Iron age pottery from the cave of the patriarchs at Hebron

Four pottery vessels from the Cave of the Patriarchs were collected from the cave under the monumental structure, possibly the traditional 'Machpelah Cave'. This space, usually inaccessible, was visited in 1981, and the vessels were collected at that time and later published in brief by Yeivin. The vessels were subjected to compositional analyses, including petrography and Neutron Activation Analysis, and are discussed here in more detail. They are dated on the basis of parallels to the Iron Age 11B (late ninth and eighth centuries BCE). The results of the analyses indicate various sources in the central hills, including the Hebron and Jerusalem regions. This is the first study dealing with pottery from the Cave of the Patriarchs.