Tel Hazor
Israel · Northern District
In brief
Hazor was a major Canaanite centre consisting of an upper and lower city in the Bronze Age. Excavations uncovered palaces, temples, defensive structures and written documents.
What was found?
- 1Canaanite ceremonial palace
It is a Late Bronze Age building with a throne room, courtyard, and basalt cladding. It documents the monumental setting of royal administration at Hazor.
- 2Cuneiform clay tablets
The inscribed tablets recovered during palace excavations directly demonstrate the use of writing in the city. They allow Hazor to be studied through written documents.
- 3Statues and cult stelae
Stone and bronze statues and stelae from temples document the city's religious art. They help us understand the objects used in places of worship.
- 4Underground water system
A stepped shaft and sloping tunnel lead to a pool fed by groundwater. It was built to allow the city's inhabitants to access water without going outside during a siege.
- 5City walls
These are defensive remains from different building phases. They allow the city's expansion and the importance attached to its protection to be traced.
What does it point to?
Hazor's palace, written documents, and defensive structures indicate an organized urban administration. The water system shows that city security was considered together with continuous access to water.
What did it teach us?
- It showed that Canaanite cities had monumental palaces and used written documents.
- It documented the development of water engineering to withstand siege conditions.
- It revealed a major destruction through traces of fire in the palace; these traces alone cannot identify those responsible for the destruction.
Images


Record
- Culture
- Canaanite and ancient Israelite
- First modern dig
- 1928
- Team / historical
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Igor Kreimerman
- Coordinates
- 33.0164°, 35.5658°
Sources
Nearby excavations
- Tel Dan 27 km
- Tel Megiddo 60 km
- Pella 63 km
- Caesarea Maritima 85 km
- Jerash / Gerasa 87 km
- Umm al-Jimal 107 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
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Arkeoloji Dergisi ↗
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Türkiye
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