Middle/Late Bronze Gate

Middle/Late Bronze Gate

View from within the city looking out (north) at the (partially) reconstructed remains of a four–chambered city that dates to about the sixteenth century B.C.  This gate complex is labeled #8 on the model of Megiddo.

 

The remains below the cement lines (= #4) are original.  The chambers on the east side of the gate are labeled #1 and #2.  The path from outside to inside the city is marked by arrows and #3.  The wooden beams (#5) are modern, but were placed in depressions that existed — these beams may have added stability during earthquakes.  Solomon’s temple was constructed in a similar fashion — namely three courses of stones followed by one of cedar beams (1 Kings 6:36).

 

This gate probably continued to be used into the Late Bronze Age and probably defended the city at the time of the attack of Thutmose III (ca. 1468 B.C.).

 

This image courtesy of Jerry Hawkes.

 

For a Map and a brief description of Megiddo Click Here.