Tell el-Maqlub
32°23′56.32″N 35°40′48.21″E / 32.3989778°N 35.6800583°E
تل ٱلْمقلوب | |
Tel Maqlub Shown within Jordan | |
| Location | Ajloun Governorate, Jordan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°24′09″N 35°40′56″E / 32.402370°N 35.6823°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
| Public access | Yes |
Tell el-Maqlub ('Over-turned mound') is an archaeological site in Ajloun Governorate, Jordan. It is dated to the Bronze and Iron Ages.
Location
Tell el-Maqlub is situated atop of a hill overlooking a bend in Wadi Yabis, in a region known in biblical times as Gilead. It is located 35 km from the Sea of Galilee, 75 km from the Mediterranean Sea, 11 km east of the Jordan River, 3 km northeast of Halawah, and 20 km south-southwest of Beit She'an, Israel.
The site consists of an artificial mound formed by human occupation, with an area spanning 5-6 hectares.[1] Its physical features include steep slopes and a distinct overturned appearance attributed to long-term erosion. On the eastern bank of the Yabi, the mound is elevated at roughly 500-600 meters above sea level on a rugged, hilly terrain that channels the wadi's flow toward the Jordan Valley.[1] This location is close to other regional archaeological sites, such as Pella and Tell Abu al-Kaharaz.[2]
Biblical identification
Tell el-Maqlub is commonly identified with biblical town of Jabesh Gilead.[3][4][5][6][7] This identification is thought to be in accordance with the account of Eusebius, who described "Iabeis Galaad" in the 4th century CE as a "village beyond the Jordan located on the mountains six miles from the city of Pella on the road to Gerasa."[8]
Some biblical scholars, including Nelson Gluck, preferred to place Jabesh-Gilead in Tell Abu el-Kharaz, located further east along the Wadi Yabis. This identification is based on the account given in Book of Samuel, which mentions Jabesh as being a night's march away from Beit She'an.[9]
Findings
Tell el-Maqlub was once surrounded by a massive defensive wall, parts of it are still visible today.[9] Potsherds from the Early Bronze Age (I-II), Middle Bronze Age (I-IIA), Iron Age (I-II) and Roman-Byzantine periods were found here.[9]
Based on archeological surveys conducted at the site, Tell el-Maqlub was a large, fortified town during the Iron Age, and when the nearby hills were first terraced for agriculture.
Notes
- ^ a b Palumbo, Gaelano; Mabry, Jonathan; Kuijt, Ian (1990). "Survey in the Wadi el-Yabis (Irbid District, Jordan), 1989". Syria. 67 (2): 479–481. ISSN 0039-7946.
- ^ Fischer, Peter M. Tell Abu al-Kharaz in the Jordan Valley. Volume II: The Middle and Late Bronze Ages.
- ^ Merrill, S (1883) [1881]. East of the Jordan: a record of travel and observation in the countries of Moab, Gilead, and Bashan. R. Bentley. New York: Scribner's. p. 440.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Noth, M. (1953). "Jabesh-gilead: Ein Beitrag zur Methode alttestamentischer Topographie". Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins: 28–41.
- ^ Simons, J (1959). The Geographical and Topographical Texts of the Old Testament: A Concise Commentary in XXXII Chapters. Leiden: Brill. p. 315.
- ^ Aharoni, Y. (1979). Rainey, A.F. (ed.). The Land of the Bible: A Historical Geography (2 ed.). London: Burns & Oates. pp. 379, 437.
- ^ Finkelstein, Israel; Lipschits, Oded; Koch, Ido (2012). "The Biblical Gilead: Observations on Identifications, Geographic Divisions and Territorial History.". Ugarit-Forschungen ; Band 43 (2011). [Erscheinungsort nicht ermittelbar]. p. 131. ISBN 978-3-86835-086-9. OCLC 1101929531.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ McDonald, Burton (2000). East of the Jordan: Territories and Sites of the Hebrew Scriptures (PDF). American Schools of Oriental Research. pp. 202–204.
- ^ a b c Glueck, Nelson (1943). "Some Ancient Towns in the Plains of Moab". Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research. 91 (91): 8–10. doi:10.2307/3219054. ISSN 0003-097X. JSTOR 3219054. S2CID 163213632.