'En Esur

Large Chalcolithic village and Early Bronze Age city, Israel 'En Esur עין אֵסוּר he 'Ein Asawir Tel-Esur-from-sky.jpg Aerial photo of Tel Esur in the foreground with En Esur to the left, Highway 65 in the middleground, and Barkai in the background Israel#Mediterranean east Shown in Israel 1 32 28 55 N 35 1 10 E region:IL-HA_type:landmark inline,title En Esur Menashe, Haifa, Israel Canaan, Southern Levant Settlement 50 ha on 5000 BC 2900 BCElad Itai Paz Yitzhak 'En Esur (Asawir): Preliminary Report (16/07/2018) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 130 2018 26691671 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/Report_Detail_Eng.aspx?id=25453 Pottery Neolithic (PN) – Early Bronze Age I (EBI)'En Esur (Asawir): Preliminary Report (16/07/2018). Hadashot Arkheologiyot 130. Yarmukian (PN), post-Wadi Rabah culture (Early Chalcolithic), Ghassulian (Late Chalcolithic), Canaanite (Early Bronze Age IA) Adam Zertal (2000–2002) Shay Bar (2010–2014) Itai Elad, Yitzhak Paz, Dina Shalem (2017–2019) En Esur, also En Esur (he עין אֵסוּר; ʿ e n _ ʾ e s u r eh N _ eh s oor) or Ein Asawir (ar عين الأساور Spring of the Bracelets), is an ancient site located on the northern Sharon Plain, at the entrance of the Wadi Ara pass leading from the Coastal Plain further inland. The site includes an archaeological mound (tell), called Tel Esur or Tell el-Asawir, another unnamed mound, and two springs, one of which gives the site its name. A 7,000-year-old Early Chalcolithic large village already showing signs of incipient urbanisation and with an open space used for cultic activities was discovered at the site below later, Bronze Age remains.Elad, Itai et al., "'En Esur (Asawir), Area N: Preliminary Report (26/10/2020)", in HA-ESI 132 (2020) During the Early Bronze Age, around 3000 BCE, a massive fortified proto-city with an estimated population of 5,000 to 6,000 inhabitants existed there. It was the largest city in the region, larger than other significant sites such as Megiddo and Jericho, but smaller than more distant ones in Egypt and Mesopotamia. The city was discovered in 1977, but its massive extent was realized only in 1993. A major excavation between 2017 and 2019 ahead of the construction of a highway interchange exposed the city's houses, streets and public structures, as well as countless artifacts including pottery, figurines and tools. Archaeologists announced its discovery in 2019, calling it the "New York of the Early Bronze Age".https://www.dw.com/en/bronze-age-new-york-discovered-israeli-archaeologists-say/a-50716230 Bronze Age 'New York' discovered, Israeli archaeologists say 7 October 2019 7 October 2019 live https://web.archive.org/web/20191006153756/https://www.dw.com/en/bronze-age-new-york-discovered-israeli-archaeologists-say/a-50716230 6 October 2019 Deutsche Welle KNA/AP Excavations The site is known in Arabic as Tell el-Asawir. The mound covers an area of around 5.5 acres with a maximum height of 11 meters above the plain. It appears in the 1799 map drawn by French geographer Pierre Jacotin.Yehuda Karmon 1960 An Analysis of Jacotin's Map of Palestine Israel Exploration Journal Israel Exploration Society 10 4 249 27924833 Yehuda Karmon American archaeologist and biblical scholar William F. Albright visited the site during his 1923 trip to Mandatory Palestine. He recalled the opinion of German scholar Albrecht Alt that Tel Esur is the site of an ancient city called "Yaham", located just north of the Menashe Heights and mentioned in the sources of the 15th-century BCE Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III, who campaigned against a coalition of Canaanite city-states led by the king of Kadesh and gave battle at Megiddo.Alt, A. (1914). "Pharaoh Tutmosis III. in Palästina". In Palästinajahrbuch des Deutschen Evangelischen Instituts für Altertumwissenschaft des heiligen Landes zu Jerusalem 10, pp. 53–100. According to the Egyptian account, Thutmose III camped in Yaham before he marched on Megiddo and captured the city. Albright stated that the location of the site corresponds with the geographic descriptions of the Egyptian sources, and his discovery of Bronze Age pottery while surveying the mound further confirmed this identification in his opinion.William F. Albright October 1923 Some Archaeological and Topographical Results of a Trip through Palestine Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The American Schools of Oriental Research 11 11 3–14 (see p. 10) 1354763 Albright W. F. 10.2307/1354763 163409706 Today however, Yaham is identified with a site located at the Arab village of Kafr Yama, since 1988 part of Zemer, some 10 kilometers south of Tel Esur.Masarwa Durar Yaham: Final Report (10/06/2013) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 125 2013 26602933 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=2266&mag_id=120 15 July 2021 The discovery of the larger site around Tel Esur and its springs occurred in 1977, during the digging of a water reservoir south of the mound. A salvage excavation was conducted by archaeologists Azriel Zigelman and Ram Gofna of the Tel Aviv University. They discovered two settlement layers, one from the Chalcolithic period (the last period of the Stone Age) and the Early Bronze Age. The former included the foundations of structures made of rough stones and some installations. These are dated to the Early Chalcolithic (c. 6000 years ago). The latter included the foundations of massive structures made of large stones. The widest wall measured 1.7 meters in width. The pottery there is dated to the Early Bronze Age I period (3300–3000 BCE).Tel Esur (Asawir) he Hadashot Arkheologiyot 65-66 1978 14–15 23476440 The site was surveyed by Yehuda Neʾeman and by the Manasseh Hill Country Survey.Neʾeman, Y., "Archaeological Survey of Israel, Map of Maʿanit (54)", Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1990Zertal, A., and Mirkam, N., "The Manasseh Hill Country Survey, Vol. 3: From Nahal ʿIron to Nahal Shechem. Culture and History of the Ancient Near East 21", Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2016 A survey and an excavation was conducted in 1993 by Eli Yannai of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). It revealed the massive extent of the site during the Early Bronze Age, as well as settlement remains from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, and sherds from the Byzantine and Ottoman periods.Yannai Eli Tel Esur he Hadashot Arkheologiyot 1995 104 67–69 23473343 The site was excavated between 2000 and 2002 by a team led by A. Zertal.A. Zertal, "The Excavations at Tel Assawir: Preliminary Report of the First Two Seasons, 2001–2002", Haifa: University of Haifa, 2002 (Hebrew). En Esur was excavated by professional and volunteer archaeologists between January 2017 and 2019, with the research overseen by archaeologists Itai Elad and Yitzhak Paz.Bar, Shay, "Tel Esur 2017–2018", Hadashot Arkheologiyot: Excavations and Surveys in Israel, 2021.Archaeologists Uncover an 'Early Bronze Age New York' in Northern Israel 6 October 2019 Hunter Moyler for Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/ancient-city-en-ensur-israel-archaeologists-1463452 7 October 2019 live https://web.archive.org/web/20191006221821/https://www.newsweek.com/ancient-city-en-ensur-israel-archaeologists-1463452 6 October 2019 The work was organized in part by the Israel Antiquities Authority and financed by Netivei Israel, Israel's national transportation infrastructure company. During the process of excavation, archaeologists found a temple within the city that was built approximately 2,000 years before the rest of the site. In an announcement of their discovery, researchers called En Esur "cosmopolitan" and the "New York of the Early Bronze Age". Location 'En Esur stands in the northern Sharon plain, c. 1 km east of Moshav Ein Iron, at the outlet of Wadi Ara, a valley which allowed the ancient international coastal highway to bypass the difficult section squeezed between the sea and western Mount Carmel by passing through the mountain. Today, the important Highway 65 follows the same route and cuts through the archaeological site of En Sur. History The site of En Esur consists of three elements: Tel Esur, which is the main tell (a mound of accumulated human settlement layers) covering c. 28 dunams, a smaller mound southeast of it, and an open field that surrounds the mounds, which was occupied by a massive, densely built city during the Early Bronze Age. The site is supported by two abundant water springs: 'En Esur or 'En Arubot, east of the tell, which gives the site its name; and a second, unnamed one southwest of the tell. Neolithic Potsherds and stone tools found in the lowest levels excavated in the area south of Tel Esur (Area A) show that the site was occupied during the Pottery Neolithic period.Yannai Eli Ariel Donald T. Carmi Israel Grosinger Zohar Horowitz Aharon Khalaily Hamoudi Lazar-Shorer Dorit Marder Ofer Milevski Ianir 'En Esur ('Ein Asawir) I: excavations at a protohistoric site in the coastal plain of Israel The Stratigraphy and Architecture of Area B Israel Antiquities Authority 31 2006 11–50 10.2307/j.ctt1fzhf9f.6 j.ctt1fzhf9f.6 free Little is known about this phase; no traces of structures were found, and only a few artefacts. Both the pottery and the stone tools resemble those of the Jericho IX culture.Eli Yannai etal 'En Esur ('Ein Asawir) I: excavations at a protohistoric site in the coastal plain of Israel The Pottery Assemblages 63–178 2006 31 Israel Antiquities Authority 10.2307/j.ctt1fzhf9f.8 j.ctt1fzhf9f.8 freeEli Yannai etal 'En Esur ('Ein Asawir) I: excavations at a protohistoric site in the coastal plain of Israel The Flint Assemblages 179–210 2006 31 Israel Antiquities Authority 10.2307/j.ctt1fzhf9f.9 j.ctt1fzhf9f.9 free Chalcolithic Early Chalcolithic thumb|right|upright=1.5|Plan of En Esur showing its immediate surroundings and the areas excavated as of 2019. The site encompasses two tells (including Tel Esur) and two springs (including En Esur) on either side of Highway 65. In addition to the road, the site has been disturbed by modern developments including several buildings and a reservoir.Eli Yanai Yossi Nagar he:שרידים מתרבות ואדי רבה ומתקופת הברונזה הקדומה בשטח I בעין אסור (עין אסאוויר) 'Atiqot 2016 85 1*–21* Israel Antiquities Authority he 24731369 free'En Esur (Asawir), Area M: Preliminary Report (31/12/2018). Hadashot Arkheologiyot 130. 10em #fefee9 Extent of the site 1px dashed #646464 #FEAA9C Excavated areas 1px solid #fd3301 #c6ecff Rivers/reservoir 1px solid #0978ab #c6ecff Springs/streams 1px dashed #0978ab opacity:0.5 #ffffff Roads/tracks 1px solid #cccccc #eeeeee Modern buildings 1px solid #cccccc The site was occupied throughout the Early Chalcolithic period, founded around 5000 BC. There were only scattered finds from Early Chalcolithic I and a small occupation in Early Chalcolithic III. It was during the Early Chalcolithic II (EC II) period that the site became a significant place, reaching a size of 50 hectares.Haklay, Gil, et al., "Up in Arms: Slingstone Assemblages from the Late Prehistoric Sites of 'En Ẓippori and 'En Esur", Atiqot 111, 2023 Gigantic Prehistoric City Found in Israel During Roadworks 8 October 2019 Ariel David for Haaretz https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2019-10-08/ty-article-magazine/.premium/gigantic-prehistoric-city-found-in-israel-during-roadworks/0000017f-e9d1-d639-af7f-e9d732b30000 10 July 2021 The archaeologists uncovered a c. 60 m2 large area, free of dwellings, used for cultic activities. It was found to contain numerous articulated sheep, cattle and pig bones, showing that animal parts had been buried in this open area during ritual ceremonies. Some 40 metres south of there, a shallow pit containing animal bones as well as the head of an anthropomorphic clay figurine was discovered, which may also be indicative of some cultic activity. The entire space between the two findings, set at the margin of the settlement, was likely kept open for cultic activity and other functions, although it cannot be ruled out that some mud-brick buildings had stood there without leaving any discernible remains. Intramural burials of adults and infants were also found as well as 237 biconvex slingstones and zoomorphic figurines, all in the EC II level. Early Bronze Age Early Bronze Age IB In the Early Bronze IB (c. 3350/3300-3050/3000 BCE), the rural village transformed into a proto-urban large, fortified town. City Above the Early Chalcolithic settlement, a large walled Early Bronze Age city was discovered. It occupied a space of around 0.65 km2 acre off us and may have had 5,000 to 6,000 inhabitants.https://today.rtl.lu/news/science-and-environment/a/1414125.html Israel unveils remains of 5,000-year-old city 7 October 2019 RTL Today 10 October 2019 live https://web.archive.org/web/20191010050954/https://today.rtl.lu/news/science-and-environment/a/1414125.html 10 October 2019 RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg AFP This would have made the settlement much larger than Tel Megiddo in Israel and Jericho in the West Bank, and therefore the largest settlement in the Southern Levant during this period, but smaller than more distant cities in Egypt and Mesopotamia.https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49958657 Ancient 'New York': 5,000-year-old city discovered in Israel 7 October 2019 7 October 2019 live https://web.archive.org/web/20191010050823/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49958657 10 October 2019 BBC News Archaeologist Itai Elad stated that En Esur is double the size of other large settlements known in the area. Researchers excavating the site have said that it demonstrates early processes of urbanization within Canaanite civilization, and that the city would have probably possessed a substantial "administrative mechanism." Haaretz described the site as "vastly bigger than anything thought possible in the Southern Levant 5,000 years ago." Its discoverers have called the city a "megalopolis". Structure and character The settlement is believed to have existed at the crossroads of two important trading routes.Archaeologists find 5,000-year-old 'New York' in Israel 7 October 2019 Oren Liebermann for CNN https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/israel-bronze-age-en-esur-scli-intl/index.html 7 October 2019 Archaeologists excavating the site believe that the city was planned, and included not only streets, alleys and squares, but also facilities for storage and drainage, and a cemetery.https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/remains-of-5000-year-old-ancient-city-unearthed-by-israeli-archaeologists/ Remains of 5,000-year-old ancient city unearthed by Israeli archaeologists 7 October 2019 Jewish News 7 October 2019 live https://web.archive.org/web/20191010045039/https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/remains-of-5000-year-old-ancient-city-unearthed-by-israeli-archaeologists/ 10 October 2019Nagar, Y. O. S. S. I., "Human Skeletal Remains from Tomb 80 in the 'En Esur Cemetery'", Atiqot 64, pp. 121-124, 2010GolAni, Amir, "The Beads from Tomb 80 in the 'En Esur Cemetery", ʻAtiqot 64, pp. 115, 2010 En Esur was surrounded by fortified walls that were 2 m ft off high.Israel discovers 5,000-year-old Canaanite city with ritual temple 6 October 2019 Shi Yinglun (ed.) for Xinhua News Agency http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/06/c_138451734.htm 7 October 2019 live https://web.archive.org/web/20191006142327/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/06/c_138451734.htm 6 October 2019 The site includes about four million artefacts overall, with millions of potsherds and flint tools, and some basalt stone vessels. These included knives related to Caananite blades.Brailovsky-Rokser, Lena, Itai Elad, and Yitzhak Paz (2020). "The "'En Esur Knives"." Mitekufat Haeven - Journal of the Israel Prehistoric Society, pp. 209-222. The inhabitants of En Esur are thought to have been an agricultural people. They would have traded with other regions and kingdoms. Archaeologists found pottery originating in the Jordan Valley, and sealed imprints What are "sealed imprints"? Maybe seal imprints = bullae? March 2022 on tools demonstrate that these were brought from Egypt. Temple A temple was found within the city,Israelis unearth the remains of an ancient metropolis 7 October 2019 The Australian Agence France-Presse https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/israelis-unearth-the-remains-of-an-ancient-metropolis/news-story/a597a519c32cf07ec1e9c6e7bde7e907 11 July 2021 which was located in a public area and includes a courtyard with a huge stone basin for rituals. Burnt animal bones were found inside the temple, providing evidence of possible ritual sacrifices. Several figurines were also unearthed inside the temple, including a human head and a seal impression showing a cultic scene with person in a supplicant position and raising his hands with a horned animal next to him. Necropolis Burial caves dating from the fourth to the second millennium BCE were found at Tell el-Asawir during 1953 excavations.Khalidi W. Walid Khalidi All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948 1992 201 Washington D.C. Institute for Palestine Studies 0-88728-224-5 https://books.google.com/books?id=_By7AAAAIAAJ The Tell el-Asawir necropolis, located near a stone quarry, underwent a salvage excavation in 2003, resulting in a find presented to the press as "the largest Bronze Age necropolis in the world". Grösste bronzezeitliche Grabanlage der Welt in Israel entdeckt Largest Bronze Age Necropolis in the World Discovered in Israel Jesus.ch 31 July 2003 de https://www.jesus.ch/news/gesellschaft/wissen/112112-groesste_bronzezeitliche_grabanlage_der_welt_in_israel_entdeckt.html 10 July 2021 The Ministry of Religious Affairs intervened and the thousands of human skeletons excavated from burial chambers measuring up to 100 m2 had to be reburied before they could be scientifically studied, although their age excluded the possibility of them being the remains of Jews, which are not to be disturbed under Jewish religious laws. Early Bronze IIA The settlement was abandoned some time towards the end of Early Bronze Age IB (c. 3050/3000 BCE), much like other nearby sites at this time with the end of the Uruk Period, such as Tel Bet She'an and Tel Megiddo, between 3000 and 2800 BCE.Elad Itai Paz Yitzhak 'En Esur (Asawir): Preliminary Report (16/07/2018) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 130 2018 26691671 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/Report_Detail_Eng.aspx?id=25453 In Egypt, the rise of the 1st Dynasty with Narmer and Aha occurred in the final EB IB, with Djer marking the transitional EB IB/EB IIA. Trade centers in Lower Egypt, such as Tell el-Farkha declined with trade routes changing. Climate conditions during the EB II (c. 3050/3000-2750/2720 BCE) were generally drier before they improved in EB IIIA (c. 2720-2500 BCE), but 'En Esur did not revive as an urban center for the rest of EBA. Middle Bronze Age thumb|Sloping wall of a tower, part of Middle Bronze IIA city wall Unlike Tel Bet She'an, Tel Megiddo and other sites in the Levant, there is no evidence of a return to urbanization in the following Middle Bronze Age. Late Bronze Age During the LBA the mound was the site of a small rural settlement, of an agricultural nature, which was covered by a destruction layer. It was located in the northern 2.5 acres of the mound. Finds included large jars, pithoi, and grinding stones as well as a number of flint sickle blades. The pottery assemblage was dated to LB IB/IIA or between 1400 and 1375 BCE. The finds included a royal scarab of Amenhotep III. The regnal dates of this Phaoroh are not known with certainty. Estimates range from 1408 to 1386 BCE to 1390–1352 BCE.Shalvi, Golan, et al., "The Pottery of Tel Esur, a Rural Canaanite Late Bronze Age Site on the Via Maris", Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 382.1, pp. 111-142, 2019 Iron Age Administrative center In excavations led by S. Bar in 2010–2014 on the western slopes of the small mound (Area D), a large public structure from the early 8th century BCE (Iron Age IIB) came to light. Shalev Yiftah Bar Shay An 8th Century B.C.E. Israelite Administrative Centre at Tell el-Asawir/Tel 'Esur 123–144 Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins Harrassowitz 133 2 2017 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324561697 12 July 2021 The fortified tower abutted by a storehouse was interpreted as being part of a regional administrative centre, due to similarities with other contemporary public complexes. However, Tel 'Esur is unique in being the only small, countryside settlement, rather than large royal Iron Age estate or city, such as Hazor or Megiddo, where the state or king built an administrative centre. The architectural complex shows enough sophistication to vouch for it being a royal or state-run project, in spite of its size of less than 0.5 ha, which would otherwise be characteristic of a hamlet or farmstead. It comes in the context of both Israel and Judah having many, primarily rural settlements established in the 9th–8th centuries BCE. The excavation director speculates that the Tel 'Esur compound was established during the reign of the Omride king Jeroboam II (786–746 BCE), as part of the measures taken by the kings of Israel to strengthen their grip over the northern valleys and the Shephelah at a time of maximal expansion (see 2 Kgs 14:25). The Tel 'Esur complex is the first official presence along the Wadi Ara pass, proof for the interest of the kings of the northern kingdom in this thoroughfare. The tower measures c. 13 by 13 metres, with thick outer walls indicative of a considerable height and a certain martial look, although its location at the foot of the mound and the comparatively modest size exclude a military purpose. The entire structure is more likely to have had a mixed role, both practical and political as a built statement of royal power and control over the newly acquired territory. The long, tripartite building adjoining the tower was most probably a warehouse where local produce or different commodities were collected, although some researchers see in such structures stables, barracks, or marketplaces. A typical structure for the Iron Age, such entrepôts are all located next to major trade routes and are commonly found at bottlenecks along the borders of Israel and Judah, with the one at Tel 'Esur being again uniquely placed further in from the border. Its large size and internal separation through solid walls, rather than columns, indicatess that the even larger such structure found at Hazor had served as its prototype. The building complex was in use for half a century at most, being emptied of goods and abandoned in the mid-8th century, a decade or two before the destructive campaign of Tiglath-Pileser III in 732 BCE. A possible cause might have been Israel's deteriorating relations with Assyria, with the nearby Israelite city of Dor being another example of early abandonment, rather than the more common case of settlements evacuated out of fear during the actual approach of the Assyrian army, or the many destroyed by it. The site was later occupied in the Persian, Roman, and Byzantine periods.Elad, Itai, and Juan Alejo Sánchez Streger, "'En Esur (Asawir), Roman Remains", Hadashot Arkheologiyot: Excavations and Surveys in Israel, vol. 134, 2022Massarwa, Abdallah, "'En Esur (Asawir), Area P", Hadashot Arkheologiyot: Excavations and Surveys in Israel, vol. 134, 2022 Preservation In October 2019, according to Haaretz, En Esur was slated to be paved over by a planned highway interchange for the new town of Harish, with the Smithsonian magazine writing that it will be re-covered, but that the interchange would be built "high over the ruins". Early Bronze Age City Was the 'New York' of the Southern Levant Brigit Katz for "Smithsonian", Washington, D.C. 10 October 2019 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/early-bronze-age-city-was-new-york-southern-levant-180973293/ 10 July 2021 All findings were photographed and computer-processed, the 3D documentation of the site allowing archaeologists to continue studying it after it has been covered over. The Agence France-Presse has reported that the road plans have been modified in order to protect the archaeological site. See also List of cities of the ancient Near East Khirbet Kerak or Beth Yerah, Early Bronze Age and Persian period city, one of the largest tells in the Levant Tel Motza for an even older, Neolithic settlement of comparable size near Jerusalem Wadi Ara, Haifa, pre-1948 Arab village near the archaeological site Archaeology of Israel References Online excavation reports (HA-ESI) Excavation reports published by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) in Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel (HA-ESI) 'En Esur (Asawir) Yannai Eli 'En Esur (Asawir): Preliminary Report (14/09/2014) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 126 2014 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=10616 Pottery Neolithic (Wadi Rabah) and Early Chalcolithic findings on smaller area than the large Early Bronze Age I city. Elad Itai Paz Yitzhak 'En Esur (Asawir): Preliminary Report (16/07/2018) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 130 2018 26691671 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/Report_Detail_Eng.aspx?id=25453 January–December 2017 extensive excavation. General presentation, settlement history. Mainly Early Chalcolithic (post-Wadi Rabah culture), Late Chalcolithic (Ghassulian culture), Early Bronze Age IA (densely built round or elliptical structures with installations, drainage channel) and IB (densely built, dozens of rectangular structures with rounded or square corners, network of streets). Elad Itai Paz Yitzhak Shalem Dina 'En Esur (Asawir), Area M: Preliminary Report (31/12/2018) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 130 2018 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=25495&mag_id=126 March–July 2018 salvage excavation. Mainly Early Chalcolithic (post-Wadi Rabah culture; architecture, drainage channels, burials), Late Chalcolithic (Ghassulian culture, copper artifacts), and Early Bronze Age IB (sparser early, and architecturally dense later phase with streets and dwellings). Elad Itai Paz Yitzhak Shalem Dina 'En Esur (Asawir), Area O: Preliminary Report (07/07/2019) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 131 2019 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=25576&mag_id=127 August–October 2018 salvage excavation at the center of the proto-historic site near the two springs. Settlement nucleus with full occupation sequence (at least 3 m deep). Mainly Early Chalcolithic (settlement, post-Wadi Rabah culture), Late Chalcolithic (dwellings, Ghassulian culture pottery), Early Bronze IA (continued habitation; dwellings and silos on c. 10–20 dunams) and Early Bronze IB (site grows to 600 dunams, higher occupation density, urban centre). Elad Itai Paz Yitzhak Shalem Dina 'En Esur (Asawir), Areas K and L: Preliminary Report (20/05/2020) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 132 2020 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=25724&mag_id=128 2018 large salvage excavation. Remains and finds from the Pottery Neolithic (Yarmukian pottery), Early and Late Chalcolithic (building remains, installations, sherds), Early Bronze Age IB (dwellings, silos), and Roman periods. Elad Itai Paz Yitzhak Shalem Dina 'En Esur (Asawir), Area N: Preliminary Report (26/10/2020) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 132 2020 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=25833&mag_id=128 2018–2019 trial and salvage excavation in Area N, which extends along the southwestern part of the proto-historic site of 'En Esur. Early Chalcolithic cultic area with animal bones, figurine. Early Bronze IB settlement (silos, streets, compounds, public areas and buildings, fortification walls) including a temple with a large monolithic stone basin, figurines and a figurative seal impression. Intermediate Bronze Age remains. Tel Esur Sa'id 'Abed a-Salam Tel Esur: Final Report (17/04/2011) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 123 2011 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=1644&mag_id=118 November 2008 trial excavation: large Byzantine building, some Bronze Age finds in alluvium from the tell. Oren Eliran Yaroshevich Alla Tel Esur, Survey Along Highway 65: Final Report (13/06/2013) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 125 2013 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=2273&mag_id=120 January 2011 survey. Bar Shay Tel Esur 2010–2012: Preliminary Report (07/08/2016) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 128 2016 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=25034&mag_id=124 Has details on many settlement periods including Middle Bronze (main phase, including MB IIA city fortifications), Iron Age II, Hellenistic, and Early Roman. Horbat Gilan Horbat Gilan: site about 1 km east of Tel Esur, containing burial caves which are part of the Early Bronze Age necropolis of En Esur. Milevski Ianir Horbat Gilan: Final Report (15/05/2005) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 117 2005 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=184&mag_id=110 May 2004 trial excavation, minor ex-situ ceramic finds. Gorzalczany Amir Horbat Gilan (South), 18/12/2005 Hadashot Arkheologiyot 117 2005 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=277&mag_id=110 2002–2003 salvage excavation 300 m south of Horbat Gilan. Quarries, possibly Roman and Byzantine (4th–5th c. CE), maybe initiated much earlier. Mahajna Shireen Horbat Gilan (South), 10/09/2006 Hadashot Arkheologiyot 118 2006 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=412&mag_id=111 2004, two trial excavations. Burial caves (Early and Intermediate Bronze Age). Gorzalczany Amir Jacob Sharvit Horbat Gilan (16/10/2007) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 119 2007 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=588&mag_id=112 2003 salvage excavation near Horbat Gilan, inside Tel Esur cemetery. Burial caves (Early Bronze IB with rich grave good findings), Roman or Byzantine quarries (4th–5th c. CE). Dagan Yehuda Sadeh Shelley Horbat Gilan (South), 13/01/2008 Hadashot Arkheologiyot 120 2008 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=699&mag_id=114 2002 and 2003 seasons of salvage excavations. Early Bronze Age burial caves, part of Tel Esur necropolis, with a rich array of grave goods, and Roman or Byzantine quarries. 'Ouda Ahmed Horbat Gilan: Final Report (11/09/2008) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 120 2008 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=909&mag_id=114 August 2002 trial excavation. Late Roman and Byzantine settlement remains (4th–5th centuries CE). Massarwa Abdallah Horbat Gilan (South): Final Report (27/08/2019) Hadashot Arkheologiyot 131 2019 http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=25591&mag_id=127 July 2016 trial excavation. Winepress (no date), quarry (4th–5th c. CE), cupmark (no date). External links Pictures on Getty Images 8R4ytkddkjM Israel Unveils 5,000-Year-Old City published Oct 7, 2019 VOA News Category:1799 archaeological discoveries Category:2019 archaeological discoveries Category:Archaeological discoveries in Israel Category:Ancient Levant Category:Archaeology of Israel Category:Bronze Age sites in Israel Category:Canaanite cities Category:Cities in the Great Rift Valley Category:Former populated places in West Asia Category:Neolithic settlements Category:Populated places established in the 4th millennium BC Category:Populated places established in the 6th millennium BC Category:Populated places disestablished in the 3rd millennium BC Category:Planned communities in Israel Category:Archaeological sites in Israel