INSTITUTIONS

Main Research Unit

CHAM — Centre for the Humanities

Coordinating Institution

Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Palestine)
Universidade da Coruña
Universidade Nova de Lisboa

Partnerships

Fundación Palarq
Instituto Universitario de Xeoloxía
Instituto Español Bíblico y Arqueológico

In October 2016, a collaboration agreement was signed between the University of La Coruña, the Nova University of Lisbon and the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to begin a new research stage at Tell el-Far'a. The first field season was conducted in October 2017.

Tell el-Far'a is a landmark archaeological site in the historiography of Palestinian archaeology. It is, in every regard, an enclave that deserves further research, judging by its historical potential for understanding the Bronze and Iron Ages in this region of the Eastern Mediterranean. Combining stratigraphic testing (from the surface to the base of the tell) with extensive excavation will yield new data of indisputable significance for understanding the evolution of settlement in Palestine between the birth of the first cities (c. 3000 BC) and the arrival of the Assyrian Empire in the Samaria region (c. 720 BC).

Goals

The new archaeological project aims at studying the following priority research lines:

. Architecture and urbanism: village and city;

. Material culture: ceramics, metallurgy, glyptics, etc.;

. Chronological sequence: archaeology, history and absolute dating;

. Economy: trade routes and contacts;

. Fauna and flora: paleo-climate, paleo-diet and natural resources;

. Conservation, restoration, enhancement and museumisation of the archaeological site.

Team

Francisco Caramelo . Coordinator

Juan Luis Montero Fenollós . Coordinator

Jehad Yasin . Coordinador