Folia Theologica 16. (2005)
Solomon Pasala: Archaeological Evidences for Solomonic period
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCES 133 Below are details of the different stratum which will play a major role ixa our discussion. Stratum VIA: It is entirely different from the previous level. It contains new extensive construction of quite densely built residential structures, a few public buildings, and a gate. Most of the buildings were of baked bricks on stone foundations. The remains from this stratum were found in all the excavated areas, particularly in area AA of the Chicago expedition and in area B of the Yadin expedition. Most of area AA is densely built with residential structures reaching up to the edges of the mound. Such construction left no room for a line of fortifications. In this phase a new gate was built in place of the Late Bronze age gates. The stratum VA gate, flanked by two pairs of chambers, is built on particularly large stones20. Stratum VB: The structures in the stratum VB city were erected shortly after the construction of the previous level. Scattered over the entire are of the mound, and rather poorly built of field stones or sun-dried brick, they indicate a period of decline. These structures, built on the ruins of the stratum VIA city, were also more modest in plan and size. It is doubtful whether the gate of stratum VIA continued to be used in this level. The stratigraphy location of the remains of this level was re-examined by Yadin's expedition in areas B and C, where they were found squeezed between the top of the debris of stratum VIA and the foundations to the monumental buildings and residential structures of stratum VA- IVB. This stratum has been ascribed to the beginning of 10th century BC, representing the beginning of Israelite occupation of Megiddo, probably to David's time.21 Stratum VA- 1VB: The upper levels of Megiddo, which were extensively excavated by all the expeditions, revealed residential structures, public buildings, and fortifications. The Chicago excavators, could not distinguish the two layers. W.F. Albright and G.E. Wright corrected some of these conjectures relying on a new ceramic- stratigrapahic analysis of the previously published data. The key to an understanding of the new statigraphic subdivision lies in the Yadin's expedition area B in the north of the mound. It 20 Y. AHARONI, - Y. YADIN, - Y. SHILOH. «Megiddo», 1016. 21 Y. AHARONI, - Y. YADIN, - Y. SHILOH, «Megiddo», 1016.
