Date:

Archaeologists excavate the Canaanite/Israelite site of Tell Belata

Archaeologists excavate the ancient Canaanite/Israelite of Tell Belata,  in the West Bank of Palestine in Nablus.

Experts estimate that the towers and buildings at the site date back 5,000 years to the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages.

- Advertisement -

Traditionally, the site has been associated with biblical Samaritan city of Shechem said by Josephus to have been destroyed by John Hyrcanus I, based on circumstantial evidence such as its location and preliminary evidence of habitation during the late Bronze and early Iron Ages.

Tell Balata lies in a mountain pass between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, a location fits well with the geographical description provided for Shechem in the Bible. No inscriptional evidence to support this conclusion has been found in situ, and other sites have also been identified as the possible site of biblical Shechem; for example, Y. Magen places locates that city nearby, on Mount Gerizim at a site covering an area of 30 hectares.

The site was first excavated by a German team led by Ernst Sellin from 1913 to 1914. After the end of World War I, work by Sellin was resumed in 1926 and lasted until 1934 with the last few seasons led by G. Welter.

Excavations were also conducted at Tell Balata by the American Schools of Oriental Research, Drew University, and the McCormick Theological Seminary in 8 seasons between 1956 and 1964 when the West Bank was under the rule of Jordan.

- Advertisement -

One of the oldest coins discovered in Palestine was an electrum Greek Macedonian coin, dated to circa 500 BC, found at Tell Balata. There is evidence that the site was inhabited in the Hellenistic period until the end of the 2nd century BC. This Hellenistic era city was founded in the late 4th century BC and extended over an area of 6 hectares. The built structure shows evidence of considerable damage dated to the 190s BC, and attributed to Antiochus III’s conquest of Palestine. Habitation continued until the final destruction of the city at this site in the late 2nd century BC.

Today’s excavations by Leiden University are in collaboration with the Palestinian Department of Antiquities, which was re-established 15 years ago. Hamdan Taha, director General of the Palestinian Department of Antiquities was quoted saying:

“Establishing a department of archaeology was an important event. It can be viewed as a revival of the Palestinian Department of Antiquities (which) ceased to exist in 1948. At the same time it gives Palestinians the opportunity to participate in writing or rewriting the history of Palestine from its primary sources. The aim of the excavation is to understand the site better, as it features evidence of human structures since 5,000 years.”

The site itself has unfortunately remained neglected and used by the local population as a garbage dump. The excavations today are aimed at enlightening the general public and to take pride in the history and wealth of antiquities associated with it.

Header Image Credit : Dr. avishai teicher

- Advertisement -
spot_img
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan is multi-award-winning journalist and the Managing Editor at HeritageDaily. His background is in archaeology and computer science, having written over 8,000 articles across several online publications. Mark is a member of the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW), the World Federation of Science Journalists, and in 2023 was the recipient of the British Citizen Award for Education, the BCA Medal of Honour, and the UK Prime Minister's Points of Light Award.
spot_img
spot_img

Mobile Application

spot_img

Related Articles

2,200-year-old pyramidal structure discovered in Judean Desert

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have discovered a pyramidal structure north of Nahal Zohar in the Judean Desert.

Archaeological mission advances research in the “Bench of the Pharaoh”

A joint Polish-Egyptian archaeological mission has conducted further studies in the tomb of Shepseskaf, located in the Saqqara necropolis near Cairo.

Roman aqueduct discovered during excavations at Rusovce Manor

Excavations at the historic Rusovce Manor in Bratislava have discovered the first known Roman aqueduct system in Slovakia.

Bronze Age stone circle discovered in woodland on Farley Moor

Archaeologists from Time Team, working in collaboration with Forestry England, have discovered a 3,700-year-old stone circle on Farley Moor, located in Derbyshire, England.

Archaeologists make several major discoveries in ancient Liternum

Liternum was a Roman colony established in the late 2nd century BC in Campania, southern-central Italy.

High ranking tomb of military commander unearthed in Ismailia

Archaeologists from the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) have unearthed the tomb of a high-ranking military commander from the reign of Ramses III.

Rare Viking-era bracelet uncovered on Öland

An extremely rare Viking-era bracelet has been uncovered near Löt on the Swedish island of Öland.

Large mammoth bone discovery in Lower Austria

Archaeologists from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) have uncovered the remains of at least five mammoths during excavations in Langmannersdorf an der Perschling, located in the Austrian state of Lower Austria.