Partial Greek mosaic inscription, Byzantine monastery complex, Shikmona
I never know whether it delights or infuriates me that there is such a wealth of archaeology in Israel that much of it is left unattended, un-restored and open to damage by the weather and people, even if accidentally! But does enable the interested amateur, such as myself, to get up close to amazing ancient remains, such as those we found at the unprotected site of Shikmona, amongst beautiful spring flowers, on the beach south of Bat Galim in Haifa.
But first a plea. The site was fenced off, albeit the fence had collapsed, so I guess officially one should not enter such sites. Nevertheless, if one does, please obey a few rules. When we visited we took great care not to walk on the remains of foundations, and certainly not on the exposed mosaics, whereas we saw others walking over these unique and delicate surfaces. And of course, you should never remove anything, unless it is something so potentially unique or valuable that you do so only to protect it whilst you contact the authorities. Under the Antiquities Law of 1978, you must notify the Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority within fifteen days of a discovery or find.
Shikmona was an ancient port on the Mediterranean west of Mount Carmel, in what is today the southern approach to Haifa. First inhabited in the late Bronze age (~18th century BCE), it continued to expand during the Israelite, Persian, Phoenician, Hellenistic, and Roman/Byzantine periods, with the coast road - a western branch of Via Maris - passing through the city. The site of Shikmona comprises a tel with layers from some 35 centuries of habitation, with an expanded city to the south and a necropolis to the east (bisected by the current coast road). The tel was fortified during the 11th century BCE by the Israelite kings. A section of the city's casemate wall, dated to the times of King Solomon, was excavated in the mound - among the best of its kind so far excavated in Israel. The excavations also unearthed streets and houses, including a "four-room" house, on the south-eastern slope of the tel, which is typical of this period.
The lower layers of the tel are of the Late Bronze Age (16th century BCE) with the upper layers belong to the Byzantine period (5th-6th centuries CE). Shikmona flourished during the Roman period and the settlement, spread out beyond the borderlines of the small tel: the lower city, east and mainly south of the tel is dated to the Late Roman period-Byzantine period. No remains have been found so far dating to the Early Arab period, leading the archaeologists to conclude, Shikmona was abandoned before the 7th century CE.
The area was examined by Wilson, Conder and Kitchener for the Palestine Exploration Fund survey of 1866-1877, under its Arabic name "Tell es Semak," correctly identifying it as "Sycaminos". They reported that it appeared to have been a place of some importance, with pottery, glass, and marble found, and tombs east of it, with shafts and capitals of Byzantine appearance also exposed. They further reported that "fine building stones were transported to Haifa to build houses with" and that "large quantities of copper coins of Constantine were found, and a Crusading coin, with the date 127."
The tel and the city south of it were first excavated by J Elgavish in the 1960s and 70s on behalf of the Haifa Municipality's Museums Department. The eastern part of the Byzantine city, west of the Carmel Mountain, were the city's necropolis remains, was examined in salvage excavations conducted in the 1990s by the Israel Antiquities Authority. The 1990 excavations revealed a number of Byzantine monasteries to the south and east of the tel, together with industrial complexes. The wealth of the period is seen in the residential quarters, which contain mosaic paved halls, water and drainage provision The industrial complexes include scores of plastered pools, presumably used for the production of the prestigious purple dye used for the regal robes of the Roman emperors, and said to be worth its weight in gold. This is testified by the thousands of seashells that were found during the excavations. This industry would certainly account for the wealth of Shikmona during ancient times, and also evidences the Jewish tradition that Shikmona was a centre for making the traditional blue Tekhelet dye used in the garments of the high priests in the Temple.
דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם וְעָשׂ֨וּ לָהֶ֥ם צִיצִ֛ת עַל־כַּנְפֵ֥י בִגְדֵיהֶ֖ם לְדֹֽרֹתָ֑ם וְנָֽתְנ֛וּ עַל־צִיצִ֥ת הַכָּנָ֖ף פְּתִ֥יל תְּכֵֽלֶת
Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to them that they shall make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations, and they shall affix a thread of sky blue [wool] on the fringe of each corner.
Numbers 15:38
Industrial installation on the south side of the tel, dated to the Phoenician period, which produced deep-purple indigo dye
Shikmona was declared a national park as part of the Shikmona Shore and Sea Nature Reserve, declared in 2008, under the supervision of the National Parks Authority. In 2010 a new series of excavation seasons was conducted, by a team from The Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa, to re-expose excavated archaeological complexes south and east of the Tel (excavated by Elgavish), expand those areas and undertake extensive conservation work in order to preserve the antiquities and present them to the public as part of Shikmona Public Park. The renewed excavations in the tel aimed mainly at the Persian, Iron and Late Bronze age strata.
Although the archaeological work was completed, the later stages of the envisaged “Archaeology Island” project for the benefit of the local population - which was to open the church south of the tel, with its colorful mosaic floors, to public display, install explanatory signage throughout the site, and exhibit the industrial complex with some reconstruction of the four room house - has not been completed. As of the date of this post, the excavations remain somewhat overgrown and incompletely fenced off.
The etymology of the various names of the site are interesting. Though they may sound similar, their meanings are quite different. The Hebrew, Shikmona, is named for the Shikma (sycamore) tree, mentioned in the Talmud, and the Greek and Roman names (Sycaminum, Sicaminos, Sycamina, Cycaminon, Sycaminon) reflect this. The Arabic name, Tell a-Semakh, means "mound of the fish," perhaps referring to the thousands of seashells found which testify to the indigo dye industry carried out here. Preserves the ancient name. Wrongly identifying the site with Haifa, the Crusaders knew it as Porphyreon. The archaeological treasures unearthed at Shikmona are on permanent display at the National Maritime Museum in Haifa.
Below is a slide show of the tel and surrounding excavations. Hover over the pictures for the captions.
