Heritage sites, Archaeological discoveries, History of Archaeology

Tel Dan

Location

Golan Heights

Country

Israel

Year of Research

1967

Culture

It is an archaeological site in Israel in the upper Galilee next to the Golan Heights.
The place is quite securely recognized with the Biblical city of Dan, the northernmost city in the Kingdom of Israel, which the Book of Judges states were known as Laish prior to its conquest by the Tribe of Dan.
Due to its site close to the border with Lebanon and at the far north of the territory which fell under the British Mandate of Palestine, Tel Dan has had a long and often sulkily contested modern history, most recently during the 1967 Six-Day War.
Finds at the site date back to the Neolithic era c4500 BCE; from the remains found, which include 0.8m wide walls, and pottery shards, it appears that the site was in use in Neolithic times for several centuries before being deserted for up to about 1000 years.