Biblical Archaeology Review

Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 17.23–31. For a discussion on the settlers in Herod’s time, see Shimon Applebaum, “The Troopers of Zamaris,” in Studies in the History of the Jewish People and the land of Israel, ed. A. Gilboa et al. (Haifa: Haifa Univ. Press, 1970), pp. 79–89 (in Hebrew, English summary).

Josephus, The Jewish War 1.105 and Antiquities of the Jews 13.394.

The virgin oil from each year’s first pressing was sent to the Temple as tribute, cf. Leviticus 24:2; Numbers 18:12; Mishnah Menachot 8:3. Gentile oil was forbidden to Jews, Mishnah Avoda Zara 2:6. For oil trade with the Jewish diaspora, see, for example, Josephus’ accusations against John of Gischala, who allegedly sold his oil at an exhorbitant price to Jews in Syria ( The Jewish War 2.591–592 and Vita 74–75).

See Amnon Ben-Tor, “A Fourth Millennium B.C.E. Seal Impression from Gamla,” Eretz Israel 18 (1985), pp. 90–92 (in Hebrew).

The flints were researched and published by the late Ya’akov Olami of Haifa, “The Lithic Assemblages from the Early Bronze Age Layer at Gamla,” Metekufat Haeven 22 (1989), pp. 115*–119*.

Josephus, The Jewish War preface. 5; 2,388–389,520. See also Lea Roth-Gerson, “The Contribution of Josephus Flavius to the Study of the Jewish Diaspora in the Hellenistic-Roman Period,” in Josephus Flavius—Historian of Eretz Israel in the Hellenistic Roman Period, ed. Uriel Rappaport (Jerusalem: Yad Izhak Ben Zvi, 1982), p. 190 (in Hebrew, English summary).

The raw material for this article is a joint effort by the entire staff—through digging, researching and discussion—S. Gutmann, Z. Yavor, D. Goren and myself.

K.A.D. Smelik, “The Cult of the Ibis,” in Studies in Hellenistic Religions, ed. M.J. Vermaseren, Etudes Préliminaires aux Réligions Orientales dans l’Empire Romain (Leiden: Brill, 1979), vol. 78, p. 233.

John Ray, “The Archive of Hor,” in Texts from Excavations (London: Egypt Exploration Society, 1976), vol. 2, p. 138.