Tell Jenin, also known as ‘Tel at-Tel,’ ‘Tel an-Nawar’ (Gypsies’ Mound), and ‘Majna’ (Cemetery), is an archaeological site located in the heart of the city of Jenin, at the northern end of Samaria. The mound was first identified by Philip Guy, head of the Mandatory Antiquities Department, in 1926. In the nearly 100 years since then, most of the mound has been gradually destroyed due to local construction, and only a small portion remains studied. The estimated original size of the mound was about 30 dunams. Many scholars have proposed identifying Jenin with the biblical Levite city of Ein Ganim (Joshua 19:21; 21:29), although some believe Ein Ganim should be identified with Khirbat Beit Jan near modern Yavniel. However, most agree that Jenin should be identified with Beit HaGan, through which King Ahaziah of Judah passed during his escape from Jehu ben Namshi (2 Kings 9:27).
Research history
The site was first surveyed by Yosef Porat in 1968 as part of the emergency survey conducted in Judea, Samaria, and the Golan following the Six-Day War. A year later, the site was surveyed again by Nehemia Tsori. In subsequent years, several limited rescue excavations were conducted at the site on behalf of the archaeology department.
From 1977 to 1983, the edge of the mound was excavated by a delegation from Birzeit University led by the American archaeologist Albert Glock. Glock was murdered by an unknown assailant in 1992, before he could publish the full excavation report. Some of his students published individual studies on the excavation in the following years, but a final report has yet to be published.
In 2003 or 2004, an ancient tomb was excavated near the mound by the Palestinian Antiquities Authority, and there was likely a spot excavation at the mound itself during this period. In 2016 and 2017, Meir Rotter from Bar-Ilan University conducted two assessments of the site’s condition.
The site from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age
Tell Jenin was first occupied in a limited manner during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period (7500-6000 BC), likely serving as an agricultural site engaged in early forms of international trade. There was probable activity during the Chalcolithic period (4500-3700 BC). In the Early Bronze Age 1 (around 3700 BC), the mound was artificially raised to prevent flooding. During this era, the site experienced periods of abandonment and resettlement until it was deserted around 3300 BC. While clear evidence of settlement from the Intermediate Bronze Age onwards is lacking, the site might have been fortified during the Middle Bronze Age, with potsherds from these periods suggesting some level of activity.
Some researchers propose that Jenin is ‘Kina,’ listed among the Canaanite cities conquered by Thutmose III of Egypt in the mid-15th century BC (Late Bronze Age period). Additionally, many scholars identify Tell Jenin with ‘Gina,’ mentioned in the Amarna letters (late 14th century BC) as the city where Labaya, the king of Shechem, was killed, leading to its attack by his sons, possibly linked to the Apiru. The site was certainly rebuilt in the 13th century BC, as evidenced by the discovery of a bronze axe, a gold earring, and a glass bottle from this period.
Iron Age and later
The site continued to exist at the beginning of Iron Age 1 (12th century BC), with evidence suggesting that some inhabitants engaged in mollusc fishing. Trade relations during this period are indicated by the presence of Cypriot and Philistine vessels. Additional finds include houses, a bronze needle, a basalt grinding stone, and various Israelite tools, though the specific identity of the site’s occupants remains unknown. By the end of the 12th century BC, the edge of the mound was abandoned and only resettled in the Byzantine period. The settlement at the top of the mound was likely renewed during Iron Age 2, though this area remains unexcavated. Artifacts from this period, as well as from the Persian, Hellenistic, and later periods, have been discovered.
Sources:
י’ פורת, סקר שומרון ב’ [כת”י שלא פורסם, נמצא אצל המחבר], 1968.
נ’ צורי, נחלת יששכר: סקר ארכיאולוגי של הגלבוע ומורדותיו, עמק יזרעאל והגליל התחתון המזרחי, ירושלים תשל”ז.
A. Glock, ‘Jenin’, in: Anchor Bible Dictionary, 3, pp. 678-680.
A. Glock, ‘News from the Field: Excavations in Jenin’, The Biblical Archaeologist 40 (1977), p. 99.
H. J. Salem, Early Bronze Age Settlement System and Village Life in the Jenin Region/Palestine: A Study of Tell Jenin Stratigraphy and Pottery Traditions (Ph.D. dissertation, Universiteit Leiden), 2006.