Jaffa (Joppa): The Ramesses II Gate
An Egyptian fortress gate inscribed with Pharaoh's names in the port of Jonah and Peter
Found 1955 — Jacob Kaplan (Tel Aviv–Jaffa Museum of Antiquities), 1955–1974; Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project, Aaron Burke (UCLA) and Martin Peilstöcker, 2007–2014
Where Tel Yafo (Old Jaffa), Ramesses Gate Garden above Jaffa port (Israel)
Dates from c. 1280–1125 BCE (gate phases) · Late Bronze IIB (Egyptian fortress); city occupied to today · Egyptian empire in Canaan; later Jonah's port and Peter's vision
Now at In situ (reconstructed jambs in the Ramesses Gate Garden, Old Jaffa); originals in the Israel Antiquities Authority / Jaffa Museum
How Jaffa (Joppa): The Ramesses II Gate was found
Kaplan's digs on the old mound above the harbor uncovered a monumental mudbrick gateway whose sandstone door jambs carried the titles of Ramesses II in hieroglyphs. The JCHP re-excavated the gate in 2011–2014 and found it had been violently burned at least twice, with arrows, a scarab of Amenhotep III and Egyptian pottery in the debris; radiocarbon dates place the final fall around 1125 BCE, read as Canaanite resistance to Egyptian rule.
What it is
The stone-faced entrance to an Egyptian garrison fortress, its passage about 4 m wide, with jambs inscribed 'Ramesses, beloved of Amun, ruler of Heliopolis'. Jaffa is one of very few Egyptian imperial forts in Canaan actually excavated, and the only one with a royal inscription on its gate. The Egyptian 'Papyrus Anastasi I' also describes Jaffa's fortress and its granaries.
Why it matters for the Bible
The gate is a piece of the Egyptian empire that ruled Canaan in the century most often proposed for the Exodus and the Judges — the same Ramesses whose name marks the store-city of Exodus 1:11. Its repeated burning shows Canaanite pushback as Egypt's grip failed, the world into which Israel emerged. Joppa is later the port where Solomon's cedar rafts landed, where Jonah boarded ship, and where Peter saw the vision that opened the door to the Gentiles.
The Hebrew word: yah-FOH
יָפוֹ
יָפוֹ is pronounced yah-FOH and means Joppa/Jaffa — 'beauty' (Strong's H3305).
People this discovery connects to
- Jonah — יוֹנָה (yo-NAH) — dove
- Peter (Kefa) — כֵּיפָא (kay-FAH) — Aramaic 'rock'; Greek Petros
- Ramesses II — רַעְמְסֵס (rah-am-SAYS) — Egyptian 'Ra has borne him'
Places
- Joppa — יָפוֹ (yah-FOH) — beautiful
Events
Egyptian rule of Canaan under the Ramessides · Jonah's flight to Tarshish · Peter's vision at Simon the tanner's house
Jaffa (Joppa): The Ramesses II Gate in Scripture
Joshua 19:46 The border of Dan runs 'over against Joppa' — the Egyptian fortress was still standing in the settlement period. (First mention of Joppa.)
Jonah 1:3 Jonah goes down to Joppa to find a ship; the gate stands on the mound above that harbor.
Acts 10:5-6 Peter lodges with Simon the tanner in Joppa and receives the vision; the same ancient port town.
Questions people ask
What is Jaffa (Joppa): The Ramesses II Gate?
The stone-faced entrance to an Egyptian garrison fortress, its passage about 4 m wide, with jambs inscribed 'Ramesses, beloved of Amun, ruler of Heliopolis'. Jaffa is one of very few Egyptian imperial forts in Canaan actually excavated, and the only one with a royal inscription on its gate. The Egyptian 'Papyrus Anastasi I' also describes Jaffa's fortress and its granaries.
When was Jaffa (Joppa): The Ramesses II Gate discovered?
It was found in 1955 by Jacob Kaplan (Tel Aviv–Jaffa Museum of Antiquities), 1955–1974; Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project, Aaron Burke (UCLA) and Martin Peilstöcker, 2007–2014, at Tel Yafo (Old Jaffa), Ramesses Gate Garden above Jaffa port.
Where is Jaffa (Joppa): The Ramesses II Gate today?
In situ (reconstructed jambs in the Ramesses Gate Garden, Old Jaffa); originals in the Israel Antiquities Authority / Jaffa Museum.
Which Bible verses does Jaffa (Joppa): The Ramesses II Gate relate to?
Joshua 19:46, Jonah 1:3, Acts 10:5-6.
Related discoveries
- בֵּית כְּנֶסֶתHuqoq Synagogue MosaicsSamson, Jonah, the Red Sea and an 'elephant' panel in a Galilean village synagogue
- צַיִדBethsaida: et-Tell and el-ArajTwo rival sites for the fishing village of Peter, Andrew and Philip
- מָשִׁיחַCave Church of St Peter, AntiochThe grotto where tradition says the first 'Christians' met
- לֹדLod (Lydda) MosaicA stunning Roman floor found under a street in the town where Peter healed Aeneas
- בֵּית הָאֲסוּרִיםMamertine Prison (Carcer Tullianum), RomeThe Forum dungeon where tradition holds Peter and Paul were held before death
- כֵּיפָאTomb of Peter beneath St Peter's BasilicaA 2nd-century shrine over a simple grave, with the graffito 'Petros eni'
Sources
- Burke, A. A. et al., 'Excavations of the New Kingdom Fortress in Jaffa, 2011–2014: Traces of Resistance to Egyptian Rule in Canaan', AJA 121 (2017)
- Biblical Archaeology Society, 'Excavations Highlight Late Bronze Age Jaffa'
- Wikipedia, 'Jaffa' (archaeology section)
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