▁just ▁before ▁the ▁sie ge ▁had ▁begun , ▁and ▁they ▁have ▁also ▁discovered ▁remains ▁of ▁the ▁am mun ition ▁used ▁by ▁the ▁fort ' s ▁def enders : ▁arrow head s ▁and ▁s ling ▁stones . ▁ ▁Je z re el ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁years ▁ 1 9 9 0 ▁- ▁ 1 9 9 6 ▁he ▁exc av ated ▁Je z re el ▁together ▁with ▁John ▁Wood head , ▁from ▁the ▁British ▁School ▁of ▁Arch ae ology ▁in ▁Jerusalem . ▁The ▁exc av ation ▁was ▁started ▁because ▁walls ▁from ▁the ▁Israel ite ▁period ▁were ▁discovered ▁during ▁development ▁works ▁conducted ▁on ▁the ▁site . ▁This ▁site ▁is ▁key ▁to ▁the ▁research ▁of ▁the ▁Israel ite ▁period ▁and ▁its ▁chron ology . ▁Je z re el ▁was ▁an ▁important ▁centre , ▁probably ▁of ▁a ▁military ▁nature , ▁of ▁the ▁Kingdom ▁of ▁Israel , ▁at ▁the ▁era ▁of ▁the ▁Om ride ▁dynast y ▁- ▁specifically , ▁during ▁the ▁reign s ▁of ▁Om ri ▁and ▁A hab , ▁his ▁son . ▁The ▁Old ▁Testament ▁story ▁of ▁N ab oth ▁the ▁Je z re el ite ▁takes ▁place ▁in ▁Je z re el . ▁Rem ains ▁of ▁the ▁large ▁fort ified ▁complex ▁built ▁there ▁by ▁Om ri ▁and ▁by ▁A hab ▁was ▁discovered ▁in ▁the ▁exc av ations . ▁It ▁had ▁apparently ▁been ▁destroyed ▁by ▁the ▁Ar ame ans ▁( king dom ▁of ▁Ar am ▁Dam asc us ) ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 9 th ▁century ▁BC . ▁A ▁church ▁from ▁the ▁era ▁of ▁the ▁Cr us