Land of Israel Studies · Ages 15–16
Reading a Tell: Stratigraphy, Pottery, and Dating
Name: Date:
For 10th-grade Land of Israel Studies students. Complete each question using principles of stratigraphic analysis and archaeological interpretation.
Define the term 'stratigraphy' and explain what the law of superposition states about undisturbed layers.
Identify whether pottery typology provides relative dating or absolute dating, and state why pottery changes over time.
Explain why charred grain found sealed beneath a collapsed roof is more useful for radiocarbon dating than an ancient wooden beam reused in a wall.
Read the following excavation note: 'Locus 42 consists of an ash deposit 20 cm thick covering a stone flag floor, containing 14 Iron Age II iron spearpoints and three crushed storage jars. This proves the site was destroyed by the Assyrian king Sennacherib in 701 BCE.' Which part of this note is empirical find, and which part is interpretation?
Two archaeologists examine the same Iron Age destruction stratum at a biblical-era tell. Archaeologist A dates the layer to the 10th century BCE and attributes the gatehouse to King Solomon. Archaeologist B dates the layer to the 9th century BCE and attributes it to the Omride dynasty. Explain how two scholars can reach different dates for the same physical layer.
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Define the term 'stratigraphy' and explain what the law of superposition states about undisturbed layers.
Stratigraphy is the study of layered soil and architectural remains at a site. The law of superposition states that in undisturbed ground, lower layers are older than upper layers.
Identify whether pottery typology provides relative dating or absolute dating, and state why pottery changes over time.
Pottery typology primarily provides relative dating by placing vessel styles in order of design evolution, though it yields estimated calendar dates when cross-referenced with inscriptions or dated layers. Styles changed because of evolving manufacturing techniques, practical needs, trade contacts, and cultural fashion.
Explain why charred grain found sealed beneath a collapsed roof is more useful for radiocarbon dating than an ancient wooden beam reused in a wall.
Charred grain grew and was harvested in the single season just before the destruction, giving the precise date of that event. A structural wooden beam may come from a tree felled centuries earlier and reused across multiple buildings (the 'old wood' problem).
Read the following excavation note: 'Locus 42 consists of an ash deposit 20 cm thick covering a stone flag floor, containing 14 Iron Age II iron spearpoints and three crushed storage jars. This proves the site was destroyed by the Assyrian king Sennacherib in 701 BCE.' Which part of this note is empirical find, and which part is interpretation?
Empirical find: A 20 cm ash layer over a stone floor containing 14 Iron Age II iron spearpoints and three crushed jars. Interpretation: The claim that Sennacherib and the Assyrian army caused the destruction in 701 BCE.
Two archaeologists examine the same Iron Age destruction stratum at a biblical-era tell. Archaeologist A dates the layer to the 10th century BCE and attributes the gatehouse to King Solomon. Archaeologist B dates the layer to the 9th century BCE and attributes it to the Omride dynasty. Explain how two scholars can reach different dates for the same physical layer.
They weigh diagnostic ceramic styles and radiocarbon ranges differently. One scholar may interpret transitional pottery types as developing earlier, while the other emphasizes a lower chronological span supported by different statistical treatments of radiocarbon dates and alternative historical correlations.