Tell Tweini, ancient Gabala, in the Bronze Age

Phoenicia, the coastal area of Syria, around 30 kilometers south of the modern harbour town of Lattakia (Fig. 1). The Tell is located just outside the limits of the modern town of Jebleh, ancient Gibala/Gabala, 1.7 km from the sea, at the junction of two rivers. The larger of these, the Rumailiah river, was navigable as recently as the early part of the 20th century. This river leads from the Tell directly to the sandy cove at the northern end of the modern town where there is a small bay, visible from the acropolis of the Tell. This is undoubtedly where the harbour of the Bronze Age town of Gibala was situated. In Phoenician times and throughout the Iron Age, the area of the harbour extended to the south, where the modern town of Jebleh is now sited.