Abel Beth Maacah and the Faience 'King's Head'
A 'mother city in Israel' on the northern border, and the tiny glazed head of a 9th-century ruler
Found 2013 — Robert Mullins (Azusa Pacific University), Nava Panitz-Cohen and Naama Yahalom-Mack (Hebrew University of Jerusalem); survey 2012, excavations from 2013
Where Tel Abel Beth Maacah (Abil el-Qamh), Upper Galilee, near Metula (Israel)
Dates from c. 900–800 BCE (head) · Iron Age IIA (head); occupied Middle Bronze – Persian · Sheba's revolt under David; Aramean and Assyrian attacks on Israel's north
Now at Head: Israel Museum, Jerusalem; other finds at the Hebrew University
How Abel Beth Maacah and the Faience 'King's Head' was found
The large mound of Abil el-Qamh, 2 km south of Metula, was never dug before 2013. Excavations found a Middle Bronze rampart, a Late Bronze silver hoard in a jug, dense Iron I levels with metalworking, and a massive Iron IIA building. On its floor in 2017 lay a 5-cm faience head of a bearded man with a diadem — announced in 2018 and displayed at the Israel Museum as 'A Royal Enigma'.
What it is
A 10-hectare mound at the meeting point of Israel, Aram-Damascus and Phoenicia. The head, 2.2 by 2 inches, is glazed faience with black hair, beard, almond eyes and a yellow-and-black headband; it was once part of a 20–25 cm statuette. The building it came from may be a citadel. Other finds include an amethyst scarab in a gold ring and an Iron I silver hoard.
Why it matters for the Bible
Abel Beth Maacah is the town whose 'wise woman' saved it from Joab by handing over the rebel Sheba, and it was seized by Ben-Hadad and later Tiglath-Pileser III. The head is the finest portrait-like object of the divided-kingdom era found in Israel and almost certainly shows a king — Ahab, Jehu, Hazael, Ethbaal and others have been suggested, but nothing names him. The site shows the mixed Israelite–Aramean–Phoenician border zone the prophets Elijah and Elisha moved through.
The Hebrew word: eer veh-AYM beh-yis-rah-AYL
עִיר וְאֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל
עִיר וְאֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל is pronounced eer veh-AYM beh-yis-rah-AYL and means 'a city and a mother in Israel' — the wise woman's description of Abel (2 Samuel 20:19) (Strong's H5892 + H517).
People this discovery connects to
- Joab — יוֹאָב (yo-AHV) — YHVH is father
- Sheba son of Bichri — שֶׁבַע (SHEH-vah) — seven / oath
- Ben-Hadad — בֶּן־הֲדַד (ben-ha-DAHD) — son of (the god) Hadad
Places
- Abel Beth Maacah — אָבֵל בֵּית מַעֲכָה (ah-VAYL bayt ma-ah-CHAH) — meadow of the house of Maacah
Events
Sheba's revolt and the wise woman of Abel · Ben-Hadad's raid on northern Israel · Tiglath-Pileser III's conquest of Galilee
Abel Beth Maacah and the Faience 'King's Head' in Scripture
2 Samuel 20:14 First mention of Abel-beth-maachah in Scripture.
2 Samuel 20:18-19 The wise woman calls Abel 'a mother in Israel' and ends Joab's siege; this is the mound.
1 Kings 15:20 Ben-Hadad of Aram strikes Abel-beth-maacah; the 9th-century 'king's head' comes from this contested century.
Questions people ask
What is Abel Beth Maacah and the Faience 'King's Head'?
A 10-hectare mound at the meeting point of Israel, Aram-Damascus and Phoenicia. The head, 2.2 by 2 inches, is glazed faience with black hair, beard, almond eyes and a yellow-and-black headband; it was once part of a 20–25 cm statuette. The building it came from may be a citadel. Other finds include an amethyst scarab in a gold ring and an Iron I silver hoard.
When was Abel Beth Maacah and the Faience 'King's Head' discovered?
It was found in 2013 by Robert Mullins (Azusa Pacific University), Nava Panitz-Cohen and Naama Yahalom-Mack (Hebrew University of Jerusalem); survey 2012, excavations from 2013, at Tel Abel Beth Maacah (Abil el-Qamh), Upper Galilee, near Metula.
Where is Abel Beth Maacah and the Faience 'King's Head' today?
Head: Israel Museum, Jerusalem; other finds at the Hebrew University.
Which Bible verses does Abel Beth Maacah and the Faience 'King's Head' relate to?
2 Samuel 20:14, 2 Samuel 20:18-19, 1 Kings 15:20.
Related discoveries
- צִנּוֹרWarren's ShaftThe vertical shaft above the Gihon once thought to be David's way into Jerusalem
- מוֹשִׁיעַNimrud Slab of Adad-nirari IIIAssyria lists 'the land of Omri' among its tributaries
- רֶכֶבKurkh Monolith of Shalmaneser III'Ahab the Israelite' and 2,000 chariots at the Battle of Qarqar
- צַיִדBethsaida: et-Tell and el-ArajTwo rival sites for the fishing village of Peter, Andrew and Philip
- חָרָשׁSepphoris (Tzippori)The 'ornament of all Galilee' rebuilt by Antipas an hour's walk from Nazareth
- סְפִינָהAncient Galilee Boat ('Jesus Boat')A 1st-century fishing boat preserved in the mud of the Sea of Galilee
Sources
- Biblical Archaeology Society, 'An Iron Age Royal at Abel Beth Maacah?'
- Israel Museum, 'A Royal Enigma' exhibition
- Wikipedia, 'Abel-beth-maachah'
- Tel Abel Beth Maacah Excavations (official site)
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