Tel Shimron (Hebrew: תל שמרון) is an archaeological site and nature reserve in the Jezreel Valley. Since 2016 the site is being excavated in cooperation with the Jezreel Valley Regional Project.
Shimron was a major city in the north of Israel mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. In Late Antiquity, it was known as Simonias (Hebrew: סימונייה), as attested to by Flavius Josephus. The Arabic name of the site is Tell Sammunia, also written Semmunieh or Semmoune. Tel Shimron is located on the western edge of the Nazareth range at the intersection of the Lower Galilee and the Jezreel Valley. The location, particularly due to its proximity to the Acre (Akko) Plain, made it an important trade route.
History
Neolithic Very little Neolithic material has been found at Tel Shimron, but during the 2010 excavation, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B arrowhead as well as remains of the Wadi Rabah culture were discovered.
Chalcolithic In the Chalcolithic period, there are sparse evidence of the Ghassulian Culture uncovered during the 2010 Excavation.
Early Bronze Age Due to Middle Bronze remains that lie atop the Early Bronze strata, it is difficult to gain a detailed picture of the Early Bronze Age at Shimron.
Early Bronze I In Early Bronze IB (c. 3300-3000 BCE), Tel Shimron was founded on the eastern portion of the tel.Raban 1982https://www.telshimronexcavations.com/early-bronze-questions
Early Bronze II In Early Bronze II (c. 3000-2750 BCE), there is little information about Shimron.
The EB II was characterized by climate variability and settlement reorganization. In the Southern Levant, the transition from EB IB-II was characterized by a decline in olive cultivation.Langgut et al. 2016 Nearby Megiddo was in decline. In Egypt, the late 1st Dynasty and 2nd Dynasty represents a sequence of weak rulers, and trade with the Southern Levant halted.
Early Bronze III There was a gap in settlement during EB III (c. 2750-2350 BCE). In Egypt, the Old Kingdom flourished with the 3rd and 4th dynasties and before decline started with the 5th dynasty with drier climate conditions from 2500 BCE onwards.
Early Bronze IV In Early Bronze IV (c. 2350-2020 BCE) there are no signs of occupation. Esse (1991) suggested a continuation between EB III into MB I, but not evidence have supported this. Most sites in the Southern Levant struggled, were abandoned or destroyed. At the Transitional EB IVA-B, the region saw severe drought around 2200-2150 BCE (see 4.2 ka event) and a second drought at the Transitional EB IVB-MB IA at 2036-2023 BCE which ended the Early Bronze Age.
Middle Bronze Age Middle Bronze I In Middle Bronze I (c. 2020-1820 BCE), the end of the Early Bronze Age was due to climate change causing severe drought. A slow prosess of re-urbanization started in the second half of MB IA (c. 2020-1910/1900 BCE) and accelerated in MB IB (c. 1910/1900-1820 BCE) when regional powers start to emerge in the Northern Levant. This paved the way for the flourishing trade networks that saw urbanism thrive the following MB IIA period. Tel Shimron grew as a hub along the intersection of major trade routes (Akko/Tel Kabri to the west, Megiddo to the south, Hazor to the northeast).
Middle Bronze II In Middle Bronze II (c. 1820-1550 BCE; MB IIA-C or MB II-III), Shimron became a fortified city-state around 1800 BCE.https://www.telshimronexcavations.com/ At its largest, Tel Shimron consisted of 19.5 hectares.Portugali 1982 Its size and location suggest that it was an important inland city in the interconnected trade network of growing ports and the Jezreel Valley trade route. A cylinder seal found, dating to the MB II, further attests the international nature of Shimron as a site along an important trade route during the MB. In general, Shimron is part of a larger trend of booming urbanism and fortification as well as international trade during the MB.
The juxtaposition of domestic activity in the lower city and monumental buildings on the acropolis provides an intriguing case of status differences in the Middle Bronze Age.
The site was mainly oriented toward the Northern Levant, dominated by the kingdoms of Yamhad and Qatna in Syria. There are also influences from the Middle Kingdom of Egypt in the south. The site may be mentioned as "š-mw-ʕ-nw" in the Egyptian Execration Texts.Posener 1940
In 2017, a cylinder seal dating to the 17th century BCE was discovered at Tel Shimron. Made of hematite in the Old Syrian Classic style, it measures 1.5 cm in length and 8.5 cm in width with a 2.5 mm diameter hole. The seal depicts a sphinx and lion fighting over a human and stag, with two vultures, a sun and crescent shape depicted over the fight. In addition, a hare and a bull's head are pictured to either side. The depictions draw on influences from Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Northern Syria, showing the international nature of the site in the 17th century.
Lower city In the southwest corner of the site, Middle Bronze Age domestic buildings were excavated. Evidence of daily life in the Middle Bronze Age was found in the houses, including craft industries like metal working.
Acropolis On the acropolis of the site, to the east, monumental Middle Bronze Age remains were discovered. While the pottery in this area is similar chronologically to that of the lower city domestic area, the quality and forms are different. For example, several whole and fragmented Nahariya bowls were found This area additionally contained a massive mudbrick corbelled passageway that was also discovered.
Late Bronze Age During the Late Bronze I, a series of Egyptian military campaigns saw the Jezreel Valley become part of the Egyptian Empire. Military campaigns into the Southern Levant started with Ahmose I, with military campaigns far north by Thutmose I and the establishment of the "empire" by Thutmose III and Amenhotep II.
Late Bronze IIA In Late Bronze IIA, most of the Southern Levant was part of the Egyptian Empire. Surveys indicate that Shimron shrunk somewhat in the late second millennium BCE. The Amarna Letter may provide the names of two rulers of Shimron, Kusuna (c. 1450? BCE; Thuthmose III) and Šum-Haddu (c. 1350 BCE).
The Amarna Letters (c. 1350 BCE) attest that it was still an important royal city in northern Canaan. The city is then known as Šamhuna. In EA 225 EA 261, and EA 224, Šammu-Hadi, king of Shimron, is shown as a vassal to the Egyptian pharaoh.
In Amarna Letter EA 224, the ruler of Shimron greets the Pharaoh: "Spea[k] to the ki[ng], [my] lo[rd], my [Sun god], a message from Šum-Haddu, [servant] of the king, my lord. I fall at the feet of the king, my lord, seven times and seven times." Later, he explains: "Inasmuch as the king, my lord, sent a message concerning barley (and) millet -- "Are they threshed?"—the king, my lord, should ask his commissioners if our forefathers were bringing (grain) since the days of Kusuna, our forefather."https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/aemw/amarna/qpn?xis=qpn.r0002ca&ref=P270951.4 The letter shows that grain production based on barley and millet was important, with the grain being shipped to Egyptian storehouses and garrisons. It also mentions a forefather, Kusuna, who may have been a previous ruler of the city. When the Pharaoh inquires whether the grain is threshed, the local ruler does not give a simple “yes,” but instead refers to the Pharaoh's commissioner (regional overseer) and to the established practice of delivering grain since the time of the forefather Kusuna.
In Amarna Letter EA 225, the ruler of Shimron greets the Pharaoh: "Speak to the king, my lord, a message from Šum-Haddu, the ruler of Šamhuna. I fall at the foot of my king seven and seven times." He continues: "I am obeying the entirety of my king’s commands. As for the commissioner <whom> my king will give over <me>, I will obey the entirey of his commands (as well)."https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/aemw/amarna/qpn?xis=qpn.r0002ca&ref=P271014.4 The letter shows the Pharaoh written in Akkadian as "LUGAL" (Great Man; i.e. Great King), while the ruler of Shimron uses the title "LU" (Man) in "LU₂-li₂1 uruša-am-ḫu-na".
In Amarna Letter EA 8, Burraburiyash of Babylon complains to the pharaoh that Šum-Hadda (cf. Šammu-Hadi) and Sutana of Acco raided one of his caravans. The text indicates that Shimron was along an important trade route, and allianced western city-states like Acco. This is supported by Cypriot material found at the site. However, the reference seems to refer to another Šum-Adda from Ḫinnatuna to the north.
Say to Napḫurureya, king of Egypt, my brother Thus Burra-Buriyaš Great king the king of Karaduniyaš your brother For me all goes well For you your country your household your wives your sons your magnates your horses your chariots may all go very well.
My brother and I made a mutual declaration of friendship and this is what we said 'Just as our fathers were friends with one another so will we be friends with one another Now my merchants who were on their way with Aḫu-ṭabu were detained in Canaan for business matters After Aḫu-ṭabu went on to my brother in Ḫinnatuna of Canaan Šum-Adda the son of Balumme and Šutatna the son of Šaratum of Akka having sent there men killed my merchants and took away their money I send ... post haste Inquire of him so that he may inform you Canaan is your country and its kings are your servants In your country I have been despoiled Bring them to account and make compensation for the money they took away Put to death the men who put my servants to death and so avenge my blood And if you don not put these men to death they are going to kill again be it a caravan of mine or your own messengers and so messengers between us will there-by be cut-off And if they try and deny this to you Šum-Adda having blocked the passage of one man of mine retained him in his company and another man having been forced into service by Šutatna of Akka is still serving him These men should be brought to you so you can investigate inquire whether they are dead and thus become informed As a greeting gift I send to you one mina of lapis-lazuli Send off my messenger immediately so I may know my brother's decision Do not detain my messenger Let him be off to me immediately
Late Bronze IIB In the late 19th dynasty, drier climate caused distress and rebellion in the Egyptian Empire in the Southern Levant. During the reign of Merneptah, several city-states rebelled. The Merneptah Stele indicate that the Egyptian army tried to suppress and starve out the rebels in the Jezreel Valley (Yisrael; Israel) by attacking the grain production laying the fields waste.
According to Joshua 11, the king of Shimron was part of an alliance with the king of Hazor, which was defeated by Joshua. Joshua 19:15 places Shimron inside the allotment of the Tribe of Zebulun.
Iron Age Iron I Iron Age I was a transitional phase between the end of the Late Bronze Age (c. 1190 BCE) and Iron II (10th century BCE), characterized by climate instability and drought along with political turmoil. Iron Age remains were found in a silo cut into the Bronze Age fortifications. While the 2019 excavation did not allow for rigorous investigation of the Iron Age remains, the assemblage found in the silo is similar to that of Megiddo VI, which indicates a "Canaanite" population in the lowlands in the Iron Age I. A bronze bracelet and electrum sheeting were also found here.
Iron II The exact political and social orientation of Tel Shimron during the Iron Age is unclear (Phoenicians W, Northern Kingdom of Israel SE).
Assyrian destruction During the 8th century BC, Shimron was destroyed. Tiglath Pileser III of Assyria (r.