Location:
Tel Hanaton also known as Tell el-Badawiya is in the heart of the Beit Netofa Valley, in the western Lower Galilee region of Israel,. Approximately 2 kilometers south of Kfar Manda and 1 kilometer northeast of Kibbutz Hanaton (named after the tel itself), it rises roughly 75 meters above the surrounding valley, offering breathtaking panoramic views.
Identification:
Recognized by archaeologists as the biblical Hanaton mentioned in the Book of Joshua, this strategically positioned tel was once part of the territory allotted to the Tribe of Zebulun. Its strategic location on a trade route between the Mediterranean coast and the Jezreel Valley made it a vital center for commerce and agriculture throughout its long history.
History:
Hannaton is first mentioned in the Late Bronze Age Amarna Letters (EA 8 and EA 245), where it is described as a central station in the Galilee where traders arrived and where political events took place between the rulers of Acre, Megiddo, and Nablus.
Settlement in the place began as early as the Middle Bronze Age, and in the Iron Age there was a continuous Israelite settlement, which was included in the border of the tribe of Zebulun according to the Book of Joshua. The city continued to be inhabited during the Second Temple period and until the times of the Mishnah and the Talmud. The inscriptions of Tiglath-Pileser III indicate that Hannaton was conquered by Assyria in the 8th century BCE.
Hanaton was a large and strategically important city, due to its location on a network of major trade routes connecting Mesopotamia, Egypt, Samaria, the Galilee, and Acre. The fertile area and the Yaftahel Stream contributed to its economic prosperity.
In the Roman period, its importance declined, but it continued to be inhabited. During the Crusader period, a fortified farm was probably located there, which served as part of the agricultural control system in the Galilee. During the Mamluk period, the fortress continued to be used, and during the Ottoman period, the Khan al-Badawiyya was built on the hill, from which the Arabic name of the place is derived.
Biblical Context:
The Book of Joshua mentions Hanaton among the cities captured by the Israelites during their conquest of Canaan (Joshua 19:14). Its inclusion in this biblical text underscores the town’s significance as a key center in the region during the Iron Age.
History of the Excavation
Early Surveys
In surveys of the 19th and 20th centuries, the site was identified as Tell el-Badawiyya.
In the Lower Galilee Survey (Zvi Gal), the site was defined as having high research potential.
First test excavations
In 1923, “soundings” (limited depth tests) were carried out by W. J. Phythian-Adams on behalf of the British School of Archaeology.
The results were not published in full, but were briefly cited by Albright.
Current research – Hannathon / Tell el-Badawiya project
Starting in 2023, a systematic project was established under the leadership of Ben-Gurion University, the Israel Antiquities Authority and the University of Leipzig.
Its objectives: detailed survey, spot excavations, ceramic documentation, and historical reconstruction of the settlement.
Special focus: Examination of the situation of the settlement in the Iron Age in light of the claims of the “Empty Galilee” after the Assyrian conquest.
Season 2023: Intensive survey, opening of initial squares, documentation of layers from the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age.
Additional seasons (from 2024 onwards): Continued exposure in the areas The slope and summit, mapping of cisterns and later installations.
Archaeological findings
Middle Bronze Age
The first developed settlement appears, with typical pottery and scanty building remains.
Late Bronze Age
— The peak period of the site: an important Canaanite settlement, rich ceramic finds, international imports, and evidence of contact with the Egyptian administrator (as in the Amarna letters).
Iron
A stable but small rural settlement. Pottery is typical of the Kingdom of Israel. New findings indicate continuity even after the Assyrian conquest.
Persian-Hellenistic
The site shrinks and becomes a marginal settlement.
Roman-Byzantine
Little activity, mainly burials and secondary use on the margins.
The Tel Hanaton Expedition Site
Biblical Hiking map
