Important Harbor Town of the Hellenistic Period

In antiquity, nearly every coastal town along the Mediterranean had two centers, a larger inland settlement set back from the sea and a harbor town situated right on the coast. In working at the site of Yavneh-Yam (the coastal settlement of ancient Yavneh), you can help uncover the multifaceted history of one of the most significant harbor towns on the southern Mediterranean coast.

Positioned on a narrow promontory overlooking the sea, Yavneh-Yam has played an important role in the political and commercial history of southern Palestine since at least the Late Bronze and Iron Ages, when Egyptian, Phoenician, and Greek merchants traded their colorful wares in its bazaars. By the death of Alexander the Great, the cosmopolitan Yavneh-Yam had become a bastion of Hellenized culture and architecture. Archaeologists have found extraordinary examples of colorful Hellenistic pottery, as well as numerous examples of Greek statuary and cult items. A second-century B.C.E. inscription recovered from the site even tells us that the city fathers worked closely with the Seleucid kings to ensure the continuation of Greek values.

But with the rise of the anti-Hellenizing Hasmoneans in Jerusalem, Yavneh-Yam quickly became a target for political and military attack. In 2 Maccabees 12:9, Judas Maccabaeus is said to have torched the port so thoroughly that “the glare of the flames was visible as far as Jerusalem.” During the fifth and sixth centuries C.E., however, Yavneh-Yam again grew in importance as a major stopping point for Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. Excavations have uncovered the remnants of churches, hospices and bath complexes, many outfitted with beautiful mosaic floors and pools with running water.

This season, volunteers will help director Moshe Fischer uncover the impressive Byzantine-era villas recently discovered at the site, as well as remnants of a vast industrial complex. Participants will live at the Ayanot Youth Village where they will stay in air-conditioned rooms with two to three roommates.