In the Bible:
Judges 1:18, Judah
Located on the northern edge of the Shephelah. It was strategically positioned at a junction on the international coastal highway and the road into Jerusalem through the Aijalon Valley. Thutmose III (1477 BC, Moses step-brother) destroyed the Canaanite city with fire. The Tell Amarna letters from the 1300’s BC include 10 letters from the kings of Gezer to the Egyptian pharaoh.
Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live in Gezer. Around 980 BC the Egyptians destroyed Gezer and the Pharaoh gave it to King Solomon as a wedding gift. (I Kings 9:16) Solomon then rebuilt the city. In 924 BC Shishak fought Rehoboam and destroyed Gezer. (1 Kings 14:25) Archaeology began in the early 1900’s and Gezer has been extensively excavated. The Gezer calendar, a plaque with a text listing the months and the agricultural seasons, was found here. Solomon’s wall and gateway were identified by Yigael Yadin. Also uncovered and sound be seen are: - the 23 foot diameter Canaanite Water Shaft slanting for 150 feet to connect a spring with the city from 1800 BC and similar to Warren’s Shaft, - a 52 foot wide tower with its large defensive wall, - a middle bronze age gate (constructed about 1650 BC) connected to a 13 foot wide wall with at least 25 towers (destroyed by Thutmose III) - eight monumental megaliths. - Nine inscribed boundary stones
- Solomon’s Six Chambered Gate