Oded Borowski

The First Two Seasons at Tell Halif

A small bowl with a pomegranate molded at its center provides a clue for the identification of Tell Halif.

Hezekiah's reforms and the revolt against Assyria

What is the source of the Bibles sympathetic treatment of Hezekiah? He is credited with religious reforms, but these were not isolated pious acts; they were part of Hezekiahs grand scheme, his ambitious plan of returning to the glorious days of his ancestors through revolt against Assyria to regain independence. Archaeological remains witness to Hezekiahs centralization of the sacrifical cult and to construction activities undertaken for the storage and distribution of matériel. Depite his preparations, Hezekiahs revolt failed totally. Despite his failure, the Hebrew Bible did not forget Hezekiahs attempts to repristinate the ancestral glory.

Molluscs from Iron Age Tel Halif

Abstract The malacological evidence from Iron Age II Tel Halif, which is located northeast of Beersheba, suggests that the sites proximity to the road leading from the Coastal Plain to the Hill Country served as a determinant in the sites inter-regional relations with the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Indo-Pacific, and Syria/Lebanon. This paper examines the raw evidence and suggests several possible uses for the molluscs.

Local Production of a Small Rectangular Limestone Incense Altar at Tell Halif, Israel: Iconographic Considerations

This article studies local production of an incense altar found at Tell Halif in 2007 through examining its iconography. The carvings depict hunting scenes consisting of a human and various animals. These animals are positively identified as zebu, wild boar, Saluki-type hounds, and Nubian ibexes. The distribution of these five animals indicates that the southern Levant might be the source of primary influence for incense altar production, while southern Arabia is also a visible influential factor. Established trade between the southern Levant and southern Arabia, as early as the 12th–11th centuries B.C.E., might support the idea of cultural ties between the two regions. The taxonomical identifications strongly support the hypothesis that the object was locally produced. And this hypothesis is also in accord with the petrographic provenance analyses of the raw material used for the Tell Halif incense altar.

The Biblical Identity of Tel Halif

We know that Tel Halif is the site of a biblical city, but which one? Although many think Ziklag, the evidence, on the whole, is better for Rimmon.

The Museum Trail: The Joe Alon Center for Regional and Folklore Studies

Through research, exhibitions, and education, this center is committed to the study of the southern Shephelah and Negev.