Tell el-Far'ah (South)

Tell el-Far'ah (South), also transliterated Tell el-Fārʿa, is an archaeological site on the bank of HaBesor Stream in the northern Negev region in Israel. Not to be confused with the site Tell el-Far'ah (North). It is located between the modern settlements of Ein HaBesor and Urim, some from the modern city of Ofakim and from Gaza City.

Archaeology The site runs about 185 meters N to S and about 115 meters E to W with a total area of around 2 hectares, with World War I trenching and modern graves present in some areas. The British Western Negev Expedition surveyed the area around Tell el-Far'ah (South) in 1972 to 1973 finding a Byzantine site 1 kilometer away and a Paleolithic site across the wadi.GILEAD, ISAAC. “A Middle Paleolithic Open-Air Site Near Tell Far’ah, Western Negev: Preliminary Report.” Israel Exploration Journal, vol. 30, no. 1/2, 1980, pp. 52–62Tubb, Jonathan N. "The pottery from a Byzantine well near Tell Fara." Palestine exploration quarterly 118.1 (1986): 51-65 It was first excavated by Flinders Petrie and E. McDonald for three seasons from 1928 to 1930. An advance team including Olga Tufnell and James Leslie Starkey had arrived in 1927 to begin work. Green, John D. M., and Ros Henry, editors. "Tell Fara, 1927-9. Olga Tufnell’s “Perfect Journey”: Letters and Photographs of an Archaeologist in the Levant and Mediterranean", UCL Press, 2021, pp. 59–103 Petrie focused primarily on graves and tombs. W. M. F. Petrie, "Gerar", Publications of the Egyptian Research Account and British School of Archaeology in Egypt 43; London, 1928 W. M. F. Petrie, "Beth-Pelet I (Tell Fara). With a Chapter by O. Tijfnell", Publications of the Egyptian Research Account and British School of Archaeology in Egypt 48; London, 1930 Macdonald, E. et al., "Beth Pelet II: Prehistoric Fara (BSAE 52).", 1932J. G. Duncan, J. G., "Corpus of Dated Palestinian Pottery. Including Pottery of Gerar and Beth-Pelet Dated and Arranged by Sir F. Petrie and Beads of Beth-Pelet Dated and Arranged by J. L. Starkey", London, 1930D. Price Williams, "The Tombs of the Middle Bronze Age II Period from the '500' Cemetery at Tell Fara (South)", University of London. Institute of Archaeology. Occasional Publication 1; London, 1977 Rudolph Cohen directed salvage excavations at the site in 1977.Rudolph Cohen, "Tell el-Far'ah (South)", Israel Exploration Journal 27, 170, 1977 The site was again excavated, after a survey season in 1998, in 1999 (with Claremont Graduate University) and 2002 (with Rostock University) by a team from Ben-Gurion University led by Gunnar Lehmann.Gunnar Lehmann and T.J. Schneider, "Tell el-Farʿah (South), 1999 and 2000.", Israel Exploration Journal 50: 258–61, 2000Lehmann, Gunnar, et al. “Excavations at ‘Tell El-Fārʿa’ (South), 1998-2002.” Zeitschrift Des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins (1953-), vol. 134, no. 2, 2018, pp. 109–50Gunnar Lehmann and T.J. Schneider, "Tell el-Farah (South) 1999 Ostracon", Ugarit-Forschungen 31, 251-254, 1999 Finds included a small ostracon fragment which read "To Our Lord" in an early Canaanite alphabetic script.Lehman, Gunnar, and Tammi J. Schneider. "A New Ostracon from Tell El-Far˒ah (South)." Near Eastern Archaeology, vol. 63, no. 2, 2000, pp. 113–113

Identification , the actual identification was still in dispute.Rainey, A.F. (1993), "Sharhan/Sharuhen, the Problem of Identification", Eretz Israel 24, pp. 178-187.

Flinders Petrie identified the site with Beit Pelet in the territory of the Tribe of Judah. William F. Albright identified the site with Sharuhen, which appears in Egyptian and Biblical sources.W. F. Albright (1929), "Progress in Palestinian Archaeology during the Year 1928", Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 33, pp. 1-10. N. Na'aman proposed identifying the site with Biblical Shur. and locate Ziklag at the site.Knauf, E. A. and Niemann, H. M. (2011), Tell el-Far'ah South Ostracon 1027 and a New Identification for the Site, 43, pp. 273-282.

History

Middle Bronze Age The site was lightly occupied beginning in the Middle Bronze Age IIB-IIC/III (c. 1600 BC). The town had fortifications, a city gate, and a moat and is generally identified as a Hyksos settlement.

Late Bronze Age 18th Dynasty Starting around 1550 BC many of the numerous city-states of southern Canaan came under direct Egyptian control or became vassal states.

19th Dynasty During the 19th dynasty, the area was under direct control of Seti I (1294–1279 BC), Ramesses II (1279–1213 BC), Merneptah (1213–1203 BC). It is believed that the site of Tell el-Far’ah (South) became an Egyptian administrative center and garrison during this time. A large, 600 square meter, monumental building was constructed (called the "Governor’s Residency" by Petrie). It was built of mud bricks on a baked brick foundation using Egyptian methods.Yannai, E., "A Stratigraphic and Chronological Reappraisal of the “Governor’s Residence” at Tell el-Farʿah (South).", Pp. 368–76 in Aharon Kempinski Memorial Volume: Studies in Archaeology and Related Disciplines, ed. E. Oren and S. Aḥituv. Beer Sheva 15. Beersheva: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 2002 Egyptian finds included pottery, scarabs, amulets, and two bowls with Egyptian hieratic inscriptions (related to tax collection). There is scholarly debate of whether Egyptians were living at the site or "Egyptian inspired" locals.Susan L. Braunstein., "The Meaning of Egyptian-Style Objects in the Late Bronze Cemeteries of Tell El-Farʿah (South)." Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 364, 2011, pp. 1–36. Goldwasser, O., and Wimmer, S., "Hieratic Fragments from Tell el-Farʿah (South).", Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 313: 39–42, 1999 Seti II is the last Pharaoh mentioned by finds at the site, before the site was destroyed.

Iron Age Philistine period The Petrie excavation found a large number of tombs and graves with pottery having a close connection with Mycenae Greek which Petrie termed "Philistine", a designation which has been maintained. These remains lie above a destruction layer which contained a jar shard with the mark of Egyptian pharaoh Seti II (c. 1203 BC to 1197 BC) which sets a "no earlier than" date for the "Philistine" finds.McClellan, Thomas L., "Chronology of the ‘Philistine’ Burials at Tell El-Far’ah (South)." Journal of Field Archaeology, vol. 6, no. 1, 1979, pp. 57–73

In Iron I, the fauna of Tell el-Far’ah South was different than that of the Philistine sites, notwithstanding the fact that the material culture was strongly influenced by the Philistine culture.https://www.palaestina-verein.de/wp/wordpress/?portfolio=tell-el-farah-su%CC%88d-analysen-archoeozoologischer-funde&lang=en

In Area 1Niemann, H. M. (2018). Lehmann-GoldingMeir-Neumeier-Niemann Excavations at Tell el- Fara´ (South) 1998-2002.pdf. Zeitschrift Des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins, 134(2), 109–150.: Stratum 1-8b (Iron IB) pottery compared with Philistines and Arad. Stratum 1-8a (Iron IIA1) pottery has a distinct regional and local style. Stratum 1-7 (Iron IIA2) pottery compared with Philistines and Lachish. Stratum 1-6 (Iron IIA3, 800/790 BCE) Stratum 1-5 (Iron IIB)

Classical Age After a possible break in Neo-Babylonian times the site was lightly occupied in Persian and Hellenistic periods, with somewhat greater activity in the Roman period.Lehmann, Gunnar. "The Persian and Hellenistic Periods in the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Excavations at Tell el-Far’ah (South), 1998-2002."Iliffe, J.H., "A Tell Fara Tomb Group Reconsidered: Silver Vessels of the Persian Period.", Quarterly of the Department of Antiquities in Palestine 4: 182-186, 1935 Several ostraca were discovered in Tell el-Far'ah during Sir Flinders Petrie's excavations there. One, dated to 300 BCE, recorded a payment to "Shebi the Arab" (ls̆by 'arby), a name that also appears in Safaitic and Nabatean Aramaic inscriptions from other sites in the region.

Ottoman period During the Ottoman period, the area was inhabited by the Bedouin tribe of 'Arab al-Jubarat (عرب الجبارات).

See also Cities of the ancient Near East Nahal Besor

References

Further reading Braunstein, S. L., The Dynamics of Power in an Age of Transition: An Analysis of the Mortuary Remains of Tell el-Farʿah (South) in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age.", Ph.D. dissertation, Columbia University, 1998 Fischer, E., "Tell el-Farʿah (Süd): Ägyptisch-levantinische Beziehungen im späten 2. Jahrtausend v. Chr.", Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis 247. Fribourg: Academic, 2011 Khalil, L.A., "Metallurgy of Some Bronze Utensils from Fara.", Bulletin of the University of London Institute of Archaeology 23: 171–178, 1986 E. A. Knauf and H. M. Niemann, "Zum Ostrakon 1027 vom Tell Fara Süd (Tell el-Fāri/Tel Šaruhen)", Ugarit-For-schungen 31, 247–250, 1999 E. A. Knauf and H. M. Niemann, "Weitere Überlegungen zum neuen Ostracon 1027 vom Teil el-Farať Süd", Biblische Notizen 109, 19–20, 2001 Laemmel, Sabine. "A case study of the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age cemeteries of Tell el-Far'ah (South).", Diss. University of Oxford, 2003. Maxwell-Hyslop, K.R.; Stech Wheeler, T.; Maddin, R.; and Muhly, J.D., "An Iron Dagger from Tomb 240 at Tell Fara South.", Levant 10: 112–115, 1978 Maxwell-Hyslop, K.R.; Moorey, P.R.S.; and Parr, P.J., "A Silver Earring from Tell el- Farah (South).", pp. 180–182 in Archaeology in the Levant: Essays for Kathleen M. Kenyon. Warminster: Aris & Phillips, Ltd., 1978 Reeves, Rebecca., "A Landscape of Death: A Comparison of Non-adult to Adult Burials at the Late Bronze Age Site of Tell el-Far'ah (South)." (2018) Shea, M.O.D., "A Small Cuboid Incense-Burner from Tell Fara in Southern Palestine.", Bulletin of the Institute of Archaeology. London 23: 161–169, 1986 Singer, Itamar. "Two hittite ring seals from Tell el-Far'ah (South)." Eres Israel 27 (2003) Stiebing, W. H., Jr, "Another Look at the Origins of the Philistine Tombs at Tell el-Farʿah (S)", American Journal of Archaeology 74: 139–43, 1970 Waldbaum, J. C. "Philistine Tombs at Tell Fara and Their Aegean Prototypes.", American Journal of Archaeology 70: 331–40, 1966

External links Current Excavation Project Website at Claremont Graduate University