Major Iron Age Site of the Northern Galilee

This summer, join archaeologists at the site of Tel Kinrot in the northern Galilee as they continue their quest to uncover the earliest history of Biblical Israel. As one of the largest mound sites in northern Israel (at ca. 25 acres) and as one of the few fortified cities known to date to the Iron Age I (ca. 1200-1000 B.C.), Kinrot has a lot to tell archaeologists about the formative stages of Israelite nationhood.

Although the site and its importance has been known for a long time, it is only in the past several decades that archaeologists have really begun to explore the various layers of the tell. Excavations have revealed a heavily fortified and well-planned cosmopolitan city of the Iron Age I period, replete with imported goods from Egypt, Syria and Phoenicia. The city expanded further during the Iron Age II period (possibly during the reign of the Israelite king Jeroboam II), when the site was outfitted with a new monumental gate, improved fortifications and large public buildings.

With the excavation of the earliest Iron Age levels largely complete, work this season will focus on conserving uncovered houses from the Iron Age I. However, the team will continue to explore various buildings and features of the Iron Age II town and conduct an archaeological surface survey of the hinterland around Tel Kinrot.

Dig participants will stay four to six to a room at the Karei Deshe youth hostel less than a mile from the site. Rooms are air-conditioned, have private baths and are equipped with TVs and refrigerators.