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Other Archaeological Sites / The Neolithic of the Levant (500 Page Book Online) Tell el-Hesi Dictionary of the Ancient Near East -- Editors: Piotr Bienkowski and Alan Millard (2010)
The first period of excavation ran from 1890 to 1892 when ‘Hesy’ was dug by Petrie and F.J. Bliss. Petrie established here the foundation of the methodology used in Syro-Palestinian archaeology to this day. He explored a ‘section’ of the mound exposed by erosion and established the principles of ceramic typology and stratigraphic excavation. The Joint Archaeological Expedition completed the second phase of excavation in eight seasons (1970-83). Chalcolithic remains are not numerous here but Early Bronze Age occupation covered the entire site. Hesi was apparently abandoned during Early Bronze III and no structures from the Middle Bronze Age were found although some Middle Bronze Age sherds have turned up. The Late Bronze Age settlement was substantial and Bliss recovered a cuneiform tablet from the Amarna Period in his ‘City lll’. Evidence from Iron I was minimal but in the ninth century BC the entire ‘acropolis’ (or upper tell) was surrounded by an impressive wall. Hesi's Iron II occupation came to an end in the sixth century BC, perhaps at the hands of the Babylonians. The site continued to play a military role in the Persian and Hellenistic periods.
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Tell el-Hesi is an imposing site located
in the transitional zone where the northern Negev -- the coastal plain -- and the Shephelah meet. It lies circa 26 km north-east of 
