The Fish Mound
“Shikmona” | Tell es-Samak
The Fish Mound (Tell HaDagim), located at the shore in Haifa, is an extraordinary time capsule. Findings from the site open a window into Haifa's ancient past, when, like today, it was a center of trade and industry.
What makes the tell unique is the fact that it was continuously occupied for a very long time, from the late Bronze Age (14th century BCE) to the late Byzantine period (late 6th century CE). Vast numbers of imported goods were found at the tell, attesting to its centrality in the ancient trade economy. Additional findings indicate that it was an important part of the purple dye industry.
The Haifa Museums have played a significant role in the contemporary history of the tell. The most extensive archaeological excavations were carried out between 1963–1979 by the Museum of Ancient Art, under the direction of Dr. Joseph Elgavish. Many of the most important findings from the excavations are now housed in the National Maritime Museum. Elgavish believed that he was excavating the ancient Jewish settlement Shikmona – an identification informed by his archaeological worldview that sought to cement the affinity of the Jewish people to its land. Since 2010, researchers from the University of Haifa's Zinman Institute of Archaeology have been leading a comprehensive project that revisits these findings through a more objective lens.
This has led to new insights into the chronology, ethnic makeup of the inhabitants, and the economic activities of the site. The main conclusion is that the tell is most likely not the ancient Jewish Shikmona, mentioned in the writing of Flavius Josephus and other sources. Indeed, no evidence indicating a Jewish settlement was found from the site’s two major periods of prosperity – the Iron Age and the Byzantine period. However, it is very possible that at least at some point during the Iron Age, the settlement was under the rule of the Kingdom of Israel. Findings from this period point to a Phoenician cultural influence and to the purple dye industry. During the Byzantine period, the tell was home to a prosperous Christian community that can probably be identified with (southern) Porphyreon (a name derived from the Greek word for purple, porphúra, which alludes to the Tyrian purple dye extracted from sea snails).
We wish to thank the researchers of the University of Haifa – Prof. Ayelet Gilboa, Dr. Shay Bar, Dr. Michael Eisenberg, and Mr. Golan Shalvi – for all their help in presenting the most up-to-date information from the excavations of the Tell.