The
fortified
Middle
Bronze
Age
Tel
Gezer
surrounded
by
a
massive
stone
wall,
protected
by
an
earthen
glacis
and
by
two
massive
towers.
By
the
end
of
that
period,
the
city
was
conquered
and
destroyed
by
the
Egyptians.
During
the
Late
Bronze
Age,
the
city
was
rebuilt
and
flourished
under
the
Egyptian
dominance.
In
the
Iron
Age
II
Gezer
was
part
of
the
Kingdom
of
Israel.
It
was
conquered
and
destroyed
by
the
Assyrian
in
732
BCE.
At
2nd
century
BCE,
the
Hasmonean
occupied
and fortified the city.
Gezer
was
mentioned
in
an
inscription
from
Egypt
from
the
Middle
Bronze
Age,
in
the
Bible
as
one
of
Joshua's
conquerer,
and
as
an
Egyptian
wedding
gift
to
King
Solomon.
Gezer
is
also
mentioned
in
Assyrians records.
Today,
you
can
see
the
Middle
Bronze
Age
wall,
the
gate,
the
two
towers,
one
of
the
deepest
ancient
underground
water
systems
in
Israel.
Also
seen
on
the
site
some
large
standing
stones,
probably
'masseboth'
from
a
Middle
Bronze
Age
cultic
place.
From
the
Iron
Age
II,
you
can
see
the
casemate
city
wall,
and
the
"Solomon"
six
chambers
gate
similar
to
those
of
Megiddo
and
Hazor.
From
the
top
of
the
Tel,
you
can
view
the
coastal
plains
and
the
Judah
Mountains,
which
demonstrate
the
Gezer
strategic
location
on
the
cross-road
of
the
ancient Via Maris route and that from Jaffa to Jerusalem.
