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Tel Hannathon (Tell el-Bedaweya)

Today, I participated in an extraordinarily fascinating tour of Tel Hannathon. Prof. Assaf Kleiman from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, who guided, explained, and led the tour, introduced us to the excavations that he and his extensive team are conducting at the site. The excavations at Tel Hannathon are a joint collaboration between Ben-Gurion University, Leipzig University, and the Israel Antiquities Authority. The tour took place as part of "Thursday in the Field" (Hamishi BaShetach)—excavation site tours organized by the Israel Exploration Society (highly recommended to follow and join—links below).


Tel Hannathon, identified with ancient Hannathon—mentioned in the Amarna Letters, the inscriptions of Tiglath-Pileser III, and the Book of Joshua—stands at a dramatic strategic crossroads. It is located 25 km from Acre and the Port of Acre, 25 km north of Megiddo, and 25 km west of the Sea of Galilee (Kinnerot) Basin. East-west transit and vice versa, as well as the link between the coastal plain and the southward route toward Egypt, and Transjordan to the east and northward toward Mesopotamia, all passed through Hannathon.


Settlement at the site began in the Early Bronze Age (starting around 3600 BCE) and continued continuously until the Persian period (5th century BCE), when the tell was abandoned. The next documented phase of settlement at Tel Hannathon occurred during the Crusader period, when an impressive monument was constructed (see photos), with habitation seemingly continuing uninterrupted into the Ottoman period (between the 16th and 19th centuries CE).


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Israel Exploration Society - https://www.israelexplorationsociety.com

Tel Hannathon Excavation Project - https://telhannathon.org


Looking north from Tel Hannathon, overlooking the Beit Netofa Valley, Kafr Manda, and the Yodfat Ridge. Photo: Nir Topper.
Looking north from Tel Hannathon, overlooking the Beit Netofa Valley, Kafr Manda, and the Yodfat Ridge. Photo: Nir Topper.
Looking east from Tel Hannathon, overlooking the Beit Netofa Valley, the Eshkol Reservoir (National Water Carrier), and Givat HaMoreh. Photo: Nir Topper.
Looking east from Tel Hannathon, overlooking the Beit Netofa Valley, the Eshkol Reservoir (National Water Carrier), and Givat HaMoreh. Photo: Nir Topper.


Part of the very impressive Crusader monument at Tel Hannathon. Photo: Nir Topper.
Part of the very impressive Crusader monument at Tel Hannathon. Photo: Nir Topper.

Part of the very impressive Crusader monument at Tel Hannathon. Note the precise stone dressing and the accurate, aesthetic angles and slopes. Photo: Nir Topper.
Part of the very impressive Crusader monument at Tel Hannathon. Note the precise stone dressing and the accurate, aesthetic angles and slopes. Photo: Nir Topper.

Part of the very impressive Crusader monument at Tel Hannathon. Note the precise stone dressing and the accurate, aesthetic angles and slopes. Photo: Nir Topper.
Part of the very impressive Crusader monument at Tel Hannathon. Note the precise stone dressing and the accurate, aesthetic angles and slopes. Photo: Nir Topper.

Part of the very impressive Crusader monument at Tel Hannathon. Note the precise stone dressing and the accurate, aesthetic angles and slopes. Photo: Nir Topper.
Part of the very impressive Crusader monument at Tel Hannathon. Note the precise stone dressing and the accurate, aesthetic angles and slopes. Photo: Nir Topper.



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