Jezreel Valley
From ArchaeoWiki
The Jezreel Valley (Hebrew: עמק יזרעאל, Emeq Yizrael; Arabic: سهل زرعين , Sahel Zir'in) is an extensive inland plain in present-day Israel, the valley serving to divide the Central Highlands of the Southern Levant (Samaria) from the region of Galilee to their north. Aso commonly referred to as the Plain of Esdraelon (reflecting the Greek language rendering of 'Jezreel'), the Jezreel Valley takes its name from the ancient city of Jezreel, situated on a low hill that overlooks the southern edge of the plain. The western portion of the valley is identified with the location of Armageddon spoken of in the New Testament Book of Revelation.
Geography
The Jezreel Valley approximates an elongated and irregular triangular shape, its central axis generally oriented north-west to south-east. The valley is drained to the Mediterranean Sea in the Bay of Akko by the perennial Kishon River and its multiple tributaries.
The north-western 'tip' of the valley is demarcated from the Plain of Akko to the west by a low range of hills. A narrow pass created by the the stream bed of the Kishon River allows access between the two lowland areas at the northern base of the eastern Carmel Range, the marked relief of the Carmel hills demarcating the southern edge of the western valley. This pass is guarded by two relatively modest but prominent settlement mounds, namely, Tell el-ʿAmr (identified with ancient Geba-Shumen) on the west and Tell el-Qassis (Helkath?) on the east.
The southernmost point of the Jezreel Valley is located in the vicinity of Ibleam.
The site of Jezreel is located on the south-eastern 'base' of the valley, high on a western spur of Mount Gilboa, which high range of hills forms the south-eastern corner of the valley. To the east of Jezreel rises the spring of Ein Harod, flowing eastwards into the Beth Shean Valley, part of the central Jordan Valley. Also located on the south-eastern side of the valley to the north of Jezreel is the somewhat isolated Mount Moreh.
The north-eastern 'point' or extremity of the valley is marked by Mount Tabor, to the west of which stretch the Nazareth ridge of hills—these form the northern edge of the Jezreel Valley and mark the progression from the lowlands to the hills of Lower Galilee.
The importance of the Jezreel Valley lay both in its richly fertile alluvial soil and its role as the main access route connecting the Mediterranean coastal region with the Jordan Valley and the Transjordan—a number of branches of the so-called Via Maris traversed the valley accordingly.
Settlement Pattern
The Jezreel Valley includes a number of important ancient settlement sites, besides Jezreel, which include:
