Between Phoenicia and Judaea: Preliminary Results of the 2007–2010 Excavation Seasons at Horvat ‘Eleq, Ramat HaNadiv, Israel

Renewed excavations at Horvat ‘Eleq support a fresh understanding of this multi-strata settlement. The site was first inhabited in the Iron Age. A fortification system was constructed in the 4th century BCE and was already out of use by the Hellenistic period. The finds indicate that the Hellenistic period saw the zenith of the settlement, in terms of magnitude of construction and extent. New data contradicts Hirschfeld’s identification of the site as a single strata, fortified Herodian palace. Reassessment of the date of the fortification at the site and its phases of occupation sheds light on the border between Phoenicia and Judaea during the Persian and Hellenistic periods.