Hela Crown-Tamir
[Biblical Dor. on Israel’s Mediterranean coast, was an important site during both the Old and New Testament periods. One of Palestine’s most important ports for 1, 500 years, few Israelites may have actually lived there. It was the home of Canaanite, Sea People and Phoenician mariners. In this article, Israeli tour guide Hela Crown-Tamir recaps the 2000 Tel Dor dig results.]
On Israel’s northern shore is a spectacular and enchanting stretch of beach. Here is Nahsholim (“breakers”) Kibbutz and nearby are two large natural bays with crystal clear water and white sandy beaches. Islands of rocks, large and small, enhance the natural beauty and landscape. In late fall and early spring it is a serene nesting places for thousands of migrating birds, a bird watchers delight. Yet. the most interesting aspect of this site is the ancient Biblical port city of Dor.
Dor. (“dwelling together” or “comradeship”) is mentioned several times in the Old Testament. The Canaanite city (the “heights of Dor” — Jos 11:2; 12:23) joined Jabin. King of Hazor, to stand against Joshua and the Israelites. Part of Manasseh’s tribal inheritance (Jos 17:11), the Israelites could not drive the Canaanites out (Jgs 1:27). Dor was the capital of one of Solomon’s administrative districts (1 Kgs 4:11). History and archaeology indicate it also prospered under the Greeks and Romans. Byzantine churches were constructed here (fourth-seventh centuries AD) and the Crusaders built a fortress at Dor in the 11 th century.
Hidden Treasure of the Sand (Dt 33:19)
Thirteen miles north of Caesarea. and almost equadistant from Haifa, Dor was a flourishing port and international commercial center throughout the Biblical period. The excavators note four distinct civilizations at Dor: the Canaanites, the Sikil Tribe of Sea Peoples, the Phoenicians, and the Hellenistic-Roman culture. With artifacts from Old Testament Egypt to Napoleon’s cannons found here and displayed at the Dor Museum, the site was inhabited throughout the Biblical period. This coastal city is a perfect illustration of treasures hidden in the sand.
Canaanites first settled Dor during the Middle Bronze Age (2000 BC). While the city was part of Manasseh’s tribal inheritance, the Sikils of the Sea Peoples settled here during the Iron Age (1150–1050 BC). They were followed by the Phoenicians, descendants of the Canaanites, from the 11th century BC on. They inhabited Dor during the Israelite, Assyrian. Babylonian. Persian, and much of the Hellenistic periods.
This stretch of beach next to Tel Dor is part of the site’s natural harbor. Today a resort and bird sanctuary, it was once an important international harbor. Tel Dor sits on the northen coastline of the Plain of Sharon. Fertile to produce crops (Is 35:2) and pasture flocks (1 Ch 27:29), this is where the Rose of Sharon (Song 2:1) grew. The Sharon Plain stretched from Joppa (south) to the Carmel Mountains (north), over 30 miles along the coast and 10 miles inland.
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While the Israelites ruled Dor over a long period (1000–734 BC), the city’s inhabitants were probably mostly Phoenician. The final culture discovered at Dor was Hellenistic-Roman. This is when Dor was transformed from an Oriental city to a Western Hellenistic polis. The city was constructed on an orthagonal block plan and from this period comes remains of some of the largest temples yet uncovered in Israel.
After the development of Caesarea as a major seaport, Tel Dor was abandoned in the third century AD. Yet archaeological remains indicate there were churches there during the Byzantine period (325–640 AD). Found in an earlier excavation was a marble column with the Greek inscription “A Stone of the Golgotha.” It appears to have been taken from Byzantine Golgotha, at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Stone-carved reliefs at Medinet Habu, Egpyt depict different groups of Sea People in battle with the Egyptian Army. The Sherdanu group of Sea People were portrayed with horned helmets, while the Philistines, Sikil and other Sea Peoples wore distinctive headbands and “feathered” helmets (pictured here).
Ruler of the Seas
Finds from the late Bronze Age (1500–1200 BC) at Dor indicate it was exceedingly rich with far-flung international connections. Throughout most of the Old Testament, Dor was one of the important harbor towns along the country’s Mediterranean coastline.
It was from the west, by sea. that the Sikils came to Dor. Possibly coming from as far away as the island of Sicily, this tribe of Sea Peoples made the port city of Dor their home. During the Phoenician occupation, masters of the eastern Mediterranean, the port city rivaled the four major Phoenician cities in size and importance. The excavators are correct in calling Dor “Ruler of the Seas.”
The author’s husband examines some of Tel Dor’s Iron Age I structures. Note squared ashlar blocks and the upright “piers” incorporated into the wells. With the harbor area in the background, one can see that the eastern edge of the tel has been eroded away by the sea.
Digging for the Truth
Excavations have continued since 1980, under the expert hands of Professor Ephraim Stern of the Hebrew University. After the 12th season of digging, in the summer of 1992, they realized that Dor was the strongest fortified city discovered in Israel.
In 2000, I sat with Professor Stern at Tel Dor and discussed the dig’s progress. Under the branches of a large oak tree, on a hot, hazy day of summer, he described the latest finds. Looking well under his 67 yers of age, he confessed that this is his last season at Tel Dor. From the beginning, the Dor excavation has been one of the largest in the country. Every year Dr. Andy Stewart of the University of California at Berkeley brings the largest group and 2000 was no exception. In early July, with 190 students from eight nations assisting in the dig, 80 came with Dr. Andy Stewart, an expert in an history and Greco-Roman sculpture.
Two areas of excavation during the 2000 dig contained Iron Age I (1200–1000 BC) remains. Stern called this period “Israel’s Dark Age” because of so little evidence, textual or archaeological. Yet, excavations at Dor were quite revealing. Professor Stern explained:
We found a flourishing town, from this period. It was a big, wonderful surprise. It was an unusually well preserved trade center, very developed, two towns actually. The Sea People, the Sikils, built a significant walled city. Afterwards, the Phoenicians rebuilt it. It has been a fantastic discovery. This recent find has changed our theory. Our theory is now upside down because of the discovery from the Iron Age I. We never thought these people from this culture were so developed and the city was so flourishing. We discovered new implements, figurines and jewelry. Everything was completely intact and like new.
Yet finds were not limited to the Iron Age, Dr. Stern continued:
In another area, we discovered finds from the Persian (540–332 BC) and early Canaanite periods. There was a huge acropolis center, one building covered an acre with two wings, five large rooms and a central corridor. Part of a unique mosaic floor from the early Roman period (63 BC) was discovered. Probably from a Roman villa, it displayed pomegranates, dates and other local fruit.
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Tel Dor today covers an area of about 200 x 300 m. The ancient city once extended further to the west, but has been eroded away.
Two strata from the Roman period were uncovered. The lowest, from the first century BC, suggest it must have been a beautiful decorated city. The upper strata indicated the entire city was rebuilt in the second century AD. In the urban renewal two temples were even abandoned for the sake of industry. The city of Dor was apparently abandoned in the third century AD, and we believe citizens moved to Caesarea.
Among the artifacts found in this year’s dig. Professor Stem noted:
One important find was a jar with the Hebrew inscription “to the steward of the king.” It confirms, for the first time, a hierarchical bureaucracy as described of Solomon’s kingdom. Also a lead weight shaped like a Phoenician goddess was discovered. We have found more than 500 figurines at Dor since the dig began, some apparently brought here from the west.
One of the most impressive finds of this present season was a first century BC statue of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. From the third century BC, a clay mask was discovered. From the Early Bronze Age (3150–2200 BC) city, were discovered bone tools, fish hooks. There were beads unearthed from the Iron Age together with soft stone vessels from Herod’s time.
There was a thriving Greek community here. Greek traders continued to come by sea from the West and the city had more than 20,000 inhabitants. They formed a sort of “Greek ghetto” to stay together for protection against outside invaders and outside influences. Luxury items were imported from Athens and all over the Mediterranean world. Many artifacts are on display in the Dor Museum, formerly Baron Rothchild’s glass factory, built in 1891.
With so many exciting finds over the years, it would surprise a visitor to the site today to still see the huge sand mounds remaining. Mosaic floors pop up here and there underneath your feet, on these sands. You can feel a sense of excitement and history as you wander among these ancient ruins. Since Dor was a harbor city on the northern Mediterranean coast, many imported items arrived here. 1 asked Professor Stern why the whole area is not excavated, as it seems to me that it is so rich in hidden and sunken treasures. He replied, “Hela, we could he here at Tel Dor another 500 years, another 500 digs and not scratch the surface.”
Tour guide Hela Crown-Tamir can be contacted at toisrael@netvision.net.il
Back at excavation headquarters, the author looks at pottery from the Tel Dor with Professor Stern. 2000 was Stern’s 20th and last season of directing the excavation.
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