Abstract:

This is the second volume, following Qedem 9 (1978), of the final report on the excavations at Tel Mevorakh on the Carmel coast. The first settlement at the site was a rectangular Middle Bronze Age IIA fortress built of mudbricks and possibly established by the Egyptians. Later in the MB IIA the fortress was surrounded by residential buildings covering the entire mound. During the MB IIB the area was encircled by a high earthen rampart and a new military fortress housing a small garrison was built in the center. This fortress continued in use to the end of the Middle Bronze Age. In the Late Bronze Age three superimposed Canaanite sanctuaries occupied almost the entire area of the site, leaving no space for an ordinary settlement. It seems, therefore, that these structures were "road sanctuaries" for the use of travelers on the main road along the coast. The report deals with the various structures and finds of the Bronze Age discovered during the excavations.