The abundant source of waters, its strategic location on major ancient crossroads, and the fertile valley around it, were the reasons why a mighty Canaanite city was established here almost 5000 years ago. [25], The Tel Dan Nature Reserve was first declared on 39 hectares surrounding the tel in 1974. Its shattering ought to be dated to the first half of the 8th century and most probably testifies to the citys recapture by the Kingdom of Israel at this time (by Jeroboam II?). A Roman road to Tyre passed on its north side. Remnants of two sets of stairs at the corners show how the priests accessed the altar. Tel Dan is a rectangular mound in the northeastern reaches of the Hula Valley, where the largest tributary of the Jordan River, the Dan,begins its course south. Scholars think that the former refers to the Assyrian conquest of the Kingdom of Israel by Tiglath-pileser III in 733/732 BCE, and that the latter refers to the time of Hezekiah's religious reform;[15] an alternative possibility, however, supported by a minority of scholars, is that "time of captivity of the land" is a scribal error and should read "time of captivity of the ark", referring to the battle of Eben-Ezer, and the Philistine capture of the Ark, and that the ceasing of the "house of God" being in Shiloh refers to this also. The Israelite gate was built at a different location than the Canaanite gate. At this point, Birans booming voice called out again nuuu (a Hebrew exclamation of impatience)! I set up my measuring instrument, Biran held the measuring rod and we took elevations of the inscription and its surrounding stones. It combines both nature attractions pools, streams, plantations and historic cities with unique findings. The world, the flesh, and the devil will always tempt us with Jeroboams words: It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem! Sin always provides a substitute more convenient and more attractive to our flesh. This is a qof, heres a mem Hebrew or Phoenician letters)! Students may use the material on this site for school projects without permission. They were forced out of the center of Israel by the invading Philistines. For many people, the most significant discovery of the Iron Age is an Aramaic inscription, in three pieces, that mentions the House of David and a king of Israel. The ritual place served the residents of the city throughout the ages, and was in use until the end of the Roman period. The site was examined in the PEF survey (1866-1877) by Wilson, Conder and Kitchener. * High Place The site was excavated by a team headed by A. Biran (1968-1970) and a new team (since 2005). [25][failed verification][pageneeded], At the Israelite gate there is a raised square platform reached by two steps. The 18th century BC Canaanite city had an impressive brick gate on its south-east side, 7m high, which was unearthed by the archaeologists.
It flows for four miles (6.5 km) before joining the second largest source of the Jordan River, the Banias Spring. [14], According to Judges concerning Micah's Idol, the Tribe of Dan did not at that point have any territory to their name (Judges 18:1), and so, after scouting out the land, eventually decided to attack Laish, as the land around it was fertile, and the town was demilitarised. The spies returned and praised the fertile area (18 9): we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good.
Worshipping at Tel Dan was far more luxurious than Jerusalem. Jeroboam, son of Nebat, divided the Kingdom after King Solomons death. Dan (Hebrew: ) is an ancient city mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, described as the northernmost city of the Kingdom of Israel,[1] and belonging to the tribe of Dan. On July 21, 1993, Avraham Biran, the director of the Tel Dan excavations and the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology drove up to Dan to meet the supervisor of the Israel Antiquities Authority reconstruction crew working at the site. [3] Isaiah 10:30 has the alternative name Laishah in a number of translations. The sanctuary later received one of the two golden calves of Jeroboam, and remained in use until the "time of captivity of the land" and the time that the "house of God" ceased to be in Shiloh. The arch-shaped lintel is one of the earliest complete standing arches found in the world, and the archway is the earliest intact structure in the world. It was in use since the times of King Jeroboam son of Nebat (930 BC), rebuilt by Jeroboam son of Joash (8th C BC), and reusedduring the Hellenistic period (3rd C BC) until the end of the Roman period.
Melting snow from the Hermon mountains provides the majority of the water of the Jordan River, and passes through Dan, making the immediate area highly fertile. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. The Sanctuaries at Dan and Bethel (Bible Odyssey) Strongly biblical and archaeological commentary on Dan. The purpose of the ritual place was to serve as an alternative worship site for Jerusalem, after dividing the Kingdom. When we arrived, I trudged up the tel loaded down with all my equipment and began work. Biran suggested that I go up to Dan with him to finish taking measurements in Area AB on the crest of the ramparts. Dan (All About Archaeology) An archaeological discussion of Dan, including discussions of the Middle Bronze gate and the Tel Dan Stele. Here the excavation team unearthed and reconstructed the remains of a unique Israelite ritual place. The main gate, located on the south side of the city, was composed of three pairs of beams surrounding a paved road that enters the city. He looked back at the stone, back at me, then back at the stone again, and said, not in Hebrew, but in impeccable English, very quietly, Oh my God!. An ancient water-powered flour mill is located in the center of the nature reserve. As per 1 Kings 12 28-31: Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. By providing alternative places of worship, Jeroboam appealed to the laziness of the human spirit. A large number of families from the Israelite tribe of Dan relocated during the 12th C from the central region of Israel to the area around the Canaanite city of Laish-Leshem. Together the four sources (including the Iyon and Hasbani) of the Jordan River drain a total area of more than 1,040 square miles (2,700 sq km). During the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman periods, remains indicate that cultic activities continued around the podium (also known as "the High Place"). However, the center of settlement moved to nearby Banias (Caesarea Philippi) and Dan declined and abandoned. Biran and Naveh later published the inscription together in the Israel Exploration Journal. Inside the city are traces of ruins, in which the archaeologists excavated residential houses of the city dated to the Bronze (Canaanite) and Iron (Israelite) ages. The raised platform may have been the sitting place of the King or Judge (2 kings 23:8): Then the king arose, and sat in the gate.
Khirbet Tefen<<The Dan river, originating from the springs at Tell Dan, is the largest of the three sources of the Jordan river. * Command Post Once again, I said, come, turned away from him and walked back toward the stone. 9 hectares were added to the reserve in 1989. * Nature Reserve Opposite the gates opening is a base of a canopy, which is based on the flower-shaped stones with top grooves that held the poles. Evidence of a four-horned altar has been found as well as religious objects such as three iron shovels, a small horned altar, and an iron incense holder. Something on the exposed tip of the next still-buried stone caught my eye, but I looked away for a moment as I began to dismantle the level from the tripod. The House of David Inscription.). This gatehouse was built in the 9th century, probably by Ahab, and is part of a series of gateways discovered. to the city was uncovered. Within the remains of the city wall, close to the entrance of the outer gate, parts of the Tel Dan Stele were found.
By the end of the 4th century CE, in the late Roman period, Tel Dan was abandoned. The Bible described the acts of Jeroboam son of Nebat, erecting a golden calf and building an altar in Dan. For a detailed description and more photos of the Israelite/Iron Age remains see the Israelite city page. [16], According to 2 Kings 10:29 and 2 Chronicles 13:8, Jeroboam erected two golden calves as gods in Bethel and Dan. The style of the gate is typical for this period; it is a Syrian gate with three pairs of piers and four chambers, like those found at Megiddo, Shechem, and Gezer. [23], In the 15th century BCE, Tuthmosis III conquered the town "ra-wy-sa" along others (Egyptian hieroglyphs did not distinguish between L and R).[24]. Biran wanted to show the inscription to Yitzhak. Instead, what remains are the springs that feed the Jordan River, stories that enrich our understanding of ancient history, remains that contribute to Israels archaeology, and lessons of the futility of substituting anything for the worship of God. 1. Due to its location close to the border with Syria and Lebanon at the far north of the territory which fell under the British Mandate of Palestine, the site has a long and often bitterly contested modern history, most recently during the 1967 Six-Day War. Purchasers of the Photo Companion to the Bible and the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands are granted liberal usage rights for the images for personal and educational purposes. According to the Book of Judges, prior to the Tribe of Dan occupying the land, the town was known as Laish (Judges 18:7, 14, 2729), meaning lion, or rather lioness. On the north side of the mound, above the spring and overlooking the valley with beautiful views of Mt Hermon, is the area (45m x 60m) of the High Place .
Biblical City of Dan (Jewish Virtual Library) Highlights the history of the site, beginning with the Canaanite city, and several of the important archaeological findings, including the House of David inscription (there called the Aramaic Stele).
The lush vegetation that results makes the area around Dan seem somewhat out of place in the otherwise arid region around it. After a brief exploratory excavation by Z. Yeivin in 1963, Avraham Biran, then director of the Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums, embarked in 1966 upon the first of a remarkable 33 seasons of excavation. Fragments of a basalt stone with Aramaic inscription, dated to the 9th C BC, was found in the wall. They correctly identified it as the site of Dan based on Josephus and other writings although Kitchener saw few slight ruins on the site.