.: The Khirbet Balamah Excavations 1998

The Excavations

The excavation of the enormous tell of Khirbet Balamah is executed in two fields, A, B and C. All fields, except A, feature a mix of Palestinian and Dutch team members to promote the exchange of experiences and ideas.

Field A
This field containing the so-called 'burj', remains of a small border castle, is situated on the north eastern part of the Tell (see the geography page). Two phases, early Islamic and Crusader/Mamluk, have so far been distinguished in the six squares that were opened here.

Field B
Field B is an area of 10 x 20 m on the south slope of the Tell (see the geography page). Immediately under topsoil stone wall foundations were found, belonging to a terraced domestic area. The walls themselves were made of mudbrick, of which very little remains.
The terracing makes it difficult to discern phases, but so far four different phases were found, all belonging to the end of Iron Age I and the beginning of Iron Age II. The upper phase seems to be violently destroyed. A floor was found covered with complete but broken pottery, among which a collared rim jar, several jugs and juglets, bowls and cooking pots. East of the pottery layer, in the same room, a collection of loomweights were found. The pottery layer covered a hearth, made of flat stones set in the floor.
On the south side the domestic area is bordered by a heavy, one meter wide stone wall.
The southern half of the area, over and south of the heavy wall, was covered by a layer of cobbles, following the slope of the tell. This was given the grand name of the 'Glacis'. It was probably a means of stabilizing the tell surface and preventing erosion.

Field C
This 10 x 10 m field is situated to the north of Field B (see the geography page).

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