Area A (Figs. 2, 3)
Phase V. Remains of a plaster floor (L126) laid on a thin bedding of hamra that was deposited on natural sand (L121) were discovered in the earliest phase in Sq 2, in the south of the excavation area. Two zir jars that were placed in a depression in the plaster floor and stabilized with small fieldstones set around them were exposed in situ (Figs. 4, 5). A glazed frying pan (Fig. 6:3), a strainer (Fig. 6:4), a plain bowl and a jug were also found in situ on the floor next to the jars. The jars and pottery vessels are dated to the Fatimid period (second half of the tenth century – late eleventh century CE). The jug was found placed inside the bowl, together with a lump of soil mixed with ash and egg shells. In Sq 3, another zir jar was surrounded by fieldstones that were used to stabilize it (L120; Fig. 7); the vessel was placed on its side, and its opening faced south. A single section of a terra-cotta pipe was inserted in the jar. A plain bowl (Fig. 6:1) and a jug (Fig. 6:5) were unearthed near the jar. The jar and the pottery vessels similarly date from the Fatimid period. The use of zir jars for draining liquids has been observed at other excavations throughout Ramla, including two nearby excavations—along Dugit Street (Toueg and Arnon 2011) and along Hez Street (Toueg and Torgë 2015). In Sq 4, remains of a wall (W206) built of fieldstones and preserved to a height of one course were discovered; it was founded on a soil fill that was deposited on natural sand (L125). A robber trench (L129; Fig. 8) was exposed in a section north of W206 in Sq 6; the direction of the trench may indicate that the wall that was built in it formed with W206 a corner of a room.
 
Phase IV. Soil fill (thickness c. 2 cm) was placed on the remains of Phase V, and a new, thick plaster floor was set above it (L121; thickness c. 0.1 m).
 
Phase III. Scant remains of this phase were discovered only in Sq 5. These included the remains of a plaster floor (L131) that was laid on a sand bedding.
 
Phase II. Scant remains of this phase were also exposed in Sq 5. Plaster Floor 131 of Stratum III was replaced by a new plaster floor (L119). This floor was preserved in several places in the square, but no associated architectural remains were discovered.
 
Phase I. Most of the architectural remains that were revealed in the area were ascribed to this phase. In Sqs 3–6, remains of a square building delimited by four walls (W201–W203, W208; Fig. 9) were exposed; only sections of the walls survived. Of W201–W203, only a single course of dressed limestone was preserved; it was laid on a foundation course of fieldstones built on a soil fill that covered Plaster Floor 119 of Phase II in Sq 5. Two foundation courses built of fieldstones were preserved of W208. Wall 203 was adjoined from the west by a foundation of small fieldstones (L130), probably that of a floor that was not preserved. An upper part of a jar, probably in situ, was found in an accumulation of soil (L116; Fig. 10), slightly south of W208. To the southeast of the building were the remains of a wall (W205; Fig. 11) that was constructed above W206 of Phase V, which was apparently partially dismantled; W205 was possibly part of an interior wall. A narrow wall (W204) built of debesh and preserved to a height of one course was unearthed in the northeast of the building; it adjoined W202 from the east. Similar walls were usually used in installations. Remains of a wall (W200) were uncovered in the southeastern corner of Sq 4—one course of smoothed stones overlying two foundation courses of fieldstones; it is unclear whether the wall belonged to the building in this square. Sq 7 yielded the end of a wall (W207) that continued westward, beyond the limits of the square. All that was preserved of the wall were two foundation courses that were built of two rows of fieldstones placed directly on the sand (L118). Fragments of a sgraffito bowl dating to the eleventh century CE (Fig. 6:2) and a jug from the Fatimid period (Fig. 6:6) were discovered while dismantling the stones of the wall.
 
Fragments of pottery vessels that date from the ninth century CE (Abbasid period) to the late eleventh century CE (Fatimid period) were collected from the soil accumulations in Area A (L100, L105, L106, L109–L112, L114, L115, L122, L123). These vessels included sherds belonging to a plain bowl (Fig. 12:1), glazed bowls (Fig. 12:2–6), a krater (Fig. 12:7), a frying pan (Fig. 12:8), a cup (Fig. 12:9), jars (Fig. 12:10–13), a glazed jug (Fig. 12:14), a jug (Fig. 12:15), a decorated jug (Fig. 12:16), a pomegranate-shaped vessel (Fig. 12:17), juglets (Fig. 12:18, 19), a flask (Fig. 12:20), two lamps (L109; Fig. 12:21, 22), a fragment of a zoomorphic vessel shaped as a deer or a fallow deer (L109; Fig. 13:1) and two other pieces of zoomorphic vessels (L112, L115; Fig. 13:2, 3). A bronze weight from the Fatimid period was discovered while excavating the top soil in Sq 4 (L111; Amitai-Preiss, below). The excavation of the top soil in Sq 6 (L105) revealed a poorly preserved coin that was apparently minted in Cairo and dates from the Ottoman period (nineteenth century CE; IAA 145754). A bronze lock belonging to a box (Fig. 14) was discovered in the excavation of the top soil in Sq 5 (L115).
 
Area B (Fig. 15)
Two squares (12, 13) were opened, yielding a large refuse pit; its boundaries were not discovered (L300–L304). The excavation in Sq 12 reached virgin soil, but that in Sq 13 did not. Collapsed fieldstones (L305) covered parts of the refuse pit (Fig. 16) in Sq 13. Animal bones (Sadeh, below), fragments of glassware (Gorin-Rosen, below) and fragments of pottery vessels from the Abbasid and Fatimid periods were discovered in the refuse pit. The pottery sherds found in the pit included a bowl adorned with a plastic and cut decoration (Fig. 17:1), an alkali-glazed sgraffito bowl (Fig. 17:2), a cream-gray colored glazed bowl (Fig. 17:3), a deep bowl (Fig. 17:4), glazed frying pans (Fig. 17:5–7), a cooking pot (Fig. 17:8), jugs (Fig. 17:9, 10), a jug handle decorated with an arabesque (Fig. 17:11), a glazed juglet with black stripes set against a green background (Fig. 17:12), a jar lid (Fig. 17:13), fragments of six lamps (Fig. 18:1–6), a lamp-base mold (Fig. 19:1) and a zoomorphic vessel (Fig.19:2). In addition, a bronze spatula (Fig. 20) was discovered in the refuse pit (L302).
 
The architectural remains exposed in Area A included five phases are dated to the Fatimid period. Most of the remains were from Phase I, the latest phase at the site. In Area B, a large refuse pit was partially excavated; it too was dated to the Fatimid period. In excavations previously carried out east of Shunit Street building remains were found that date from the Abbasid period (ninth century – early tenth century CE), whereas in the current excavation the architectural remains are dated to the Fatimid period. In an excavation that was conducted on Hez Street, c. 50 m west of the current excavation area, a street intersection and building remains were exposed; they had their beginnings in the Abbasid period and continued to be, with numerous changes, in the Fatimid period. It is unclear why the structures that were revealed east of Shunit Street did not continue to be used after the Abbasid period, while those to its west continued to be used into the Fatimid period.
 
The Glass Vessels
Yael Gorin-Rosen
 
Some 150 fragments of glass vessels and objects were found in the excavation, half of which were identified and dated on the basis of previously excavated assemblages in Ramla and other sites. The other half are non-diagnostic body fragments of vessels and fragments of modern glassware. Two groups of items were identified in the assemblage. The first group dates from the eighth century CE. These include vessels and objects that are characteristic of the first settlement in the Early Islamic period in Ramla (Fig. 21). The second group dates from the Abbasid and the Fatimid periods (ninth–tenth centuries CE) and include vessels decorated with engraving and carving (Fig. 22); most of the items belonging to this group were found in the large refuse pit in Area B (L300–L304).
 
Glass Items from the Eighth Century CE. Six fragments of horseshoe-shaped objects (Fig. 21:1–4) stand out among the items in this group. Two were discovered in L108 of Phase V (Fig. 21:1, 2), one was found in L304 in the refuse pit in Area B (Fig. 21:3), one was found in L125 below of Phase V (Fig. 21:4) and the other two were from L114 of Phase I and L300 in the refuse pit. The six objects have similar circular cross-sections and are thickened at the end that was preserved. They are all made of bluish green glass, but they differ slightly in their hue. The function of these objects is unclear. They may have been horseshoe-shaped amulets. Similarly shaped items are known mainly from museum and private collections. As these items have been found in various excavations in Ramla over the past two decades, they may have been a local product of the Umayyad period (Gorin-Rosen 2010:254, Pl. 10.11:9). Recently, similar objects were published from four excavations around Ramla: at the corner of Herzl and Ha-Hagana Streets (Katsnelson 2013: Fig. 12:1–3), at Taʽavarah Junction (Gorin-Rosen 2013b: Fig. 8:1), on Amos Street (Gorin-Rosen 2012: Fig. 5:1) and on Danny Mass Street (Gorin-Rosen 2013a:71*). The discovery of these items in the current excavation strengthens their ascription to local industries and traditions, even as their use remains unclear.
The group includes several plain vessels: bowls with rounded and thickened rims (L114, L116, L119, L123), generally made of greenish blue glass; bowls made of light blue glass decorated with blue trails (L301; Fig. 21:5); and a bowl with a pinched decoration on either side, near the rim (L125), which belongs to an early type of similarly decorated vessels that was found together with bottles characteristic of the period.
Other artifacts in this group are small bottles with inward-folded rims (L111, L300), bottles with a ridged neck (L114), medium-sized bottles with a wavy trail adorning their neck (L102, L122, L127; Fig. 21:6), a lamp with a beaded stem (L100) and a bowl-shaped oil lamp with remains of a large wick-hole in its center (L302).
Two vessels belonging to this group are of particular interest. One is a tiny fragment of a bowl rim decorated with polishing and an inscription (L123; Fig. 21:7). It was part of a small bowl that has a slightly thickened and inverted rim, which is similar to many undecorated bowls that were found in excavations at Ramla and elsewhere and were dated to the Umayyad period. These bowls were often luster-decorated, a method that began in the Umayyad period and continued to be used throughout the Early Islamic period. The bowl is decorated with at least two shades: a red-brown shade for the background and a slightly darker shade for the inscription. A similar bowl with a Kufic-like inscription was found in an excavation on Danny Mass Street (Gorin-Rosen 2013a:72*–73*, Fig. 1:2, and see an overview and references therein). The second fragment is apparently that of a large plate that has a thick wall and a broad, thick folded rim resembling windows (L125; Fig. 21:8). A white trail was added on to the bottom part of the fold. The material and its treatment ascribe this item to the early group of vessels. Although the rim resembles the edge of large round windows, it is possible that the decoration on the fold indicates it was part of a large serving plate and not part of a window.
 
Glass Items from the Ninth–Tenth Centuries CE. Several fragments of vessels characteristic of the Abbasid period were found. The most outstanding of these is a bottle made of blue glass that has a rounded base, a cylindrical body and a narrow neck ending with an unevenly cut rim. The wall and base were carelessly and unevenly made. A rim and body fragments of this type of bottle were found in the excavation (L106, L107, L300). The bottles are very common in Ramla as well as at many other sites where there are settlement layers from this period (Gorin-Rosen 2010:227–228, Pl. 10.1:19). Another vessel that typifies the period is a bowl with a thickening at where the wall and the base are connected, forming a triangular cross-section (L112). In addition, several bases of plain cups, bowls and bottles that are made of colorless glass and are covered with dark weathering were found; they date from the Abbasid and Fatimid periods.
Two vessels belonging to this period’s assemblage are noteworthy. One is a tall beaker made of colorless glass with a purplish tinge that has a rim that was rounded in fire and shallow horizontal ridges in the center of the body (L304; Fig. 22:1). Such beakers first appeared in the Abbasid period and continued to be in use in the Fatimid period (see examples from Bet Sheʽan: Hadad 2005: Pl. 26:522, 524, 526). The second vessel is a medium-sized bottle made of colorless glass. It has a thick wall, a wide neck and a flaring rim that forms a short ledge (L300; Fig. 22:2). It appeared in the Abbasid period and was very common during the Fatimid period. The neck or shoulder of most of these bottles were decorated with engraving and carving, but there are also undecorated sub-types that differ slightly in the width of their rims and their treatment. These bottles are very common at Ramla and at many other sites (Gorin-Rosen 2010:238, Pl. 10.6:17).
Several fragments of glass vessels decorated with engraving, carving and polishing were found in the excavation (Fig. 22:3–5). Although similar vessels were discovered in many excavations in Ramla, Vessels 4 and 5 are unusual. Fragment 3 (L303) belongs to the base of a beaker made of colorless glass and is adorned with an engraved pattern on the body. A horizontal stripe that delineating an oval pattern above it is visible at the bottom of the fragment. These beakers first appeared late in the Abbasid period and became extremely common in the Fatimid period (see examples from Ramla: Gorin-Rosen 2010: Pl. 10.10:7–9). The largest and most diverse group of beakers belonging to this type found to date was discovered in a shipwreck at Serçe Limani in southwestern Turkey; it is dated to the first quarter of the eleventh century CE. Fragment 4 belongs to a bottle rim that was also decorated with engraving. The bottle is made of blue glass, its wall is thick and its rim is upright. A horizontal stripe is deeply engraved below the rim. Bottles decorated in this manner are generally made of colorless glass, whereas this bottle is fashioned from blue glass. Fragment 5 (L301) belongs to a bottle made of colorless glass. It has a flaring rim and its neck is carved lie edges that form a ribbed hexagonal or octagonal cross-section that widens toward the body. Fragments of two bottles decorated with a similar pattern as Fragment 5 were found in excavations near the White Mosque in Ramla in assemblages that are dated to the Abbasid and Fatimid periods (Gorin-Rosen 2010:248–251, Pl. 10.10:4, and see discussion and references therein).
Also found was a fragment of a base (L303; Fig. 22:6) decorated with a mold-blown pattern comprising a flower around the center of the base surrounded by circles. The use of mold blowing for a variety of patterns was widespread in the Abbasid period and continued into the Fatimid period. The bases of mold-blown vessels were found in many excavations in Ramla. They were also recovered from the shipwreck at Serçe Limani.
A fragment of a vessel (L301; Fig. 22:7) that had been distorted by heat was also found in the refuse pit.
 
Archaeozoological Finds
Moshe Sadeh
 
Animal remains (Table 1) were discovered in loci that date to the Abbasid and Fatimid periods in both excavation areas. The remains are those of domesticated species (Table 2), including sheep/goat (Ovis aries/Capra hircus), cattle (Bos taurus), domestic dog (Canis familiaris), domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domestica), horse (Equus caballus) and dromedary camel (Camelus dromedaries). Presumably, the bones that were discovered in the excavation remained after the refuse was collected.
An examination of the bones revealed no predatory signs nor evidence of butchering, but rather those indicating that they were broken after they were cooked. Most of the animal remains are those of sheep/goat, which apparently comprised the main species of livestock at the site. In addition, remains of cattle and a domestic chicken were found, which were consumed, along with a domestic dog, a horse and a dromedary camel that were not slaughtered for food. The camel remains may indicate ties with distant places, whereas the horse remains show that an important military or civilian personage resided at the site.
 
Table 1. The breakdown of animal bones
Species
Remains
Sheep/goat
Cattle
Domestic chicken
Domestic dog
Horse
Dromedary camel
Total
Maxilla
2
 
 
 
 
1
3
Mandibula
12
 
 
 
 
1
13
Incisor
 
2
 
 
 
 
2
Premolar
8
 
 
 
 
 
8
Molar
30
 
 
 
6
8
44
Scapula
13
2
 
 
1
 
16
Humerus
10
2
 
 
 
 
12
Radius
8
 
 
 
 
 
8
Ulna
2
2
 
 
 
 
4
Metacarpus
3
1
 
 
 
 
4
Pelvis
6
 
1
 
 
2
9
Femur
 
 
1
 
 
 
1
Tibia
7
1
 
 
 
 
8
Astragale
 
2
 
 
 
 
2
Metatarsus
 
1
1
 
1
 
3
Unidentified limb
42
5
1
1
3
1
53
Phalanx I
3
3
 
 
2
 
8
Phalanx II
 
 
 
 
2
 
2
Phalanx III
 
 
 
 
2
 
2
V. Lumbar
2
4
 
 
2
 
8
Rib
19
2
1
 
 
 
22
Egg shell
 
 
30
 
 
 
30
Total
167
27
35
1
19
13
262
%
64
10
13.5
0.5
7
5
100
 
 
Table 2. Minimum number of individuals (MNI)
Species
Sheep/goat
Cattle
Domestic chicken
Domestic dog
Horse
Dromedary camel
Total
Number of individuals
5
2
2
1
1
1
12
%
42
17
17
8
8
8
100
 
 
A Bronze Weight
Nitzan Amitai-Preiss
 
During the excavation, a barrel-shaped weight was unearthed (L111; 14.42 g, height 12 mm, max. diam. 20 mm; Fig 23). There are no signs of either inscriptions or concentric circles on any of the two bases—features that are typical to this type of weights; concentric circles result from the circulating lath when preparing these weights (Holland 2009:43, Nos. 113–116; Khamis 2010:281, Pl. 21, No. 2). One of the two bases bears a ‘scar’: a small piece of iron stuck to the base. The weight was made in a mold with a bore in its center, where a little iron rod, slightly longer than the bore, was set. Following the molding of the weight, the protruding part of the iron rod was hammered to the base of the weight. The iron rod served in my opinion either to prevent forgery or to mark the weight as a local product, differentiating it from barrel-shaped weights manufactured in Cairo, the Fatimid capital, from where similar weights were imported to Palestine (Goodwin 2012). The ceramic finds from the exaction also date the weight to the Fatimid period.
The weight of this weight is equivalent to five dirhams. A similar weight was found near Caesarea (Holland 1986:194, No. 96 [14.71 g]; 2009:43, No. 114). Two other five dirham weights of unknown provenance have been published (Hendin 2007:228, No. 428 [15.4 g], No. 429 [15.16 g]).
Not all scholars agree about the use of weights from the Abbasid, Fatimid and Ayyubid periods. Balog (1970) argues that five-dirham weights served to weigh a variety of goods, whereas Michael Bates (per. comm.), the former curator of the Islamic collection at The American Numismatic Society, suggests that payments were conducted with weighed coins. He explains that weighing coins was a wide-spread practice in the pre-industrial world, since a variety of coins that differed according to weight were in use. This was true particularly during the Fatimid period, when the use of silver coins that were smaller than a dirham, in both size and weight, were in circulation.