ABSTRACT
Two important features uncovered by Mackenzie at Beth Shemesh during the first two excavation campaigns were the Bronze Age city wall and gate (dubbed by him the Strong Wall and South Gate; Mackenzie 1911f; 1913c; Fig. 1.4). As discussed above, the third campaign at the site allowed Mackenzie to continue and complete the excavation of the city’s gate early in November-December 1912 (Mackenzie 1913c, 93, 100; MS 1–16; Fig. 2.6). Before leaving Beth Shemesh for good, he backfilled the excavation trenches and returned the surface of the site to its former state, in compliance with Ottoman law.
