Lachish (Tell ed-Duweir) was a major Canaanite city in the second millennium BCE, and the second most important city in the kingdom of Judah after Jerusalem. The top of the large mound covers an area of 7.5 hectares. The main interest of our expedition was Level V, the first Iron Age city at the site. We uncovered a previously unknown city-wall of Level V, dated radiometrically to the late 10th century BC. This clarifies the debate about when Lachish was first fortified in the Iron Age. A rich destruction level was found in Level III, destroyed by the Assyrian in 701 BC, including clay sealings bearing Hebrew seal impressions. The expedition devoted a special study to the Assyrian siege ramp, a monumental war installation, the only one so far known from the ancient Near East. Another rich destruction level was found in Level II, destroyed by the Babylonian in 586 BC, including a hoard of large agricultural iron tools.
We also uncovered rich remains from the Canaanite cities of Lachish. These include a Middle Bronze Age massive fortress with 3-m-thick walls, that came to its end by a fierce destruction. It was extremely rich in finds including four Hyksos scarabs, 30 clay sealings with Hyksos seal impressions, bone inlays, a pot bellows and a rich pottery assemblage. A most important inscription from the Middle Bronze Age was incised on an ivory comb, a prestige object in itself. The Canaanite inscription read: “may this ivory eradicate lice from hair and beard.” This is the first complete sentence ever found in alphabetic script. From the Late Bronze Age we uncovered a Canaanite temple rich in cultic paraphernalia, scarabs, pottery, and artifacts made from bronze, silver and gold.
The publication project is directed by Dr. Yosef Garfinkel.
Click on the images below for larger, expandable views:
