Place · Land of Israel / Judea
Dan
Ancient names: Laish, Leshem, Dan
A site at Israel's northern edge, with a royal sanctuary and an Aramaic stele mentioning the House of David.
33.2490°N 35.6531°E · representative coordinate · Pleiades 678106 ↗
Statements linked to this place
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A Tel Dan inscription shows that Israel and Judah existed as kingdoms by the ninth century BCE: it names Israel's king and another ruler belonging to the House of David. No evidence, however, establishes that David and Solomon once united both kingdoms as the Bible says. According to 1 Kings 12, Jeroboam built two sanctuaries at his kingdom's borders, Bethel in the south and Dan in the north, each housing a golden calf, to dissuade Israelites from going to the Temple in Jerusalem. The calves have not been found, but an imposing sanctuary has been unearthed at Dan, with a large platform where they may have been displayed. The Kingdom of Israel took longer to settle on a capital, finally Samaria, where a huge palace has been excavated.