During October 2006, a salvage excavation was conducted west of Tel ‘Akko (Permit No. A-4920; map ref. 20826/75857; Fig. 1), prior to setting a cellular telephone antenna. The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and underwritten by the Cellcom Company, was directed by A. Abu Hamid, with the assistance of Y. Lavan (administration), V. Essman and V. Pirsky (surveying and drafting), H. Smithline (field photography), R. Vinitsky (metallurgical laboratory) and D. Syon (numismatics).
Previous excavations carried out northwest of the tell exposed remains that ranged in date from the Persian period to the Middle Ages (Permit No. A-4932) and remains of a Roman cemetery were uncovered c. 150 m north of the current excavation area (Permit Nos. A-4063, HA-ESI 121, HA-ESI 121).
The current excavation was located along the western edge of the mound, west of Area G. A single square (4 × 6 m) was opened and two strata, an early (II) and a later (I) one, were revealed.
Stratum II
Two sections of walls (W306, W309; Fig. 2) were discovered. Wall 306, oriented north–south, was built of mud-brick material and several fieldstones; a single course was exposed. Wall 309, aligned northeast-southwest and built of medium-sized fieldstones, was preserved four courses high. The two walls were severed by remains ascribed to Stratum I and by modern pits.
Based on the ceramic finds recovered from the fill near the walls (not drawn), the stratum did not postdate the Hellenistic period.
Stratum I
Four tombs were discovered; three were cist graves, oriented east–west (L308, L311, L313) and covered with large ashlar stones (0.14 × 0.50 × 0.53 m) and one was a pit grave (L302; Fig. 3) that had cut through W309 on the south.
The tombs could not be dated with certainty as they were not excavated; however, they greatly resemble the tombs uncovered in the adjacent Roman cemetery and the coins found near them (Table 1:3, 4; Fig. 4) are dated to the fourth century CE.
It seems that the tombs (Stratum I) were part of the Roman cemetery discovered nearby. They were dug into an earlier layer (Stratum II) that dated to the Hellenistic period; hence, the use of this region had changed throughout the ages.
Table 1. Coins.
No.
|
Locus No.
|
Period/Ruler
|
Mint
|
Date
|
IAA No.
|
Fig. No.
|
1
|
307
|
Late Seleucid (?)
|
|
End of the second–beginning of the first centuries BCE
|
106405
|
|
2
|
301
|
City coin
|
‘Akko
|
c. 169–164 BCE
|
106406
|
|
3
|
317
|
Constantine I
|
Antioch
|
330–335 CE
|
106407
|
4: A
|
4
|
317
|
Constantine II
|
Antioch
|
330–335 CE
|
106408
|
4: B
|
5
|
300
|
Bohemond V
|
Tripoli
|
1233–1251 CE
|
106409
|
|
6
|
300
|
Crusader
|
|
Eleventh century CE
|
106410
|
|