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| Tel Jemmeh |
| Covering of Egyptian governor's residence |
| Orderer | Israel Antiquities Authority, The Jewish National Fund, Heritage Project in the Prime Minister's of |
| Implemented by: |
Ariel Inbar
Eyal Kacho
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In February 2014 rescue measures were implemented in order to preserve the governor's residence at Tel Jemmeh. The covering of the Egyptian governor's residence was carried out by the Projects Department of the Israel Antiquities Authority Conservation Administration and the Jewish National Fund, with financing provided by the Milestones Heritage Project in the Prime Minister's office.
Tel Jemmeh is located about c. 10 kilometers south of Gaza, on the banks of Nahal Ha-Besor. The tell was first excavated in 1922 by W.J. Phythian-Adams. It was subsequently excavated by Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie in 1926-1927 and an excavation was begun there in 1970 by an expedition on behalf of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.
The finds identified at the site represent a settlement sequence ranging from the Chalcolithic period until the Hellenistic period with artifacts dating to the Chalcolithic, Middle Bronze Age II, Late Bronze Age II, Iron I, Iron II, Persian and Hellenistic periods.
The governor's mud brick residence dating to the Iron Age II was deemed worthy of conservation and display, and a roof was erected above it in the 1970s. This was an iron shed of sorts topped with sheets of asbestos. Due to the danger of it collapsing on the archaeological remains it was decided to remove the roof in the 1990s. From that time until 2014 the governor's residence stood exposed to the elements such as rain, which has resulted in irreversible damage to the mud bricks.
It was decided within the framework of the Rescue Project of the Sites in Southern Israel to cover the site in order to protect it from the processes of disintegration and destruction.
This was done by spreading geotechnical cloth over the mud brick remains which in turn was covered with a layer of Arad sand and indigenous soil.
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August 2015
To view the figures, click on the figure caption
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