The site is divided into a lower city and an upper hill which holds the only ever discovered "House of Yahweh" in the land of Israel/Palestine. Canaanite Arad was a planned city from the beginning of the Canaanite urbanization period. It is surrounded by a wall and is divided into public buildings and residential areas. The rich findings discovered in the excavations demonstrate a range of economic resources such as agriculture, non-irrigated farming, grazing, art and trade. Arad was an urban center for the inhabitants of the region.

circa 3100 BCE- 300 CE

Early Bronze Age (circa 3100–2200 BCE)
The earliest significant settlement at Arad dates to the Early Bronze Age, during which it emerged as a fortified urban center in the southern Levant. The city was characterized by its advanced urban planning, including a rectangular grid layout, a defensive wall with bastions, and a central reservoir for water storage. Excavations have revealed evidence of public buildings, including a possible temple or administrative center, as well as domestic structures that reflect a stratified society. Trade connections with Egypt and Mesopotamia are evident from imported goods, including pottery and seals. The city was abandoned towards the end of the Early Bronze Age, likely due to regional socio-political or climatic upheavals.

Middle Bronze Age and Late Bronze Age (circa 2200–1200 BCE)
Following the abandonment of the Early Bronze Age city, Arad saw only sporadic and minor activity during the Middle and Late Bronze Ages. Archaeological evidence suggests limited pastoralist encampments and seasonal use of the site, with no significant urban development. This period aligns with a broader pattern of diminished settlement in the southern Levant during these centuries, possibly linked to shifting trade routes and environmental factors.

Iron Age I and II (circa 1200–586 BCE)
During the Iron Age, Arad was resettled and developed into a strategically important fortress. The most prominent remains from this period are the Israelite fortress and associated structures atop the acropolis. The fortress featured casemate walls, storerooms, and a well-planned sanctuary, including a courtyard, sacrificial altar, and a holy of holies, which appears to have been dedicated to Yahwistic worship. Ostraca (inscribed pottery shards) discovered at the site provide evidence of its administrative role in the Kingdom of Judah, particularly in provisioning and military logistics. Arad was likely abandoned or destroyed during the Babylonian campaign in the early 6th century BCE, which marked the end of Judahite control.

Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman Periods (circa 586 BCE–300 CE)
After the Iron Age, Arad's prominence declined significantly, but the site saw intermittent use in subsequent periods. During the Persian period, it served as a minor administrative outpost. In the Hellenistic and Roman eras, the site continued to be used, primarily for agricultural and pastoral purposes, though it did not regain its former strategic importance. Evidence of later activity includes simple domestic structures and small-scale agricultural installations.

Modern Rediscovery and Archaeology
The ruins of ancient Arad were rediscovered in the 19th century, and systematic excavations began in the 1960s. These investigations have yielded invaluable insights into urban planning, religion, and administration in ancient Canaan and the Kingdom of Judah. Today, Arad remains a critical site for understanding the cultural and political developments of the southern Levant across millennia.

circa 950 BCE

Upper Arad
The Arad fortress or the upper Tel Arad would have served to protect Judah’s southern border against its enemies, in particular, the Edomites. Although there was a small settlement during the time of Solomon, it was during the divided monarchy period that a fortress was established at Tel-Arad. The fortress (illustration) was destroyed and rebuilt several times, until finally destroyed as a result of Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Judah in 586 BCE. In the Early Arab period (7th-10th century), a fortified caravansary was established to protect the trade routes which passed there.

circa 950 BCE

Lower Arad
The lower area was first settled during the Chalcolithic period, around 4000 BCE. Excavations at the site have unearthed an extensive Bronze Age Canaanite settlement which was in place until approximately 2650 BCE. The site was then apparently deserted for over 1500 years. The site was only resettled by Israelites from the 11th century BCE onwards, initially as an unwalled area defined as an official or sacred domain was established on the upper hill, and then later as a garrison-town or citadel.

circa 950 BCE

Judean Temple
Tel-Arad sported a complete temple, apparently Judean, located in the north-western corner of the fortress , included all of the features of Solomon’s temple. The temple was in use from the 9th to the end of the 8th century BCE, i.e. concurrent with the Temple in Jerusalem. This is one of the few temples remaining from Biblical times. The temple in Arad was built according to the plan of the Tabernacle (illustration) described in the Bible and consisted of three parts: the inner courtyard, the temple and the Holy of Holies.

circa 950 BCE

Among the most significant artifacts unearthed at Tel Arad are 91 ostraca, known as the Arad ostraca, written in Palaeo-Hebrew script, referring to the citadel as the House of Yahweh. They are mostly orders to the quartermaster, commands and lists of names. The Eliyashiv Ostraca, all found in the same room, are addressed to a person named Eliyashiv, ordering him to deliver a specific quantity of wine, flour, etc.