The Tale of a ‘Tailing Pile’: The role of a Palaeolithic flint extraction and reduction site in the Frankish defeat in the Battle of Hattin, 1187

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Horns of Hattin and its surrounding fields in the Lower Galilee is most famous as the scene of the Battle of Hattin (4 July 1187), during which the forces of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem suffered a decisive defeat at the hands of the Muslims led by Saladin. Based on a large-scale landscape archaeology study and with focused prehistoric research, we present a three-step explanation for the outcome of the battle: 1. Lower and Middle Palaeolithic flint extraction and reduction activity resulted in massive tailing piles on the southern slopes of the Horns of Hattin; 2. These prehistoric land features were the foundation for a coaxial, second century CE Roman field and road system; 3. This field and road system ultimately restricted Frankish manoeuvrability during the twelfth century, notably in the eastern and southern part of the Plain of Hattin, and thus had a significant impact on the outcome of the Battle of Hattin.