[Vicino Oriente XXI (2017), pp. 5-57] NEW ARCHAEOLOGICAL FEATURES IN BETHLEHEM (PALESTINE): THE ITALIAN-PALESTINIAN RESCUE SEASON OF NOVEMBER 2016 Lorenzo Nigro - Daria Montanari - Alessandra Guari - Maria Tamburrini - Pierfrancesco Izzo Sapienza University of Rome Mohammed Ghayyada - Iman Titi - Jehad Yasine Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities - Department of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage During Autumn 2016 the Italian-Palestinian joint team of Sapienza University of Rome and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Palestine carried out further rescue excavations and surveying in the city of Bethlehem and in its surroundings. These activities were conducted in order to protect the archaeological and historical patrimony of this area of Palestine, and to prevent looting, sites destruction, vandalism and illegal trade of archaeological items. A provisional report on finds and activities is offered below. Keywords: Bethlehem; Early and Middle Bronze Age; Iron Age; necropolis; archaeological and historical sites 1. INTRODUCTION In November 2016 the joint team of the Palestinian MOTA-DACH and Sapienza University of Rome 1 resumed rescue activities in the urban area of the city of Bethlehem, due to the accidental discovery of a new burial place at Jebel Dhaher, and with the aim of monitoring the situation in the necropolis of Khalet al-Jam’a (fig. 1). The second season at Bethlehem was in fact also suitable for continuing the graphic and photographic documentation and the study of finds from the tombs of the Khalet al-Jam’a necropolis. A special time was devoted to Tomb D13, called ‘Barmil Tomb’, an Iron Age II burial cave which illustrated the use of the necropolis also in the 1 st millennium BC. 2 During the four weeks campaign, the team members visited several sites in order to check and document their preservation state. They collected all available data on a GIS platform 3 which is now online in the open access website: www.lasapienzatojericho/Betlemme. A catalogue of checked sites is offered on § 2. Paragraph 3. is devoted to finds from different burial places: the necropolises of Khalet al-Jam’a, Jebel Dhaher, Bardhaa, and the tomb of el-Atan. Finally, a short note (§ 4.) is devoted to the site of Khirbet el-Kôm – midway from Hebron to Tell ed-Duweir/ancient Lachish, and to one major archaeological site inside the town of Bethlehem, that is the cisterns known as David’s Wells. 2. SITES IN MAPS Natural (§ 2.1.), archaeological (§ 2.2.), historical (§ 2.3.) and cultural (§ 2.4.) sites, and monuments dating back from the beginning of the Early Bronze Age up to the Islamic Period have been monitored and surveyed during 2015 and 2016 seasons for the sake of 1 An Agreement on Cooperation establishing the joint Italian-Palestinian Expedition to Bethlehem was signed by Dr Jehad Yasine and Prof Lorenzo Nigro on 10 th April 2016. 2 Nigro et al. 2015, 192. 3 https://pf87.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=60b0495a716d400e97198e11070f8e2e. ISSN 0393-0300 e-ISSN 2532-5159