Kh. Marjameh

View looking north northeast at Kh. Marjameh. The site is located on the elongated hillside that slopes downward from the upper left corner of the image to about the center of the image. Walls and terracing are clearly visible.

This is one of the few fortified Israelite sites in the area. It was founded in the tenth or ninth century B.C. and was probably destroyed at the time of the downfall of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) in 722 B.C. It has been tentatively identified with biblical "Baal-Shalishah" – but this ID is far from certain.

The site was excavated in 1975 and 1978 by Ami Mazar and remains of houses and defensive walls were found.

On the sloping hillside just above Kh. Marjameh, sloping downward from the upper center position of the image to the center right position is the site of Dhahr Mirzbaneh where all of the MB I tombs are located.

The treetops visible on the left side of the image mark the spot of the very powerful spring of Ein Samiya (not visible).

Kh. Marjameh is located just slightly to the west of Dhahr Mirzbaneh at grid reference 181155. It is 7.5 a. [3 ha.] in area.

For a map and a brief description of Dhahr Mirzbaneh Click Here.