Tel Gezer
by Ava Levinson 10th grade Natick MA
This morning was our first real tiyul at Tel Gezer!! This did mean waking up at 6:15, but it was 100% worth it! When we first arrived at the site, it was beautiful. There were so many green fields, and the view was amazing - you could see everything from where you were standing. We are halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, by the village Karmei Yosef.
This is me on the left, and my friend Sasha on the right. Isn’t the view amazing?!!
One of the first topics we talked about was what is a Tel, because we are at Tel Gezer. David explained it in a really cool way using snacks. Unfortunately I do not have snacks to show you, so here is an explanation, without the yummy snacks :)
If you go back about 5000 years ago, you will be in the Copper Age, and back then, there was a civilization. They had created these structures right where we were, and the civilization started to thrive. Then during the Early Bronze age, they built the first cities. Not too big, but big enough to be an urban settlement. They thrived for roughly 1000 years until a new civilization came around, and they conquered them. All the buildings that the civilization had created were destroyed but still, the material(pottery) was still there. Then centurey’s later, a new group came. They thrived, and then they also were conquered. Now, we have the remains of two different civilizations. Then a new civilization comes. They build all these structures, and they thrive for about 1000 years , but even then, they still get conquered. Finally, a new really successful civilization came along, and they made these huge walls, and they build on top of all the other civilizations. But sadly, they also get crushed too. Long story short, 4000 years later, we have archeologists, and they see that we weren’t just standing on a hill, but it is actually a Tel. An archaeological Tel is an artificial hill or mound made up of many layers of civilization on top of each other. Archaeologists find each layer of pottery, and that tells us when villages and civilizations were around. At the site, we found thinner and thicker pieces of pottery. More recently in histiory, there was an Arab village called Gezer. Depending on the material the civilizations used for pottery, you can see all the layers and who came first, and the archaeologists can tell what year it was from. An example we used to describe this was breaking a wafer cookie(it was very yummy). When you bite into it, you can see the different chocolate layers, and the wafer layers. This was what a Tel looked like. There are actually 26 layers of civilizations at Tel Gezer. Isn't that amazing?
If you go back about 5000 years ago, you will be in the Copper Age, and back then, there was a civilization. They had created these structures right where we were, and the civilization started to thrive. Then during the Early Bronze age, they built the first cities. Not too big, but big enough to be an urban settlement. They thrived for roughly 1000 years until a new civilization came around, and they conquered them. All the buildings that the civilization had created were destroyed but still, the material(pottery) was still there. Then centurey’s later, a new group came. They thrived, and then they also were conquered. Now, we have the remains of two different civilizations. Then a new civilization comes. They build all these structures, and they thrive for about 1000 years , but even then, they still get conquered. Finally, a new really successful civilization came along, and they made these huge walls, and they build on top of all the other civilizations. But sadly, they also get crushed too. Long story short, 4000 years later, we have archeologists, and they see that we weren’t just standing on a hill, but it is actually a Tel. An archaeological Tel is an artificial hill or mound made up of many layers of civilization on top of each other. Archaeologists find each layer of pottery, and that tells us when villages and civilizations were around. At the site, we found thinner and thicker pieces of pottery. More recently in histiory, there was an Arab village called Gezer. Depending on the material the civilizations used for pottery, you can see all the layers and who came first, and the archaeologists can tell what year it was from. An example we used to describe this was breaking a wafer cookie(it was very yummy). When you bite into it, you can see the different chocolate layers, and the wafer layers. This was what a Tel looked like. There are actually 26 layers of civilizations at Tel Gezer. Isn't that amazing?
My initial impression of the Canaanite people was how successful they were. One of the cool sites, and creations of the Canaanite people we saw at Tel Gezer, was an ancient water system. The Canaanites at Gezer built a shaft that penetrates below the water table and therefore fills up with water. The water flowing in the lower level gets trapped by the impermeable upper level, creating a reservoir. As the water flows downward with no outlet, pressure builds. This is also all sedimentary limestone rock. When you go lower down, you get a different stone, chalk. The water can’t seep through, and the water collects in a basin. The flora we could see around, is an indication of where the water was. The Canaanites were very smart, and they knew where the water sources were. They would dig down 40 meters. The iron age Israelite water system is built on the Canaaite system 1000 years ealier. There 3 cities with similar water systems are Gezer, Megido, and Hazor. These are the 3 Canaanite cities.
David taught us the four D’s: Drink, Dinner, Dollars, and Defense. The first key ingredient to a civilization is a water source, and the Canaanites were very good at finding water sources, and making them, like the Aquifer. The second D id dinner, as in agriculture. Around Tel Gezer, you can see that there is a lot of flat land. This was flat arable land, which means really good fertile soil in the coastal plain. This was very good for growing and harvesting food and crops. Next was dollars, and trade routes. Trade routes were very important because they helped exchange goods and provide the community with an economy. Lastly, is defense, as in walls and towers. An example of this would be the Canaanite tower. This tower was part of the Middle Bronze Age. It protected the area of the city gate. It was 16m wide, made of large stone blocks. It was the largest Canaanite tower ever to be found.
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