Gary Fitleberg, December 26, 2004

According to the Associated Press, archeologists have discovered a village near the Mediterranean coast dating from the 4th century B.C.E., the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Sunday.

The rare discovery provides an unusual insight into a turbulent period when there were intense struggles for control over the area, said Uzi Ad, who led the dig.

During this period the region was under the rule of the Egyptian Ptolemy empire and then the Selucid Greeks from Syria before it was conquered by the Jewish Hasmonean dynasty in the second century B.C.E.

"The village was abandoned after the area was conquered by the Hasmoneans," Ad said. It was found just south of Tel Aviv, about 4 kilometers inland from the Mediterranean Sea.

While there are a number of towns from this period, there have been very few villages from this period found, said archaeologist Shimon Gibson, who was not involved in the excavations.

"When it comes to villages, we really don't have a lot of information," Gibson said. "This will shed light on how villages at that time functioned, so that's an important insight," he said.

At the site, which spans five acres, the archeologists have uncovered an industrial area for producing clay pots, a large mausoleum, a cemetery and several buildings built out of mud bricks, Ad said.

Archeologists also found 11 pits, apparently dug to hold garbage, placed downwind to the east of the village so that the smell would not bother the residents, Ad said.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Copyright © 2004 Gary Fitleberg