Khirbet Makhruk - Survey (BibleWalks.com)

Описание: Khirbet Makhruk is a significant archaeological site, located on a broad ridge, at the entrance to the Tirzah Valley (Wadi Far’ah) in the Jordan Valley, near the Adam Junction. It serves as a prominent landmark that guarded a vital ancient crossroads and route connecting the Jordan River to the heart of the Samarian highlands. On the site are ruins of a large Early Bronze Canaanite fortified city and well-preserved towers from the Israelite Kingdom period. The ruins date to the Early Bronze II and the Iron age II periods.
During the Early Bronze II-III period (3100-2500 BC), Khirbet Makhruk was a formidable urban center, with a triangular-shaped walled city covering approximately 45 dunams across the ridge.
The "head" of this triangle pointed north, where a massive rectangular fortress occupied the highest elevation to maximize its defensive vantage. This tower was a site of persistent conflict, having been built and destroyed three times. Its construction utilized a mix of heavy stone foundations and red-brick upper structures. To safeguard this northern stronghold, the city’s engineers integrated the tower into the main wall and further protected it with a deep, wide moat and a glacis (a sloped defensive embankment) to reinforce the base against assault.
During the Israelite Kingdom period, 10th-8th centuries BC, two towers and a fortress were built over the Early Bronze ruins.
Above the ruins of the northern rectangular tower there were two phases of construction by the Israelites. The first tower was small, but then it was significantly expanded by adding an external wall as a frame around the first structure. This created an 18m x 23m tower with casemate rooms along the inner side of the external wall.
Another circular tower was built over Early Bronze structures in the southern part of the ridge. The circular tower has 3 concentric stone walls, with an external diameter of 19.5m. The space between the two external stone walls had radial walls that created casemate chambers.
Another rectangular fortress was built over the Early Bronze fortifications on top of the eastern mound. It was protected by a very wide (4m) wall. This fortification served as a road fortress that protected the westward roads to the heart of the kingdom - Samaria.

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