For a long time, the biblical city of Ekron remained merely a name in the texts of Scripture and the Assyrian annals, while its exact location was disputed by researchers.
Historical Background
(on the left in the photo — the Ekron inscription; on the right — Temple Complex 650)
For a long time, the biblical city of Ekron was known only from texts. It is mentioned in the Old Testament as one of the five Philistine city-states (Joshua 13:2–3), and in the annals of the Assyrian kings as a vassal kingdom called Amkarruna. But its exact location remained a matter of debate.
In 1957, Israeli archaeologist Joseph Naveh surveyed Tel Miqne — a large settlement mound on the boundary between the coastal plain and the Judean Shephelah, three kilometres from the modern kibbutz of Revadim. Based on pottery and everyday objects found in the surrounding area, as well as the site’s geographical location, he proposed that this was ancient Ekron. Definitive confirmation, however, came only forty years later.
Beginning in 1981, a team led by Trude Dothan and Seymour Gitin conducted excavations at Tel Miqne. Archaeological investigations showed that the city had nine main occupation layers — from the Middle Bronze Age to Iron Age II (c. 1700–600 BCE). During the Iron Age, three successive cities existed here:
Topology
- 🌟 the first, a Philistine centre (12th–10th centuries BCE), covered approximately 20 hectares and had a material culture that preserved Aegean traditions;
- 🌟 the second, smaller city (10th–8th centuries BCE), occupied just 4 hectares on the upper mound;
- 🌟 the third city (7th century BCE) covered more than 34 hectares and was the largest centre of olive oil production in the ancient world, developing under Assyria’s economic influence.
The Ekron Inscription
In the summer of 1996, during the final excavation season, an event occurred that settled the question of the site’s identification once and for all. In the destruction layer of the sanctuary of Temple Complex 650, archaeologists found a limestone block bearing an inscription (the “Ekron inscription”, also known as “KAI 286”). The stone, weighing approximately 100 kg, lay upside down in the northwestern corner of the cella, with the inscription facing the wall. When the block was turned over, it revealed five lines containing 72 letters.
The text read:
“The temple which Akish, son of Padi, son of Isda, son of Ada, son of Ya’ir, ruler of Ekron, built for Ptgyh (?), his lady. May she bless him, protect him, prolong his days, and bless his land.” (We will devote a separate post to this mysterious goddess, explaining our own views on her name and origins.)
Tel Miqne was thus officially identified as the site of ancient Ekron.
To be continued…
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🌟 © MVoe
Practitioner of Western magical traditions, priest of Baal-Zebul, medium
