Hazor - March 1999
 

Hazor - April 2005

Israeli archaeologist Yigael Yadin dug up Hazor (1955-58).  He discovered the six chamber gate complex and dated it to the time of Solomon.  The six chambers were behind two square buttresses at the entrance to the city. 

This discovery was of interest for it was written in the Bible that Solomon had building projects in Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

1Kings 9:15  "And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised, to build the house of Jehovah (YHWH), and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer."

Archaeologist William Dever uncovered a gate complex from the time of Solomon at Gezer.  Efforts at Megiddo did not convince all involved that any of the numerous gate complexes could be proven to be from the time of Solomon beyond reasonable doubt, yet a southern palace at Megiddo was dated to the time of Solomon as it was determined the city was also occupied during the time of Solomon. 

Yigael Yadin had dated one gate structure at Megiddo to the time of Solomon.  He also wrote about one of the gates at Gezer as being from the time of Solomon  (IEJ Reader Vol I, "Solomon's City Wall and Gate at Gezer", Y. Yadin, 1981).  Yigael recorded the orientation of the three gates (Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer) were from the same plan built to slightly different specifications as if "planned by the same royal architect".  There were Solomon era casemate walls found at all three sites preserved to this day.  The casemate wall was more common during this era than other times in Israel.