Did Wikipedia remove the word "" from the Dan (ancient city) article?

Yes. In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it "area in upper galilee in northern israel". Today it says "ancient city mentioned in the hebrew bible". We saved the article's opening paragraph at 6 moments between 2005 and 2025, and the counts come from those saved copies.

When did the Dan (ancient city) article stop using the word ""?

The word appeared 0 times in the opening at its peak in 2005. It is absent from today's opening, the part search engines quote and AI systems train on, checked against the live article on 2026-08-02.

How can I verify what Wikipedia's Dan (ancient city) article used to say?

Each snapshot on this page links the Wikipedia revision it came from, so you can open their own history and compare. We also keep our own copy of the text, which stays readable if the article changes again.

What did Wikipedia remove from the Dan (ancient city) article?

The opening as it read in 2005

Dan is an area in upper Galilee in Northern Israel ; fed by melt water from the snows of mount Hermon , it is well watered by streams and covered with lush vegetation that seems out of place amidst its arid surroundings. It is quite securely identified with Dan mentioned in Judges 18:29. In ancient times the area was the principal settlement of the Tribe of Dan , one of the twelve tribes of Israel . The city of Laish , razed and rebuilt many times over by many different rulers, was the predecessor of Dan.¹ Tel Dan has had a long and often bitterly contested history, most recently during the 1967 Six-Day War .² The Tel Dan Stele is a fragment (in two sections) of an Aramaic inscription on basalt, which appears to be from a stele erected for Ben-Hadad of the Aramean nation, an enemy of the kingdom of Israel , possibly dating about 802 BCE. Very little of the inscription remains, but the excitement it has generated is concentrated on the letters 'ביתדוד' which many see as referring to the "House of David." If the reading is correct, it is the first time that the name " David " has been found in any archaeological site. It was found not in situ, but reused in ancient times in the city wall near the entrance of the outer gate of the city of Dan . In 1992, in order to tidy up the site for presentation to visitors, a heap of debris was removed which dated from the time of the Assyrian destruction of the city by Tiglath-pileser III in 733/2 BCE, a legacy of his campaign against northern Israel that is described in 2 Kings 15:29. Unexpectedly, a hitherto unknown earlier gateway to the city was uncovered. The entrance complex led to a courtyard paved with stone where stood a low stone platform. The fragments may have formed part of a memorial stele which was placed in the wall sometime before the Assyrian destruction. It has been understood that in a thirty year period (ca. 885-855 B.C.E.) Dan changed hands four times between Ben Hadad I (or "Bar Hadad", the "son" of Hadad ) and the northern kingdom of Israel under Ahab and his successors around the time when the stele was believed to be written. Most scholars have concluded that Ahab smashed Ben Hadad's stele and that his builders reused a piece of it in paving the square. It also appears that the inscription's author claims to have caused the deaths of kings. Joash of Judah reigned forty years, probably from 841-802 B.C.E. 2 Kings 12:2 and Jehoahaz of Israel reigned seventeen years 2 Kings 13:1 thus, probably around 819 to 802 B.C.E. Joash is said to have been assassinated 2 Kings 12:21-22 and Jehoahaz to have died peacefully 2 Kings 13:9 but Ben-Hadad may have claimed either direct or indirect responsibility for their deaths" [1] .³

This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16273134.

The opening as it stood in 2010 16 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Tel Dan - Remains of the Iron Age (Israelite) Gate on the City's South Wall Tel Dan ("Mound of Dan" תל דן in Hebrew ), also known as Tel el- Qadi ( Mound of the Judge in Arabic , تل القاضي , literal translation of the Hebrew name Tel Dan, "Dan" being "judge", or "judging one"), is an archaeological site in Israel in the upper Galilee next to the Golan Heights . The site is quite securely identified with the Biblical city of Dan , the northernmost city in the Kingdom of Israel , which the Book of Judges states was known as Laish prior to its conquest by the Tribe of Dan . Due to its location close to the border with Lebanon and at the far north of the territory which fell under the British Mandate of Palestine , Tel Dan has had a long and often bitterly contested modern history, most recently during the 1967 Six-Day War .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 365217425.

The opening as it stood in 2015 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Dan ( ), is a city mentioned in the Bible , described as the northernmost city of the Kingdom of Israel , belonging to the Tribe of Dan . The city is identified with the tel known as Tel Dan ("Mound of Dan" תל דן in Hebrew ), or Tel el- Qadi ("Mound of the Judge" in Arabic , تل القاضي, literal translation of the Hebrew name Tel Dan, "Dan" meaning "judge", or "one who judges") in Israel. From Dan to Beersheba , a list of verses

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 667274274.

The opening as it stood in 2020 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Ancient city in northern Israel Dan ( ) is a city mentioned in the Hebrew Bible , described as the northernmost city of the Kingdom of Israel , and belonging to the tribe of Dan . The city is identified with a tell located in northern Israel known as Tel Dan ( "Mound of Dan") in Hebrew , or Tell el- Qadi ( تل القاضي "Mound of the Judge" in Arabic ). See verses listed at From Dan to Beersheba

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 964731232.

The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023

Ancient city in northern Israel Dan ( ) is an ancient city mentioned in the Hebrew Bible , described as the northernmost city of the Kingdom of Israel , and belonging to the tribe of Dan . The city is identified with a tell located in Upper Galilee , northern Israel , known as Tel Dan ( תל דן ‎; "Mound of Dan") in Hebrew . See verses listed at From Dan to Beersheba

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1178323521.

The opening as it stood in 2025

Ancient city in northern Israel Dan ( Hebrew : דן ), and older name Laish, is an ancient city mentioned in the Hebrew Bible , described as the northernmost city of the Kingdom of Israel , and belonging to the tribe of Dan , its namesake. It was later the site of a royal sanctuary built by Jeroboam . The city is identified with a tell located in Upper Galilee , northern Israel , known as Tel Dan ( תל דן ‎; "Mound of Dan") in Hebrew and Tell el-Qadi ("Mound of the Judge") in Arabic , a popular translation of the ancient Hebrew name. The site was occupied continuously from the Early Bronze Age through the Iron Age II, the time of the Kingdom of Israel. While evidence suggests a period of abandonment during the Persian era , it was later rebuilt as a Hellenistic city with a notable shrine. See verses listed at From Dan to Beersheba Lemche, Niels Peter (2004). Historical dictionary of ancient Israel . Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical eras.

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1284161124. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.

What Wikipedia says this is