Tel Dor
Tel Dor from above | |
Alternative name | Tell el-Burj, Khirbet el-Burj (Arabic) |
---|---|
Location | Haifa District,Israel |
Region | Levant |
Coordinates | 32°37′03″N34°55′03″E/ 32.61750°N 34.91750°E |
Type | Settlement |
History | |
Abandoned | 630s |
Site notes | |
Condition | In ruins |
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Tulipa_agenensis_sharonensis_1.jpg/250px-Tulipa_agenensis_sharonensis_1.jpg)
Tel Dor(Hebrew:דוֹרorדאר, meaning "generation", "habitation" ) orTell el-Burj,alsoKhirbet el-BurjinArabic(lit. Tell, or Ruin, of the Tower), is anarchaeological sitelocated on theIsraeli coastal plainof theMediterranean Seanext to modernmoshavDor,about 30 kilometers (19 mi) south ofHaifa,and 2.5 kilometers (1.6 mi) west ofHadera.Lying on a small headland at the north side of a protected inlet, it is identified with D-jr of Egyptian sources, Biblical Dor, and with Dor/Dora of Greek and Roman sources.[1]
The documented history of the site begins in theLate Bronze Age(though the town itself was founded in theMiddle Bronze Age,c. 2000 BCE), and ends in theCrusaderperiod.[citation needed]The city was successively ruled byCanaanites,Sea Peoples,Phoenicians,Assyrians,Persians,Greeks,Jews,RomansandByzantines.The port dominated the fortunes of the town throughout its 3,000 year history. Its primary role in all these diverse cultures was that of a commercialentrepôtand a gateway between East and West. The remains of the pre-1948Palestinian Arabvillage ofTanturalie a few hundred meters south of the archaeological site. Akibbutzand the resort ofNahsholimwere built on the site of the village.
Etymology
[edit]
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djr[2] inhieroglyphs | ||||||||
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Era:Late Period (664–332 BC) | ||||||||
Dor(Hebrew:דוֹר or דאר, meaning "generation", "habitation" ), was known as Dora (Greek:τὰ Δῶρα)[3]to the Greeks and Romans, and asDirin the Late EgyptianStory of Wenamun.[2]
The city was known as Dor even before the Greeks arrived or had contact with the peoples in Israel. When the Greeks came to the city and learned its name to be Dor, they called it Dora, possibly after a Dorus said to be a son ofPoseidon.[4][5]
Location and identification
[edit]Dora of the classical period has been placed in the ninth mile fromCaesarea,on the way toPtolemais(Acre). Just at the point indicated was the small village of Tantura, probably an Arabic corruption ofDora.[6]
Hebrew Bible
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/1759_map_Holy_Land_and_12_Tribes.jpg/250px-1759_map_Holy_Land_and_12_Tribes.jpg)
Many scholars doubt the historical accuracy of biblical texts relevant to times prior to the 9th century BCE. They suggest that the biblical context for such places as early Dor is more mythology than history.[7]
In the Hebrew Bible, Dor is depicted as an ancient royal city of theCanaanites,(Joshua 12:23) whose ruler was an ally of Jabin king ofHazoragainstJoshua,(Joshua 11:1,2). It appears to have been within the territory of the tribe ofManasseh,though they never managed to conquer it (Joshua 17:11;Judges 1:27). It was one ofSolomon's commissariat districts (Judges 1:27;1 Kings 4:11).[6][clarification needed]
History and archaeology
[edit]According toIAAarchaeologists, the importance of Dor is that it is the only natural harbour on theLevant coastsouth of theLadder of Tyre,and thus was occupied continuously from Phoenician times until the late 18th century.[8]According toJosephus,however, its harbour was inferior to that ofCaesarea.[9]
Dor is mentioned in the 3rd-centuryMosaic of Rehobas being a place exempt from tithes, seeing that it was not settled by Jews returning from theBabylonian exilein the 4th century BCE.Schürersuggests that Dor, along withCaesarea,may have initially been built towards the end of the Persian period.[10]
Early Iron Age
[edit]After theLate Bronze Age collapse,the town appears to have been settled by a migrant group called theTjekker.In the Egyptian literary text known as theStory of Wenamun,the main character visits Dor and is received by Tjekker prince named Beder. This layer of the settlement is known archaeologically as Dor XII, and dates from c. 1150–1050 BC.
Persian period
[edit]In ca. 460 BCE, theAtheniansformed an alliance with the Egyptian leaderInarosagainst thePersians.[11][12]In order to reach theNile deltaand support the Egyptians, the Athenian fleet had to sail south. Athens had secured landing sites for theirtriremesas far south asCyprus,but they needed a way station between Cyprus and Egypt. They needed a naval base on the coast ofLebanonorPalestine,but the Phoenician cities ofSidonandTyreheld much of the mainland coast and those cities were loyal to Persia. Fifty miles south of those cities, however, the Athenians found an isolated and tempting target for establishing a way station.[13]
The Athenians seized Dor from Sidon. Dor had many strategic advantages for the Athenians, starting with its distance from Sidon. The Athenians had a maritime empire built on oared ships. They did not need large tracts of land and instead needed strategically situated coastal sites that had fresh water, provisions and protection from bad weather and enemy attack. Dor had an unfailing freshwater spring near the edge of the sea and to its south a lagoon and sandy beach enclosed by a chain of islets. This was precisely what the Athenian fleet needed for landing their ships and resting their crews. Dor itself was strategically situated. It stood atop a rocky promontory and was protected on its landward side by a marshy swale that formed a natural moat. Beyond the coastal lowlands wasMount Carmel.The town had Persian-built fortifications. In addition to this, the town had straight streets and Phoenician dye pits for the purpling of cloth. For these reasons, Dor became the most remote outpost of the Athenian navy.
Hellenistic period
[edit]During theHellenistic period,Dor became a strategic site frequently contested by thePtolemaic Kingdomand theSeleucid Empire,both vying for control of the region. In 219 BCE, the city, then under Ptolemaic rule, withstood an attack by Seleucid kingAntiochus III.[14]At the turn of the century, Dor, along with the regions ofJudeaandPhoenicia,was incorporated into Seleucid rule.[15]In 138 BCE, Seleucid kingAntiochus VII Sidetesand Jewish leaderSimon Thassibesieged Dor, which was occupied by the usurperDiodotus Tryphon.This siege led to Tryphon's flight and eventual death.[3][14][15]The battle is corroborated by the discovery of lead sling bullets and other projectiles found near the site.[14]
At the beginning of the reign of theHasmoneankingAlexander Jannaeus,Dor was under the control of the tyrant Zoilus, who also ruledStraton's TowerandGaza.Alexander Jannaeus eventually took control of the city and incorporated it into the Jewish kingdom.[14][15]In 63 BCE, the Roman generalPompeyconquered Judaea and subsequently annexed Dor to theprovince of Syria.[14]
Roman period
[edit]In the early 40s CE, young men in Dor placed a statue of EmperorClaudiusinside a Jewish synagogue, provoking a challenge to Jewish ownership of the space.Agripparesponded by appealing toPetronius,thelegateofSyria,who ordered the statue's removal and reaffirmed Jewish rights to practice their customs freely under imperial decree.[16][14]In the early phases of theGreat Jewish Revoltagainst Rome (66–73 CE),Cestius Gallusheld Jewish hostages in Dora, which was described as a city ofPhoenice.[14]
Dor's decline seems to have started in the first century, despite evidence suggesting otherwise.[14]Excavations have revealed numerous Roman-period structures, including a theater, public building, baths, and temples. Underwater surveys show artifacts spanning from theHerodian periodto the mid-seventh century. Epigraphical evidence indicates a thriving urban life during the Roman era, with dedications to emperors and local officials.[14]The town appears on theTabula Peutingeriana,indicating its significance as a coastal station during the Roman period. A second-century papyrus also mentions it.[14]Coins minted in Dora used a calendar beginning from its separation from the Jewish kingdom by Pompey in 63 BCE, with minting activities continuing into 212 CE.[14][17]ByJerome's time (340s–420 CE), the town was reportedly deserted.[14]
Byzantine period
[edit]During theByzantineperiod, Dor remained an active settlement. Archaeological findings indicate a vibrant community with evidence of economic, religious, and administrative activities. The town served as abishopric,with bishops documented in 449 (just a few decades after Jerome described it as deserted), and again in 518 and 553. The place is mentioned in two lists from the 6th century. Additionally, a Byzantine church discovered from this period was found to remain in use into the Islamic period.[14]
State of Israel
[edit]Amoshavsouth of Tel Dor is named "Dor"after the ancient city.
The victims of the 1948Tantura massacreare buried in amass graveunder a car park for the nearby Tel Dor beach.[18][19]
Excavation history
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/59/Evandigging.jpg/250px-Evandigging.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Eolianite_beach_Dor_Israel.jpg/250px-Eolianite_beach_Dor_Israel.jpg)
Tel Dor ( "the Ruin of Dor" ) was first investigated in the 1920s byJohn Garstang,on behalf of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem. J. Leibowitz excavated in the lower town around thetellin the 1950s. From 1979 to 1983,Claudine Dauphinexcavated a church east of the tell. Avner Raban excavated harbour installations and other constructions mainly south and west of the mound in 1979 - 1984. Underwater surveys around the site were carried out by Kurt Raveh, Shelley Wachsman and Saen Kingsley.Ephraim Stern,of the Institute of Archaeology at theHebrew University,directed twenty seasons of excavations at the site between 1980 and 2000, in cooperation with theIsrael Exploration Society.[20]The eleven excavation areas opened have revealed a wealth of information about theIron Age,Persian, Hellenistic and Early Romanperiods.
Archaeological findings
[edit]Purple dye production
[edit]As of 2001, excavations at the site have yielded an apparatus for the production of a purple dye solution, dating to the Persian and Hellenistic periods, wherein there was still a thick layer ofquicklime(calcium oxide) which served, according to scholars, in helping to separate the dye from the mollusks after they had been broken and removed from their shells.[21]These mollusks were primarily imported into the region from other places along the Mediterranean coast, and consisted of speciesPhorcus turbinatus,Patella caerulea,Stramonita haemastoma,Hexaplex trunculus,among other species.[22]
Neolithic tsunami
[edit]In 2020, archaeologists discovered evidence of a tsunami that destroyed middlePre-Pottery Neolithic Bcoastal settlements inTel Dor,Israelas it traveled between 3.5 to 1.5 km inland. The tsunami was approximately 16 m high. Recovery in the affected areas was slow but overall, it did not significantly affect the social development of the southern Levant.[23]Whilst the tsunami is not identified with theBiblical flood,it is believed to contribute to theflood mythsfound in numerous cultures.[24]
Museum
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Nahsholim-Tel-Dor-3020.jpg/250px-Nahsholim-Tel-Dor-3020.jpg)
The historic 'Glasshouse' museum building, located in kibbutzNahsholim,some 500 meters south of the site itself, now houses the Center for Nautical and Regional Archaeology at Dor (CONRAD), consisting of the expedition workrooms and a museum displaying the finds from Tel Dor and its region such as documenting the city's importance in the ancient world as a manufacturer of the prestigiousazureandcrimsoncolours fromsea snails.[25]The house is an old glass-making factory from the 19th century built by BaronEdmond James de Rothschild.[26]
See also
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
References
[edit]- ^Gibson, S., Kingsley, S. and J. Clarke. 1999. "Town and Country in the Southern Carmel: Report on the Landscape Archaeology Project at Dor,"Levant31:71-121.
- ^abSchipper, Bernd (2005).Die Erzählung des Wenamun: ein Literaturwerk im Spannungsfeld von Politik, Geschichte und Religion.Göttingen: Academic Press Fribourg. p. 45.ISBN3525530676.
- ^abJosephus, The Jewish War (1:52).
- ^Wachsmann, Shelley; Raveh, Kurt (August 1984)."A concise nautical history of Dor/Tantura".International Journal of Nautical Archaeology.13(3): 223–241.Bibcode:1984IJNAr..13..223W.doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.1984.tb01194.x.Retrieved22 August2022.
- ^Hunter, Richard; Rengakos, Antonios; Sistakou, Evina (3 March 2015).Hellenistic Studies at a Crossroads: Exploring Texts, Contexts and Metatexts.Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.ISBN9783110368130.Retrieved22 August2022.
- ^abStern, E. 1994.Dor — Ruler of the Seas.Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society.
- ^Finkelstein, Israel and Neil Asher Silberman. 2002.The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts.New York: Touchstone.
- ^Freeman-Greenville, G.S.P. (1994). "Reviewed Work: The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land byEphraim Stern".Journal of the Asiatic Society.4(3).Cambridge University Press:327.JSTOR25182937.
- ^Josephus(1981).Josephus Complete Works.Translated byWilliam Whiston.Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications. p. 331.ISBN0-8254-2951-X.,s.v.Antiquities15.9.6.(15.331)
- ^Schürer, E.(1891).Geschichte des jüdischen Volkes im Zeitalter Jesu Christi [A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ].Vol. 1. Translated by Miss Taylor. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 84 (note 121).
- ^Thucydides.History of the Peloponnesian War.Richard Crawley(trans.). 1.104.Retrieved10 September2010.
- ^Diodorus Siculus(1946).Library of History.Vol. 4. C. H. Oldfather (trans.). Loeb Classical Library.11.71.3-6.ISBN978-0-674-99413-3.Retrieved10 September2010.
- ^Hale, John (2009).Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy.New York: Viking. pp.102–103.ISBN978-0-670-02080-5.
- ^abcdefghijklmAmeling, Walter; Cotton, Hannah M.; Eck, Werner; Isaac, Benjamin, eds. (2011-09-15),"Introduction: Dor and the boundary between Judaea and Syria-Phoenice",Caesarea and the Middle Coast: 1121-2160,De Gruyter, pp. 831–836,doi:10.1515/9783110222180.831,ISBN978-3-11-022218-0,retrieved2024-07-24
- ^abcStewart, A., & Martin, S. R. (2003). Hellenistic Discoveries at Tel Dor, Israel.Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens,72(2), p. 131
- ^Rogers, Guy MacLean (2021).For the Freedom of Zion: the Great Revolt of Jews against Romans, 66-74 CE.New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 93, 536.ISBN978-0-300-24813-5.
- ^Oliveira, Gabriela R. Marques de (2021-07-15)."Coin and Identity: The Provincial Roman Coinage, a Brief Case Study of Tel Dor's Coins".Global Journal of Human-Social Science.21(D3): 42.ISSN2249-460X.
- ^Raz, Adam (2022-01-20)."There's a mass Palestinian grave at a popular Israeli beach, veterans confess".Haaretz.Retrieved2024-04-14.
- ^McKernan, Bethan; correspondent, Bethan McKernan Jerusalem (2023-05-25)."UK study of 1948 Israeli massacre of Palestinian village reveals mass grave sites".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved2024-04-14.
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has generic name (help) - ^STERN, EPHRAIM. “EXCAVATIONS AT DOR, FINAL REPORT: VOLUME I A—AREAS A AND C: INTRODUCTION AND STRATIGRAPHY.” Qedem Reports, vol. 1, 1995, pp. 1–369
- ^Spanier, Yossi;Sasson, Avi(2001).Limekilns in the Land of Israel (כבשני סיד בארץ-ישראל)(in Hebrew). Ariel: Jerusalem:Land of Israel Museum.p. 8 (Preface).OCLC48108956.
- ^Gilboa, Ayelet; Sharon, Ilan; Zorn, Jeffrey R.; Matskevich, Sveta (2018). "Excavations at Dor, Final Report: Volume IIB Area G, The Late Bronze and Iron Ages: Pottery, Artifacts, Ecofacts and other Studies".Qedem Reports.11.Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem: III–340.JSTOR26493565.
- ^Shtienberg, Gilad; Yasur-Landau, Assaf; Norris, Richard D.; Lazar, Michael; Rittenour, Tammy M.; Tamberino, Anthony; Gadol, Omir; Cantu, Katrina; Arkin-Shalev, Ehud; Ward, Steven N.; Levy, Thomas E. (2020)."A Neolithic mega-tsunami event in the eastern Mediterranean: Prehistoric settlement vulnerability along the Carmel coast, Israel".PLOS ONE.15(12): e0243619.Bibcode:2020PLoSO..1543619S.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0243619.PMC7757801.PMID33362214.
- ^Kiderra, Inga (December 23, 2020)."Massive Tsunami Hit the Neolithic Middle East 9,000+ Years Ago".UC San Diego Today.Archived fromthe originalon December 15, 2023.
- ^HaMizgaga MuseumArchived2008-06-29 at theWayback Machine
- ^History of the Bashan familyArchived2008-11-22 at theWayback Machine
Bibliography
[edit]- Olami, Y., Sender, S. and Oren, E.,Map of Dor (30)(Jerusalem, Israel Antiquities Authority, 2005).
- Full Tel Dor bibliographyhttp://dor.huji.ac.il/bibliography.html
External links
[edit]- Tel Dor ProjectHebrew University of Jerusalem, University of Haifa and Boston University.
- Open data from excavations in Area G at Tel Dor
- Gilad Shtienberget al.:A Neolithic mega-tsunami event in the eastern Mediterranean: Prehistoric settlement vulnerability along the Carmel coast, Israel.In: PLOS ONE. 23 December 2020.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0243619.— Dor paleo-tsunami:
- Evidence for a massive paleo-tsunami at ancient Tel Dor, Israel.On: EurekAlert! Dec 23, 2020.
- Archaeologists Find Evidence of Neolithic Mega-Tsunami in Israel.On: sci-news. Dec 24, 2020.