Beth She’an is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Israel. It is comprised of two adjacent sites: the large mound (initially known in Arabic as Tell el-Hosn = “castle hill”), where a settlement existed since the prehistoric Neolithic period and the Egyptian governor of Canaan resided during the Late Bronze Age period (15-12th centuries BCE); and the remains of a large Roman-Byzantine city around the tel, with markets, civil structures, and a large theatre. The location of Beth She’an is strategic: it is the crossroads between the east-west road linking to the Mediterranean, and the south-north road along the Jordan River. Beth She’an is mentioned several times in ancient Egyptian sources, especially during Egypt’s New Kingdom period, when it ruled Canaan. In Biblical sources it is first mentioned as a Canaanite and Philistine city and later as a city in King Solomon’s fifth district and one of the cities conquered by Pharaoh Shishak (identified with Sheshonq I).

Excavation history
The first expedition to the site was conducted by the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania, which excavated the site between the years 1921-1933. These excavations exposed vast areas of the mound. From the 1950s until 1983, most of the excavations took place in the Roman-Byzantine city (named “Scythopolis” in Greek). In 1989 the excavations on the mound were renewed under the supervision of Amihai Mazar of the Hebrew University. In addition, between 1986-2002, extensive excavations took place in the Roman-Byzantine city, especially in its civic center.

The remains of an Egyptian administrative center
Numerous remains of mud-brick structures are seen on the mound, but they are a very bad state of preservation. However, one structure was restored and preserved: the Egyptian governor’s residence. The structure was built according to Egyptian architectural tradition and follows a standard plan that can be seen in other sites of that period in Israel. An inscription on one of its lintels identifies the governor as Ramesses Weser-Khepesh, which probably operated in the times of Ramesses III (1186-1155 BCE)

Beth She’an in the Classical to Early Medieval periods
Nysa-Scythopolis – the city which encircles the mound, was established in the Hellenistic period, as a military stronghold of king Ptolemy II Philadelphus. In the Roman period the city between the largest in the region, and a civil center was established around a large Agora. The city continued to thrive throughout the Byzantine period (4th-7th centuries CE), with a number of churches, monasteries and two synagogues were established on its periphery. With that, the civil center maintained its Roman character. After the mid-6th century CE, the city underwent a decline and was peacefully handed over to the Islamic Umayyad Caliphate, and the civil center served mostly for industry. A massive earthquake in the year 749 CE devastated the city, brought an end to the civil center, and left residents scattered in its periphery. In later periods, the Arab settlement Baysan maintained the ancient name of the city.

Sources:
Mazar, A. 1997. Four Thousand Years of History at Tel Beth-Shean: An Account of the Renewed Excavations. The Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 60, No. 2 (Jun., 1997), pp. 62-76

Biblical Hiking map