powered by FreeFind	Tel Arad 123 pictures     3 minutes HQ video Arad is mentioned in the Bible as one of the cities located in the eastern Negev whose inhabitants prevented the Israelites from entering the "Promised Land": "When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive" (Numbers 21:1). The Site The King of Arad appears in the list of Canaanite kings vanquished by Joshua Bin-Nun during the conquest of the Land of Israel (Joshua 12:14). An account is also given of the Kenite tribe which settled in Arad, as is stated: "And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad" (Judges 1:16). In an inscription uncovered in the city of Karnak, Egypt, Arad appears in a list of cities subjugated by Pharaoh Shishak, king of Egypt, in the year 925 B.C. The locales ancient name - "Tel Arad" - has been preserved among the Arabs to this day. Israelite Arad Habitation of Arad by the Israelites began in the 11th century B.C.E. on the highest part of the site. A small settlement was built in the form of a courtyard encircled by residential buildings. A fortress was erected on the site, apparently during the reign of King Solomon in the second half of the 10th century B.C. Four additional settlement strata were uncovered above this original fortress reflecting structural changes introduced by various Judean kings following the destruction by conquering armies. The fortress, surrounded by a wall 180 feet long and 164 feet wide, contains a unique Judean shrine, water system, residential structures and storehouses. Discovered inside the fortress, were some 200 clay shards bearing ink-inscribed or engraved writings called ostraca and dating from various periods of the Judean Kingdom as well as from the period of Persian rule. Over 100 of these ostraca are written in Hebrew and some 90 in Aramaic. Two particularly noteworthy ostraca include one citing the concept of the "House of Jehova", perhaps a reference to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem; and the other mentioning Edom and the king of Judah in what appears to be a discussion of the Edomic threat faced by the Judean military outpost at Arad. The varied written find is of immense importance to the study of the development of Hebrew writing. The Fortresses Mound The six settlement strata uncovered at the Tel, represent fortresses dating from the period of the Judean Kingdom and the Hellenistic era. The wall, reconstructed at the site in its entirety, served to protect the Judean fortress during the 9th-6th centuries B.C. The remains of the solid-walled Hellenistic tower discovered at the center of the site were also reconstructed. Fortress Gate The Fortress gate protected on either side by towers. Wooden stairs lead to the top of the Hellenistic tower. Observation post from the Hellenistic tower and to the observation post overlooking the fortress, the Canaanite city and the Negev plains. Residential structures were built adjoining the southern fortress wall. "The house of Elyashib" The house of Elyashib, was found to contain an archive of ostraca, of which 17 were dispatched to "Elyashib son of Oshiyahu", apparently the fortress' commander circa 600 B.C. Temple A shrine, with a square altar, erected from bricks and rough stone, was built in the fortress' northwestern section. The shrine, whose layout runs along an east-west axis, includes an inner courtyard, sanctuary and the Holy of Holies. A monument was found inside the Holy of Holies, whose entrance is flanked by two incense altars. The Canaanite City The Temples North of the main street lies a fenced-in built-up enclosure containing two twin temples and their courtyards. Alters, a hewn monument, a stone basin and articles of worship were discovered in this hallowed compound. The Palace A closed structure was uncovered, south of the main street consisting of a central hall, living quarters, storerooms and chambers. This was, apparently, the abode of the governor of the city. The Western Gate The reconstructed western gate of the city is one of two discovered till now. It is located at the end of the main street, which runs from west to east, toward the water reservoir. Residential Buildings In the southern quarter of the city, a residential house known as the "Aradian House", has been reconstructed using a building style characteristic of all the city's dwellings. This broad-room house has its entrance set in one of the longitudinal walls with a step leading down to its interior house. Stone benches were constructed all along the structure's walls. On a stone pedestal at the center of the room stands a pillar supporting the ceiling which was made of wooden beams and branches. The city Wall The Canaanite city was surrounded by a 7.9 feet wall, set with gates and secondary openings (postern gates). Watchtowers with a semi-circular or square contour were built along its outer side. A peripheral street, lined with houses, runs along the wall's inner contour. A section of the wall and its towers has been reconstructed. The Well The well was constructed towards the end of the time of the Judean Kingdom, at the center of the Canaanite water reservoir, to a depth of 52.5 feet. The wells water was transported to the distant fortress using pack animals. During the Herodian period (first century B.C.), the well was renovated and several plastered storage pools - some equipped with troughs - were constructed nearby. Back to Israel Index