3500-1150 BCE

Bronze Age-
The Canaanite Period

This is the earliest period in which bronze came into use. It is also called the Canaanite period, although this term is not accepted today. The Bronze Age saw revolutions in this country: urbanization, the abandonment of cities and their re-founding (including the establishment of Jerusalem as a city), and the invention of the alphabet in the Sinai Desert. According to the traditional narrative this was the period of the patriarchs, and later the exodus from Egypt and the beginning of the settlement of the Israelite tribes in this land. Jerusalem was inhabited by Canaanites at this time, and had no particular political or religious status; however, it was during this period that Jerusalem was first mentioned in extra-biblical texts.

Early Bronze Age

The Early Bronze Age is a time in which the first cities of the world were built. In Canaan, Jericho, Lachish, Arad, Megiddo, Hazor and other cities were built, but toward the end of this period they were abandoned for reasons that are unclear. It should be noted that Jerusalem had not yet been founded as a walled city at this time.

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3500–2200 BCE

Middle Bronze Age (period of the Patriarchs)

Contrary to earlier periods, this era was rich in written documents that tell us of events in the surrounding region. Some scholars sought to identify the stories of the patriarchs, in which Jerusalem is called Shalem; it is therefore also known as the “age of the Patriarchs.”

During the Middle Bronze Age Egypt became more involved in events in Canaan, and tribes from present-day Syria also penetrated the land. Cities once again began to be built here, such as Dan, Megiddo and Shechem, after a gap of hundreds of years. In various areas there were dominant “city states” whose kings ruled both the city and the surrounding area.

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2200–1550 BCE
2200–1550 BCE

Egyptian Curses

2200–1550 BCE

Huge Fortifications and Towers Reaching Skyward

2200–1550 BCE

Mount Moriah before the Construction of the First Temple

2200–1550 BCE

A Hidden Shaft

2200–1550 BCE

Historical Encounter in Ancient Jerusalem: the Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek

Late Bronze Age (Period of the Settlement)

Egypt increased its involvement in Canaan during this period, and in the fifteenth century BCE Pharaoh Tutmoses III went to war in Canaan. Almost no new fortifications were built in Canaan at this time, and the country actively participated in intensive commerce all around the eastern Mediterranean basin. The settlement of the Israelite tribes in various parts of the country was once dated to the end of this period, hence it was dubbed “period of the settlement,” which relates to its latter part. In the mid-fourteenth century BCE Jerusalem is mentioned for the second time in its history, once again in Egypt, in texts that are not biblical. Jerusalem was involved in internal struggles among the rulers of other urban centers, who formed a coalition against it.

Archaeological finds from this period in and around the City of David are very meager. Nevertheless, finds were discovered that are dated to the end of this period, for example tombs found on the Mount of Olives and discoveries in the Nahalat Ahim neighborhood near the Mahane Yehuda Market and elsewhere. According to Prof. Gabriel Barkay, an Egyptian temple even stood north of the present-day Damascus Gate.

 

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1550–1150 BCE
Bronze Age (Canaanite period) Iron Age I The period of the Settlement and Judges Iron Age II - King David and the First Temple Period Return to Zion and the Second Temple Period Roman and Byzantine periods Middle Ages Ottoman Period and Modern Era