Abstract
In this paper we discuss two aspects of olive production in Philistia and the Shephelah during the Iron Age. Previous studies suggested that olive oil production became important in this region only in the 8th century bce centred at Tel Miqne-Ekron, and that the Kingdom of Judah was not involved in the production of olive oil in this region. Recent finds, at Tel Beth Shemesh and at Tell es-Safi/Gath, indicate that this narrative is in need of change. On the one hand, finds from Tell es-Safi/Gath show that production of olive oil was a central aspect in the agricultural production in this region already during the Iron I and Iron IIA. On the other hand, recent finds at Tel Beth Shemesh show that in the 7th century, the Kingdom of Judah was involved in the production of olive oil in the eastern Shephelah.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 129-144 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Palestine Exploration Quarterly |
| Volume | 153 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© Palestine Exploration Fund 2020.
Funding
The authors would like to thank the staff and team of the Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project for their hard work both during and after the excavation. This research was partially funded by a research grant from the Israel Science Foundation (911/2018) to A. M. Maeir.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Israel Science Foundation | 911/2018 |
Keywords
- Iron Age
- Judah
- Philistia
- Tel Beth Shemesh
- Tell es-Safi/Gath
- olive oil
RAMBI Publications
- RAMBI Publications
- Iron age -- Eretz Israel
- Oil industries -- Eretz Israel -- History
- Philistines -- Antiquities
- Shephelah (Israel) -- Antiquities
- Bet-Shemesh (Extinct city) (Israel) -- Antiquities
- Safi, Tell es- (Israel) -- Antiquities
