Moshe Fischer

Tel Aviv University | TAU · Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near East Cultures

This research constitutes a first attempt to discuss a Muslim pilgrimage site from a holistic, in-depth archaeological perspective. Our case study is Nabi Rubin, on the southern coastal plain of Israel, which was active from at least the early 15th century until the late British Mandate period and was one of the major foci of Muslim pilgrimage in h...

Abstract: Ancient Israel (Figure 1) as part of the Near East has encountered the Greek and Roman cultures in their various phases and has partly assimilated partly rejected them through a long lasting interaction. The main issue proposed in this paper is the presentation of several aspects of such an interaction commonly termed as ‘Hellenization’ a...

Long-term series of reliable sea level (SL) data are essential for understanding the trends and causes of SL changes, for furthering knowledge about the effects of current climate change and for predicting future SL evolution. This study aims to extend the SL time series of measurements along the Israeli Mediterranean coastline by revisiting histor...

Sea level variability affected by sea water mass is strongly associated with global, regional and local climate. In this context, the eastern Mediterranean Sea has been intensively investigated in recent decades because of its sensitivity to climatic and environmental variables, due to the influence of the Eastern Mediterranean Transient (EMT). The...

The focus of this paper is the latest reuse of marble items (spolia) at the site of Apollonia/Sozousa/Arsuf (Israel) during the Crusader period (12th -13th centuries CE). In spite of the intensive excavations carried out in the last decades at the site and the richness of information regarding the Roman and Byzantine periods only a few marble items...

Jewish identity: ancient versus modern - STEVEN FINE, ART, HISTORY AND THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF JUDAISM IN ROMAN ANTIQUITY (Brill Reference Library of Judaism vol. 34; Leiden2014). Pp. xvii + 234, ills. 64. ISBN 978-90-04-23816-9). $140. - Volume 31 - Moshe Fischer

In certain regions and under favorable geologic conditions, precariously balanced rocks may form. These types of unusual formations have been used to estimate yield ground motions. Because such balanced rocks have not been 'unbalanced', they can be used as a rough estimate for ground motions which have not been reached or exceeded since the balance...

Well-dated architectural and artefactual remains unearthed in recent excavations at the site of Yavneh-Yam, as well as several chance epigraphic finds, indicate that this harbour town was almost entirely abandoned by its original inhabitants during the first decades of Muslim rule, probably due to its transformation into a Muslim military stronghol...

An all-metal brazier probably used by Roman sailors is described and analyzed here in order to gain a better understanding of some Roman manufacturing techniques. The aim of this study is to determine the composition and structure of this brazier in order to understand how it was made; to propose a possible date and place of manufacture; and to ver...

Marbles presented in this paper originate from the East Church of Elusa (Halutza), the capital of the Roman/Byzantine province Palaestina Tertia (today Negev/Israel). Elusa was probably founded in the 3rd-2nd c. BC as a Nabatean caravanserai on the ‘spice road’ from Petra to Gaza. The investigated marble finds belong to the second phase of construc...

The article summarizes the 1981 excavation at Tel Yacoz, which revealed remains from the Persian and Hellenistic periods. The Persian period settlement extended over an area of at least 1.5 ha and was probably the largest settlement in the lower Nahal Śoreq basin at that time. Remains of Greek-style fresco and stucco architectural elements seem to...

Donato Attanasio: Ancient White Marbles. Analysis and Identification by Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Roma: ’L’Erma‘ di Bretschneider 2003. 281 S. 74 Abb. 31 Taf. 1 CD-ROM (Studia archeologica 122.).

This article reviews and summarizes the history of Tel Yavneh and its surroundings and traces the main archaeological finds unearthed there in excavations and surveys that span almost 150 years. Since no systematic archaeological research has been carried out in this area, the article is for the most part based on surface surveys, small-scale rescu...

A glass pendant in the form of Harpokrates, son of the Egyptian goddess Isis, was found at Yavneh-Yam, Israel. The pendant (H. 2.75 cm) was made of translucent deep blue glass in a two-piece mold that left vertical seam marks along the length of the figure. It belongs to a well-known group of pendants defied as molded "full figure in the round," a...

L'A. etudie plusieurs sources historiques traitant de la presence du marbre dans le pays d'Israel ainsi que leurs relations avec les analyses archeologiques. La plupart des traducteurs et interpretes de la Bible et du livre d'Esther se sont sentis obliges d'ajouter des explications. Cela est du au fait qu'ils savaient que le marbre n'etait pas disp...

In this paper are presented eleven figured capitals originating in Israel and belonging to the Corinthian order of the second-fourth centuries C.E. A short review of their chronology reveals that in Israel no figured capitals occur in the Hellenistic and early Roman period. This situation is to be explained by the attitude of the Jews towards icono...

Monumental architecture in Roman Palestine occurs only from the middle of the 2nd cent. C.E. onwards, mainly due to the architectural and artistical reorganization of the Empire under Hadrian. During this period, architecture was characterized by the confrontation and interchange between imported marble and local stone which reached its peak under...

In recent years the debate over the dating of the “early-type Galilean” synagogue has been renewed and conducted with greater intensity than ever. Since the beginning of research on this subject it has been recognized that the builders of these synagogues based their designs on classical Graeco-Roman architectural principles and, at the same time,...

Kedesh, ca. 15 km au nord de Safed, pres de la frontiere israelo-libanaise. La ville a connu son apogee aux II-III ss. apr. J.-C. (ou elle depend de Tyr). Un temple romain occupait la colline a l'Est du tell, aux restes bien conserves. Description: un vaste temenos ou enceinte sacree avec en son centre un temple monumental. Le peribolos du temenos...