Tel Be'er Sheva

Infobox World Heritage Site
WHS = Biblical Tells – Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba


State Party = ISR
Type = Cultural
Criteria = ii, iii, iv, vi
ID = 1108
Region = Europe and North America
Year = 2005
Session = 29th
Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1108

Tel Be'er Sheva ( _he. תל באר שבע) is an archeological site in southern Israel believed to be the remains of the biblical town of Be'er Sheva [ This was the conclusion reached by Yohanan Aharoni, who excavated the site in 1969-1976.] . The modern town of Beersheba is situated west of the tel. The Bedouin town of Tel Sheva lies to the east.

The town is mentioned numerous times in the Tanakh, often as a means of describing the extent of the Land of Israel, as being from "Be'er Sheva to Dan". For examples, see Judges 20:1-3 and I Samuel 3:19-21. The name is derived from the Hebrew Be'er meaning a well, and Sheva, meaning either the number seven, or "to swear an oath".

Archeological finds indicate that the site was used from the Chalcolithic period, around 4000 BCE, through to the sixteenth century CE. This was probably due to the abundance of underground water, as evidenced by the numerous wells in the area. The settlement itself dates from the early Israelite period, around the tenth century BCE.

The streets of ancient Be'er Sheva are laid out in a grid, with separate areas for administrative, military, commercial and residential use. The town is regarded as the first planned settlement in the region. The site is also noteworthy for its elaborate water system and huge cistern, carved out of the rock beneath the town.

A large horned altar was uncovered at the site. It was reconstructed with several well-dressed stones found in secondary use in the walls of a later building. This altar attests to the existence of a temple or cult center in the city which was probably dismantled during the reforms of King Hezekiah. (1 Kings 18:4)

The site was excavated by Prof. Y. Aharoni and by Prof. Ze'ev Herzog of Tel Aviv University.

The excavated town is now part of the Tel Beersheva National Park.

Footnotes

ee also

*Archaeology of Israel

External links

* [http://www.parks.org.il/ParksENG/company_card.php3?NewNameMade=0&from=116&CNumber=420938 Israel National Parks Authority]
* [http://www.netours.com/jrs/2003/Tell-Sheva.htm Tell Beersheba (Tell Sheva)] Stephen Langfur (2003), Near Eastern Tourist Agency
* [http://ebibletools.com/israel/beersheba/ Photos from the archaeological site]
* [http://www.co-ground.com/travel/photos/360_TelBeerSheva_m.html 360 degrees panorama of Tel Beer Sheva]