Davida Eisenberg-Degen

Israel Antiquity Authority · Southern District

Archaeological remains are a trove of potential data which, together with the study of ritual, enable reconstruction and evaluation of social and religious structures and complexity. Concentrating on the Timnian culture (sixth to late third millennium BCE) of the Southern Levant deserts, we review the changes that took place with the adoption of th...

This research is based on 296 camel petroglyphs from four surveyed areas within the Negev Highlands, Israel. We divided the camel petroglyphs into four styles, each represents the camel in a specific form with reoccurring attributes that are embedded with cultural information and meaning. Each of the styles was attributed to a chronological period...

In November 2017 and April 2018, two salvage excavations were conducted in Compound C in Be'er Sheva‘ (Area A-Permit No. A-8136, map ref. 180425-66/571941-3; Area B-Permit No. A-8273, map ref. 180413-56/571934-61). The excavations, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and financed by Be'er Sheva‘ Municipality, were directed by D...

In January 2018, a salvage excavation was conducted at the foot of Tel Gamma (Tell Jemma; Permit No. A-8187; map ref. 147370-482/588256-396; Fig. 1), following damage to antiquities caused by a Mekorot water pipeline. The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and funded by the Mekorot Company, was directed by D. Eisen...

In March 2017, a salvage excavation was conducted near Mekorot's Giv'ati pumping station, c. 1 km southwest of Moshav 'Azriqam (Permit No. A-7982; map ref. 170674-794/627643-718; Fig. 1), following damage to architectural remains prior to laying a water pipe. The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and financed by M...

In September 2017, a trial excavation was conducted in the area slated for the construction of the northern campus of Ben-Gurion University in Be'er Sheva‘ (Permit No. A-8090; map ref. 181399-530/575031-251). The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and financed by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, was directed by...

In June 2016, a salvage excavation was conducted on the eastern hills of Moshav Sheqef (Permit No. A-7725; map ref. 19398-464/60182-245; Fig. 1) prior to construction work. The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and financed by Lachish Regional Council, was directed by D. Eisenberg-Degen, with the assistance of Y....

In February-April 2014, a salvage excavation was conducted north of the neighborhood of Nahal 'Ashan (Newe Menahem B) in the northwestern part of Be'er Sheva' (Permit No. A-7026; map ref. 176-8/575-6), prior to construction. The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and financed by the Ministry of Construction and Hou...

Over the course of the past millennia, pastoral nomads migrated from the Arabian Peninsula and neighbouring regions into the Negev desert. Particularly with the last major wave of Bedouin migration in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, these groups introduced the 'Bedouin Phase' into Negev rock art, a tradition that was central to the Negev B...

In November-December 2012, a salvage excavation was conducted within the bounds of the el-Jura site, at the corner of Eli Cohen Street and Ben-Gurion Boulevard in Ashqelon (Permit No. A-6624; map ref. 158234-467/619344-491; Fig. 1), prior to the construction of the city hall and residential buildings. The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Isr...

The Intermediate Bronze Age (IB) in the Southern Levant (ca. 2350–2000 BCE) is known as the “Dark Ages,” following the collapse of Early Bronze urban society and predating the establishment of the Middle Bronze cities. The absence of significant settlements and monumental building has led to the reconstruction of IB social organization as that of n...

Studying the prints from Ramat Matred, their place within the different engraving phases and their relation to other motifs, abstracts, zoomorphs and inscriptions, several observations can be made referring to their date and possible meaning. Foot and sandal prints are not one of the most common motifs found in the Negev rock art. When examining th...

In March-May 2012 salvage excavations were conducted in Section D along the international boundary between Israel and Egypt (Permit No. A-6463; map ref 153518-4260/493218-5240; Fig. 1), prior to the construction of the border fence. The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and financed by the Ministry of Defense, was...

In March 2012, a salvage excavation was carried out at Site 53 near Har Harif, on the Israeli-Egyptian border (Permit No. A-6469; map ref. 156752-74/487258-66), prior to construction of a new border fence over the western part of the site. The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquity Authority and financed by the Ministry of Defense...

A petroglyph of a smiting pharaoh located in the Central Negev may offer new evidence of contact with pharaonic Egypt. With a schematic enemy, the pharaoh is the centre of the composition emphasising the message of strength and dominance.

This paper examines a collection of markings that were created over the past few centuries in the Negev Highlands in southern Israel. The markings were etched onto the walls of a vestibule of a 3rd century CE Late Roman burial cave in the site of Avdat (ancient Oboda). The cave was known in Bedouin Arabic as En Nusra. The data may be divided into t...

In September 2012, a salvage excavation was conducted in the Turkish railway compound in Be'er Sheva' (Permit No. A-6609; map ref. 179511-61/572703-32), after ancient remains were discovered during inspection prior to conservation work. The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities and financed by the Be'er Sheva' Economic Developm...

In April-May 2012, salvage excavations were conducted in the southern part of Har Harif, along the Israeli-Egyptian border (Permit No. A-6464; map ref. 157058-450/488550-9590; Fig. 1), prior to the construction of a new border fence and a patrol road. The excavations, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and financed by the Mini...

There are thousands of panels with hundreds of thousands of petroglyphs that occupy the rock outcropping of the Negev Highlands in southern Israel. These include abstract, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic elements, which are sometimes presented as hunting scenes. In this paper we will define hunting scene, review the themes and relate these figures t...

During 2011, antiquities inspections were conducted during the installation of a drainage and sewer system on Balfour Street in Be'er Sheva' (map ref. 18040/57275). The inspections, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and underwritten by the Be'er Sheva' municipality, were performed by Y. Abadi-Reiss and D. Eisenberg-Degen (GPS...

Negev rock art comprises a large and diverse corpus of motifs and compositions developed over the course of several millennia. As dating of specific elements is at present not possible, the rock art was analyzed statistically through the study of individual panels where internal sequences of engraving could be discerned. Examining the set of such i...

A petroglyph recorded in Har Michia during a rock art survey of the central Negev highlands depicts a communal hunt using a desert kite. With attention to the stylistic details and composition of the 79 elements comprising the panel, various information is retrieved. Short lines attached to the desert kite's guidelines may indicate a light bush con...