Excavations at the ancient site of Antipatris, east of Petach Tikva, have uncovered a number of historic finds, it was announced by Prof. Moshe Kochavi of Tel Aviv University’s archaeological department who headed the excavation team. The finds included a perfectly preserved household with wine jars, oil lamps, food and utensils all in place, as if a housewife had neatly among the pantry just before a disaster occurred, Kochavi said.
The disaster was the destruction of the town in 70 CE by the soldiers of Roman Emperor Vespasian (69-79 CE) who were there to restore order after the populace organized resistance against the Roman occupiers. The household found was the remains of a house that collapsed after it was set afire. The town of Antipatris was built by King Herod in 9 BCE on the site of the previous Hellenistic town of Pegai which was populated largely by Jews. The name Pegai is a distortion of the Hebrew word Afek which subsequently became the Arab village of Fejja.
The entire Afek site is among the rare places in Israel that provide artifacts of uninterrupted human occupation for more than 5000 years. The site contains a vast Canaanite palace which was in use between 1800 and 1500 BCE. It was destroyed by Egyptian occupation forces. The remains of a large hall, 33 by 66 feet and walls six feet thick, were uncovered by the excavation team. Kochavi and his team, which has included American students and professors, have been excavating the site since 1972. A three-volume account is soon due to be published dealing with the finds at Afek-Antipatris.
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