Archeologists have unearthed a 5,500-year-old city gate in southern Israel, the oldest gate discovered to date in the region, authorities said on Tuesday.
The gate was discovered at the Tel Erani site during archaeological excavations prior to the laying of a new water pipeline, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said.
The discovery has led archaeologists to question the start of urbanisation in the area.
“This is the first time that a gate of this size, dating from the Early Bronze Age, has been discovered,” said Emily Bischoff, the IAA’s excavation director.
The construction of the gate probably required a great deal of effort, as the stones needed for its construction had to be brought from afar while the mud bricks and fortification walls had to be expressly made.
“This gate was not built by a handful of individuals. This fortification system is evidence of a social organisation that represents the beginning of urbanisation,” Ms Bischoff noted. Until now, experts had assumed that urbanisation of the region began around 5,200 years ago, or 300 years later.
“All passers-by, traders or enemies who wanted to enter the city probably had to pass through this impressive gate,” explained Martin-David Pasternak, a researcher at the IAA. “The gate was not only used to defend the city, but also bore witness to the importance and power of this city, which was well organised politically, socially and economically,” he added.
