Fisherman’s House Discovered

January 9, 2017

Young residents of the city of Ashkelon and the surrounding area were given a project by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) to assist in archaeological excavations in the city. The youngsters uncovered some buildings that were originally used as a fisherman’s house and a lookout tower, possibly a lighthouse, dating to the Ottoman period around the 14th century. IAA excavation directors, Federico Kobrin and Haim Mamliya, say that two of the buildings that were uncovered are very curious, and it seems they were used as a signaling tower. The tower was situated on a lofty hilltop, and it looks out over the beach and Mediterranean Sea. From the tower one could signal ships that were sailing between the ancient ports of Ashkelon and Ashdod-Yam.

The fisherman’s house is divided into three rooms and a wealth of artifacts was discovered in it—metal fishhooks, dozens of lead weights, a large bronze bell and even a stone anchor. According to the archaeologists, this is the first time that a building was exposed in Ashkelon that can be attributed, with certainty, to the fishing industry.

Source: Excerpts of article by Edgar Asher, Ashernet

Photo Credit: Ashernet/IAA