An 8^th century B.C.E. Israelite administrative centre at tell el-asawir/Tel-Esur

This paper discusses some of the results of the recent excavations in Tell el-AsawirlTel 'Esur, in the northern Sharon plain, Israel. The excavations revealed the remains of a large public complex - A fortified tower and a large storehouse, probably part of a regional administrative centre - dated to the 8^th cent, B.C.E. While many settlements, especially rural villages, were established during jhe 9th-8lh cent, B.C.E. throughout the country (in both Israel and Judah) the site of Tell el-Asawir/Tel 'Esur is unique: it is a small site, built in a rural countryside but bears evidence for royal or state involvement. Though similar structures are known from other sites in Israel and Judah they almost always form part of much larger central urban settlements as at Tell WaqqaslTell Qedah e/-(?w//Hazor or Tell el-MutesellimlMegiddo. The establishment of an administrative centre at Tell el-AsawirlTel 'Esur in the early 8^th cent, B.C.E. is probably an indication of the efforts of the Kings of Israel to enforce their jurisdiction on the Shephelah and the northern valleys. This activity probably occurred in the time of the Omride dynasty, probably during the reign of Jeroboam II (786-746 B.C.E.), a period in which Israel reached its maximum territorial range.