Achziv

Artifacts from the Cemetery at Achziv. Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities AuthorityArtifacts from the Cemetery at Achziv. Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities AuthorityAchziv, located on the northern coastal plain south of the mouth of the Keziv Stream in Israel, was an important Phoenician port city. It was first settled in the Middle Canaanite (Bronze) II period.

Phoenician settlement began on the Lebanese coast at the end of the 2nd millennium BCE and, during the 1st millennium BCE, it spread southward along the coast of the Land of Israel, as well as westward to Cyprus and to other islands of the Mediterranean.

Archaeological excavations conducted at this site have uncovered many tombs. Most of the tombs belong to the Israelite (Iron) period, but some tombs are from the Persian period. Several votive objects were found in the Israelite tombs, including jewelry, weapons, and vessels decorated in the Phoenician style. This pottery is characteristic of the northern coastal strip, and is therefore termed “Achziv ware”. The vessels have a burnished red slip that was made on the potter's wheel. Another group of vessels are the "Black-on-Red" vessels, decorated with red and black stripes against a clear, well-polished, red or brown background.