Abstract
Previous geoarchaeological research on the Akko coastal plain have contributed to the understanding of the ancient coastal interface and added evidence as to the location/shift of the ancient anchorages dating from the Middle Bronze Age (beginning of the 2nd Millennium BC) to the Early Hellenistic period (mid of the 2nd century BC) of the ancient site of Tel Akko. The present research provides new insights into the environmental changes and likely anchorage sites along the western edge of Tel Akko in the 1st Millennium BC (Iron Age II and III, periods associated with the Phoenician mariners and Persian army incursion). Our approach for locating the anchorage is based on a detailed investigation of subsurface sediments combining sedimentological and faunal analysis and radiocarbon dating of cores as well as identification of ceramic sherds found in the cores, and ground penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys. Paleoenvironmental changes are compared and contrasted with the results of the archaeological investigations on the tell and in its vicinity. Our new data demonstrates that the Phoenician/Persian maritime interface of Tel Akko was mainly oriented toward the southwestern area of the tell where a natural anchorage was likely to have been located. At that time, the water depth in this area was ca. 2m, allowing for the anchorage of seagoing vessels. Increasing sediment deposition lead to the deterioration of direct, and eventual loss of access, to the sea. These conditions initiated the abandonment of the tell in the Early Hellenistic period as well as the westward shift to habitation on the peninsula, now the ‘Old city of Akko’, the Crusaders' Saint Jean d’Acre.
Highlights
The layout of ancient coastal cities is dictated by the shoreline po sition as well as any neighbouring river
By using a multidisciplinary geo-environmental approach, we aim to present the geomorphological setting of the western area of Tel Akko in the Iron Age where a marine environment has been evidenced in our previous research (Morhange et al, 2016; Giaime et al, 2018)
Three 450-500 m-long electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) lines were surveyed in order to map the subsurface sedimentary sequence of the coastal plain
Summary
The layout of ancient coastal cities is dictated by the shoreline po sition as well as any neighbouring river. The natural anchorages or artificial harbours – life lines of ancient coastal sites – may evolve or be relocated over time. This depends on the change in orientation of the coastline due to sea-level changes, sedimentary inputs, coastal erosion and associated hazards (Giaime et al, 2019). Along the coast of the southern Levant, the lack of bays on the coast, encouraged the utilizations of river-mouths for maritime activities during the Bronze Age (Raban, 1985, Fig. 1A). River-mouths have generally been used as safe havens for relatively short time periods. Over the long term they were vulnerable to a multitude of natural hazards, which include infilling by both fluvial and Quaternary International 602 (2021) 66–81
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