Biblical Tels - Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba
Biblical Tels - Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba
Tels (prehistoric settlement mounds), are characteristic of the flatter lands of the eastern Mediterranean, particularly Lebanon, Syria, Israel and eastern Turkey. Of more than 200 tels in Israel, Megiddo, Hazor and Beer Sheba are representative of those that contain substantial remains of cities with biblical connections. The three tels also present some of the best examples in the Levant of elaborate Iron Age, underground water-collecting systems, created to serve dense urban communities. Their traces of construction over the millennia reflect the existence of centralized authority, prosperous agricultural activity and the control of important trade routes.
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
Tels bibliques – Megiddo, Hazor, Beer-Sheba
Les tels, des tertres préhistoriques de peuplement, sont caractéristiques des plaines de la Méditerranée orientale, notamment du Liban, de la Syrie, d’Israël et de l’est de la Turquie. Sur plus de 200 tels en Israël, Megiddo, Hazor et Beer-Sheba sont représentatifs de ceux qui abritent d’importants vestiges de cités aux liens bibliques. Ces trois tels présentent également quelques-uns des plus beaux exemples de systèmes d’adduction d’eaux souterraines dans le Levant, datant de l’âge du fer, très élaborés et créés pour desservir de denses communautés urbaines. Les traces de leur construction au cours des millénaires reflètent l’existence d’une autorité centralisée, d’une agriculture prospère et du contrôle de routes commerciales importantes.
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
التلال التوراتية – مجيدو، هازور وبير سبع
إن التلال، وهي نوع من الروابي المأهولة القديمة التي ترقى إلى حقبة ما قبل التاريخ، تميز سهول الجزء الشرقي من منطقة المتوسط، لاسيما لبنان وسوريا وإسرائيل وشرق تركيا. ومن بين أكثر من 200 تل في إسرائيل، تؤوي تلال مجيدو، هازور وبير سبع آثاراً هامة لمدن ذات مرجع توراتي. كما توفر هذه التلال الثلاث بعض أجمل النماذج لأنظمة جرّ المياه الجوفية في منطقة المشرق وترقى إلى العصر الحديدي، وهي بالغة التطور وقد أنشئت لتلبية المجموعات السكنية الكثيفة في المدن. كذلك، فإن آثار بنائها على مرّ العصور تعكس وجود سلطة مركزية في تلك الفترة، وزراعة مزدهرة ومراقبة للطرق التجارية الهامة.
source: UNESCO/ERI
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
米吉多、夏琐和基色圣地
史前的定居土丘是地中海东部较为平坦的地区的典型特征，特别是黎巴嫩、叙利亚、以色列和东土耳其地区。在以色列超过200个早期居民遗迹中，米吉多、夏琐和基色圣地具有代表性，它们所包含的大量城市遗迹都与圣经相关。这三个圣地同时展示了精制铁器时代的一些最佳例子，以及服务于人口稠密的都市社区的地下水收集系统。具有数千年历史的建筑物反映出了中央集权、繁荣的农业活动和控制主要贸易路线的存在痕迹。
source: UNESCO/ERI
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
Библейские холмы – Мегиддо, Хацор, Беэр-Шева
«Теллы», или холмы, образованные культурными наслоениями в местах расположения древних поселений, характерны для равнин Восточного Средиземноморья, особенно в Ливане, Сирии, Израиле и восточной Турции. Среди более чем 200 «теллов» Израиля выделяются Мегиддо, Хацор и Беэр-Шева, где обнаружены следы городов, связанных с библейскими событиями. Эти три «телла» также содержат одни из лучших на Ближнем Востоке образцов подземных водосборных систем, созданных в позднем Железном веке для удовлетворения нужд плотно заселенных городских сообществ. Эти находки спустя целое тысячелетие напоминают о существовании сильной централизованной власти, о процветании сельского хозяйства и о контроле над важными торговыми путями.
source: UNESCO/ERI
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
“Tells” bíblicos – Megido, Hazor y Beer Sheba
Los “tells” –montículos con vestigios de asentamientos humanos prehistóricos– son característicos de las llanuras del Mediterráneo oriental y abundan en el Líbano, Siria, Israel y el este de Turquía. De los dos centenares de “tells” localizados en Israel, los de Megido, Hazor y Beer-Sheba son representativos de los que encierran restos de ciudades con resonancias bíblicas. En estos tres lugares hay vestigios ejemplares de sistemas de aducción de aguas subterráneas construidos a lo largo de milenios y sumamente perfeccionados, cuyos orígenes se remontan a la Edad del Hierro. Fueron creados para abastecer a comunidades urbanas densamente pobladas, lo cual denota la existencia de sociedades que contaban con una autoridad centralizada, vivían de una agricultura próspera y controlaban rutas comerciales importantes.
source: UNESCO/ERI
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
聖書時代の遺丘群-メギッド、ハツォール、ベエル・シェバ
テル（遺丘＝先史人の丘状の居住地）は、地中海東岸、特にレバノン、シリア、イスラエル、トルコ東部の比較的平坦な土地に特有の遺跡。なかでもイスラエルにある200以上のテルのうち、メギッド、ハツォール及びベエル・シェバは、聖書に関連のある都市の重要な遺跡を含む代表的なテルである。3つのテルにある、人口の密な都市社会に水を供給する地下水収集装置は、鉄器時代の地中海東岸地方の傑出した技術の好例。数千年にわたり造られた遺構は、権力の集中や豊かな農耕活動、重要交易路が機能していたことを物語る。source: NFUAJ
Bijbelse tels - Megiddo, Hazor, Beër Sheva
Deze prehistorische heuvelachtige nederzettingen zijn kenmerkend voor het vlakkere land van het oostelijke Middellandse Zeegebied, in het bijzonder Libanon, Syrië, Israël en Oost-Turkije. Van de meer dan 200 nederzettingen of tels in Israël, vertegenwoordigen Megiddo, Hazor en Beër Sheva de substantiële overblijfselen van steden met Bijbelse achtergronden. De drie nederzettingen illustreren ook een paar van de beste voorbeelden uit de ijzertijd binnen de Levant, waaronder ondergrondse wateropvangsystemen, gecreëerd om dichtbevolkte stedelijke gemeenschappen te dienen. De bouwresten uit de afgelopen millennia, weerspiegelen het bestaan van een gecentraliseerde autoriteit, welvarende agrarische activiteiten en de controle over belangrijke handelsroutes.
Source: unesco.nl
Biblical Tels - Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba (Israel)
© Yvon Fruneau
Outstanding Universal Value
Brief synthesis
Historic settlement mounds, known as tels, are characteristic of the flatter lands of the eastern Mediterranean, particularly in Lebanon, Syria, Israel and eastern Turkey. Of more than 200 such mounds in Israel, the three sites of Megiddo, Hazor and Beer Sheba are representative of those that contain substantial remains of cities with biblical connections, and are strongly associated with events portrayed in the bible.
The three tels extend across the State of Israel; Tel Hazor in the north, near the Sea of Galilee; Tel Megiddo 50 kilometres to the south west; and Tel Beer Sheba near the Negev Desert in the south.
The three sites reflect the wealth and power of Bronze and Iron Age cities in the fertile biblical lands. This was based on, and achieved through, a centralized authority that had control of trade routes to the north east and south; connecting Egypt to Syria and Anatolia to Mesopotamia, and the creation and management of sophisticated and technologically advanced water collection systems. Together, these tels reflect the key stages of urban development in the region.
They are also representative of the large, multi-layered occupation of single sites that persisted for several millennia until the 6th century BCE, and particularly reflect in their final flowering the formative stages of biblical history from the 12th to 6th century BCE. With their impressive remains of palaces, fortifications and urban planning, they offer key material manifestations of the biblical epoch.
The early Bronze Age temple compound at Megiddo is unparalleled for its number of temples, the continuity of cult activity and the record of ritual activity. At Hazor, the ramparts are said to be the best example in the area from southern Turkey to the north of the Negev in Israel. The late Bronze Age palace is the most elaborate in Israel, and one of the best in the Levant. For the Iron Age remains, the elaborate town plan of Beer Sheba and the orthogonal plan of Megiddo have few parallels in the Levant.
All three tels have impressive remains of their underground water catchments systems, which demonstrate sophisticated and geographically responsive engineering solutions to water storage.
Criterion (ii): The three tels represent an interchange of human values throughout the ancient near-east, forged through extensive trade routes and alliances with other states and manifest in building styles which merged Egyptian, Syrian and Aegean influences to create a distinctive local style.
Criterion (iii): The three tels are a testimony to a civilization that has disappeared - that of the Cananean cities of the Bronze Age and the biblical cities of the Iron Age - manifests in their expressions of creativity: town planning, fortifications, palaces, and water collection technologies.
Criterion (iv): The Biblical cities reflect the key stages of urban development in the Levant, which exerted a powerful influence on later history of the region.
Criterion (vi): The three tels, through their mentions in the Bible, constitute a religious and spiritual testimony of Outstanding Universal Value.
Integrity
All components of the tels are included in the property. The three tels have preserved substantial remains of cities from the Bronze and Iron Age with biblical connection. Each tel relates to the overall property through its temples, fortifications and gate system, palaces, water systems, town planning and prominence in the Bible. None of the attributes are under threat.
Authenticity
All three tels have been generally left untouched and intact since their decline, and subsequent abandonment, between the 10th and 4th centuries BCE. Over time they have retained their authenticity, and acquired the characteristic appearance of a conical shape, with a flattish top, protruding above the surrounding countryside. From the beginning of the 20th century Tel Hazor and Tel Megiddo have been the subject of archaeological investigation, with Tel Beer Sheba being first excavated during the 1960's.
In the interests of safety and interpretation, some interventions have been made to the water systems at all three sites, but these do not seriously affect the authenticity of the overall system.
At Tel Hazor an unconventional approach was taken to dismantle and rebuild a storehouse and residential building elsewhere on site. These two Iron Age buildings had been excavated in the 1950's and had remained exposed to deterioration on an "island" as excavation work proceeded into earlier archaeological levels. This action was considered justified as it also permitted the completion of the site excavation, and the consolidation of earlier evidence around and beneath the two structures.
Protection and management requirements
The State of Israel owns the three tels. They are designated National Parks administered by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA), and protected under the 1998 National Parks, Nature Reserves, National Sites and Memorial Sites Law. Tel Megiddo and Tel Hazor are located in the Northern District, and Tel Beer Sheba in the Southern District, of the INPA.
The Planning and Development Forum of the Director General of INPA approves all significant plans regarding activities in the National Parks. In addition, there is an internal World Heritage Site Forum under the chairmanship of the Authority's Director of Archaeology and Heritage. This body coordinates and monitors activities at all the inscribed sites. It is also concerned with their management, and that of those on the Israel Tentative List.
In order to achieve a comparable conservation standard across the three sites that comprise the property a comprehensive conservation plan and monitoring programme is desirable.
Biblical Tels - Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba (UNESCO/NHK)
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