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COURTESY OF RALPH K. HAWKINS

HIDDEN IN THE HILLS. Surrounded by hills on three sides, the site of Khirbet el-Mastarah sits in the middle of a wadi (behind the tree in the above photo) in the desert north of Jericho. Completely concealed by its surroundings, Khirbet el-Mastarah appropriately means “the hidden site.” It was primarily occupied during the Iron Age (c. 1200–586 B.C.E.).