Tel Sheva (Hebrew: תל שבע) or Tel Be'er Sheva (Hebrew: תל באר שבע), also known as Tell es-Seba (تل السبع),[1] is an archaeological site in the Southern District of Israel, believed to be the site of the ancient biblical town of Beer-sheba.

[2] The site lies east of modern Beersheba and west of the Bedouin town of Tel Sheva.

The site was excavated from 1969 to 1976 by the Tel Aviv University Institute of Archaeology, directed by Prof. Yohanan Aharoni, except for the last season which was led by Prof. Ze'ev Herzog.

During the last three seasons of excavation (1974–1976), an effort was made to go below Beer-sheba of Iron Age II to find earlier occupation.

A considerable part of the site was dug down to bedrock in order to find the earliest settlements at Beer-sheba.

[4] Excavations were renewed by Prof Herzog between 1993 and 1995 in order to complete the uncovering of the town's water system.

[5] The earliest occupation at Beer-sheba during Iron Age I (Stratum IX) was represented only by seven large pits about 22 to 25 feet in diameter.

Some archaeologists believe that Beer-sheba, which was on the southern border of the fledgling Israelite kingdom, was fortified by King Saul at the end of the 11th century BCE during wars against the Amalekites based upon a historical reading of the biblical account.

The excavated town is now open for visitors under the name Tel Be'er Sheva National Park.

Of more than 200 tells in Israel, Beersheba was cited as one of the most representative, containing substantial remains of a city with biblical connections.