Two Artificial Anchorages off the Northern Shore of the Dead Sea: a specific feature of an ancient maritime cultural landscape

A recently discovered artificial stone mound on the northern shore of the Dead Sea is a maritime feature exposed by the drying of the lake. Lake‐level fluctuations, a loose silt bottom, lack of natural anchorages, and onshore prevailing winds, prevented the long‐term planning, construction and maintenance of shore‐based harbour installations in this area. This and a similar mound nearby, Rujum el Bahr, are interpreted as structures once used for open‐water mooring, providing a firm anchor‐hold over a range of lake levels and wind directions. As such, they enabled the use of this economically and strategically important part of the lake by maritime traffic.     

Reclaiming A. D. Gordon's deep eco-nationalism

This study seeks to add to the burgeoning literature on the relations between nationalism and environmentalism by examining the ideas of A. D. Gordon (1856–1922). Gordon is not well-known outside the realm of Zionist scholarship. Nonetheless, a close re-examination of his ideas reveals that Gordon offers a hybrid brand of deep eco-national theory that frames traditional deep ecological themes within a general theory of nationalism. Whereas Gordon's theory introduces the ‘nation’ as a central notion to deep ecology thought, at the same time, it adds an ecological dimension rarely taken into account in theories of nationalism. This analysis further shows that although Gordon's pioneering eco-national theory had high potential for bridging between the two disciplines, it eventually faded into obscurity like eco-national ideas elsewhere. As Jewish national independence came into view, Gordon's distinctive eco-nationalism was overshadowed by anthropocentric-based Zionist politics.     

A New Type of Composite Anchor Dated to the Fatimid-Crusader Period from the Dead Sea, Israel

Two composite anchors of a kind not hitherto identified, each composed of a re-used ashlar block, a wooden shank, two arms and a rope, were discovered recently on the Dead Sea shoreline. Two additional anchor weights of identical type were found in the same region. The two well-preserved anchors were dated to the Fatimid-Crusader period. The shank and the arms were made from local tree species: Christ thorn and tamarisk, and both ropes of date-palm.
© 2008 The Authors