Beit She'an
Beit She'an (Hebrew: בֵּית שְׁאָן Beth Šəān; Arabic: بيسان, Beesān , Beisan or Bisan) is a city in the North District of Israel which has played historically an important role due to its geographical location, at the junction of the Jordan River Valley and the Jezreel Valley. It has also played an important role in modern times, acting as the regional center of the villages in the Beit She'an Valley.
The ancient city ruins are now protected within a national park, known as Bet She'an National Park.
History
Beit She'an's location has always been strategically significant, due to its position at the junction of the Jordan River Valley and the Jezreel Valley, essentially controlling access from Jordan and the inland to the coast, as well as from Jerusalem and Jericho to the Galilee.
Early history
In 1933, archaeologist G.M. FitzGerald, under the auspices of the University of Pennsylvania Museum, carried out a "deep cut" on Tell el-Hisn ("castle hill"), the large mound of Beth She'an, in order to determine the earliest occupation of the site. His results suggest that settlement began in the Late Neolithic or Early Chalcolithic periods (sixth to fifth millennia BCE.) Occupation continued intermittently up to the late Early Bronze Age I (3200–3000), according to pottery finds, and then resumes in the Early Bronze Age III. A large cemetery on the northern Mound was in use from the Bronze Age to Byzantine times.Canaanite graves dating from 2000 to 1600 BCE were discovered there in 1926.
