Ben-Shlomo<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cemetery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Azor</strong>Figure 8Brick-case Tombs D75-D76, <strong>Azor</strong>was noted to be <strong>of</strong> an adult male with a ‘brachicephalic’type skull. Tombs D59A, D41, D77 (Fig. 7)<strong>and</strong> D91 (6 m to the south between Sqs J–K10) arealso most probably similar brick-case tombs. Similar<strong>Iron</strong> I tombs built <strong>of</strong> unfired mudbricks were alsoreported from the recent IAA excavations nearby(Buchennino 2006, Area A).3. Jar burials comprised <strong>of</strong> either one or two jarslying horizontally, that were probably laid in a pit. Asmost <strong>of</strong> the jars are relatively small (about 50 cmlong) they would be problematic for a primary burial,especially <strong>of</strong> an adult. Jar burials seem to appearmostly in Phase IV, especially the type with twoadjoining jars (Fig. 3; at least eight examples). <strong>The</strong>pottery associated with these burials includes alsoPhilistine Bichrome vessels. Jar burials were definedonly when the human bones were reported to havebeen found inside the jars.<strong>Burial</strong>s D64, D78 <strong>and</strong> D66 are examples where thebones were found inside two jars, which had theirupper part cut (above the shoulder). <strong>Burial</strong> D66contained a bowl <strong>and</strong> a lamp (possibly laid in thebowl) that were placed to the east <strong>of</strong> the jar <strong>and</strong> a redslippedflask (Fig. 9). <strong>Burial</strong> D86 is comprised <strong>of</strong> anorth-south horizontally laid jar with a skeletonwithin (Fig. 10; Dothan 1961a, 173, pl. 35:3); severalbones <strong>of</strong> a one-year-old were identified. <strong>The</strong> fragments<strong>of</strong> another jar adjoin its neck, <strong>and</strong> thus, thiscould be defined as a two-jar burial (a large jar orpithos fragment was also found). Within the jar abowl <strong>and</strong> a red-slipped pyxis were found, while alarger group <strong>of</strong> sherds was found around the jarincluding Philistine Bichrome bowls, kraters <strong>and</strong>strainer-spouted jug fragments, as well as fragments<strong>of</strong> rounded <strong>and</strong> miniature bowls, kraters, jars <strong>and</strong> alamp. <strong>Burial</strong> D87, with two jars laid horizontally,parallel, <strong>and</strong> at some distance from each other,contained skeletal remains <strong>of</strong> an individual over 14years. Philistine vessels as two complete bell-shapedkraters <strong>and</strong> ‘degenerated’ bell-shaped bowls werefound. A similar burial with two parallel jars was alsoreported from <strong>Azor</strong> (Buchennino 2006, fig. 2, left) aswell as from Tel Zeror (Ohata 1970, pl. LVI). <strong>Burial</strong>D88 with a single jar, yielded a Philistine bell-shapedkrater with cups (Fig. 17:5); a funerary object withAegean sources (see Dothan 1982, 237–49); the onlyother examples <strong>of</strong> such vessels come from <strong>Azor</strong>(Buchennino <strong>and</strong> Yannai in press), Ashdod Stratum36 Levant 2008 VOL 40 NO 1
Ben-Shlomo<strong>The</strong> <strong>Cemetery</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Azor</strong>Figure 9Jar <strong>Burial</strong> D66Figure 10Jar <strong>Burial</strong> D86Levant 2008 VOL 40 NO 1 37