Khirbet Kerak
Khirbet Kerak (Arabic: خربة الكرك Khirbet al-Karak, "the ruin of the fortress") or Beth Yerah (Hebrew: בית ירח, "House of the Moon (god)") (also Khirbat al-Karak) is a tell (archaeological mound) located on the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee in modern-day Israel. The tell spans an area of over 50 acres—one of the largest in the Levant—and contains remains dating from the Early Bronze Age (c. 3000 BCE - 2000 BCE) and from the Persian period (c. 450 BCE) through to the Early Islamic period (c. 1000 CE).
Khirbet al-Karak | |
Shown within Israel | |
| Alternative name | Beth Yerah, Tell Beth Yerah, Tel Bet Yerah |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 32.717958°N 35.571864°E |
| Area | c.250 Dunams |
| History | |
| Periods | Bronze Age - Crusader period |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | Na'im Makhouly, Benjamin Mazar, Michael Avi-Yonah, Moshe Sheteklis, Emanuel Dunayevsky, Pesach Bar-Adon, P.L.O. Guy, Ruth Amiran, Rafi Greenberg, Pinhas Delougaz, Richard C. Haines |
| Website | Tel Bet Yerah Research and Excavation Project |
Khirbet Kerak ware is a type of Early Bronze Age Syro-Palestinian pottery first discovered at this site. It is also found in other parts of the Levant, including Jericho, Beth Shan, Tell Judeideh, and Ugarit. Khirbet Kerak culture appears to have been a Levantine version of the Early Transcaucasian culture, also known as the Kura-Araxes or Kur-Araz culture.