Palace Destruction

Overview

In the second half of the thirteenth century BCE, the governor’s palace was destroyed by a violent fire. The walls of the upper story, along with the contents of its rooms, fell to the ground floor and created a heap of debris some 2 m thick, consisting of mudbrick, carbonized wooden beams, painted plaster, and building stones. Objects found in the debris of the upper story include storage jars and a collared-rim pithos, Egyptian bowls and serving vessels and Egyptian beads and rings apparently worn by the palace residents. Bronze arrowheads, indicating that Aphek was destroyed by an enemy attack, were also discovered in the debris. The mound from the palace’s destruction remained atop the acropolis for nearly three millennia, until 1571, when it was leveled off to approximately 2 m by the builders of the Ottoman fortress.