The archaeological excavations on behalf of the
Tel Aviv University
and the Israel Antiquities Authority have given rise to a mystery. The
excavations, funded by the Israel Land Authority prior to expanding the
city of Herzliya, are being conducted between the coastal road and the
Israel Militaries Industries plant in an area located between Kfar
Shmaryahu and Rishpon.
Numerous finds dating to the Late Byzantine period (5th, 6th and
7th centuries CE) were among the antiquities discovered in excavations
conducted in the agricultural hinterland of the ancient city of
Apollonia-Arsuf,
located east of the site. Among the finds uncovered are installations
for processing the agricultural produce such as wine presses, and what
also might be the remains of an olive press, as well as remains of walls
that were apparently part of the ancillary buildings that were meant to
serve local farmers.
Samaritan lamps
Copyright: Pavel Shargo, courtesy Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University
According to Professor Oren Tal of the Tel Aviv University and
Moshe Ajami of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “The most intriguing
find in the area is a number of Byzantine refuse pits. One of them is
especially large (more than 30 meters in diameter) and contained
fragments of pottery vessels (jars, cooking ware, tableware and lamps),
fragments of glass vessels, industrial glass waste and animal bones.
Gold coin and three items inlaid with gold that adorned jewelry
Copyright: Assaf Peretz, courtesy Israel Antiquities Authority
In the midst of the many sherds that were discovered in the big
refuse pit was a large amount of usable artifacts, whose presence in the
pit raises questions. Among other things, more than four hundred coins
were found which are mostly Byzantine, including one gold coin, as well
as two hundred whole and intact Samaritan lamps (among them lamps that
were never used), rings and gold jewelry.
Noteworthy among the jewelry is an octagonal ring with parts of
verses from the Samaritan Pentateuch engraved in Samaritan script on
each of its sides (one side reads: Adonai is his name, another side: One
God, and so on). Approximately a dozen Samaritan rings have been
published so far in scientific literature, and this ring constitutes an
important addition given the assemblage in which it was discovered.”
Samaritan ring
Copyright: Clara Amit, courtesy Israel Antiquities Authority
Throughout many periods the site served as the agricultural
hinterland of Apollonia-Arsuf, which is located west of the excavation
area (what is today the
Apollonia National Park). The current excavation site completes the settlement picture of Apollonia-Arsuf, as it was revealed in previous excavations.
Archaeological excavations conducted in the Apollonia National Park
from the 1950’s until the present indicate that the site was inhabited
continuously for more than 1,500 years – from the Persian period (late
6th century BCE) until the end of the Crusader period (13th century CE).
The most important architectural find from Roman Apollonia is a
villa that faces the sea with a peristyle courtyard flanked by a
peripheral corridor and rooms arranged along all sides of it.
In the Byzantine period the settlement Sozousa (Apollonia) extended
across an area of c. 280 dunams. Among its finds are a church and
industrial quarters with wine presses, olive presses, plastered pools
and kilns used to produce raw glass, and its population comprised both
Christians and Samaritans inhabitants.
During the reign of the Umayyad caliph Abdul al-Malik (685–705 CE)
Arsuf was enclosed within a city wall. At the end of the period the
settlement was turned into fortress where Muslim religious sages were
active.
The site was conquered by the Crusaders in 1101. By the middle of
the twelfth century the site was turned over to the one of the
aristocratic Crusader families and became the center of a feudal manor
(seigniory). The construction of the fortress at the seigniory began in
1241 and in 1261 control of the fortress, the city and the fief of Arsuf
(Arsur) was handed over to the Knights Hospitaller. By the end of the
Mamluk siege in March-April 1265 the fortified city and the fortress in
its north were destroyed and since its defeat the site has never been
reoccupied.