the social complexity, economy, and funerary rituals of a rural community in the Jezreel Valley in the period between the collapse of Egyptian rule in Canaan and the formation o…
Jerusalem as a Symbol and in Reality
This paper discusses two gaps that relate to the dichotomy between Jerusalem as a symbolic concept and as a physical reality: The first gap is between the reality of the pre-Roman Period city of Jerusalem, as is evidenced by the archaeological remains, and between the images of Jerusalem as reflected in the Biblical descriptions. For hundreds of years, during the Babylonian, Persian and early Hellenistic Periods, few hundred people who lived arou…
Azekah – The Hometown of Micah the Moreshtite
This article deals with the oft-debated identification of Moresheth Gath, mentioned in the book of Micah as the prophet’s hometown. Based on comprehensive analysis of texts from the early Christian period, the Amarna archive and the book of Micah, the authors claim for the first time that Moresheth Gath is to be identified with Azekah, the economically and strategically important site in the western Shephelah. »Moresheth Gath« was the old name of…
Destruction by fire
History, Economy and Administration in Late Iron Age Judah in Light of the Excavations at Mordot Arnona, Jerusalem
The site of Mordot Arnona is located ca. 750 m northeast of Ramat Rahel and on the eastern outskirts of the Arnona neighbourhood of Jerusalem. Few sites around Jerusalem present a stratigraphy and settlement sequence that includes nine building and construction phases, dating from the Late Iron IIA (9th century BCE) to the Late Roman period (4th century CE). During much of this time, and especially between the late 7th century BCE and the 4th cen…
The Late Iron IIA Cylindrical Holemouth Jars and Their Role in the Royal Economy of Early Monarchic Israel
The recent excavations at Ḥorvat Tevet and the finding of ca. 260 Late Iron IIA cylindrical holemouth jars provided an unparalleled opportunity to study these relatively unknown vessels. This article offers a comprehensive analysis of cylindrical holemouth jars and includes a study of typology and morphology, alongside the analysis of provenance and distribution patterns. By shedding new light on these vessels, this paper provides the opportunity…
Opium trade and use during the Late Bronze Age
Organic residue analysis was conducted on various vessels from burials at Tel Yehud, Israel. The analyses led to new reliable evidence for the presence of opioid alkaloids and their decomposition products. This research revitalizes a decades‐old discussion on the presence and function of the opium trade across a cultural region of utmost significance in the Ancient Near East and the use and role of Base‐Ring juglets during the Late Bronze Age IIA…
Life and death of four individuals in the destruction of the Late Bronze Age city of Azekah, Israel
In this article, we discuss the skeletal remains of four individuals discovered trapped below destruction debris of Building T2/627 at the site of Tel Azekah, Israel, dating to the late 12th Century BCE. Osteological analysis shows that these individuals suffered from anemia and other systemic illness during their lives. Patterns of musculoskeletal stress markers show that they were likely highly active; in the context of artifacts recovered from…
Yehud Stamp Impressions from Ramat-Raḥel
The 2011 publication of the corpus of the Yehud stamp impressions of the Persian and Early Hellenistic periods included 582 items—307 of them were excavated at Ramat Raḥel. A few additional handles with Yehud stamp impressions were discovered since then, mainly in Jerusalem, but 33 more stamped handles were discovered in the “Babylonian-Persian Pit” at Ramat Raḥel (five of these were previously published and one is unidentified). Forty-one more w…
Combining chemical and lead isotope analyses with 3-D geometric–morphometric shape analysis
In memoriam Gary N. Knoppers
»Vielmehr bietet [der Kommentar] auf höchstem Niveau eine substantielle Auseinandersetzung mit den Hintergründen, den Zusammenhängen, der Theorie und der Praxis des Grundgesetzes. Besseres lässt sich von einem Verfassungskommentar nicht sagen.“ Herbert Günther Staaatsanzeiger für das Land Hessen 2018 (50), 1494–1495
First evidence for vanillin in the old world
The lmlk and ‘Private’ Stamp Impressions from Tel Beth-Shemesh
A large number of lmlk (57) and ‘private’ (18) Judahite stamp impressions have been unearthed at Tel Beth-Shemesh. All but one are of the early types dated to the late 8th century BCE. The site has not yielded any lmlk stamp impressions of the late types dated to the early 7th century BCE, concentric-circle incision types from the middle of the 7th century or rosette stamp impressions from the late 7th and early 6th century BCE. This information …
Archaeological investigations and OSL dating of terraces at Ramat Rahel, Israel
Dating terraces, the most prominent feature of the agricultural landscape in many parts of the world, is a problem for archaeologists. This study presents an interdisciplinary approach that combines archaeological survey and excavations with direct sediment dating of terrace fill using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL). The study focuses on Ramat Rahel, a multi-period site located in the southern outskirts of modern Jerusalem, Israel, where…
Royal Judahite Jar Handles
The paper proposes a new chronology for the lmlk and the the so-called 'private' Judahite stamp impressions. It suggests that the lmlk stamp impression system was introduced in the final quarter of the 8th century BCE when Judah became an Assyrian vassal kingdom, and that it should be interpreted in light of the new economic and administrative policies that became operative in Judah during this period. The paper maintains that the lmlk system per…
Judahite Stamped and Incised Jar Handles
The paper probes the distribution of the various stamped and incised Judahite jars with two criteria in mind: (1) their estimated date; (2) the assumption that in addition to Jerusalem, sites that yielded large quantities of stamped handles (mainly lachish and Ramat Rahel) served as major collection centres while sites that yielded only a few dozen stamped handles served as secondary administrative centres of the kingdom. Based on their findings,…
A New Typology of the Yehud Stamp Impressions
This paper presents a new framework for studying the Yehud stamp impressions of the Persian and early Hellenistic periods. It includes a new typology of 17 types divided into three different chronological groups, resting on a more precise chronological system informed by palaeography, stratigraphy, distribution and comparative analysis. It also proposes new readings of four stamp types, and suggests a new type not yet recognized
The Royal Judahite Storage Jar
The paper presents an objective, repeatable and independent computergenerated typology of the iron Age II Oval Storage Jar (OSJ), also known as the lmlk or Royal Judahite Storage Jar. It demonstrates that this jar was in use from the late 9th to the early 6th century BCe and that it was distributed beyond the confines of the Judahite administrative system. The OSJ first appeared as a local phenomenon that was limited to the Shephelah, with no par…
Palace and Village, Paradise and Oblivion
Tel Ramat Ra?el, located halfway between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, holds the key to understanding much of the political, economic, and social history of Judah during the Iron, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Early Islamic periods. Yohanan Aharoni’s excavations at the site between 1954 and 1962 began the process of unraveling the site’s millennial secrets, but his reports were preliminary, and he left many issues unresolved. In 2005, Od…
The Late Iron IIA Cylindrical Holemouth Jars and Their Role in the Royal Economy of Early Monarchic Israel
The recent excavations at Ḥorvat Tevet and the finding of ca. 260 Late Iron IIA cylindrical holemouth jars provided an unparalleled opportunity to study these relatively unknown vessels. This article offers a comprehensive analysis of cylindrical holemouth jars and includes a study of typology and morphology, alongside the analysis of provenance and distribution patterns. By shedding new light on these vessels, this paper provides the opportunity…
The yršlm Stamp Impressions on Jar Handles
The yršlm stamp impressions are the final link in a long chain of a Judahite- Yehudite-Judean administrative tradition of stamping handles or bodies of storage jars. With its cessation, the system that functioned for 600 years under Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Ptolemaic and Seleucid rule from the 8th century BCE through to the establishment of the Hasmonean kingdom, fell into obsolescence. This paper presents an updated corpus of the yršlm sta…
The Early Iron Age Cemetery of Ḥorvat Tevet
Recent salvage excavations at Ḥorvat Tevet in northern Israel revealed a cemetery consisting of at least 25 burials dated to the Iron I period (11th–10th centuries BCE). In this article, the burial practices employed in this cemetery are analyzed in order to shed light on the social complexity, economy, and funerary rituals of a rural community in the Jezreel Valley in the period between the collapse of Egyptian rule in Canaan and the formation o…
Combining chemical and lead isotope analyses with 3-D geometric–morphometric shape analysis
First evidence for vanillin in the old world
Preliminary Radiocarbon Results for Late Bronze Age Strata at Tel Azekah and Their Implications
This article presents the first radiocarbon ( 14 C) results from the Late Bronze Age levels of Tel Azekah (Israel). The results testify to the long and prosperous occupation of the site during this period, commencing at least in LB IIA and ending with a severe destruction at the close of LB III. In the extra-mural quarter (Area S2), a pre-monumental building phase (S2-6) dates to the 14th or early 13th century BCE. Two sub-phases of a public buil…
Destruction by fire
History, Economy and Administration in Late Iron Age Judah in Light of the Excavations at Mordot Arnona, Jerusalem
The site of Mordot Arnona is located ca. 750 m northeast of Ramat Rahel and on the eastern outskirts of the Arnona neighbourhood of Jerusalem. Few sites around Jerusalem present a stratigraphy and settlement sequence that includes nine building and construction phases, dating from the Late Iron IIA (9th century BCE) to the Late Roman period (4th century CE). During much of this time, and especially between the late 7th century BCE and the 4th cen…
Tel Azekah 113 Years After
Tel Azekah is located on a prominent ridge in the heart of the Judean Lowlands, Israel. Biblical as well as extrabiblical sources mention Azekah as one of the Judahite border towns of the late eighth to early sixth century b.c.e. that faced the territory of the Philistines. The site was first excavated in 1898–1899 by the British archaeologist F. J. Bliss, assisted by R. A. S. Macalister, on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund. In the summer…
Shedding a Concealed Light
In this contribution, we examine the custom of depositing lamps concealed between two bowls in a practice that became prevalent in the Southern Levant during the Late Bronze Age and persisted into the early Iron Age. Through meticulous examination of eleven such deposits unearthed at Tel Azekah, we elucidate the chronological evolution of this practice and its constituent elements. This investigation prompts a discussion of the role of the practi…
Archaeomagnetic Dating of the Outer Revetment Wall at Tel Lachish
The fortifications of Lachish, a key site in archaeology of the Iron Age Southern Levant, are the focus of ongoing debate. The Outer Revetment Wall, encircling nearly the entire site, was traditionally associated with Levels IV-III and was thought to have been in use during the Assyrian campaign in 701 BCE. It has recently been suggested that it was built a millennium earlier. Here we present archaeomagnetic dating of a mudbrick tower incorporate…
The Vegetation History of the Shephelah, Southern Levant
Although the Shephelah region (Israel) is of a great archaeological significance and has been intensively excavated, very little is known about its landscape history. This study presents two large‐scale charred wood assemblages (>2300 items) that were recovered from Tel Azekah and Tel Lachish in order to reconstruct the ancient vegetation of the Shephelah. The two assemblages cover a temporal range from the Middle Bronze Age through the Hellenist…
Life and death of four individuals in the destruction of the Late Bronze Age city of Azekah, Israel
In this article, we discuss the skeletal remains of four individuals discovered trapped below destruction debris of Building T2/627 at the site of Tel Azekah, Israel, dating to the late 12th Century BCE. Osteological analysis shows that these individuals suffered from anemia and other systemic illness during their lives. Patterns of musculoskeletal stress markers show that they were likely highly active; in the context of artifacts recovered from…
Structural, Technical and Petrographic Analysis of Bullae from the Samaria Papyri
Twenty-two clay bullae associated with mid-4th century BCE Samaria Papyri from the cave of Wadi Daliyeh were subjected to structural, technical and petrographic examination. Results suggest that the bullae were all made in the Samaria region from several types of local soils. The technology and function of the bullae differ from those of earlier (Iron Age) Judahite bullae
The History of the Benjamin Region under Babylonian Rule
Cet article traite de la region palestinienne de Benjamin au cours de la periode babylonienne. L'A presente une reconstruction historique de la region a travers la politique babylonienne puis en s'appuyant sur les sources bibliques. Enfin, il fait part des decouvertes realisees sur les principaux sites de la region : les structures d'habitat et le materiel culturel mis au jour ont fourni des informations essentielles a la comprehension de cette p…
The History of the Benjamin Region under Babylonian Rule
The History of the Benjamin Region under Babylonian Rule
Cet article traite de la region palestinienne de Benjamin au cours de la periode babylonienne. L'A presente une reconstruction historique de la region a travers la politique babylonienne puis en s'appuyant sur les sources bibliques. Enfin, il fait part des decouvertes realisees sur les principaux sites de la region : les structures d'habitat et le materiel culturel mis au jour ont fourni des informations essentielles a la comprehension de cette p…
The Rural Settlement in Judah in the Sixth Century B.C.E
A revival of an ultra-conservative thesis, supporting the reality of the 'empty land' biblical descriptions and the historicity of the 'Babylonian gap' in Judah, may be detected in recent research. The present paper claims that the major and most conspicuous archaeological phenomenon in Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem is the sharp decline in urban life, which is in contrast to the continuity of the rural settlements in the region of Benj…
Ammon in Transition from Vassal Kingdom to Babylonian Province
This article discusses the archaeological data from Ammon during the seventh-fifth centuries B.C.E., while considering the broader historical picture of the Babylonian period and comparing it with the historical, demographical, and geopolitical processes that occurred during this period in Judah. I will claim that Ammon was subjugated by the Babylonians in 604 B.C.E. and became a vassal kingdom. During the Babylonian expedition of 582/581 B.C.E.,…
Judah and the Judeans in the Persian Period
Judah and the Judeans
New Yehud Stamp Impressions from En Gedi
This paper presents six previously unpublished Yehud stamp impressions unearthed at En Gedi in the 1960s by Mazar and Dunayevsky. These, together with the three stamp impressions already published from that excavation and another one recently published from the ancient village of En Gedi, bring the total of excavated impressions to ten, making En Gedi and Jericho the only two sites in the eastern zone of the province with stamp impressions of the…
A New Typology of the Yehud Stamp Impressions
This paper presents a new framework for studying the Yehud stamp impressions of the Persian and early Hellenistic periods. It includes a new typology of 17 types divided into three different chronological groups, resting on a more precise chronological system informed by palaeography, stratigraphy, distribution and comparative analysis. It also proposes new readings of four stamp types, and suggests a new type not yet recognized.
Seventeen Newly-Excavated Yehud Stamp Impressions from Ramat Rahel
This paper presents 17 Yehud stamp impressions unearthed at Ramat Rahzel during the 2005 and 2006 excavation seasons. They are a small addition to the 240 stamp impressions already found at the site, but contribute to the growing recognition of the importance of the site during the Persian and early Hellenistic periods.
Seventeen Newly-Excavated Yehud Stamp Impressions from Ramat Rahel
This paper presents 17 Yehud stamp impressions unearthed at Ramat Rahzel during the 2005 and 2006 excavation seasons. They are a small addition to the 240 stamp impressions already found at the site, but contribute to the growing recognition of the importance of the site during the Persian and early Hellenistic periods
Yehud Stamp Impressions
Retrospective des recherches, des fouilles et des decouvertes relatives au corpus des empreintes de sceaux de Yehud, depuis la decouverte de la premiere empreinte de sceau en 1898 jusqu’a aujourd’hui
Oded Lipschits and David Vanderhooft
Yehud Stamp Impressions
A New Typology of the Yehud Stamp Impressions
This paper presents a new framework for studying the Yehud stamp impressions of the Persian and early Hellenistic periods. It includes a new typology of 17 types divided into three different chronological groups, resting on a more precise chronological system informed by palaeography, stratigraphy, distribution and comparative analysis. It also proposes new readings of four stamp types, and suggests a new type not yet recognized
Oded Lipschits and David Vanderhooft
(2007). Oded Lipschits and David Vanderhooft: Summary Data of Yehud Stamp Impressions, Arranged by Type. Tel Aviv: Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 114-120
New Yehud Stamp Impressions from En Gedi
This paper presents six previously unpublished Yehud stamp impressions unearthed at En Gedi in the 1960s by Mazar and Dunayevsky. These, together with the three stamp impressions already published from that excavation and another one recently published from the ancient village of En Gedi, bring the total of excavated impressions to ten, making En Gedi and Jericho the only two sites in the eastern zone of the province with stamp impressions of the…
Royal Judahite Jar Handles
The paper proposes a new chronology for the lmlk and the the so-called 'private' Judahite stamp impressions. It suggests that the lmlk stamp impression system was introduced in the final quarter of the 8th century BCE when Judah became an Assyrian vassal kingdom, and that it should be interpreted in light of the new economic and administrative policies that became operative in Judah during this period. The paper maintains that the lmlk system per…
The Genesis of Moab
We propose that an early Moabite territorial entity emerged south of Wadi Mujib (the biblical Arnon) in the late Iron I – the late 11th and 10th centuries BC. A chain of fortresses protected Khirbet Balu a — the hub of this polity — on the north and east. The Balu a Stele may be associated with this polity. We further propose that the prime-mover behind the rise of the south Moabite territorial entity was the trade of copper from the Wadi Faynan …
Judah and the Judeans in the Achaemenid Period
Judah and the Judeans In the Achaemenid Period
Judahite Stamped and Incised Jar Handles
The paper probes the distribution of the various stamped and incised Judahite jars with two criteria in mind: (1) their estimated date; (2) the assumption that in addition to Jerusalem, sites that yielded large quantities of stamped handles (mainly lachish and Ramat Rahel) served as major collection centres while sites that yielded only a few dozen stamped handles served as secondary administrative centres of the kingdom. Based on their findings,…
Palace and Village, Paradise and Oblivion
Tel Ramat Ra?el, located halfway between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, holds the key to understanding much of the political, economic, and social history of Judah during the Iron, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Early Islamic periods. Yohanan Aharoni’s excavations at the site between 1954 and 1962 began the process of unraveling the site’s millennial secrets, but his reports were preliminary, and he left many issues unresolved. In 2005, Od…
The Royal Judahite Storage Jar
The paper presents an objective, repeatable and independent computergenerated typology of the iron Age II Oval Storage Jar (OSJ), also known as the lmlk or Royal Judahite Storage Jar. It demonstrates that this jar was in use from the late 9th to the early 6th century BCe and that it was distributed beyond the confines of the Judahite administrative system. The OSJ first appeared as a local phenomenon that was limited to the Shephelah, with no par…
Archaeological investigations and OSL dating of terraces at Ramat Rahel, Israel
Dating terraces, the most prominent feature of the agricultural landscape in many parts of the world, is a problem for archaeologists. This study presents an interdisciplinary approach that combines archaeological survey and excavations with direct sediment dating of terrace fill using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL). The study focuses on Ramat Rahel, a multi-period site located in the southern outskirts of modern Jerusalem, Israel, where…
Tel Azekah 113 Years After
Tel Azekah is located on a prominent ridge in the heart of the Judean Lowlands, Israel. Biblical as well as extrabiblical sources mention Azekah as one of the Judahite border towns of the late eighth to early sixth century b.c.e. that faced the territory of the Philistines. The site was first excavated in 1898–1899 by the British archaeologist F. J. Bliss, assisted by R. A. S. Macalister, on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund. In the summer…
History (40 works) · Archaeology and Historical Studies (37 works) · Archaeology (35 works) · Ancient history (32 works) · Ancient Near East History (25 works) · Art (22 works) · History (22 works) · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology (16 works) · Biblical Studies and Interpretation (15 works) · Geography (15 works)