Tel Reḥov in the Tenth and Ninth Centuries BCE

Abstract

Tel Reḥov was the location of one of the largest Iron Age cities in northern Israel during the Iron Age IIA, the main period investigated at the site. This article summarizes the stratigraphy, main architectural features, aspects of daily life and material culture, industries, trade relations, writing, religion and iconography, as well as chronology and historical questions. The finds reflect cultural and economic processes that the city and its environs underwent during this momentous time. Canaanite traditions alongside innovations, economic prosperity, vibrant trade relations with the Phoenician coast and, indirectly, with Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece are evidenced. Notable is the exceptional and peaceful continuity between the Iron I and Iron II cities. The city may have been the hometown of the Nimshi clan, to which Jehu belonged. The city suffered a violent destruction, probably at the hands of Hazael, king of Aram-Damascus.