Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
2015-01-19T00:00:00Z
Until recently ‘The archaeology of Judaism’ actually meant the archaeology of Judaism for no later than Late Antiquity. Recently, only the archaeology of Judaism for the medieval period in Europe...Show moreUntil recently ‘The archaeology of Judaism’ actually meant the archaeology of Judaism for no later than Late Antiquity. Recently, only the archaeology of Judaism for the medieval period in Europe has been developing, but almost no attention has been paid yet to the archaeology of Judaism in the Islamic World. Although much seems to be known about Judaism in the Islamic World, when taking a closer look, actually all this knowledge is based on textual sources such as the rabbinic literature and the documents from the Cairo Genizah. Apart from that, there have been specialist studies, focussing on specific objects, or architectural features from more recent times, mainly from an art historical approach. This thesis for the first time aims to give a general overview of all the available material and architectural features that could be associated with Judaism in the Islamic World and the wider diaspora and reconsiders the grounds on which the association of this material with Judaism has been made. It examines what contribution archaeology could make to the knowledge of Judaism, thereby paying attention to some issues related to the social responsibility archaeologists have towards society and presenting the most promising fields for future research.Show less
During Late Antiquity a lot of changes took place in the organization and buildup of towns and cities. These changes comprise a number of things: an overall decline of construction (both in number...Show moreDuring Late Antiquity a lot of changes took place in the organization and buildup of towns and cities. These changes comprise a number of things: an overall decline of construction (both in number of buildings as well as overall quality), a retraction of the town to the acropolis or ‘upper town’ area, a decline in organization and planning of the town and an increase in reusing older materials. At Koroneia these changes take place as well, this is suggested by both the architectural finds and the analysis of the ceramic finds of the survey done at the site. The religious and public spaces on the acropolis are now joined and/or replaced by everyday life (domestic and industrial structures). Different construction methods are used during the Late Antique period, which can say something about the use and (social) value of the structure. The archaeological data for this thesis consist of several structural remains which are recorded both manually and digitally. The construction methods used allow for a general division of the walls and a probable distinction of outer and inner walls. Due to the layout, two different sets of spaces can be traced, which might suggest either two buildings, or two units within one building. However further research in the chronology of the walls and research with the help of techniques like GPR, will greatly enhance our ideas about the total layout and size of the structures and will allow us to make more detailed conclusions. For now it seems most likely that these architectural remains had a domestic function and comprises a single structure, although a division into smaller units cannot be ruled out at this point. The methods used for the data acquisition were not perfect, but done quite quickly. In order to enhance the amount, but more importantly the accuracy and usability of the data, a couple of suggestions are made. Namely, planning in advance what the data will be used for, taking the time to check the data before processing and make a clear organization of the tasks that are needed for the acquisition of the data.Show less
