Ancient Tel Shikmona Complex Served Multiple Seasonal Uses, Study Reveals
A University of Haifa study reveals that an Iron Age industrial complex at Tel Shikmona served multiple seasonal purposes, including olive pressing, livestock shelter, and textile production.
A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Haifa has revealed that the fortified industrial complex at Tel Shikmona, which was controlled by the Kingdom of Israel in the 8th century BCE, was not limited to a single purpose. The same workspaces were utilized across different seasons for olive pressing, sheltering livestock, producing purple dye, and even engaging in textile-related activities.
The research, published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, highlights the planned exploitation of space, workforce, and resources throughout the year. According to the researchers, the findings also demonstrate that large installations uncovered during archaeological excavations may only tell a portion of the story—specifically, the activities that left the most prominent physical evidence.
Seasonal Shifts in Ancient Industry
"When archaeologists discover an olive press, the natural inclination is to say 'olive oil was produced here.' However, the olive harvest lasts for a relatively short period in the late autumn. Therefore, to understand the use of the space, one must ask what was done in the structure during the rest of the year," says Dr. Golan Shalvi, who directed the excavations at Tel Shikmona in 2023.
Tel Shikmona was a small, fortified industrial site along the Carmel coast, operating during the 9th to 8th centuries BCE as a vital economic center under the Kingdom of Israel. It is considered the largest known purple-dye production facility from the Iron Age in the Mediterranean region. The site yielded the world's largest concentration of purple-dye artifacts—more than 170 items, most of which are stained with the dye itself, alongside evidence of dozens of large ceramic vats, each with a capacity of about 350 liters.
"In a standard excavation, we see the large installations and artifacts, but within the layers of dirt, a much more detailed story is sometimes preserved," said Dr. Isaac Oglublin-Ramirez.
Micro-Archaeology Unveils Hidden Uses
Previous excavations at the site during the 1960s, 1970s, and between 2011 and 2013 did not allow researchers to reconstruct how the usage of the buildings changed over time. In the current study, Dr. Golan Shalvi, Sonya Pinsky, and Prof. Ayelet Gilboa from the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa combined traditional archaeological findings with microscopic analyses of activity layers.
Dr. Isaac Oglublin-Ramirez and Madeleine Jacobson from the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences analyzed microscopic remains to understand the activities that took place and how spaces were maintained between uses. The research focused on a layer dated roughly to 790–740 BCE—the reign of Jeroboam II and the peak of industrial activity at Tel Shikmona.
A Structured Annual Cycle
Using infrared spectroscopy, microscopic thin sections, and botanical, ash, and dung residue analysis, the researchers reconstructed a seasonal model: olive pressing in the autumn, sheltering livestock in the winter, and textile work in the spring. Purple dye production was integrated into this active cycle, though its exact season remains undetermined.
Layers of dung sealed beneath ash layers indicate a planned transition between uses, with the ash likely serving for disinfection, odor reduction, and pest control before returning the workspace to industrial operations. Prof. David Friesem noted that ancient societies practiced efficiency and maximum resource utilization just as modern societies do.
