In the Footsteps of Albright: The Renewed Excavations at Tell Beit Mirsim

Tell Beit Mirsim in the Judean Shephelah was excavated by William F. Albright and Melvin G. Kyle in the 1920s and 1930s. These excavations established the relative chronology for the entire southern Levant because of good preservation conditions, facilitated by the multiple destruction layers at the site, and thanks to Albright’s familiarity with pottery. Ninety years later, the excavations have been renewed with the aim of investigating the economy and social structure of the kingdom of Judah. The first season of renewed excavations by the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has unearthed the remains of Iron Age IIB domestic structures, one of which belongs to the four-room-house type, and an olive oil press. The excellent preservation of the remains enables the reconstruction of activity areas and suggests that Tell Beit Mirsim could be the perfect lab for exploring the economy of the kingdom of Judah.