Tel Halif
Archaeological site in Israel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tel H̱alif, formerly Tel H̱alifa (Hebrew: תל חליף, Arabic name: Tel el-Khuweilifeh) is an archaeological site, a mound (tell) in northern Negev area, west from kibbutz Lahav, Israel.
| Tel Halif | |
|---|---|
 Tel Halif, a view from south | |
 Interactive map of Tel Halif | |
| Location | Negev, Israel |
| Coordinates | 31.383062°N 34.866140°E |
Identification
Albrecht Alt suggested that it is the location of the biblical town of Ziklag. Other evidence suggests Rimmon.[1] Nadav Na'aman has suggested identifying this as the site of biblical Hormah.[2]
History
Tel Halif was a small town inhabited by Israelites during the Iron Age I.[3] It had a casemate wall and typical pillar-courtyard houses in the 9th–8th centuries BCE.[3] William G. Dever estimates that the town's population was 200 in the 10th century and about 300 in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE.[4] Archaeological evidence uncovered a house destroyed during the 701 BCE Assyrian invasion, and the town saw brief reoccupation in the early 7th century before being abandoned under Persian rule.[3]
Rock-cut bench tombs were found nearby, and they represent burial practices typical to the 8th century BCE.[3]
Excavations
Excavcations around Tel Halif was among the research activities of the Cobb Institute of Archaeology as part of the Lahav Research Project arranged by Joe Seger in 1974.[5][6]