The remains of biblical Dan can be found in a beautiful nature reserve at the base of Mount Hermon, about 6 km west of Caesarea Philippi. There have been some huge archaeological discoveries here, which verify the accuracy of the biblical record!

Early Biblical-Era History

Before Israel’s conquest of Canaan, the town was called Laish or Leshem. It was one of the prominent settlements of northern Canaan, importing goods from as far away as Greece! Abraham went there on a mission to rescue his nephew Lot (Gen 14:14).

Eventually, Laish was conquered and occupied by the tribe of Dan. Though Dan’s allotted territory was far from Laish, the people of Dan decided to move there after failing to defeat the Philistines in their own area (Josh 19:47). The Danites renamed Laish in honour of their ancestor.

Dan in the Divided Kingdom Era

The town came to prominence again after King Solomon’s death, when northern and southern Israel divided. Jeroboam, appointed by the northerners as their king, built a major religious shrine at Dan because he didn’t want his people going to Jerusalem to worship (1 Kings 12:26-31). He built temples to house golden calves at both Dan and Bethel. This led the northern tribes down a path of apostasy (2 Kings 17:21).

This was likely a religious site even before Jeroboam’s time, as Egyptian cult objects were found under the remains of the Israelite complex.

Dan was located in the far north of Israel, and as such was vulnerable to attack. In the eighth century BC, Israel’s King Ahab tried to protect the city with an impressive wall, 15 metres high and about 4 metres thick. Nonetheless, the city was conquered and changed hands many times before being abandoned by the fourth century AD.

Tel Dan Inscription

One of the most significant archaeological finds in connection with the Bible was found in Dan. This stele features an Aramaic inscription, boasting of Aram’s victory over Israel and a king of the house of David. To date, this is the only reference found to David in archaeology. The stele was likely displayed in Dan after Aram defeated the city. When the town was reconquered by Israel, the stele was smashed and used as part of the city wall, where it remained until discovery in the 1990s.

References

Balogh, Amy L. “Tel Dan Stele,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Edited by John D. Barry. Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2016. Logos edition.

Drouhard, R. L. “Dan, Tel,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Edited by John D. Barry. Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2016. Logos edition.