Editing Openai/680fb62a-7c94-8002-8f67-b9a2a8c7c7ef (section)

==== (Included as a companion to this dossier is a Notion workspace consolidating interactive content and media. Key components of that package are outlined below.): ====
* Interactive Holocene Coastline Map: A Mapbox GL map layering ancient shorelines and buried harbor basins onto the modern map of Gaza. Users can toggle a slider from 1900 BCE to 1200 BCE to present, vividly seeing the harbor’s shift. Markers indicate Tell el-Ajjul and related sites (with coordinates redacted in the public view). Color-coded polygons show the estimated extent of Bronze Age lagoons versus today’s land. This map helps contextualize how an archaeological tell now inland was once a seaside port.
* High-Resolution Artifact Gallery (10 Images): A gallery of port-related finds from Tell el-Ajjul and environs, with proper credits and descriptions. Highlights include: the Hyksos royal scarab shown above; a selection of Cypriot White Slip and Base Ring pottery from Ajjul (milk bowl and bilbil flask); a Mycenaean stirrup jar fragment from Gaza; an Egyptian-style bronze figurine found in Ajjul’s temple; a photograph of Petrie’s team unearthing the gold hoard in 1931; and an image of the Astarte gold pendant (British Museum) believed to symbolize maritime prosperity. Each image is annotated with its significance (e.g., “Cypriot juglet – evidence of trade with Alashiya (Cyprus)”). These images are either in the public domain or shared under CC licenses, allowing free educational use.
* Timeline Slider (1900–1200 BCE): An interactive timeline that lets users scroll through the Middle Bronze II to Late Bronze II period, marking major events relevant to Gaza. Key milestones include: c.1900 BCE – probable founding of the fortified town at Ajjul; 1750 BCE – Hyksos influence brings Egyptian connections (Sheshi scarabs); c.1550 BCE – Egyptian Pharaoh Ahmose expels Hyksos, possible destruction layer at Ajjul; 1500–1400 BCE – New Kingdom Egyptian presence (Thutmose III’s clay cones at nearby Moghraqa) and peak of Cypriot trade (White Slip I influx); 1350 BCE – Amarna letters era (Gaza’s prince governed under Egypt); 1200 BCE – Bronze Age collapse, port silts up and shifts to new location. The slider pairs these events with regional context (e.g., Mycenaean collapse, Sea Peoples). This helps readers grasp the temporal arc of Ajjul’s rise and fall.
* Heritage Risk Assessment Dashboard: A dedicated section in Notion assessing current risks to Gaza’s archaeological heritage under conflict conditions. It lists known Bronze Age sites in Gaza (Tell el-Ajjul, Tell es-Sakan, etc.) and uses a traffic-light system for damage status: e.g., **Tell el-Ajjul – Yellow: partially bulldozed, some war damage in 2014; Tell es-Sakan – ''Red'': heavily damaged by recent construction. Each entry summarizes threats like urban encroachment, looting, or military action. For Ajjul, the risk assessment notes that bulldozing and erosion have reduced the mound’s size since the mid-20th century, and that bomb craters were observed on the site during the 2014 conflict. Mitigation strategies (covering the site with geotextile and sandbags, remote monitoring via satellite) are discussed. This living document aims to inform authorities and the international community (e.g., UNESCO) to prioritize Gaza’s endangered sites. Notably, Tell el-Ajjul is listed by UNESCO among sites damaged in recent conflicts.
* Story Maps & Media Hooks: To engage a broad audience, the Notion package also includes short story-map entries highlighting the human stories of Bronze Age Gaza. These are built around the compelling hooks: “Pharaoh’s Wine Jar” (an illustrative tale of an 18th Dynasty jar inscribed “From the vineyards of Gaza” journeying to Amenhotep III’s palace – demonstrating the reach of Gaza’s wine); “The Inland Anchor” (profiling a giant stone anchor found 800 m inland, with a drone image of its location, tying to the shifting coastline theme); and “Oldest Glass Ingot?” (a speculative exploration of a fragment of cobalt-blue glass found in Ajjul that might predate known glass production – could Gaza have been an early glassmaking center?). These bite-sized narratives are flagged in the dossier to draw readers into deeper content. Each story is linked to evidence and further reading, bridging scholarly data and public interest.