Tel Rehov Mountain

Website: https://www.antiquities.org.il/

Tel Rehov is an archaeological mound in Israel’s northern Jordan Valley region, with occupation layers spanning the Bronze and Iron Ages and significance for studies of early urbanism in the Levant.

Excavated areas reveal streets, mudbrick houses, workshops and administrative buildings; a particularly notable find is a cluster of about 30 clay beehives dated to the Iron Age (commonly placed in the 10th-9th centuries BCE). These finds together document domestic, industrial and agricultural activities at a sizeable regional centre.

The site was occupied from the Bronze Age into the Iron Age and shows continuity and changes in urban layout and economic organization across those periods. Systematic archaeological excavations in the late 20th and early 21st centuries uncovered the extensive settlement plan and the apiary remains.

Tel Rehov sits in the northern Jordan Valley near the modern communities and agricultural lands south of the Sea of Galilee and within the general Beit Shean/Beth-Shean valley area.

• Beehives: A set of roughly thirty clay hives was excavated and dated to the Iron Age, providing rare direct archaeological evidence for organized beekeeping in the Levant.
• Archaeological work: Major excavations by teams from Israeli universities exposed broad areas of the site and clarified its sequence from Bronze Age into the Iron Age.

What to See#

• Apiary (beehives): Cluster of about 30 cylindrical clay beehives discovered in situ, dated to the Iron Age and interpreted as an organized apiary used for honey production.
• Urban quarters: Extensive administrative and industrial areas including streets, mudbrick houses and production installations that reveal long-term urban occupation.

Tel Rehov lies near the modern moshav of Rehov and is reachable by car from Beit She’an (approximately a 20-30 minute drive) or from Afula. Check with the Israel Antiquities Authority for guided visits and current access restrictions.

• Arrange a guided visit: excavated remains are spread across a field and specialists add context to delicate finds like Iron Age fortifications.
• Wear sun protection and sturdy shoes - the tell is an exposed archaeological landscape with limited shade.
• Check visiting rules with the Israel Antiquities Authority; some areas can be seasonally restricted for ongoing excavations.