Tall el-Hammam — Kikkar Debate
Chalcolithic to Iron Age (4000–600 BCE)·Early Bronze fortified Kikkar·🇯🇴 Jordan Valley, Jordan
About
About Tall el-Hammam — Kikkar Debate
Tall el-Hammam — Kikkar Debate in Jordan Valley, Jordan is a Chalcolithic to Iron Age (4000–600 BCE) tell attributed to Early Bronze fortified Kikkar. 36 ha fortified EB city with 30 m mudbrick walls proposed as biblical Sodom (contested). Collins excavations: EB II-III double walls with towers, contested Sodom identification, MB gap, Iron I reoccupation.
Why it mattersKey Levantine tell with multi-period stratigraphy informing chronology of the Jordan Valley
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. 3600 BCE
- Period
- Chalcolithic to Iron Age (4000–600 BCE)
- Culture
- Early Bronze fortified Kikkar
- Purpose
- 36 ha fortified EB city with 30 m mudbrick walls proposed as biblical Sodom (contested)
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 3600 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1925 CE
Woolley/Petrie survey
On the ground
Structures & features
31.8400° N · 35.6700° E · -300 m · 3 mapped features
Tall el-Hammam — Kikkar Debate — Summit Citadel
citadelCitadel or summit fort on tell
31.8401° N · 35.6701° ETall el-Hammam — Kikkar Debate — Glacis and Wall Circuit
glacisOuter fortification glacis
31.8398° N · 35.6701° ETall el-Hammam — Kikkar Debate — Lower Town / Cemetery
lower townExtension settlement or cemetery
31.8404° N · 35.6698° E