The Archaeology and History of Rock-cut Cisterns and Open Water Reservoirs in the Negev Highlands

Andrea Junge; Zachary C. Dunseth; Ruth Shahack-Gross; Israel Finkelstein; Markus Fuchs

doi:10.1086/724457

The Archaeology and History of Rock-cut Cisterns and Open Water Reservoirs in the Negev Highlands

Andrea Junge
, Zachary C. Dunseth
, Ruth Shahack-Gross
, Israel Finkelstein
, Markus Fuchs

Justus Liebig University Giessen
Brown University
University of Haifa
Tel Aviv University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

This article provides the final assessment of a large-scale optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating project of water installations in the arid Negev Highlands, southern Israel. Results from five open reservoirs and five rock-cut cisterns are reported. By sampling spoil piles, feeding channels, and accumulation of sediments within reservoirs and cisterns, their construction and phases of maintenance and abandonment are dated. Conventional wisdom argued for progress from simpler open reservoirs in the Bronze or Iron Ages to the more sophisticated rock-cut cisterns of the Nabatean-Byzantine periods. It is shown that open reservoirs were dug throughout the history of the region, likely from the Early or Intermediate Bronze Ages until the medieval period, including periods with no stone-built remains in the region. The construction of subterranean cisterns, which calls for more resources and skill, characterize the Late Roman/ Byzantine to Early Islamic period. The significance of these results for reconstructing the history of human activity in the region is also discussed.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	191-216
Number of pages	26
Journal	Bulletin of ASOR
Volume	389
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1086/724457
State	Published - May 2023
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 American Society of Overseas Research.

Funding

This research was supported by a grant (No. FU 417/33-1, with Fuchs as principal investigator and Shahack-Gross and Finkelstein as co-investigators) from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation). Excavations were conducted under the Israel Antiquities Authority, permit G-17/2018. The authors would like to thank students from Tel Aviv University, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, and Sacramento State who volunteered in the field for their relentless work and support during the numerous excavations. Special thanks go to Hadar Azrad, Ronnie Avidov, Omer Zeʾevi-Berger, and Eli Itkin. Additionally, thanks are due to the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments that improved this paper. This research was supported by a grant (No. FU417/33-1, with Fuchs as principal investigator and Shahack-Gross and Finkelstein as co-investigators) from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG,German Research Foundation). Excavations were conducted under the Israel Antiquities Authority, permit G-17/2018. The authors would like to thank students from Tel Aviv University, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, and Sacramento State who volunteered in the field for their relentless work and support during the numerous excavations. Special thanks go to Hadar Azrad, Ronnie Avidov, Omer Ze’evi-Berger, and Eli Itkin. Additionally, thanks are due to the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments that improved this paper.

Funders	Funder number
Eli Itkin
Israel Antiquities Authority	G-17/2018
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Tel Aviv University

Keywords

Byzantine period
Early Bronze Age
Early Islamic period
Intermediate Bronze Age
Iron Age
Nabatean period
Negev Highlands
OSL dating
geoarchaeology
open reservoirs
rock-cut cisterns
settlement oscillations
water installations

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10.1086/724457

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title = "The Archaeology and History of Rock-cut Cisterns and Open Water Reservoirs in the Negev Highlands",

abstract = "This article provides the final assessment of a large-scale optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating project of water installations in the arid Negev Highlands, southern Israel. Results from five open reservoirs and five rock-cut cisterns are reported. By sampling spoil piles, feeding channels, and accumulation of sediments within reservoirs and cisterns, their construction and phases of maintenance and abandonment are dated. Conventional wisdom argued for progress from simpler open reservoirs in the Bronze or Iron Ages to the more sophisticated rock-cut cisterns of the Nabatean-Byzantine periods. It is shown that open reservoirs were dug throughout the history of the region, likely from the Early or Intermediate Bronze Ages until the medieval period, including periods with no stone-built remains in the region. The construction of subterranean cisterns, which calls for more resources and skill, characterize the Late Roman/ Byzantine to Early Islamic period. The significance of these results for reconstructing the history of human activity in the region is also discussed.",

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The Archaeology and History of Rock-cut Cisterns and Open Water Reservoirs in the Negev Highlands

Abstract

Bibliographical note

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Keywords

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