Location
Tell el-Far‘a (South) is located in southwestern Israel, about 24 km southeast of Gaza and 30 km west of Beersheba. The site sits on a loess cliff above the banks of Nahal Besor (Wadi Ghazzeh / Wadi esh-Shellale), providing a strategic vantage point over the surrounding landscape.
Identification
The Arabic name Tell el-Far‘a (or Tell el-Faria) means “tall, towering mound.” The ancient identification of the site is still debated:
- Flinders Petrie suggested it was Biblical Beth-Pelet.
- William F. Albright proposed it was Sharuhen, but this hypothesis was later rejected.
- Nadav Na’aman identified it with Shur, a site mentioned in the Bible.
- Knauf and Niemann argued it was Ziklag, the Philistine city associated with King David.
Excavation History
The site was first excavated by Flinders Petrie in 1928–1929 as part of the British School of Archaeology in Egypt. Petrie mainly focused on the site’s cemeteries, but his work left many questions regarding the site’s stratigraphy.
In 1978, Rudolph Cohen conducted salvage excavations at the site.
Between 1998 and 2002, Gunnar Lehmann of Ben-Gurion University led a renewed excavation project, alongside Tammi Schneider of Claremont Graduate University (USA) and Hermann M. Niemann of Rostock University (Germany). Their goal was to clarify the site’s stratigraphy and reassess its historical significance.
Key Findings
Tell el-Far‘a (South) was continuously inhabited from the Middle Bronze Age II (ca. 1750 BCE) to the Roman Period. Some of the most significant discoveries include:
An ostracon (inscribed pottery shard) from the Iron Age IIA, containing a short inscription that may suggest an administrative function at the site
Massive fortifications from the Middle Bronze Age – A mudbrick wall and an earthen rampart, similar to other sites in the region like Tell Jemmeh.
Evidence of Egyptian presence in the Late Bronze Age (13th–12th centuries BCE), including administrative structures and Egyptian-style ceramics, indicating the site’s role in the Egyptian-controlled system of settlements along Nahal Besor.
Iron Age II fortifications (9th century BCE) – A large mudbrick fortification wall was constructed, marking the site’s continued occupation and strategic importance in the early Israelite and Philistine periods.
Pottery from various periods, including Philistine ceramics from the Iron Age and later Hellenistic and Roman artifacts, reflecting the site’s long habitation.
Biblical Map