About the Site
The site of Tel Burna is located in the Shephelah region (or foothills) of modern Israel in a fertile area that became known as the breadbasket of the south. The tel itself is notable still today for its flat-topped shape, extensive size, and fortifications that are still visible. While the site has been surveyed and noted by previous archaeologists and historians, it has never been excavated until our project!
Surveys and the excavations so far have proven that Burna has a long occupational history, from the Bronze Age through the Persian period, with the major occupations being during the Late Bronze Age II and the Iron Age. During the Late Bronze Age, Burna was a large Canaanite town with a significant cultic center. During the Iron Age, Burna came under Israelite control and the high part of the tel was fortified with a casemate wall and a city gate. Burna was also significant for being a border town during the Iron Age, as it sat on the border between the Philistines and the Kingdom of Judah.
Biblical Libnah?
Many scholars, including the excavators of the Tel Burna Excavation Project, believe that Tel Burna is the biblical site of Libnah; and the results from the excavation so far seem to corroborate this theory. If this is the case, not only does this reveal more of the history of Burna and its importance; but it also helps the project's excavators make links between their archaeological discoveries and historical sources.
Libnah is mentioned several times throughout the Old Testament, including in several significant references:
Joshua 10:29-30, 15:42, 21:13- Libnah is listed as a Canaanite town that was conquered by Joshua, allotted to the tribe of Judah, and them chosen as one of the Levitical cities
2 Kings 8:22 and 2 Chronicles 21:10- Libnah rebels against Jehoram, king of Judah (mid 9-th century BCE)
2 Kings 19:8 and Isaiah 37:8- Libnah is beseiged by Assyrian king Sennacherib during the reign of Hezekiah (late 8th century BCE). See map below
2 Kings 23:31-32, 24:17-18- Hamutal, a woman from Libnah, marries King Josiah, perhaps an indicator of the site's importance along the border (7th century BCE)
