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TODD BOLEN/BIBLEPLACES.COM

TEL GEZER overlooks the fertile Aijalon Valley of the Judean foothills. Located on a major trade route between the central hill country and the Mediterranean coast, the site was occupied from prehistoric times to the Roman era. During the Late Bronze Age (1550–1200 B.C.E.), Gezer was a prominent Canaanite city-state and a frequent target of Egypt’s New Kingdom pharaohs who sought to control Canaan. The mound consists of a western and an eastern hill, separated by a saddle. Recent excavations along the southern slope of the site’s western hill (circled above) have revealed dramatic new evidence of the city’s destruction at the end of the 13th century, likely at the hands of Pharaoh Merneptah.