Solomonic Gate 3

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View looking south at the area of the “Solomonic Gate” on the south side of the mound of Gezer.  The green area at the bottom of the image is inside the ancient city, while the top half of the image is outside the city.

In the center of the image an ancient drain is visible that led water and waste out of the city — draining from right to left.  The drain runs right through the center of the city gate — it was of course covered with paving stones in ancient times.

If you look carefully, you will notice that stone foundation walls on one side of the gate are matched by foundation walls on the other side of the gate.  There were actually three rooms on each side of the gate — yielding a total of six “rooms” in the gate area.  Traffic in and out the city traveled on a paved street, which was above the drain.

In the upper right quadrant of the image the sandbags outline the recent excavations of Steven Ortiz of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to the west of the gate.  These excavations should help clarify the nature of the wall that is attached to the gate, and possibly clarify the date of the gate.

This picture was taken in late March—note the vegetation and wild flowers.

According to the initial thoughts of the excavator, Dr. William Dever, the gate dates to the period of king Solomon (970–931 B.C.).  From 1 Kings 9:15 note how Solomon fortified Gezer, Megiddo, and Hazor.

For a brief description of Gezer, its biblical significance, and a map Click Here.