Tel Michal
High mound of Tel Michal
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 Shown within Israel
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| Location | Israel |
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| Coordinates | 32°09′33″N 34°47′52″E / 32.159167°N 34.797778°E |
| History | |
| Material | Stone |
| Periods | Bronze Age, Iron Age, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Early Arab |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1977–1980 |
| Archaeologists | Ze'ev Herzog |
| Condition | abandoned |
| Public access | yes |
Tel Michal is an archaeological site on Israel's central Mediterranean coast, near the modern city of Herzeliya, about 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) north of the Yarkon River estuary and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south of Arsuf-Appolonia. It was excavated between 1977 and 1980 by Ze'ev Herzog and James Muhly on behalf of Tel Aviv University, yielding remains from the Middle Bronze Age to the early Arab period.
The archaeological site of Tel Michal covers five hills on the ridge running along the coast, which are composed of lithified wind-blown sediments, eolianite. The highest of these, the actual tel, stands 30m above sea level and is three quarters of an acre in size. It is separated from the other hills by two ravines running to the sea on its north and south. To its north stands another hill, 5 meters lower in altitude. This hill is a rectangular plateau, 250 * 175 meters, bordered on its north by the Gelilot Stream. Three hillocks lie to the northeast, east and southeast of the high mound. The northeastern hillock covers an area of some 2000 m2. The two remaining hillocks are smaller and rise to a height of 5 meters.
Stratum XVII of the excavations of Tel Michal reveals that the site was first settled at the end of the Middle Bronze Age IIB (1800/1750–1550 BCE). The first settlers built a 4-m-high raised platform made of alternating layers of red clay and sand on the tel's high mound. This was supported by a brick retaining wall on the north and a glacis made of sloping layers of sand. Structures were then built on top of the platform, though none were preserved. The site covered approximately one-half to three quarters of an acre at the time, finds from which included local pottery, Cypriot imports, Hyksos scarabs and Egyptian alabaster vessels. It was likely a trading post connected to the Hyksos dynasties that dominated Egypt. This initial settlement was apparently destroyed by tectonic activity.
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