GATH

site of ancient Gath, courtesy, Wikipedia

Archeologists have identified the ancient site of Gath with Tel es Safi in the Shephelah region south of Tel Aviv. However, that theory was challenged in the 50s by archaeologist William F. Albright. He suggested another site, Tell 'Areini which, despite some opposition, was accepted to the point that the Israel Government Names Committee renamed it as Tel Gat in 1953. However, excavations at Tell 'Areini starting in 1959 found no Middle Bronze Age traces and the excavators proposed instead that Gath be identified with a third site, Tell en-Nejileh (Tel Nagila), a proposal abandoned after excavations in the 1980s. Attention then returned again to Tell es-Safi, which is thought to be the location of Gath. Extensive exploration of the site was not conducted until 1996, when a long-term project was commenced there, directed by Aren Maeir of Bar-Ilan University.

According to the Books of Joshua and I Samuel, Gath was one of the five principal cities of the Philistines which was later allotted to the tribe of Judah. But at the time of Joshua, the Israelites did not conquer it. Gath was the native city of Goliath (I Sam. xvii.). After David’s victory over him and the other Philistines, he took refuge with the Philistine King Achish of Gath (I Sam, xxi. 10, xxvii. 2). According to II Chron. xi. 8, Rehoboam fortified the city, which, however, must have fallen into the hands of the Philistines again, and later to the Syrians under Hazael, but afterwards it was conquered by Uzziah of Judah thus falling back into Israelite hands (II Chron. xxvi. 6). According to an Assyrian inscription, during the reign of King Ahab over Judah, King Sargon of Assyria conquered Gath along with other Philistine cities (comp. Amos vi. 2; Micah i. 14).

In modern times, the city of Kiryat Gat, named after the ancient site, was founded in 1954, initially as a ma'abara. The following year it was established as a development town by 18 families from Morocco. The population rose from 4,400 inhabitants in 1958 to 17,000 in 1969, mostly from Jewish immigrants from North Africa. The economy was initially based on processing the agricultural produce of the Lachish region, such as cotton and wool. In December 1972, Kiryat Gat's municipal status was upgraded and it became Israel's 31st city.

During the 1990s, the mass immigration of Soviet Jews to Israel brought many new residents to the town and its population grew to 42,500 by 1995. The development of the Rabin industrial zone on the eastern edge of the city, and the opening of Highway 6 further improved the local economy.