Tel ʾArtal
From ArchaeoWiki
Tel ʾArtal (Sheikh Dahoud) is an archaeological site situated in the Beth Shean Valley of the modern state of Israel [Israel Map Reference 2030.2076], located some 400 m south of Kibbutz Maoz Haim, 500 m north of Kfar Ruppin and overlooking the fords of the Jordan River. Tel ʾArtal is a small but high mound, possessing a narrow summit (25 m x 100 m). As a result of its position, this small site guards the trade routes running into the larger region and beyond. Tel ʾArtal is surrounded by fertile farmlands watered by north-south flowing springs. These advantages together appear to have attracted repeated settlement at the site from the Early Bronze Age until the Roman period.
Although clearly very promising, the site has yet to be excavated. Surface survey has revealed substantial building remains and a wide range of pottery sherds. A small number of MB I tombs associated with the site were revealed in the course of modern earthworks (1975-1978) and their contents subsequently investigated [Hess 1984].
Bibliography
- Hess, Orna [1984], "Middle Bronze I Tombs at Tel ʾArtal", BASOR 253 (1984), pp.55-60 (with Yellin, J. and Perlman, I., "Appendix: Laboratory Analysis of Selected Pottery from Tel ʾArtal", pp.58-60).
