(Photo: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority)
By Ruth Schuster - August 23, 2020
A Canaanite fort from the blood-soaked biblical epoch of the Judges has been found near Kibbutz Gal-On in southern Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Sunday.
The IAA archaeologists leading the dig, Sa'ar Ganor and Itamar Weissbein, date the stronghold to about 3,150 years ago. They think it was built by the Canaanites, based on its manner of construction and hundreds of pottery pieces found at the site, and partly on biblical lore about that era – the time of the Judges.
Given certain Egyptian characteristics of the construction and artifacts, it seems the ancient Egyptian overlords who controlled Canaan at the time were instrumental in building the Gal-On fort. Why? To fight the Philistines, who were waxing powerful and frightening on the Canaanite coast, Ganor postulates.
Read More: Haaretz