Tell el-Ajjul — Gaza
Chalcolithic to Byzantine (4000 BCE–600 CE)·Canaanite / Egyptian / Philistine·🇵🇸 Gaza Strip, Palestine
About
About Tell el-Ajjul — Gaza
Tell el-Ajjul — Gaza in Gaza Strip, Palestine is a Chalcolithic to Byzantine (4000 BCE–600 CE) tell attributed to Canaanite / Egyptian / Philistine. Coastal tell with Egyptian gold hoards and Hyksos palaces on Gaza coast. Petrie's Gaza excavations 1930–34: Sharuhen identified, Middle Bronze palaces with Canaanite and Egyptian prestige goods.
Why it mattersKey Levantine tell with multi-period stratigraphy informing chronology of the Gaza Strip
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Stratigraphic sequence
- 02Biblical identification debated
Theories
- 01Border fortress model
- 02Trade route control
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 4000 BCE
- Period
- Chalcolithic to Byzantine (4000 BCE–600 CE)
- Culture
- Canaanite / Egyptian / Philistine
- Purpose
- Coastal tell with Egyptian gold hoards and Hyksos palaces on Gaza coast
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 4000 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1925 CE
Woolley/Petrie survey
On the ground
Structures & features
31.4700° N · 34.3930° E · 15 m · 4 mapped features
Tell el-Ajjul — Gaza — Summit Citadel
citadelCitadel or summit fort on tell
31.4701° N · 34.3931° ETell el-Ajjul — Gaza — Glacis and Wall Circuit
glacisOuter fortification glacis
31.4698° N · 34.3931° ETell el-Ajjul — Gaza — Lower Town / Cemetery
lower townExtension settlement or cemetery
31.4704° N · 34.3928° ETell el-Ajjul — Gaza — Reservoir / Cistern
cisternWater storage feature
31.4696° N · 34.3929° E