Tel Kabri
Encyclopedia
Tel Kabri is an archaeological site on the grounds of Kibbutz Kabri, near the city of Nahariya
, Israel
.
Tel Kabri is notable for its Minoan
-style frescoes, the only such frescoes ever discovered in Israel.
The area of Kabri was first settled 16,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period. Permanent structures appeared around the year 10000 BCE.
The tel
contains the remains of a Canaan
ite city from the Middle Bronze Age
(2000-1550 B.C.). It was the most important of the cities in the Western Galilee
during that period and had a palace at its center. Tel Kabri is the only Canaanite city that can be excavated in its entirety because no other city was built over its remains.
The palace, which occupies 1 to 1.5 acres (6,070.3 m²), is also the only Canaanite palace of this period that can be excavated fully. The city's preservation offers a complete picture of political and social life in the Canaanite period, answered questions about whether or not it had a central government, whether taxes were levied and the type of agriculture there.
Excavations began at Tel Kabri in 1986 under the direction of Aharon Kempinski, but were halted in 1993. Renewed excavations have taken place since 2005 by an international team co-directed by Assaf Yasur-Landau of the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies at the University of Haifa
and Prof. Eric H. Cline
of The George Washington University.During the summer of 2009, additional Aegean style frescoes were found at the site.
Nahariya
Nahariya is the northernmost coastal city in Israel, with an estimated population of 51,200.-History:Nahariya was founded by German Jewish immigrants from the Fifth Aliyah in the 1930s...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Tel Kabri is notable for its Minoan
Minoan civilization
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and flourished from approximately the 27th century BC to the 15th century BC. It was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of the British archaeologist Arthur Evans...
-style frescoes, the only such frescoes ever discovered in Israel.
The area of Kabri was first settled 16,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period. Permanent structures appeared around the year 10000 BCE.
The tel
TEL
- Acronyms :TEL is a three-letter acronym for:* Tetra-ethyl lead, a gasoline additive to make leaded gasoline* Tokyo Electron, a semiconductor equipment manufacturer* Transporter erector launcher, a mobile missile launch platform...
contains the remains of a Canaan
Canaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
ite city from the Middle Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
(2000-1550 B.C.). It was the most important of the cities in the Western Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
during that period and had a palace at its center. Tel Kabri is the only Canaanite city that can be excavated in its entirety because no other city was built over its remains.
The palace, which occupies 1 to 1.5 acres (6,070.3 m²), is also the only Canaanite palace of this period that can be excavated fully. The city's preservation offers a complete picture of political and social life in the Canaanite period, answered questions about whether or not it had a central government, whether taxes were levied and the type of agriculture there.
Excavations began at Tel Kabri in 1986 under the direction of Aharon Kempinski, but were halted in 1993. Renewed excavations have taken place since 2005 by an international team co-directed by Assaf Yasur-Landau of the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies at the University of Haifa
University of Haifa
The University of Haifa is a university in Haifa, Israel.The University of Haifa was founded in 1963 by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi, to operate under the academic auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
and Prof. Eric H. Cline
Eric H. Cline
Eric H. Cline is an author, historian, archaeologist, and professor of ancient history and archaeology at The George Washington University in Washington DC, where he is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations as well as Director of...
of The George Washington University.During the summer of 2009, additional Aegean style frescoes were found at the site.
External links
- http://digkabri.wordpress.com Tel Kabri website
- http://www.tau.ac.il/humanities/archaeology/projects/kabri/history.html