Location and background:

Yavneh-Yam, also known as Iamnia-on-the-Sea or Khirbet edh-Dherbeh, is located on the Mediterranean coast roughly midway between Jaffa and Ashdod, along a natural anchorage.It has been visited and documented by various explorers and scholars since the 19th century.The site is mentioned in ancient sources, including the el-Amarna letters, Greek, Latin, Aramaic, and Arabic sources, often referred to as “the harbor of Iamnia” (Yavneh).Two sites bore the name Yavneh: the harbor site and inland Yavneh, identified with Tel Yavneh, about 8 km southeast of the harbor.

In medieval maps, Yavneh-Yam was called Portus Jude, Iamneia quondam Portus Iudeorum, or Iamneia Iudeorum portus, identifying it as the harbor of Jewish inland Yavneh.

Excavations:

• Aerial photographs in 1950 by A. Reifenberg and archaeological surveys by M. Dothan in 1952 preceded the first excavations by J. Kaplan in 1966–1969.
• Salvage excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority between 1968 and 1992, including underwater surveys, revealed remains from the Neolithic period to the Early Islamic period.
• The Yavneh-Yam Archaeological Project, headed by M. Fischer from Tel Aviv University, conducted five seasons of excavations from 1992–1999.

Stratigraphy of Yavneh-Yam:

• The site has a rich stratigraphy ranging from the Mamaluke period (13th–15th century CE) to the Late Bronze Age (14th–13th century BCE).
• Notable periods include the Early Islamic, Byzantine, Late Roman, Early Roman, Hellenistic, Persian, Babylonian, and Iron Age.

Excavation Results:

Late Bronze Age to Babylonian Period:

• The Late Bronze Age II presence at Yavneh-Yam is evidenced by ceramic finds such as fragments of white slip ware and milk bowls, mainly retrieved from mud bricks of stratum IX.
• During the Iron Age II, significant remains were found, including a segment of a massive wall, about 2 meters thick, likely part of the settlement’s fortifications from the 10th/9th to the 8th/7th centuries BCE.
• A monumental structure with walls of ashlars and sun-dried mud bricks was uncovered, possibly serving an administrative function related to the harbor.

• Persian and Hellenistic Periods: Persian period remains in areas A and B, including walls built in the Phoenician style and a large inventory of local and imported pottery. A Greek inscription from the Hellenistic period indicates correspondence between the Seleucid king Antiochus V Eupator and the citizens of Yavneh-Yam.
• Roman Period: Few finds attributed to the Early Roman period, including Herodian lamps and ossuaries. The Late Roman period included a large building and water and sewage channels.
• Byzantine Period: A revival of the site, with segments of an elaborate mosaic pavement and monumental marble bases and columns.