The Intermediate Bronze Age Cemetery of Tel Hazor at Giv'at Rahalim (Tell es-Safa)

Giv'at Rahalim (Tell es-Safa) is located c. 2 km east of Tel Hazor and Kibbutz Ayyelet ha-Shahar. The site, containing many caves, was surveyed several times, and limited excavations suggested that it was first used as a cemetery in the Intermediate Bronze Age. The surveys and our recent excavation in one of the caves confirmed this date and function. This article describes the finds from a burial in Cave 10, which led us to recognize the site as one of the largest cemeteries in Galilee during the Intermediate Bronze Age that served the inhabitants of Hazor and occupants of sites in the vicinity. The caves were reused in later periods for various functions.