Tell Rumeida

Tell Rumeida 

Tell Rumeida is located in the city of Hebron, approximately 1 km southwest of the Old City, at an elevation of 925 meters above sea level. This site is defined as the location of the ancient city of Hebron and is considered one of the most important urban centers that emerged in the mountainous region during the Early Bronze Age.

The first excavations at the site were conducted in 1960, 1964, and 1966 by the University of Vermont in California, under the supervision of Philip Hammond. This was followed by further excavations carried out by the occupation authorities between 1984-1986 and 1999, with the aim of completing the chronological sequence at the site.

The excavations have revealed the presence of several settlement layers dating from the Chalcolithic period to the Umayyad period. The initial excavations uncovered the remains of cities from the Early Bronze Age III and the Middle Bronze Age. A city wall, 3 meters wide and 5 meters high, was uncovered, and the wall was cleaned down to the foundations to reach the older layers. Alongside the wall, a large building, believed to be a temple, was discovered. This building underwent two phases of construction and reuse during the Iron Age, and its remains are still visible on the surface, except for the eastern part.

Further excavations uncovered the wall on which Byzantine buildings were later erected. In the upper part of the hill, towards the southeast, large Byzantine buildings with preserved rooms up to 3 meters high were discovered. Partially preserved Roman structures were also found, including a clay and plaster container and two pools (4m x 4m) with white mosaic floors.