Gerar (the land of the Philistines), located on the way to Egypt, was situated on the southern border of Canaan (near Gaza) in the foothills of the Judaen mountains. It is located in what is today south central Israel. Both Abraham and Isaac lived there, digging wells, and had cordial relations with Abimelech, its king. The land would later be assigned to the tribe of Simeon. A couple of likely locations have been discovered by archaeologists – Tell Jemmeh and Tell Abu Hureira (or Tell Haror). The generally accepted location, Tell Haror, is surrounded by a rampart of beaten earth and sits on the western bank of the Wadi esh-Sheri’ah, in the valley of Gerar. Archaeological evidence indicates it came into existence with the arrival of the Philistines around 1200 BC and remained little more than a village until around 800-700 BC.
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