Tell Deir Alla — Balaam Inscription
Late Bronze Age to Iron Age (1500–700 BCE)·Canaanite / Aramean / Israelite·🇯🇴 Jordan Valley, Jordan
About
About Tell Deir Alla — Balaam Inscription
Tell Deir Alla — Balaam Inscription in Jordan Valley, Jordan is a Late Bronze Age to Iron Age (1500–700 BCE) tell attributed to Canaanite / Aramean / Israelite. Tell with plaster wall inscription of Balaam son of Beor (Numbers 22) in Aramaic. Franken's excavations: LB sanctuary, Iron II Balaam text on plaster (800 BCE) with prophetic curse.
Why it mattersKey Levantine tell with multi-period stratigraphy informing chronology of the Jordan Valley
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Stratigraphic sequence
- 02Biblical identification debated
Theories
- 01Border fortress model
- 02Trade route control
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1500 BCE
- Period
- Late Bronze Age to Iron Age (1500–700 BCE)
- Culture
- Canaanite / Aramean / Israelite
- Purpose
- Tell with plaster wall inscription of Balaam son of Beor (Numbers 22) in Aramaic
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 1500 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1925 CE
Woolley/Petrie survey
On the ground
Structures & features
32.1900° N · 35.6170° E · -250 m · 3 mapped features
Tell Deir Alla — Balaam Inscription — Summit Citadel
citadelCitadel or summit fort on tell
32.1901° N · 35.6171° ETell Deir Alla — Balaam Inscription — Glacis and Wall Circuit
glacisOuter fortification glacis
32.1898° N · 35.6171° ETell Deir Alla — Balaam Inscription — Lower Town / Cemetery
lower townExtension settlement or cemetery
32.1904° N · 35.6168° E