Nabi Samwil is an archaeological site located near Jerusalem and covers 1.5 hectares. Researchers disagree about the identification of the site. Medieval Jewish sources identified the site with Ramah, the home of the prophet Samuel, but nowadays Ramah is more commonly identified with er-Ram. Some have suggested identifying Nabi Samwil with ‘the high place that was at Gibeon’ (1 Kings 3:4); with Beeroth, one of the cities of the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:17); or with Mizpah, a central city in the territory of Benjamin.
History of the Research of the Site
Over many years, only findings from the Byzantine period and onwards were found at the site, but during a survey conducted by Amir Feldstein and other researchers in the 80s, pottery sherds from the Iron Age and onwards were found at the site. The site was first excavated in the years 1992-2003 by Yitzchak Magen and Michael Dadon on behalf of the Staff Officer of Archaeology of the Civil Administration for Judea and Samaria, and excavated again in a more nuanced capacity, in the years 2008-2018 by Binyamin Har Even, also on behalf of the Staff Officer of Archaeology of the Civil Administration for Judea and Samaria. Reports from both excavations have yet to be published.
The Site in the Iron Age and the Babylonian Period
The site was first settled in the Iron II period (mid-10th century-701 BCE). It is not known in what manner the Iron Age site was constructed because during the Hellenistic period the site was dug to the bedrock and all Iron Age, Persian and Babylonian findings from the site were found in Hellenistic foundation trenches at the site. The site probably had served in some administrative capacity as many ‘LMLK’ and ‘rosette’ jar handles were found. This administrative nature of the site likely continued also during the Babylonian period (586-539 BCE), and is reflected in some 20 jar handles with the ‘lion’ stamps known from that period, as well as an Egyptian scarab. It’s possible that during this period the site was subordinated to the larger administrative center at Ramat Raḥel.
The Site in the Persian and Hellenistic Periods
During the Persian period (539-332 BCE) the administrative site probably rose in importance, a process reflected in some 40 ‘YHD’ jar handles found at the site, along with various pottery vessels, silver coins, and two bullas: One with the Hebrew word ‘PHU’, known from similar bullas from Ramat Raḥel, and another with the name ‘Gedaliah’. It’s not known whether the site was settled continuously in the transition between the Persian period and the Hellenistic period, or if the site was abandoned and resettled during the Hellenistic period. The site was active until the Early Hasmonean period, when it was abandoned until the Byzantine period. Findings from the Hellenistic period include: Structures, a drainage system, 10 late ‘YHD’ jar handles, and Hellenistic and Hasmonean coins.
Bibliography
M. Lash, ‘Notes on the Possibility of Identifying Biblical Mizpah with Nabi Samwil’, In the Highland’s Depth 9 (2019), pp. 127-144 [Hebrew].
Y. Magen and M. Dadon, ‘Nebi Samwil’, Qadmoniyot 119 (1999), pp. 62-74 [Hebrew].
Y. Magen and M. Dadon, ‘Nebi Samwil (Montjoie)’, in: Bottini and others (eds.), One Land – Many Cultures: Archaeological Studies in Honour of Stanislao Loffreda OFM, Jerusalem 2005, pp. 123-138.
Y. Magen and B. Har-Even, ‘Persian Period Stamp Impressions from Nebi Samwil’, Tel Aviv 34 (2007), pp. 38-58.