Al-Moghraqa
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| Location | Al-Mughraqa, Gaza Governorate, Gaza Strip, Palestine |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | {{WikidataCoord}} – malformed coordinate data |
| Type | Settlement |
| Area | 15 hectares (37 acres) |
| History | |
| Founded | Middle Bronze Age (early 2nd millennium BC) |
| Site notes | |
| Discovered | 1996 |
| Excavation dates | 2000 |
Al-Moghraqa is a Bronze Age former settlement in Gaza Governorate of the Gaza Strip in Palestine. It was discovered in 1996 in the town of Al-Mughraqa and investigated in 1999 and 2000 as part of the Gaza Research Project. The site was inhabited in the early 2nd millennium BC, and may have been associated with the nearby settlement of Tell el-Ajjul, which was inhabited at around the same time.
Location and topography
[edit | edit source]When al-Moghraqa was discovered in 1996, it was located in a mixed environment combining agricultural land and sand dunes.[1] It covered an estimated 15 hectares (37 acres).[2] It was established on low-lying ground.[3]
History
[edit | edit source]Archaeologists identified three phases of occupation at al-Moghraqa, all dated to the Middle Bronze Age (periods MBA IIb-c)[4] – the early part of the 2nd millennium BC.[5] The date was arrived at based on the artefacts discovered at the site.[4] This period in the Levant was characterised by the development of new societal organisation, with centralised fortified settlements and satellite villages.[6]
Al-Moghraqa was inhabited at approximately the same time as Tell el-Ajjul, and the two sites were less than 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) apart. The proximity of the two sites led the archaeologists who investigated Tell al-Moghraq to suggest that it may have been a "satellite settlement" of Tell el-Ajjul.[7] Gaza and its surrounding area were part of the New Kingdom of Egypt in the 2nd millennium BC. The settlement was economically and militarily important, connecting Egypt to Asia.[8] After the settlement was abandoned, the area was used agriculturally and later covered by sand dunes.[9]
Discovery and investigation
[edit | edit source]Moain Sadeq, the director of the Department of Antiquities in Gaza, discovered the site in 1996. It was revealed during building works that removed sand dunes in the area.[10] The site was surveyed as part of the Gaza Research Project in 1999, with excavations following in 2000. Subsequent investigations were planned but suspended due to the Second Intifada.[7] The area was used agriculturally, and in late 2023, the Gaza Maritime Archaeological Project documented clearances and demolition in the locality of al-Moghraqa and Tell el-Ajjul.[11]
Artefacts recovered from al-Moghraqa were similar to funerary objects found at Tell el-Ajju,l and the archaeologists investigating al-Moghraqa suggested it could have been used as a cemetery.[7] The survey work identified two concentrations of activity (designated Site 1 and Site 2) that most likely constituted a single site.[12] Artefacts found at al-Moghraqa include pieces of terracotta funerary cones with stamps from the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III and Hatshepsut.[13] While the cones are unique in the region, they are similar to cones from Egypt dated to the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt.[7] Despite parallels from Egypt, the purpose of the cones is uncertain.[14]
Bronze Age sites near Gaza
[edit | edit source]- Tell Gaza
- Tell el-Ajjul
- Tell es-Sakan
- Deir al-Balah
- Tall Rīdān
- Tell Muntar
- Tall as Sanām
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Steel et al. 2002, p. 939.
- ^ Clarke & Steel 1999, p. 215.
- ^ Steel et al. 2004a, p. 37.
- ^ a b Steel et al. 2004a, pp. 51–52.
- ^ Sharon 2013, p. 63.
- ^ Greenberg 2019, pp. 180, 262–263.
- ^ a b c d Steel et al. 2002, pp. 939–940.
- ^ Steel et al. 2004a, p. 38.
- ^ Steel et al. 2004a, p. 52.
- ^ Clarke & Steel 1999, p. 214.
- ^ Andreou 2023, p. 11.
- ^ Steel et al. 2004a, pp. 42–43.
- ^ Steel et al. 2004a, pp. 37–38.
- ^ Steel et al. 2004b, p. 329.
Bibliography
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External links
[edit | edit source]
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- Gaza Governorate
- 1996 archaeological discoveries
- Archaeological discoveries in the Gaza Strip
- Archaeological sites in the Gaza Strip
- Archaeology of the Near East
- Bronze Age sites in Palestine
- History of Palestine (region)
- Populated places established in the 2nd millennium BC
- Populated places disestablished in the 2nd millennium BC