Tel Zayit


Tel Zayit is an archaeological tell in the Shephelah, or lowlands, of Israel, about 30km east of Ashkelon. It may have been the site of the biblical city of Libnah or of Ziklag.

History

The site, roughly, shows evidence of human settlement throughout the Late Bronze Age, and Iron Age I and II. The city was destroyed by fire twice, in 1200 BCE and the ninth century BCE. Hazael of Aram may have been the military leader who ordered the destruction of the city in the ninth century. The Aramean's siege tactics are known from the Zakkur stele, which records that Hazael's son, called Ben-Hadad, employed spectacular siege warfare against his enemies, and the Hebrew Bible records that Hazael devastated cities in the Shephelah during the ninth century, including Philistine Gath. The similar siege and destruction of Tell es-Safi in the ninth century, a nearby site usually identified as Gath, has been cited by archaeologists as possible evidence of Hazael's campaign.
From at least the 16th century until some time during the 20th century, the site was occupied by the Arab village Zayta. During the period of the British mandate, the village moved 1.5 km to the north. It was depopulated in 1948.
Work at Tel Zayit began with a preliminary survey in 1998 by a Pittsburgh Theological Seminary team led by Ron Tappy.
During the 2005 season, archaeologists discovered the Zayit Stone among the ruins of a fire dating to the tenth century BC. Alternatively, a 9th century BC date has been suggested.
The stone includes an inscription identified by some scholars as an abecedary, among the oldest ever discovered.