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History of the Old City of Lod

Prehistoric Periods

6,000-3,500 BCE

The first inhabitants of Lod reached the area about 8,000 years ago, during the Neolithic Period. Due to the important archaeological discoveries found in the city, the “Lodian Culture” is well known.

Bronze and Iron Ages

3,500-586 BCE

Early Bronze Age discoveries found in archaeological excavations conducted in Lod include typical Egyptian pottery, testifying to connections between Lod and Egypt.

Persian and Hellenistic Periods

586-37 BCE

Lod became an important Jewish center during the Persian period. During the Hellenistic period, which partially corresponds to the Hasmonean period, the Seleucid King Demetrius I, who ruled between 161-150 BCE, suggested moving Lod from the control of Samaria to the Judea district due to its Jewish majority.

The Roman and Byzantine Periods

37 BCE-640 CE

The crowning glory of findings from the Roman Period is the most impressive mosaic floor ever found in Israel and one of the most impressive worldwide

Early Islamic period and the Crusader period

1260-638

The Moslem rulers designated Lod as the civil capital of "Jund Palestine" (The Palestinian district).

The Mamluk Period

1517-1260

During the 13th century the Mamluks captured Lod. They constructed the El-Omari Mosque and the Jindas Bridge, one of the most Impressive ancient bridges in Israel.

The Ottoman period

1917-1517

During the Ottoman period Lod became a central town in the Ayalon stream area, and an important center for the olive and oil industry.

The British Mandate

1948-1917

During the Mandate Period, Lod was chosen as the location for the central train station between Cairo in the South, and Damascus in the north, as well as the International air terminal, named Lod Airport,

Prehistoric Periods

6,000-3,500 BCE

Neolithic Sickle Blades (Gopher and Blockman 2015)

The first inhabitants of Lod reached the area about 8,000 years ago, during the Neolithic Period. This was the Agriculture Revolution period in which people abandoned the former hunter-gatherer way of life, started the domestication of cereals and legumes and began practicing agriculture. Lod is one of the few settlements of that era found to date in Israel. Due to the important archaeological discoveries found in the city, the “Lodian Culture” became well known as a cultural assemblage characterizing other local Pottery Neolithic sites.

Several hundred people settled at Lod during the Neolithic (Late Stone Age) and the Chalcolithic (age of stone and copper) periods. The center of this settlement was located in the middle of the contemporary Remez neighbourhood.