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First Canaanite City Uncovered in Arad; Shows City Planning 4500 Years Old

September 2, 1971
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The first Canaanite city to be uncovered in its entirety has been discovered in Arab, and according to Mrs. Ruth Andran of the Israel Museum which co-sponsored the dig, the find bears witness to the existence of city planning 4,500 years ago. Living quarters complete with household articles, streets and a section of the fortified city wall of the Canaanite city were uncovered. The temple courtyard containing an incised rounded pool paved with smooth slabs of stones from the Hebron Hills was also uncovered. The pool–five feet in diameter and three feet deep–is the first of its kind to be found in Israel. Now being cleaned are two of the seasons more unusual finds: a stone statuette of a bull and a stone tablet bearing the incised figures of two men holding their hands upraised. These relate to trade between Canaan and Egypt. The excavations were conducted under the auspices of the Israel Exploration Society, the Antiquities Department, the Hebrew University, the University of the Negev, and the Israel Museum.

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