Tel Dor • תל דוֹר • تل دور - خربة البرج
Tel Dor is the best-preserved settlement of the Persian period of the Levant. It was a very sophisticated port city and even had special structures for boats to pull into.
The Eastern mound was residential and had a Hippodamian plan that heralds from a late Persian style. The architecture itself is heavily Phoenician. Area D had canine burials. Dor and Joppa were given to Eshmun'azar II by the Persian king. Dor's destruction was likely due to the Persian king's BCE military action against coastal Phoenician cities that were revolting.
The Dor Favissae (aka Dor Crypts) were established during the 5th CENT BCE and 4th CENT BCE. They contained discarded cult objects, including: a clay mold for fertility figurines (Asherah or Astarte); a head of Ba'al-Zeus with Greek helmet; the Bes amulet (Egyptian deity; made of bone); and horse and rider figurines. Two different views of 6th CENT BCE - 5th CENT BCE horse and rider figurine from Cyprus are shown to the left.