Dan (ancient city)
תל דן | |
Restored Bronze Age gate at Tel Dan | |
| Alternative name | تل القاضي |
|---|---|
| Location | Israel |
| Coordinates | 33°14′56″N 35°39′07″E / 33.249°N 35.652°E |
| Type | conserved ruins |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 4500 BC |
| Abandoned | c. 733 BC |
| Periods | Neolithic period, Bronze Age, Iron Age |
| Cultures | Neolithic, Canaanite, Israelite |
| Site notes | |
| Public access | yes |
| Website | Tel Dan Nature Reserve |
Dan (Hebrew: דן), and older name Laish, is an ancient city mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, described as the northernmost city of the Kingdom of Israel, and belonging to the tribe of Dan, its namesake. It was later the site of a royal sanctuary built by Jeroboam.
The city is identified with a tell located in Upper Galilee, northern Israel, known as Tel Dan (תל דן; "Mound of Dan") in Hebrew and Tell el-Qadi ("Mound of the Judge") in Arabic, a popular translation of the ancient Hebrew name. The site was occupied continuously from the Early Bronze Age through the Iron Age II, the time of the Kingdom of Israel. While evidence suggests a period of abandonment during the Persian era, it was later rebuilt as a Hellenistic city with a notable shrine.