Tel Dan, Israel is an archaeological site located on the northern border that contains the only surviving temple complex from the biblical Kingdom of Israel. During the summer of 2018, the document's author participated in an archaeology excavation at Tel Dan. The excavation focused on finding artifacts like ceramics, seeds, and pollen that could provide evidence of when the site was inhabited. Any discoveries will help archaeologists further understand the history of the region.
Tel Dan, Israel is an archaeological site located on the northern border that contains the only surviving temple complex from the biblical Kingdom of Israel. During the summer of 2018, the document's author participated in an archaeology excavation at Tel Dan. The excavation focused on finding artifacts like ceramics, seeds, and pollen that could provide evidence of when the site was inhabited. Any discoveries will help archaeologists further understand the history of the region.
Tel Dan, Israel is an archaeological site located on the northern border that contains the only surviving temple complex from the biblical Kingdom of Israel. During the summer of 2018, the document's author participated in an archaeology excavation at Tel Dan. The excavation focused on finding artifacts like ceramics, seeds, and pollen that could provide evidence of when the site was inhabited. Any discoveries will help archaeologists further understand the history of the region.
When King Solomon died his two sons Jeroboam and Rheaboam differed on how to rule, thus in 930 BCE the latter stayed in Jerusalem while Jeroboam led a northern seces- sion from Judah and settled in Dan where a temple was built to keep northern peoples from making pil- grimages to Jerusalem’s temple. From Israel’s twelve tribes, nine went north becoming the Kingdom of Israel and three stayed in Jerusalem and be- came the Kingdom of Judah. Tel Dan is the only surviving temple complex I arrived at Tel Dan, Israel on June from the biblical kingdom of Israel. During the eighteenth century BCE, 27, 2018 after driving one hundred It is located on the Northern border the first peoples of Dan built a mud fifty miles north from Jerusalem. I brick city gate on the cities eastern live in the dry deserts of Utah and side. It is called the Canaanite gate I imagined Israel to be much of the and pre dates Roman arches by near- same but was surprised at the high ly a millennia making it the earliest humidity and abundance of agri- archway nearly four thousand years culture. Inland only twenty-five old. miles from the Mediterranean Sea explained the humidity though it The high humidity and winter rains was Israeli ingenuity and their need cause the area to be very susceptible to feed its own population without to erosion, thus excavations must reliance on imports that turned a be completed quickly and preser- desert into an Eden of fruit and vations such as the canopy over the vegetables. It seemed that all usable Canaanite gate must be placed and land was bursting with orchards or maintained. monoculture crops, though along the borderlands near Syria, Lebanon and other armistice lines that land lay I was able to work with a great team Tel Dan, Israel fallow as they still are populated with of fellow archaeology students, pro- June 25 - July 17, 2018 devastating land mines. fessors and esteemed archaeologists. All photographs taken and owned by The focus of the excavation was to find artifacts that could date the area and its inhabitants. Ceramics found could narrow the search but it was seeds and pollen found for the first time at the site that will be carbon dated giving more precise period