Ashkelon Canaanite Gate and Rampart
The oldest known arched city gate, from a giant Middle Bronze port
Found 1992 — Lawrence E. Stager, Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon (Harvard Semitic Museum), excavations 1985–2016
Where Tel Ashkelon, southern Mediterranean coast, Israel (Israel)
Dates from c. 1850 BCE · Middle Bronze IIA · Patriarchal age; Canaanite coast before the Philistines
Now at In situ, Ashkelon National Park, Israel
How Ashkelon Canaanite Gate and Rampart was found
Found while cutting through the massive earthen rampart on the north side of the site; the mudbrick arch had survived because later Canaanites filled and rebuilt over it.
What it is
A barrel-vaulted mudbrick gate about 3.7 meters high, set in a rampart that enclosed about 60 hectares—one of the largest cities in Canaan. A small silver-plated bronze calf in a pottery shrine was found nearby in a later Middle Bronze layer.
Why it matters for the Bible
Together with Tel Dan, Ashkelon shows that Middle Bronze Canaan had big, well-fortified cities, matching Genesis's picture of a settled land with kings and walled towns among which the patriarchs lived as tent-dwellers. The silver calf figurine also shows that calf images were part of Canaanite worship centuries before the golden calf.
The Hebrew word: EH-gel
עֵגֶל
עֵגֶל is pronounced EH-gel and means calf; the Ashkelon calf shows an old Canaanite cult image (Strong's H5695).
Places
- Ashkelon — אַשְׁקְלוֹן (ash-ke-LON) — Ashkelon (Canaanite port city)
Events
Patriarchs living among Canaanite cities · Later Philistine settlement at Ashkelon
Ashkelon Canaanite Gate and Rampart in Scripture
Genesis 13:7 'The Canaanites were then in the land'—Ashkelon shows how large and fortified their cities were.
Exodus 32:4 The golden calf; Ashkelon's silver calf shows the image had deep Canaanite roots.
Judges 1:18 First mention of Ashkelon in Scripture.
Questions people ask
What is Ashkelon Canaanite Gate and Rampart?
A barrel-vaulted mudbrick gate about 3.7 meters high, set in a rampart that enclosed about 60 hectares—one of the largest cities in Canaan. A small silver-plated bronze calf in a pottery shrine was found nearby in a later Middle Bronze layer.
When was Ashkelon Canaanite Gate and Rampart discovered?
It was found in 1992 by Lawrence E. Stager, Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon (Harvard Semitic Museum), excavations 1985–2016, at Tel Ashkelon, southern Mediterranean coast, Israel.
Where is Ashkelon Canaanite Gate and Rampart today?
In situ, Ashkelon National Park, Israel.
Which Bible verses does Ashkelon Canaanite Gate and Rampart relate to?
Genesis 13:7, Exodus 32:4, Judges 1:18.
Related discoveries
- שְׁמָמָהAshkelon's Destruction by Nebuchadnezzar (604 BCE)A Philistine city burned to the ground the winter Jeremiah's scroll was read
- כַּפְתּוֹרAshkelon Philistine Cemetery and DNA StudyThe first Philistine graveyard, and genes that point to Europe
- שַׁעַרTel Dan Canaanite Gate ('Abraham's Gate')A mudbrick arched gateway from the age of the patriarchs
- שַׁעַרTel Dan Iron Age Gate ComplexThe stone gate, plaza and 'seat of judgment' where the Tel Dan Stele was reused
- בָּמָהLachish Gate Shrine and Desecrated ToiletA gate sanctuary with broken altar horns and a stone latrine — Hezekiah's reform in action?
- רֹאשׁHazor: The Middle Bronze City Named at MariCanaan's largest city, already famous in Avraham's world
Sources
- Stager, Schloen & Master, 'Ashkelon 1: Introduction and Overview' (2008)
- Wikipedia: Ashkelon
- Jerusalem Post, 'Oldest arched gate in the world restored' (gate base uncovered 1992 by Stager's Harvard expedition)
- Madain Project, 'Canaanite City Gate (Ashkelon)'
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