Tel Jezreel
archaeological site in Israel
Tel Jezreel is an archaeological site in the eastern Jezreel Valley (Harod Valley) in northern Israel.
The ancient city of Jezreel (Hebrew: יִזְרְעֶאל, romanized: Yizrəʿel, lit. 'God will sow') served as a main fortress of the Northern Kingdom of Israel under king Ahab in the 9th century BCE.
History
Chalcolithic Age
During the excavations, archaeologists collected pottery and other findings scattered all over the site. The earliest archaeological findings at the site date to the Wadi Raba culture of the 5th millennium BCE.
Bronze Ages
The "breathtaking views" that the site commands to the north and east are considered to have been of strategic importance during the Bronze and Iron Ages because the commercial and military highway from Egypt to Syria and Mesopotamia passed through Megiddo, the Jezreel Valley, and Beth Shean.
Based on the findings, the site was inhabited as an unfortified settlement throughout the entire Bronze Age period.
Iron Age
Iron IB
An unfortified settlement since the LBA. See Book of Samuel.
Iron IIA
In the 9th century BCE, Tel Jezreel was a main fortress thought to be built by king Omri. It was active in the reigns of King Ahab and his consort Queen Jezebel and their son King Jehoram. The pottery found in the fortress during the dig all dates to this brief period. Water was supplied by cisterns inside the walls and by the spring of 'En Jezreel northeast of the fortress. Because of the strategic location, ample water supply, and excellent grazing in the Jezreel Valley, archaeologists David Ussishkin and John Woodhead believe that Jezreel was the base for King Ahab's chariot corps and cavalry.
“Tel Jezreel” enters the record as archaeological site in Israel. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Jezreel, archaeological and site can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2914898. VIAF identifies the subject as 316602238. Authority coordinates are 32.558, 35.328. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Tel Jezreel” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.