Kelso et al. (1968:22) report that Early Bronze occupation at Beitin/Bethel ended around 2200 BCE, and the site remained abandoned until roughly the 19th century BCE when “the first major urban installations still intact were found,” marking the emergence of the Middle Bronze I town. During the 1960 excavations, the team uncovered a Middle Bronze I building immediately above bedrock, which they identified as a temple. They found no evidence that allowed them to determine whether this “temple” was constructed at the very end of the Early Bronze period or during Middle Bronze I. The excavators were also uncertain about the circumstances of its destruction. Ashes discovered in two locations may indicate it was destroyed by fire, although an earthquake was also considered possible. The Middle Bronze II northwest city gate was later built directly atop the temple, and Kelso et al. (1968:23) speculated that the “new builders” may have reused “the stubs of the walls” of the temple as “foundations for the new northwest gate.”

It appears that since Kelso et al. (1968) published their report, the chronological framework — or at least the broader divisions within it — has been revised. Raphael and Agnon (2018:774) date this earthquake to Middle Bronze IIB, which they place between 1750 and 1550 BCE. These dates align with the chronology used by Stern et al. (1993), whereas Meyers et al. (1997) define Middle Bronze IIB as 1800–1650 BCE. Fall et al. (2023), in contrast, assign the entire Middle Bronze II period to roughly 1850/1800–1700 BCE.