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TEL GEZER, ISRAEL—Philistine pottery, a scarab of Amenhotep III, cylinder seals, and stone tools dating to the fourteenth century B.C. have been found beneath the biblical-era remains at Tel Gezer. The ancient city sat at the crossroads of the Via Maris, or the Way of the Sea, and the road to Jerusalem and Jericho. Egypt, Syria, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia all vied for control of the fortified city and its water system. “It’s always changed hands throughout history,” said Steven Ortiz of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. After the transportation routes changed during the Roman period, the city eventually declined.
