Tel el-Hammeh is an impressive mound visible to anyone who drives on Highway 90 near Mahula south of Beth Shean. The mound was surveyed by several expeditions: Albright, the emergency survey, Nehemiah Tzuri and the Mount Manasseh survey. The hill has two springs on its southern side, and one of them is a hot spring, which gives the site its name “hot”. The ascent is steep but possible and the view from the hill is worth the effort.

Written evidence:
Tel el-Hammeh does not appear in bible. A victory stele from the days of Seti I was discovered during excavations at Beth Shean, and the following is part of the translation: “First regnal year, third month of the third season. On the tenth day of this day, they came to tell His Majesty the following: the wretched enemy in the city of Hamath is gathering a large army for him to attack the city Beit-Shan and he is about to connect with the people of Pahal. He does not allow a street ruler to go out. So his majesty sent the first battalion of Amon ‘the brave of the bows’ to the city of Hamath, the first battalion of Ra’ the brave one to the city of Beit-Shan and the first battalion of Seth ‘the strong of the bows’ to the city of Yanoam. One day later they fell before the glory of his majesty, the king of Upper and Lower Egypt.”

Three excavation seasons were held at Tel el-Hammeh between the years 1985-1988, on behalf of the Hebrew University led by: Traler, Kahil and Lipovitz. Pottery was found from the Early Bronze Age 1-2, the Intermediate Bronze, the Middle Bronze Age 1-2, the Late Bronze Age 1-2, the Iron Age 1-2, and the Persian period.

The excavations revealed 17 architectural phases dating to the Bronze and Iron Ages. From the Middle Bronze Age, a 2.6 meter thick brick wall was found which was identified as a rampart. Tel el-Hammeh was occupied intensively during the Iron Age, and indeed 11 architectural layers attributed to the 12-7th centuries BCE have been identified. The city of Hamath was Canaanite at least until the 10th century BCE and apparently surrendered to the hegemony of the Kingdom of Israel which ruled the region at least until the end of the 10th century.

Three ruins from the 11-9th centuries BCE were discovered that, due to their destruction layers, contained assemblages of rich finds. In the ruin that happened in the tenth century BCE, two rulers can be taken into account (according to the excavators): King David or Pharaoh Shishak, an Egyptian who made a journey to the Land of Israel at the beginning of the 10th century BCE which is recorded in the Karnak Temple, Egypt.
The excavations found: mud-made Iron Age houses, some of which are plastered, many pottery vessels, grinding stones, weights, fabric dish covers with clay on them, a tablet-shaped female figurine made in a pattern, a stone seal depicting a man raising his hands and subduing two animals on the sides, a faience amulet in the shape of a cat , “Black on Red” ware pots from Cyprus, a collection of vertebral bones (astragali), several iron tools, including a pitchfork, an assemblage of beads of various stone types, a decorated ivory box with a lid, three seals decorated with figures, one of which depicts a radiating animal, and next to it a figure. Remains of mats were found, which covered the floors of the buildings, pieces of wood with carved decorations, as well as planks and skills, all made of wood. Linen threads were found wrapped around a wooden wick.

A part of a Mioded (‘Kotit’) bowl was found that postdates 720 BCE and it is possible that it represents a new population in the area after the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel. A jug handle from the Iron Age was found in the emergency survey bearing the inscription “Lahab”, or “Lachal”. Amichai Mazar and Shmuel Ahitov interpret the inscription as “Ahab”. It should be noted that the organic preservation of the findings is at a high level due to the low levels of rain and dryness in the Jordan Valley region.

The excavations have been partially published. Some of the findings are currently displayed in the Israel Museum.

Sources:
Aharoni Y. (5773). The Land of Israel in the biblical period geographically and historically. Jerusalem.
Zuri N. (5772). Beit Shan Valley. Jerusalem.
community c. and others (1989). Tel al-Hama in the 17th century BC. Antiquities pp. 33-38.

Cahill J. (2006). The Excavations at Tell el-Hammah: A Prelude to Amihai Mazar’s Beth-Shean Valley Regional Project I Will Speak the Riddles of Ancient Times. (Edited by Aren M. Maeir and Pierre de M.) Winona Lake, Indiana. pp. 423-461

Kochavi, M. (Editor), Ovadiah, R. (1972). Judaea, Samaria and the Golan. Archaeological Survey, 1967-1968, Jerusalem