Iron Age to Ottoman-Period Pottery from the Excavation at Qedumim Square, Tel Yafo (Jaffa)

This study discusses the pottery retrieved from the excavation at the western foot of Tel Yafo, dated to Iron Age II and the Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Early Islamic, Crusader, Mamluk and Ottoman periods. The ceramic assemblage is generally similar to the assemblages retrieved from other contemporaneous contexts in Yafo, whilst also including a few rare or locally uncommon types. Hence, this pottery constitutes a contribution to our knowledge on the material culture and economic contacts of Yafo’s population in these periods, and in a few instances perhaps even hints to the presence of foreign individuals among the local population. Furthermore, the pottery found in specific contexts enables dating some of the main architectural features unearthed in the excavation, notably the Early Islamic-period fortification wall and the Ottoman-period street and buildings, and indirectly helps reconstructing the built-up environment of ancient Yafo.