Deir el-Balah Excavations in 1977–1982 in the Cemetery and Settlement. Vol. 1: Stratigraphy and Architecture
These volumes comprise the final report of the excavations carried out at Deir el-Balaḥ in the Gaza Strip. The excavations in the cemetery continued those carried out in 1972–3, which uncovered three anthropoid coffins and rich burial offerings; the later excavations uncovered a further anthropoid coffin and numerous simple burials. The excavations in the settlement uncovered remains of a large Egyptian-type administrative residence of the Amarna period, an Egyptian-type military fortress of the period of Seti I constructed on the remains of the residence, and a large industrial complex of the 13th century BCE, followed by later strata lacking architectural remains.
This final report consists of two volumes. Vol. I contains a description of the excavation of the cemetery and its finds, a stratigraphic presentation of the remains of the settlement site, a discussion of the Egyptian character of the architecture at the site, and chapters on the kilns area in the settlement and the geological background of the site. Vol. II dicusses the finds from the excavations. First comes a typological presentation of the ceramic finds, in which the Late Bronze Age pottery is discussed by category and the ceramic finds of the later periods are presented by stratum. Next various chapters present the other finds. Finally, the site is placed in its context in a historical discussion.