Yavneh Yam Project

The "Yavneh-Yam Archaeological Project" is being carried out by the Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University since 1992. It is planned mainly as a training excavation for students of the department but from its beginnings it was opened to volunteers from all over the world, both students of archaeology and general enthusiasts.

The project has been supported by the Faculty of Humanities (Tel Aviv University), the West Kent Archaeological Society (2008), Earthwatch (1993-1997),  "The Kurt Lion Foundation for Cooperation between the Universities of Konstanz (Germany) and Tel Aviv (Israel)" and Mr. Marty Goldberg on behalf of "The Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University  at Toronto".

The main aim of the project is an attempt at a synthesis of the physical and social-anthropological character of the civilizations at Yavneh-Yam through antiquity. The physical and social background of different ethnic and religious groups who have lived at the site have been analyzed. These include Greeks, Phoenicians, Jews, Christians, Pagans, Samaritans, and Muslims.

The project is divided into two parts: one, continuing excavations and surveying of the site and its hinterland; two, the research of a wide spectrum of issues tangential to the understanding of the site's civilizations. Included are environmental elements regarding geological and geographic background, osteological and faunal data, all of them linked to the historical background and material and artistic as exposed at the different levels of the site. We are aimed to excavate both official buildings and remains of everyday living. In short, we try to 'read' history from the material findings, and you are invited to join us in this endeavor.

History of Site:

The site of Yavneh-Yam has a long history lasting from the 2nd millenium BCE up to the Middle Ages. This is evident from archaeological finds rather than historical sources. For the earliest periods, we do not possess any historical evidence as to the place and the role that the site played.

A real revival of the city took place in the Byzantine period, when was reached the economic and social peak of the Land of Israel (as the "Holy Land"). According to the Life of Peter the Iberian, the empress Eudokia sponsored the erection of a church and an hospitium (hostel) for pilgrims at Yavneh-Yam (named here Mehoz Yavneh), although the site was inhabited by Samaritans. It is well known that the empress Eudokia who settled in the Holy Land in mid-5th century CE became one of the great builders of the Byzantine era. The bath complex at Hammath Gader, in the Southern Golan Heights even bears one of her poems in honor of the springs.

For more details about the expedition, please click here

Or contact the WKAS directly on WKAS@live.co.uk