Tell El-Hesi

Book excerpt: In 1970, The Joint Archaeological Expedition to Tell el-Hesi, sponsored by the American Schools of Oriental Research and a consortium of educational institutions, entered the site with the objectives of investigating in greater detail and with more refined methods the stratigraphic divisions identified by Petrie and Bliss. This book appears as the fourth volume in the Joint Expedition's series of final publications regarding their field experience and findings. The Joint Expedition had its first field season in June 1970 and returned to the site for further excavation in the summers of odd-numbered years. The first four seasons (1970-75) have been designated Phase One, and were largely limited to the later occupation levels on the summit and southern slope of the site's northeast hill or acropolis, although there were also probes and limited exploration of the larger Early Bronze (EB) city.