A team of archaeologists excavating at Tel Erani near Kiryat Gat has uncovered the remains of a city gate dating to the Early Bronze Age (ca. 3300 BC). The gate was constructed from both mudbricks and monolithic stones, some of which were as large as a person. The gate was discovered during work to lay a water pipe for a new factory. This is the oldest city gate yet discovered in Israel, predating the previous oldest gate at Tel Arad by 300 years. Emily Bischoff, the excavation director is quoted in the Jerusalem Post article below as saying, “This is the first time that such a large gate dating to the Early Bronze Age has been uncovered. In order to construct the gate and the fortification walls, stones had to be brought from a distance, mudbricks had to be manufactured, and the fortification walls had to be constructed. This was not achieved by one or a few individuals. The fortification system is evidence of social organization that represents the beginning of urbanization.”
OFF-SITE LINKS:
- https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-754789
- https://www.timesofisrael.com/discovery-of-israels-oldest-gate-resets-clock-on-local-urbanization-by-centuries/
Read more BREAKING NEWS articles here: https://biblearchaeology.org/current-events-list
