"And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon"-says the Holy Scripture (1 Kings 4:25). The land "from Dan to Beersheba" is a very common phrase used in Bible to describe the boundary of Israel (Judges 20:1, 1 Samuel 3:20, 2 Samuel 3:10, 2 Samuel 17:11, 2 Samuel 24:2, 2 Samuel 24:15, 1 Chronicles 21:2, and 2 Chronicles 30:5). By Biblical definition, Dan is the northernmost city of Israel while Beersheba was the southernmost.
However, Dan was an ancient Canaanite city originally known as Laish (Judg 18:29) or Leshem (Judg 19:47) before 600 members (Judges 18:16-17) of the Israeli tribe of Dan migrated to the area (12th Cent BC). Idol worship prevailed in the region and tribe of Dan became the most idolatrous of all the tribes. Idolatrous practices were established in Dan during the priesthood of Moses’ grandson, Jonathan, and were continued by his descendants (Judg 18:30). Later, Jeroboam I, king of Israel at the end of the 10th century BC, built an altar bearing a golden calf in Dan (1 Kings 12:29-30). Today, the 'High Place' excavated at Dan is believed to be the same altar erected by Jeroboam.
Archaeologists date the first settlement of Dan from 45oo BC. Tel Dan has yielded some of the remarkable archaeological findings in Israel. The inscription mentioning the name of King David for the first time outside Bible was discovered from Tel Dan. Tel Dan Stele (dated from 8-9 Cent BC) is a black basalt fragment with an Aramaic inscription refering to "Beth David or House of David. The stele is currently at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Another very inetersting finding (uncovered in 1979) is the triple arched "Abraham Gate" (dated 18th Cent BC). This city gate of Canaanite Laish (Dan) is the only intact mud-brick arched gateway discovered so far in Near East and the oldest in Israel. Since this is the period of the Biblical patriarchs, it is assumed that Abraham would have crossed the gate when he went Dan to rescue Lot (Genesis 14:14). The 4000 year old "Abraham Gate" was opened for pubic after painstaking restoration work in March, 2009 (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1071920.html). Unfortunately and I feel really sorry that I couldn't visit the gate though I was walking very close to the site.
However, Dan was an ancient Canaanite city originally known as Laish (Judg 18:29) or Leshem (Judg 19:47) before 600 members (Judges 18:16-17) of the Israeli tribe of Dan migrated to the area (12th Cent BC). Idol worship prevailed in the region and tribe of Dan became the most idolatrous of all the tribes. Idolatrous practices were established in Dan during the priesthood of Moses’ grandson, Jonathan, and were continued by his descendants (Judg 18:30). Later, Jeroboam I, king of Israel at the end of the 10th century BC, built an altar bearing a golden calf in Dan (1 Kings 12:29-30). Today, the 'High Place' excavated at Dan is believed to be the same altar erected by Jeroboam.
Archaeologists date the first settlement of Dan from 45oo BC. Tel Dan has yielded some of the remarkable archaeological findings in Israel. The inscription mentioning the name of King David for the first time outside Bible was discovered from Tel Dan. Tel Dan Stele (dated from 8-9 Cent BC) is a black basalt fragment with an Aramaic inscription refering to "Beth David or House of David. The stele is currently at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Another very inetersting finding (uncovered in 1979) is the triple arched "Abraham Gate" (dated 18th Cent BC). This city gate of Canaanite Laish (Dan) is the only intact mud-brick arched gateway discovered so far in Near East and the oldest in Israel. Since this is the period of the Biblical patriarchs, it is assumed that Abraham would have crossed the gate when he went Dan to rescue Lot (Genesis 14:14). The 4000 year old "Abraham Gate" was opened for pubic after painstaking restoration work in March, 2009 (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1071920.html). Unfortunately and I feel really sorry that I couldn't visit the gate though I was walking very close to the site.
Today, ancient Dan is part of Tel Dan Nature Reserve (120 acre). Throug the reserve, Dan Stream (the largest tributary of Jordan River) flows abundantly. The water was very cold and I guess it could be due to its origin from the base of snow filled Mt Hermon. Apart from the archaeological sites, the reserve offers you excellent hiking paths through some very green and refreshingly cool areas even at extreme summer. The reserve also conserves quite a few unique flora and fauna that otherwise do not survive the typical harsh Israeli weather.
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