Golan Heights: Israeli archaeologists have discovered …

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the discovery of a fort dating from the time of King David in the the Golan Heights, territory occupied by Israel in Syria since 1967. The remains were found in the settlement of Hispin, where young people and volunteers led an exploration before the construction of a new neighborhood.

According to the IAA, the fortified complex, which dates from the Iron Age (11th-10th centuries BC), may have been built by the kingdom of Geshur, an ally of King David, to control the region.

In excavation A stone carved with two figures with horns and outstretched arms has been discovered in a building which archaeologists say “was probably a fort in charge of the Geshurites., who ruled the southern and central Golan Heights and maintained diplomatic relations with King David and the Davidic dynasty. “

“The complex was built in a strategic location on a small hill, above the El-Al Canyon, overlooking the area, in a place where one could cross the river. The walls of the fort, 1.5 meters wide, built with large basaltic rocks, surrounded the hill, ”said project officials Barak Tzin and Enno Bron of the IAA in a statement.

Remains of towns in the kingdom of Geshur have been found in the past on the shores of the Sea of ​​Galilee (such as Tel En Gev, Tel Hadar and Tel Sorag), but hardly any remains are known in the Golan.

Therefore, the study directors consider this fortified complex to be “unique” and explain that it opens up new avenues of research on the colonization of this region during the Iron Age