Area A
Remains of two walls (W1, W2), founded on soil and sand fill, were exposed in Squares A2 and B2. Wall 1 (exposed length 1.6 m, width 0.50–0.56 m, preserved height 0.82 m), aligned northeast-southwest, was built of small and medium kurkar stones, without mortar; it was preserved a single course high. Soil fill (L104) discovered above W1 yielded a bowl from the Hellenistic period (Fig. 3:6) and a bronze coin from the reign of Ptolemy II (see R. Kool, below). Soil fill (L106) was discovered west of W1. It was contemporary with the wall and yielded another bronze coin from the time of Ptolemy II (see Kool, below). Wall 2 (length 0.55–0.60 m, width 0.35–0.40 m, preserved height 0.11 m), oriented north–south and built of small and medium kurkar stones, without mortar, was preserved a single course high. Soil fill (L102) that contained a jar fragment (Fig. 3:18) from the Late Roman period was discovered above W2. In stone collapse south of W2 (L107), probably the collapse of the wall itself, an amphora from the Late Roman period was discovered (Fig. 3:22).
A section of a wall (W3, length 0.55–0.60 m, width 0.25–0.30 m, preserved height 0.46 m), founded on black soil fill, was exposed in Square A1. Aligned northeast-southwest and preserved a single course high, it was built of small and medium fieldstones, without mortar. The sections of Walls 1–3 were probably part of a building that did not survive. It seems that the remains of the three walls, the ceramic finds and the coins from the Hellenistic period are part of an occupation stratum from this period. A soil level and fragments of pottery vessels dating to the Crusader period (L109, L114; Fig. 4), which had penetrated into the stratum from the Hellenistic period, was also discovered in Square A. The ceramic finds in this level mostly included potsherds from the Crusader period (not drawn), among them locally produced green and brown glazed bowls, some of which are decorated with sgrafitto, kraters, cooking pots, some of which are glazed brown, fry pans, and several finds from the Hellenistic period, including jugs, a bowl (Fig. 3:3) and a mortarium (Fig. 3:9). A bronze coin from the time of Antiochus III (see r. Kool, below) was also discovered in this level. Above W3 and Level 109 was a surface soil level (L100), which contained mixed finds including bowls (Fig. 3:4, 7) from the Hellenistic period, a terra sigillata bowl (Fig. 3:17) from the Late Roman period and a krater (Fig. 3:36) from the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods.
A sandy level on the surface (L103) in Square B1 yielded a krater (Fig. 3:8), jars (Fig. 3:10, 11), a jug (Fig. 3:12) and a flask (Fig. 3:14) from the Hellenistic period. A level of small stones and sandy hamra soil (L110) was discovered in the southern part of the square; it contained a jug (Fig. 3:13) from the Hellenistic period.
 
Area B
Squares H2, I2. Two wall sections (W23—length 2.2 m, width 0.70–0.87 m, preserved height 0.21 m; W24—length 2.25 m, width 0.7 m, preserved height 0.59 m), founded on sandy soil, were exposed. They were aligned northeast-southwest, built of small and medium fieldstones, without mortar, and preserved one to three courses high. These walls were probably part of a building that did not survive. Soil fill (L218) overlying W23 contained a jar that dated to the end of the Persian and the Hellenistic periods (Fig. 3:2). The soil fill (L217) above W24 comprised a mold-made lamp (Fig. 3:23) from the Late Roman period. The soil fill (L226) between Walls 23 and 24, which was contemporaneous with them, contained an African Red Slip bowl (Fig. 3:34) dating to the Byzantine period.
 
Squares B-D. Architectural remains were exposed; two habitation levels were discerned, dating to the Early Islamic period (B; the late phase) and the Byzantine period (A; the early phase).
Two sections of walls, attributed to the late phase in Square C, were discovered (W20—length 4.5 m, width 0.8 m, preserved height 0.45 m; W21—length 1.40–1.56 m, width 0.67–0.79 m, preserved height 0.05 m; Figs. 5, 6); oriented east–west, they were built of different size kurkar stones without mortar. A well-preserved floor (L210; thickness 4 cm) of tamped kurkar abutted W20 from the north. Soil fill (L228) to the south of W20 yielded a Cypriot Red Slip bowl (Fig. 3:31) dating to the Byzantine period. Soil fill (L229) discovered south of W21 and below it contained a Cypriot Red Slip bowl (Fig. 3:25) and a Gaza jar (Fig. 3:43) from the Byzantine period. South of Wall 20, another wall (W26; length 4.5 m, width 0.6 m, preserved height 5 cm) was discovered; aligned east west, it was built of different size kurkar stones without mortar. Soil fill (L237) discovered above W26 yielded a bronze coin that dated to the Early Byzantine period (see R. Kool, below).
Two sections of walls were assigned to the early phase in Squares C and D (W25—exposed length 3.2 m, width 0.5 m, preserved height 0.23 m; W27/28—length 4.6 m, width 0.8 m, preserved height 0.27 m). They were built of small and medium fieldstones without mortar and aligned southeast-northwest. Wall 28 was abutted from the north by a floor (L254; thickness 0.11 m) of medium-sized kurkar stones and fragments of ribbed pottery vessels. Part of W28 collapsed on the floor (L248). A bronze coin from the time of Ptolemy III (see R. Kool, below) was discovered on the floor, as well as a rim fragment of a glass bowl dating to the Late Roman period, two lamp fragments (not drawn), numerous saqiye vessels (Fig. 3:19, 20) from the Late Roman period and a saqiye vessel (Fig. 3:44) from the Byzantine period.
Soil fill (L223, L224) above W25 yielded two bronze coins of the Early Byzantine period (see R. Kool, below), several glass vessels from the Late Roman and Byzantine periods and a fragment of a baggy-shaped jar (Fig. 3:41) from the Byzantine period. The stone collapse of W25 (L240) was discovered to its north and contained a Late Roman C3 bowl (Fig. 3:33) from the Byzantine period. Stone collapse (L245) exposed south of W28 yielded a mortarium from the Persian period (Fig. 3:1) and a fragment of a glass base-ring from the Byzantine period. Soil fill (L206, L207) above Walls 27 and 28 yielded a Cypriot Red Slip bowl (Fig. 3:26) and a Syrian mortarium (Fig. 3:38) dating to the Byzantine period and several fragments of glass vessels from the same period.
A floor (L246; thickness 0.1 m) of crushed kurkar, potsherds, wadi pebbles and small fieldstones was exposed in Square D. Remains of dark plaster were discovered above the floor. Just north of the floor was collapse of large dressed kurkar building stones (L260) that might have been part of a wall or installation, to which Floor 246 was also connected. Soil fill (L244) above the floor yielded an ungentarium dating to the Hellenistic period (Fig. 3:15) and a bronze coin of the Early Byzantine period (see R. Kool, below).
A pool exposed in Square B (L220; Fig. 7) is also ascribed to Phase A. The pool’s foundations were built to a depth of c. 1 m, utilizing medium-sized kurkar stones bonded with mortar that consisted of hamra. The sides of the pool (W22) were built of small and medium fieldstones bonded with mortar made of hamra andpale gray plaster (thickness 0.11 m); they were preserved to a maximum of 0.6 m high. The sides of the pool were coated on both faces with light pink hydraulic plaster. Two layers of light pink plaster mixed with potsherds and small wadi pebbles were applied to the floor of the pool (L219; 4.2×5.0 m). This installation was probably used to store water for industry or agriculture. A saqiye vessel (Fig. 3:45) dating to the Byzantine period was discovered in a compartment (L242; 0.5×0.5 m) that was exposed in the southwestern corner of the pool. A blocked gutter that conveyed liquid from the pool to the compartment was discovered in the southern side of the pool. A probe in the plaster floor (L253) was excavated in the southeastern corner of the pool to date the construction of the installation; however, no finds were discovered. Stone collapse (L221) was exposed next to the pool’s outer northeastern side; it contained three bronze coins, one Hasmonean and two dating to the Early Byzantine period (see R. Kool, below). The soil fill (L200, L203, L211) discovered inside the pool yielded a pithos rim (Fig. 3:21) from the Late Roman period, three Cypriot Red Slip bowls (Fig. 3:24, 28, 29), a Late Roman C10 bowl (Fig. 3:32), kraters (Fig. 3:35, 37), baggy-shaped jars (Fig. 3:39, 40) and a Gaza jar (Fig. 3:42), all dating to the Byzantine period, a saqiye jar from the Early Islamic period (Fig. 3:46), several glass vessels from the Byzantine period and four bronze coins, one from the time of Ptolemy III, one from the Roman period, one from the Late Byzantine period and one from the reign of Constantine II (see R. Kool, below). The soil fill (L202, L233, L241, L243) discovered outside the pool contained a bowl (Fig. 3:5) from the Hellenistic period, a Cypriot Red Slip bowl (Fig. 3:27) from the Byzantine period, the base of a glass wine goblet from the Byzantine period and a bronze coin of the Early Byzantine period (see R. Kool, below). Based on the finds, it seems that the pool was constructed in the Late Roman period and ceased to be used during the Byzantine or the beginning of the Early Islamic periods.
 
Squares E2, F2, G2. The discovered ceramic finds included a fragment of a Jerusalem bowl (L214; Fig. 3:16) dating to the Late Roman period and a Cypriot Red Slip bowl (L216; Fig. 3:30) from the Byzantine period.
 
The Coins
Robert Kool
A total of 18 coins were unearthed and seventeen of these were identifiable (Table 1).
Almost half of the coins belong to the Hellenistic period, and date to the third and second centuries BCE. Many of these coins were found in mixed contexts within architectural remains, and the ruin of a Late Roman–Byzantine periods structure in both excavated areas (A, B), together with large quantities of local and imported ware dating to the third–sixth centuries CE.
The coins consist of Ptolemaic and Seleucid bronzes reflecting the importance of the ancient port of Jaffa (Joppa) as an administrative center and inter-regional emporium of Coele-Syria under Ptolemaic rule in the third century BCE and under Seleucid control after 198 BCE. None of the coins is attributed to Joppa's own short-lived Hellenistic period mint, which struck gold, silver and bronze coins during the Ptolemaic overlordship between 265–190 BCE. Instead, these bronzes—like most of the Hellenistic coins found in other excavations in Jaffa since 1949—came from Alexandria and mints in adjacent port cities along the coast of Phoenicia and Coele-Syria, like ‘Akko and Tyre.
An important find in the present excavations is a third century BCE bronze from the ancient Pamphylian port city of Side, presently in the Gulf of Antalya, Turkey (IAA 119921; Fig. 8). It joins another six of these small Pamphylian bronzes discovered in excavations in Jaffa since 1958 (IAA 47373; 47556; 47651; 47718; 82385; 83255). Sidetan bronzes are found in many sites in Israel, Syria and Cyprus. Their wide circulation in the Hellenistic Levant was apparently directly connected to the widespread use of Sidetan mercenaries in the Seleucid armies. The particularly numerous finds of these coins in Hellenistic-period Palestine during the second century BCE is no doubt connected to the intensive military activity of the Seleucid armies in the Judean arena. Recently, a large concentration of eleven Sidetan bronzes was discovered during salvage excavations at Gan Soreq, several kilometers south of Jaffa (HA-ESI 118).
The Hellenistic coins also include a single prutah of the Hasmonean king Alexander Jannaeus (104–76 BCE; IAA 119915), which was found in large numbers in the port-city, as evidenced by substantial excavation finds in ancient Jaffa, including a large hoard of 851 prutot (Kindler A. 1954. The Jaffa Hoard of Alexander Jannaeus. IEJ 4:170–185). Together, these coins tell of the king’s successful efforts to enlarge his control over this important coastal city.
 
Except for one Roman provincial bronze, the remainder of the coins belongs to the Byzantine period (fourth–seventh centuries CE). These consist of small nummi-type bronzes of the fourth and fifth centuries CE (IAA 119913, 119914, 119916–119920), one of which was recovered from a collapse of kurkar stones (L244), adjoining a Byzantine-period structure (L254). Two post-496 Reform large module bronzes were also excavated. These include the latest datable coin of the excavation, a crude Follis type of Constans II (641–668 CE; IAA 119911), which circulated widely during the first years of the Muslim administration over former Byzantine Syria.
 
Table 1. The identified coins
No.
Ruler/mint
Dating
IAA No.
1
Pamphylia, Side
Third century BCE
119921
2, 3
Ptolemy II /Alexandria, Tyre
283–246 BCE
119906, 119907 (Fig. 9)
4, 5
Ptolemy III /Alexandria
246–221 BCE
119912, 119922
6
Antiochus III / Ptolemais-Ake?
198–187 BCE
119908
7
Alexander Janneus / Jerusalem
103–76 BCE
119915
8
Roman Provincial
First–third centuries CE
119909
9 – 15
Byzantine
Fourth–fifth centuries CE
119913, 119914, 119916–119920
16
Byzantine
Sixth–seventh centuries CE
119910
17
Constans II
644/5–647/8 CE
119911
 
 
The architectural finds in the excavation were meager and disjointed, and the potsherds, glass vessels and coins were discovered in disturbed loci. Most of the remains in Area A dated to the Hellenistic and Crusader periods and most of the remains in Area B dated to the Late Roman, Byzantine and Early Islamic periods. The finds in the excavation are probably part of the settlement that existed along the eastern fringes of Yafo in different periods.