Hatzor
"Cyclopean" ruins located in the north of Galilee, north of the Sea of Galilee, on an elevation overlooking Lake Merom.
Description
Coming from Gherghesa and going towards Giscala, Jesus has just passed near the ruins of Hatzor."over there, there is no flowering, no fertility, neither of man nor of nature. All the efforts of the winds, all the toil of men are frustrated because the Cyclopean ruins of ancient Hatzor encumber everything and between one large stone and another only nettles and bushes can grow and snakes can hide."[1]This is the only reference to the ruins of Hatzor in the work and no one, before 1955, had ever mentioned "cyclopean ruins", except for Maria Valtorta in 1945.
Its name
Hatzor, Hatsor, Hasor (in Hebrew תל חצור)
The word Hatzor (חָצוֹר) generally means "enclosure" or "fortified village." It is composed of the root ח.צ.ר (H.Ṣ.R), which conveys the idea of a place surrounded, enclosed, or fortified.
The term "cyclopean" refers to massive walls built with giant stone blocks, typical of the Bronze age. These impressive structures inspired legends, such as those of the Cyclopes (mythological Greek giants), hence the name. At Tell Hatsor, these colossal walls bear witness to the advanced military architecture of the time.
Where is it mentioned in the work?
GRM 160.4.
Learn more about this place
The site of Tell Hatsor (or Tel Hatzor) is one of the largest tells (archaeological mounds) in Israel. It was a major city-state of the Bronze age, often mentioned in Egyptian and biblical texts[2] as a powerful and fortified city.
Hatzor, in Upper Galilee, was the largest Canaanite city. Since 1958, the site has gradually become the largest biblical archaeology excavation in Israel, now covering an area of more than 80 hectares! The city commanded a branch of the very important trade and military route connecting Egypt to Mesopotamia, which the Romans later called "Via Maris". As Maria Valtorta describes, the site was already an immense field of ruins in the time of Jesus, as the total and final destruction of the city dates to 732 BC.[3]
Explore
- 33° 01’ 35’’ N / 35° 33’ 38’’ E /
- +190m
Notes and references
Article partially based on the Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel by Jean-François Lavère.