Tell Abu Shusha Excavation in Israel

Beginning in 2020, Pitt is joining with Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv to begin excavations at the site of Tell Abu Shusha in northern Israel. Tell Abu Shusha is a medium-sized tell in the Jezreel Valley, about 25 miles southeast of Haifa. Never before has the tell itself been excavated. Sporadic digs around the site indicate that Tell Abu Shusha should be identified with the Roman polis called Gaba, which was founded in 60 BCE by the Roman governor Lucius Marcius Philippus of Syria. Gaba is best known as the site where Herod the Great settled his cavalry veterans. In the Byzantine period, the bishops of Gaba appear in the acts of ecumenical councils. The joint Pitt-Bar Ilan project offers an exciting opportunity to explore this important yet poorly understood Roman city in the north of Israel. The excavation is being conducted as part of the Jezreel Valley Regional Project, an academic consortium exploring the ancient cultures of the valley. 

Excavation Directors

Avner Ecker, Bar Ilan University

Benjamin Gordon, University of Pittsburgh

Website

https://www.jezreelvalleyregionalproject.com/tell-abu-shusha