ISRAELI RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY BIBLICAL KINGDOM OF EDOM

jpost.com ^ | September 19, 2019 | AARON REICH

[ransomnote]

he biblical kingdom of Edom has always been a significant puzzle for biblical archaeology. Although evidence is supplied in the Bible, the archaeological record has always had trouble interpreting the text, which said that it existed as a kingdom long before the kings of Israel.

But research has uncovered the untold story of a thriving and wealthy society in the Arava Desert – in parts of Israel and Jordan – that existed during the 12th-11th centuries BCE.

 

Collecting slag and charcoal samples from “Slaves’ Hill”, Timna Valley, Israel. The fine layers of technological waste – well-dated by radiocarbon – provide a detailed record of technological change in biblical Edom (Credit: E. Ben-Yosef and the Central Timna Valley Project)

“Using technological evolution as a proxy for social processes, we were able to identify and characterize the emergence of the biblical kingdom of Edom,” explained Tel Aviv University’s Prof. Ezra Ben-Yosef, who led the study with Prof. Tom Levy of the University of California, San Diego. “Our results prove it happened earlier than previously thought and in accordance with the biblical description.”

According to the study, which was published on Wednesday on the site of the scientific journal PLOS ONE, the kingdom’s wealth appears to have been built on a “hi-tech network” of copper, the most valuable resource in the region at the time. Copper was used in ancient times to craft weapons and tools, and the production process for copper is incredibly complex.

“Copper smelting was essentially the hi-tech of ancient times,” Ben-Yosef told The Jerusalem Post.

Using a methodology called the punctuated equilibrium model, the research team analyzed findings from ancient copper mines in Jordan and Israel to create a timeline of the evolution of copper production from 1300-800 BCE. The investigation found a significant decrease of copper in the slag – the waste of copper extraction by smelting – at the Arava site, implying that the process became more efficient and streamlined.

Researchers say the more efficient process was a result of the military invasion of Pharaoh Shoshenq I of Egypt (the biblical “Shishak”), who sacked Jerusalem in the 10th century BCE. Rather than result in destruction in the region, the researchers argue that it instead sparked a “technological leap” in copper production and trade.

“We demonstrated a sudden standardization of the slag in the second half of the 10th century BCE, from the Faynan sites in Jordan to the Timna sites in Israel, an extensive area of some 2,000 sq.km., which occurred just as the Egyptians entered the region,” Ben-Yosef said. “The efficiency of the copper industry in the region was increasing. The Edomites developed precise working protocols that allowed them to produce a very large amount of copper with minimum energy.”

However, as Egypt was a weaker power at this time, it is unlikely that it had control over the copper trade, allowing it to remain a local enterprise. Ben-Yosef explained that Egypt was primarily an importer of goods at the time, so it had an interest in streamlining efficiency in the region.
MORE AT LINK-Includes photos

[Bob Ireland]

***often don't have any idea what they're talking about***

All too common in today's scholarship. 'Experts' so jealously defend their ideas so that you might think it is established doctrine.

If you have time, I wrote a book about it; I tried to get it published but it was labeled as creationism vs evolution, completely missing the point. I just posted it on line and moved on.

Perhaps the best examples is the episode of the first discovery of Paleolithic cave paintings by amateur archaeologist, Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola, documented in my last chapter. It ruined his life. Posthumously his worst 'expert' critic realized his error and apologized to the widow - to his credit. But de Sautuola died in infamy. It is not an isolated incident. The Clovis Barrier has served to ruin a few careers.

Twice told tales, I fear.

[SunkenCiv]

I've got a couple of snips I've used a number of times here (one about Virchow's "cossack with rickets", the other about the miscount of humaan chromosomes), but I'm headed for bed. G'night!

[Bob Ireland]

***G'night!***

Me too! :) dittos

[SunkenCiv]

As usual, I'm managed to overshoot my estimated going-to-bed time...