These stones are 2,900 years old. They were set in place by Jeroboam's construction crew. Jeroboam himself was Solomon's building foreman (before he became king of the northern 10 tribes) for all the building activities Solomon engaged in. Jeroboam knew how to build.

These stones are the front of the golden calf platform just to the right of the stairs.

In the Bible:

Gen. 14:13-16, Abram left Hebron to go to Dan in order to rescue Lot.

Judges 18, tribe of Dan left its allotted inheritance by the Philistines and moved to this northern location.;

1 Kings 12:26-33, Jeroboam set up one of his two golden calf idols in Dan to keep his people of Israel from going to Jerusalem in Judah to worship.

Dan (Canaanite’s Laish) is the northern extent of Israel in the Old Testament. The phrase “from Dan to Beersheba” meant all of Israel from the north to the south. Dan has an abundant supply of water including the Dan Spring that is the largest of four sources of water (Banias, Iyon and Hasbani Springs) that meet to form the Jordan River that feeds into the Sea of Galilee.

The Dan Inscription is an ancient inscription mentioning the House of David It was found by Avraham Biran near the Iron Age gate and likely written by Hazael of Damascus in 840 BC who erected it near the gate when he took the city. The Aramean king wrote that he killed both Israel’s and Judah’s king (similar to 2 Kings 9) and refers to Judah’s king as the House of David indicating that David’s royal line was still ruling in 840 BC, 160 years after David. This is the oldest contemporary textual reference to the Davidic line of kings and gives historical support for the existence of David.

Be sure to see these features:
1. Middle Bronze Age Gate from 1800 BC made of mud bricks with four chambers and three sets of piers preserved under a rampart of soil
2. Iron Age Gate built in the 800’s BC by Ahab
3. Podium for King to sit on his throne by the gate or for the local.
4. High Place of Jeroboam along with evidence of a four-horned altar, 3 iron shovels, a small altar and an iron incense holder have been found.

Middle Bronze Age Gate in
Dan, Israel from about 1750 BC.

This gate system with its two towers on both sides of the entrance arch was built by the Canaanites of that time period. After Israel conquered this city of Dan they built a new gate system and covered this gate up with fill when they reinforced their defensive wall system and ramparts about 800 years later.

Abraham would have passed by this city of Dan and this Bronze Age Gate according to Genesis 14:14:

"When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan."
- Gn. 14:14