THANACH (Hebr. Ta'anākh and Ta'nākh; Septuagint Gevez). — A vanished city of Palestine, identified with Tell Ta'annek, on the southern edge of the plain of Esdraelon, 11 km west of Genin and 8 Mageddo (v.) or Tell el-Mutesellim.
Occupied by Thutmosis III, it came under Egyptian sovereignty; in the mid-fifteenth century its governor Rewassa controlled the territory of the plain of Esdraelon as far as Bejsan. During the el-'Amārnah period (letter 248,14), anti-Egyptian movements took place in the city. At the time of the Israelite conquest, Giosuè defeated and killed its king (Ios. 12,21); but the city remained in the hands of the Canaanites.
Declared a levitical city (ibid. 21,25), it was reduced to tribute under the Manassites (Iudc. 1,27). In the vicinity of T., the battle between the army of Sisara and Barac was fought (ibid. 5,19). Incorporated into the Davidic Kingdom, it became the capital of the fifth Solomonic district (I Reg. 4,17).
Archaeological excavations carried out partially in 1901–1904 brought to light the ruins of the city dating from Bronze II and III, including massive walls, a fortress, a place of worship, and hypogea, whose dating remains uncertain. Twelve cuneiform tablets were found there, from which the interesting ethnic and linguistic complex ruling at T. in the fifteenth century B.C. can be known. Most of the objects found display Egyptian influence. Two fortresses, one from the tenth century B.C. and the other from the eighth century B.C., protected its northern side. Among the cult objects, noteworthy is the incense altar, decorated with lions’ heads, from the eighth or ninth century. The evidence for the Hellenistic period is scant.