Bethsaida (et-Tell) Iron Age Excavations
The city gate, fortifications, and monumental building provide important evidence for organized political life northeast of the Sea of Galilee during the Iron Age. They help researchers investigate the historical setting of Geshur and its relationship with Israel. The excavations do not independently establish the name of the city or prove it was Geshur’s capital.
About the Discovery
Excavations at et-Tell, northeast of the Sea of Galilee, have uncovered a substantial Iron Age city with thick defensive walls, a monumental gateway, storerooms, and a large public building interpreted as a palace. These remains show that an important fortified center existed in this region during the time of the Israelite monarchy.
The excavators have proposed that the city was a capital of the biblical kingdom of Geshur. This remains an interpretation rather than a proven identification. Scholars also debate aspects of the site chronology and whether et-Tell should be identified with the Bethsaida mentioned in the New Testament.
Scripture Reference
2 Samuel 3:3; 13:37–38; 14:23–32; 15:8 (references to the kingdom of Geshur and its royal family, not to these excavated structures).