Evidence of Aramean Destruction Unearthed at Biblical Gath

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Excerpt Archaeologists working at Tell es-Safi - biblical Gath - have released their first summary from the 2018 excavation season... Continue reading

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Archaeologists working at Tell es-Safi – biblical Gath – have released their first summary from the 2018 excavation season. This year they focused entirely on the lower city at the site, and unearthed significant evidence of the destruction by Hazael, King of Aram at Damascus in the ninth century BC. This confirms what is recorded in the Bible in 2 Kings 12:17: "About this time Hazael king of Aram went up and attacked Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem." The remains of the siege system built around the site have been discovered, as well as evidence of defensive actions taken by the residents of Gath in attempting to use soil from the garbage dump to fortify and buffer the inside of the city wall against the Aramean forces. Four new squares were also opened in one area that revealed the half-meter-thick "Hazael Destruction Layer" just a few centimeters below the surface. Archaeologists have concluded that the lower city was not substantially resettled after the destruction of the city.

Off-site Links:

- https://gath.wordpress.com/2018/08/30/first-summary-2018-season/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoKurlGaWKM

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