A Canaanite Town, a Judahite Center, and a Persian Period Fort: Excavating over two thousand years of history at Tel 'Eton

Tel 'Eton (opening photograph), usually identified with biblical Eglon (see Box A), is a 6.6 hectare mound located in Israel's lowland (the Shephelah), at the edge of the trough valley which separates the lowlands from the Judean highlands (fig. 1). The ancient city is situated near an important junction on the north-south road that meandered along the trough valley and the east-west road that connected the coastal plain with Hebron. The site's location near large valleys also secured its proximity to fertile soils, increasing its economic importance.