Israeli archaeologists have discovered an ancient city gate dating back about 5,500 years in Tell Arani, near the industrial zone of the city of Kiryat Gat. The discovery was made during excavations for the installation of a new water pipe.
The height of the gate is 1.5 meters, and it is in the middle of two towers built with large stones in the walls of the old city. It opens to a road that leads to the old city center. According to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), which is responsible for the discovery, this may be the oldest gate in the country and indicates that the first settlements in the area appeared earlier than previously thought.
This is the first time such a large gate has been discovered dating from the Early Bronze Age IB. To build the gate and fortification walls, it was necessary to bring stones from afar, make clay bricks, and build fortification walls. This has not been achieved by one individual or a few individuals. The fortification system is evidence of the social organization that marks the beginning of urbanization.
Emily Bischoff, excavation leader, in a statement sent to IFLScience
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The city protected by the ancient gate
From excavations that began in the 1950s, it is believed that the city lasted for centuries, culminating around 3330 to 3050 BC, to fall around the 6th century BC, when the Babylonians probably conquered it.
The researchers point out that the gate and the walls were built to keep enemies out, which makes anyone who wants to enter the city have to do so through it.
The greatness of the gate and fortifications also indicated the importance of the settlement, which could show to outsiders that it was a well-organized city politically, socially and economically according to archaeologists.
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