Tell Jemmeh, Archaeological tell in Southern District, Israel

Tell Jemmeh is an archaeological mound in southern Israel that rises above the surrounding landscape and shows layers of ancient settlement. The site sits where two streams meet and contains traces of different cultures and periods.

The mound was continuously inhabited for more than a thousand years and shows the successive cultures of the region. Scientists uncovered many of these layers through systematic excavations conducted over two decades starting in 1970.

The site contains remains of administrative buildings and workshop areas that reflect everyday life in ancient times. These discoveries help visitors understand how people worked and organized themselves in this region.

The mound rises 23 metres above the plain, and its loess soil erodes steadily as the Besor floods along the north side, so the slopes are uneven underfoot. The kibbutz of Re'im lies 2 km east and Kisufim 6 km west, with the site about 9 km inland from the Mediterranean. Approach on foot from the kibbutz side and keep to the crest rather than the washed-out northern edge.

A six-year-old child found a rare clay tablet more than 3,500 years old at the site during a hike in 2020. The mound also yielded the first equid burials identified in Israel, one a donkey identified by its teeth.