Results of the previous excavations:
The general accepted
view is that there are five main strata at the site:
Stratum I: Early Islamic (7th-8th Centuries CE) – scanty remains upon the ruined Byzantine
stratum.
Stratum II (a & b): Two phases of a large monastery and a church, surrounded by a village of the
Byzantine period (mid-5th and 6th centuries CE).
Stratum III:
A villa and a bathhouse of the Roman Xth Legion from the 3rd and 4th centuries
CE.
Stratum IVa:
Small village from the Early Roman period dated from the 1st century BCE to 1st
century CE. After its destruction in ca. 70 CE the site was abandoned until the
3rd century.
Stratum IVb: Numerous small finds from the
Hasmonian-Persian periods, with an unclear and
segmented architectural finds. The many seal impressions on jar handles with the
name yršlm (Jerusalem) that were found at the site belong to the
Hasmonean occupation, while hundreds of seal impressions on jar handles were
attributed to the Persian occupation. The site was the main center of the Yehud
seal impressions (from all types), as nearly 200 impressions were found.
Stratum Va: A
7th century BCE ‘Royal Citadel’ – composed out of three elements: An outer
fortification system, inner citadel and a palace.
Stratum Vb: Scanty architectural remains from the end of the 8th and early 7th centuries
BCE, with numerous pottery finds and dozens of lmlk seal impressions. |
