Tel Nami is a peninsula rising 8 m. above sea level, 150 m. into the sea, 5 km. south of Atlit. It is located on a submerged kurkar ridge, and during its settlement periods was confined between the sea and Mearot stream’s marshlands to its east. The site’s location is significant as the archaeological and geological research in the area suggests that, due to changes in sea levels, there were periods of time during which the tel was uninhabitable. In addition, the site’s location doesn’t allow agricultural practice in its vicinity. Scholars suggest that the inhabitants of the site used the Mearot stream’s mouth as an anchorage for ships, by which they set out to trade in the Mediterranean, and thus provided for themselves. However, the archaeological research in the area reveals that Tel Nami was apparently a part of a complex of three sites within close range of each other, that served different functions: the tel itself, Site 104-106 to its southeast, and Nami East 75 m. east of the tel.
Research at the site began in 1975 with a short archaeological and geomorphological excavation directed by Moshe Dotan, Avner Raban and Nicholas Flemming on behalf of the University of Haifa. In 1985 Michal Artzi headed terrestrial and underwater surveys in the area, and in 1986 an excavation in the tel and in Nami-East, all on behalf of the University of Haifa. They were both concluded in 1991.
The excavation revealed two occupation layers from two periods: the Middle Bronze Age II (17th century BCE), and the Late Bronze Age II (14th century BCE). It seems that in the Middle Bronze Age there existed a planned settlement on the tel consisting of an alley, rooms, courtyards, a drainage system, and a well. It was destroyed in a fire and deserted. The area was resettled in the Late Bronze Age, from which there were found floors made of stone slabs, and imported ceramics which indicate commercial activity at the site. It seems that this settlement was dissolved in a fire as well, and on its ruins a fortified cultic site was established. Finds discovered in it suggest of a bronze-recycling industry active in it, an activity known in other cultic sites in Cyprus.
The surveys in the area suggest that Site 104-106, dated to the Middle Bronze Age, was of agricultural nature. In Nami-East there were some finds discovered from that period, but they were poorly preserved, and it’s difficult to determine the site’s function. However, from the Late Bronze Age there were many tombs, randomly dispersed and of various kinds found at the site, suggesting it served as a burial ground at the time. Unique artifacts were found in many of the tombs, such as Egyptian, Mycenean and Cypriot ceramics, various bronze vessels, jewelry, and valuable materials such as gold, silver, ivory, and faience. Among the bronze vessels there was found a special censer, known from Megiddo, Beth Shean and Ugarit as well, that was probably also depicted in Egyptian paintings.
Tel Nami of the Late Bronze Age has substantial scientific significance. Interestingly, there were no residential structures nor agricultural hinterland found in the tel nor in Nami-East, and it seems the tel was used mainly for trade and cultic activity, while Nami-East mainly for burials. Thus, these two sites can shed much light on the nature of these two activities in that period. The wealth of artifacts found in the graves and in the tel informs our understanding of commerce in that area and time, that was apparently expansive. In addition, there was good preservation of organic materials at the tel – various kinds of plant seeds were preserved in jars by the fire that dissolved the Middle Bronze Age site, and there were also pieces of wood from the Middle and Late Bronze Age found. These finds can provide information about nutrition, raw materials, trade, natural environment, and climate at the site, as well as more precise dating of its settlements. Furthermore, the alterations in the tel’s settlements’ location and layout are valuable for studies concerning changes in sea levels over time, while the archaeological surveys inform studies of ancient anchorage practices.
The name Nami is derived from Arabic, and it seems the site is not mentioned in the Bible or other ancient sources.
Sources:
Artzy, M. (1989). Tel Nami. Hadashot Arkheologiyot, 94, 18-20. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23471486 (Hebrew).
Artzy, M. (1991). The Bronze Age Anchorage Site of Tel Nami. Qadmoniot: A Journal for the Antiquities of Israel and the Bible Lands, 24(93-94), 31-38. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23679644 (Hebrew).
Artzy, M. (1992). Nami, Tel. In E. Stern (Ed.), The new encyclopedia of archaeological excavations in the land of Israel. Society for the Exploration of the Land of Israel and its Antiquities, Ministry of Defense – Publications, Carta Jerusalem. (Hebrew).
Artzy, M. (1993). Tel Nami – 1989-1991. Hadashot Arkheologiyot, 99, 21-24. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/23473121 (Hebrew).
Lev-Yadun, S., Artzy, M., Marcus, E., & Stidsing, R. (1996). Wood remains from Tel Nami, a Middle Bronze IIa and Late Bronze IIb port, local exploitation of trees and Levantine cedar trade. Economic Botany 50, 310–317.