 seen in numerous finds, including a wine press and a grave marker bearing a Byzantine cross. In Byzantine times the city reached what Dr. Arbel described as “its greatest pre-modern extent and in the 11th century.” Evidence also affirms that during the 13th century Crusades the port was a strategic center for European treasure hunters (sorry, Crusaders) and at that time it was heavily fortified with a European style moat. Thereafter, the port was abandoned for several centuries until the Early Islamic period, when in 636 AD it was conquered by Arabs.
Arabic inscription on fragments of a jug that contained headache medicine. ( Dr. Ayelet Dayan )
Top Image: Recent archaeological finds at Jaffa in Israel. Source: Dr. Ayelet Dayan, Dr. Leah Di Segni, Yuval Arbel, Israel Antiquities Authority and Dr. Amir Gorzalczany
By Ashley Cowie