Of the various chrono-stratigraphic entities of the Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant, the Middle Chalcolithic period (ca. 5300–4700 BCE) is the most poorly defined, with most of the relevant data coming from Tel Tsaf. While excavations at Tel Tsaf in the last two decades provide valuable information concerning the site’s upper occupational levels, the earlier strata and their material culture are still unknown. Past excavations focused on the later stage of the site’s occupation, leaving unanswered questions concerning the transition from the Early to the Middle Chalcolithic period. In order to shed new light on this topic, the current paper presents the results of the renewed research project, which focuses on the earliest occupational levels at Tel Tsaf, coinciding with the onset of the Middle Chalcolithic period. To start defining the characteristics of this episode, we present the archaeological layers, features, and finds uncovered just above the Lisan bedrock. We discuss the results’ implications and their contribution to an improved understanding of the Chalcolithic period’s broader temporal framework in the southern Levant.

In an archaeological excavation conducted in 2016 on the northern slope of Tel Lachish, the triangular lower-right corner of a Hebrew ostracon was found. It was assigned to Level II, which was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. Despite the very faded condition of the inscription, the following phrase can be cautiously reconstructed for its bottom line: “On the 1[6?] (day of the month) Shapan [son (of)        ].” This phrase probably summarizes or closes an  administrative document.

A recent study by Ecker and Leibner in the Palestine Exploration Quarterly examined a Late Roman boundary stone discovered at Abil al-Qamḥ (biblical Abel Beth Maacah), contextualizing the inscription within the Diocletianic tax reforms. This article presents a revised identification of Golgol, one of two toponyms mentioned in the inscription, and places it at al-Zūq al-Fauqānī, approximately 1.5 km southeast of Abil al-Qamḥ. Drawing on British Mandate cadastral maps, this study focuses on the Arabic micro-toponym Juneijil (Jnējəl), situated near al-Zūq al-Fauqānī, which preserved the toponym Golgol. This identification offers a more plausible linguistic and geographical correlation with the boundary stone inscription and underscores the need for a broader reassessment of site identifications in the Diocletianic boundary stone corpus.

This study integrates excavation reports, aerial photography, and ethnohistorical sources to document ephemeral Bedouin farming practices at Qubūr el-Walēyide in southwestern Israel. Reanalysis of the site’s stratigraphy identifies and redates two distinct phases of agricultural activity. The early phase, dubbed the fossil plow zone (Strata 1-2, 1a-2, 2-2), is now dated to the late 16th–late 19th centuries CE. The late phase, identified as the Mandate plow zone, is demarcated by tilled topsoil (Strata 1-1, 1a-1, 2-1). Based on aerial photography, this phase of cultivation is assigned to the late 1940s. This study also highlights a chronological break and a loss of spatial memory at Qubūr el-Walēyide, a phenomenon observed at other sites in the Negev, such as Tell el-Hesi. Finally, this research contributes to broader debates about the visibility of mobile communities in the archaeological record and the persistence of traditional land use in the Negev during the Ottoman and Mandate periods.

This paper presents the results of brief salvage investigations of two Early Natufian occupations on the western side of the Lower Jordan Valley. Both sites were located adjacent to major water sources at a time when the latest Pleistocene Lake Lisan was shrinking rapidly. This occurred towards the end of the drier Bolling/Allerod and immediately preceding the onset of wetter conditions at the beginning of the Younger Dryas. While Fazael VI was located within the eponymous wadi adjacent to a major spring, Salibiya XII was located within the Rift Valley floor itself, in close proximity to springs and seeps forming the Salibiya depression marsh and ponds. The extents and depths of both occupations indicate they were significant basecamps, whether permanent or seasonal. These features include the presence of bedrock mortars, high chipped stone artifact densities, characteristic ground stone tool assemblages (especially notable are the capstones), and artistic or symbolic items. The absence of architectural remains likely relates to the limited nature of the investigations. Faunal remains, especially the relatively abundant and heterogeneous avifauna from Fazael VI, indicate that the majority are present in the region only during the cooler months. 

While Biblical Hebrew literacy has been widely studied, numeracy—the cognitive ability to understand and manipulate numbers—remains a largely overlooked, underexplored domain. This article addresses this gap by examining the Arad Ostraca. These texts were produced in the early 6th century BCE and concern routine administrative operations, including issuing, receiving, and recording goods such as wine, bread, and grain. We pay close attention to timekeeping systems, including references to days, months, and a single regnal year and propose that some documents reflect a structured six-day supply cycle. It divides a 30-day month into five segments, establishing a calendrical system, which might have been influenced by Egyptian or Mesopotamian administrative traditions. Furthermore, the use of hieratic numerals in these otherwise Hebrew texts suggests a complex hybrid scribal culture. The paper argues that scribes and officials at Arad regularly engaged in quantification and planning, embedding numeracy into the syntax and lexicon of their written communications. However, because these inscriptions stem from a military and bureaucratic context, they likely represent a specialized linguistic register and do not necessarily testify to how Biblical Hebrew was used in other circles. The study thus contributes to our understanding of cognitive, logistic, and linguistic development in Iron Age Judah, while cautioning against generalizations beyond the administrative sphere.