Heritage sites, Archaeological discoveries, History of Archaeology

Tel Arad

Location

west of the Dead Sea

Country

Israel

Year of Research

4000 BCE.

Culture

Tel Arad is an ancient is situated to the west of the Dead Sea, about 10km west of the modern Arad in an area enclosed by mountain ridges which is known as the Arad Becken.
The location is divided into a lower city and an upper hill which holds the only ever exposed House of Yahweh in the land of Israel.
The lower area was first settled during the Chalcolithic period, around 4000 BCE.
Excavations at the site have unearthed an extensive Bronze Age Canaanite settlement which was in use until just about 2650 BCE.
The site was then apparently isolated for over 1500 years until resettled in the Israelite period from the 11th century BCE onwards, initially as an unwalled piece of land cut off as an official or sacred domain was recognized on the upper hill, and then later as a garrison town known as The Citadel .
The lower settlement and the upper Israelite citadel are now part of the Tel Arad National Park which has begun projects to restore the walls of the upper and lower sites.