The tell of Beit Shemesh was initially a Canaanite city and named after the sun-goddess Shapash or Shemesh, the name meaning house or temple of the sun. The city is mentioned in the book of Joshua as being in the territory of Judah. It was set aside as one of the 13 cities for the tribe of Levi. Archeologists think that sometime during the 11th century BCE, the inhabitants were not eating pig, as no bones were found here, so that by this time it was probably totally Jewish. After Hezekiah’s rebellion against the Assyrian king Sennacharib in 701 BCE, it was totally destroyed, but the settlement was re-founded on its eastern slopes. There was no reconstruction of the city during the Persian period when the exiles returned from Babylon.

Beit Shemesh was a border town in the biblical period in that the tribe of Dan lived on the other side of the valley, and south of the tell along the valley was Philistine territory. For much of the time these neighbors probably lived in relative harmony, although the more organized the Israelites became, especially with the onset of the monarchy, the more the Philistines saw them as a threat. Already by the time of the Judges, the tribe of Dan relocated to the north of Israel because of Philistine pressure.

Directions. The site is just off Route 38. There is limited parking just beyond the road’s shoulder. Enter “https://waze.com/ul/hsv8ueujs3” into Waze. It is just after the turning of Route 3835 to Tzara, but before the turning of Route 3833 to Yishai. Then take the unmarked footpath to the tell.

The tell overlooks the Sorek Valley. There are ruins on the top of the tell which are from the Byzantine period. It is worth going to the top of the tell for the view over the Sorek Valley. After this, take another path to the right of the path to the top of the tell and this will bring you to more ruins. This includes a giant subterranean reservoir that is worth seeing. It is reached by steps. Sennacherib filled it with dirt to make it unusable when he devastated the country. The dirt was cleared out as part of the excavations.