Tel Hazor
Largest fortified city in the region from Middle Bronze to Iron Age.
Tel Hazor is an archaeological tell at the site of ancient Hazor, located in the Upper Galilee, north of the Sea of Galilee, in the northern Korazim Plateau. From the Middle Bronze Age (around 1750 BCE) to the Iron Age (ninth century BCE), Hazor was the largest fortified city in the region and one of the most important in the Fertile Crescent, maintaining commercial ties with Babylon and Syria. In the Book of Joshua, Hazor is described as 'the head of all those kingdoms,' and archaeological excavations have emphasized the city's importance.
- location
- Upper Galilee, northern Korazim Plateau
- area
- Approximately 80 hectares (200 acres)
- upper_tell_area
- 12 hectares (30 acres)
- lower_city_area
- More than 70 hectares (175 acres)
- periods
- Early Bronze Age II–III to Hellenistic period
- key_excavator
- Yigael Yadin (1955–1958, 1968)
- world_heritage_status
- Designated in 2005 as part of Biblical Tels—Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba
Lore & Background
Late Bronze Age monumental structures in the acropolis combine palatial and religious functions, a practice previously undocumented in northern Palestine. A 'Ceremonial Palace' with a large throne room dubbed the 'Black Building' exhibits a Syrian architectural tradition, with parallels found in the Royal Palace of Ugarit. To its east lies the 'White Building,' aligned with the Levantine long-room temple type. Hazor has provided more cuneiform tablets than any other site in the Southern Levant, falling into two groups: Middle Bronze period tablets in standard Old Babylonian Akkadian, and Late Bronze Age tablets in a local dialect typical of New Kingdom Egyptian times.
Reader's Guide
Tel Hazor is significant as the largest archaeological site in northern Israel and a key to understanding urban development and international trade in the ancient Near East. Its extensive remains, including a 12-hectare upper tell and a lower city of over 70 hectares, reveal a major fortified center that connected Babylon, Syria, and the Southern Levant. The discovery of cuneiform law fragments similar to Hammurabi's Code underscores its legal and administrative sophistication. The site's stratigraphy, particularly stratum X, is central to debates over biblical chronology, with scholars like Israel Finkelstein proposing an Omride (9th century BCE) date, while others like Amnon Ben-Tor support a 10th-century attribution. The ongoing excavations continue to yield artifacts such as Egyptian statue fragments and loom weights, contributing to a nuanced understanding of the region's history. Hazor's designation as a World Heritage Site in 2005 highlights its global cultural value.
Did You Know?
- Tel Hazor is the largest archaeological site in northern Israel, with an upper tell of 12 hectares and a lower city of more than 70 hectares.
- In 2010, two cuneiform fragments from the same tablet were discovered at Hazor, inscribed with laws in the style of Hammurabi's Code.
- Hazor has provided more cuneiform tablets than any other site in the Southern Levant.
- The site's Late Bronze Age 'Ceremonial Palace' exhibits a Syrian architectural tradition with parallels in the Royal Palace of Ugarit.
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