A 5,500-year-old city gate was uncovered during excavations carried out near Kiryat Gat in southern Israel, with archaeologists saying this is the most ancient gate ever discovered in Israel.

The gate and part of a fortification system were discovered at Tel Erani ahead of the laying of a water pipe by the Mekorot Water Company which is set to supply water to the Intel factory.

The fortifications date to the early Bronze Age, about 3,300 BCE, reflecting the beginning of urbanization in the Land of Israel and the Southern Levant.

Until the discovery of the gate at Tel Erani, the oldest known gate in Israel was at Tel Arad, which dates to about 300 years later than the newly found gate.

About 1.5 meters of the gate remain intact. The remains include a passageway built of large stones, leading into the ancient city. The gate is flanked by two stone towers, with rows of mudbricks in between. The gate is attached to city walls found in earlier excavations…Source – Read More!