Location
A low kurkar hill, rising about 18 m above its surroundings.
Southwest of Rehovot, near the Kfar Gvirol neighborhood.
To the east, Highway 411 passes, northeast of Nahal Gamliel.
On the tell today are two two-story houses from the Mandate period, built by the Shahin family from Kfar Kubaiba.
Identification
Benjamin Mazar (1976) proposed identifying the site with Eltekeh, one of the Levite cities in the territory of the tribe of Dan.
Not all scholars accept this identification; some propose alternative sites (such as Tel Makna or other hills in the area).
The location in the northwestern Shephelah corresponds geographically to some of the biblical references, but is not agreed upon.
Settlement history
First settlement already in the Early Bronze Age.
An important settlement developed in the Middle Bronze Age (Canaanite); Pottery and a fragment of a window frame with Egyptian hieroglyphs were found.
In the Iron Age (the time of the kings of Judah), a fortified settlement existed, including Hebrew inscriptions and a wall.
During the Persian period, limited settlement continued.
During the Byzantine and early Islamic periods, agricultural activity is evident in the surrounding areas.
History of the excavation
Included in the 19th-century surveys of the Land of Israel.
Partially excavated in the early 20th century (collection of pottery).
Systematic and extensive excavations began in the 1990s by the Israel Antiquities Authority following development.
Additional salvage excavations have been carried out over the years around the mound and on its slopes.
The buildings on the mound have been declared for preservation by the Sites Preservation Council.
Main findings
Ceramics from the Early Bronze, Middle and Iron Ages.
A fragment of a lintel with hieroglyphs (evidence of Egyptian connections).
Remains of a wall and public buildings from the Iron Age.
Hebrew inscriptions from the First Temple period.
Finds from the Persian period – pottery and coins.
Evidence of Byzantine-Islamic agricultural activity.
