An Iron Age IIA-IIB Administrative Structure from Tel Esur Area D East

Tel Esur is situated at the western end of Nahal ‘Iron, a wadi that leads eastward to Megiddo. The site was strategically important in the Bronze and Iron Ages, given that it is located on a branch of the Via Maris, the main route connecting Egypt to the north. Excavations at the site in Area D East revealed architecture in the form of a gate complex, pottery, as well as a unique assemblage of cult finds. After ceramic analysis, which included both late Iron IIA-B forms, it was determined that the materials date to the “early” Iron IIB. This gate complex was part of a larger Israelite administrative area already excavated and published, that included a fortified tower and large storage facilities. The following article presents a report of the finds from the gate complex and interprets all the Iron Age data from the site based on geopolitics and ritual activity within northern Israel.