Tel Hazor Lower City
June 21 - July 17, 2026
israel
Excavate Israel's Largest Canaanite City
Tel Hazor is the largest and most important Canaanite site in Israel, encompassing an area of over 200 acres. In the second millennium BCE, the city was comprised of an upper city (the acropolis) and a lower city. Ancient records show that the city was considered the southernmost Syrian urban center during the Bronze Age. The name of the city appears in kings lists of Thutmose III, Amenhotep II, and Seti I as well as in Papyrus Anastasi I, among others. It is the only city mentioned in the Mari archive of the Middle Bronze Age and was considered a “great power” in the Amarna archive of the Late Bronze Age. It is also mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible.
The University of Haifa’s excavations at Hazor focus on the lower city of the site, which was settled only during the second millennium BCE. This area was previously excavated by Yigael Yadin in the 1950s, who uncovered temples, domestic units, workshops, and cultic spaces, as well as a large fortification system. The goals of our expedition are to learn more about the people that lived at the site, rather than city’s rulers. The lower city of Hazor is crucial to understanding when, how and why the city was destroyed in a large conflagration at the end of the Late Bronze Age.
This season we plan to continue excavations in the courtyard of one of the most magnificent royal temples of Hazor (the Orthostats Temple) and the large open area to the west of it, where numerous small special finds have been unearthed during the 2023 season.
Details
Geographic Location
Upper Galillee, Northern Israel
Dates of the Dig
June 21 - July 17, 2026
Minimum Stay
4 weeks
Application Due
Friday, May 1, 2026
Academic Credit/Cost per Credit/Institution
4 academic credits / TBA / University of Haifa
Accommodations
The expedition will be staying at Amiad Country Inn, about 20-25 minutes ride from Tel Hazor. Rooms are designed to house two or three people. All the rooms are equipped with air-conditioner, ensuite bathroom, TV and refrigerator. The kibbutz also has a swimming pool, a grocery store, and a winery. At the entrance to the kibbutz you can find a McDonalds, Aroma Cafe, and other restaurants. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the lodging area of the property.
Cost
Directors
Shlomit Bechar: University of Haifa
Contact
Dr. Shlomit Bechar
[email protected] // [email protected]
To learn how you can get involved, visit their website and check them out on Instagram.
In the free eBook, A Digger’s Life: A Guide to the Archaeology Dig Experience, step into an archaeological excavation and find out what it takes to find, prepare for, and work on a dig.
