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The Other Side of Beth Shemesh: Salvage archaeology exposes deep history of famed Biblical site
Biblical Archaeology Review ^
| May 28, 2021
| Boaz Gross
Posted on 06/01/2021 5:41:43 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Tel Beth Shemesh was one of the first biblical sites to be excavated in the Land of Israel. The site is perched on a low hill overlooking the wide Soreq Valley, a main water source crossing lush agricultural land, on the border between the higher Shephelah (foothills) to the west and the Judean Highland to the east. Biblical Beth-Shemesh appears in the Books of Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles—notably as the place where the Philistines returned the briefly captured Ark of the Covenant to the Israelites (1 Samuel 6).
In 1856, Edward Robinson identified the archaeological site as biblical Beth-Shemesh, using both its geographical features, which correlate with biblical and other textual descriptions, and the Arabic name of an abandoned village found on its eastern side: Ein Shams ('Ain Shems).
The first to excavate the site was Duncan Mackenzie, who launched an expedition in 1911 on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund. This was followed by a large-scale American expedition led by Elihu Grant of Haverford College between 1928 and 1931. In 1990, Shlomo Bunimovitz and Zvi Lederman launched a new, multi-year expedition on behalf of Bar Ilan University (1990–1993), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (1994–1996), and Tel Aviv University (1997–present)...
With excavations focused on the western mound, where the Bronze and Iron Age remains were close to the surface, it was wrongly assumed that the site of Beth Shemesh was bordered by the road that divided the ancient mound from the abandoned Arab village to the east. This road later became Israel's Highway 38.
In 2018, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) mandated salvage excavations at the ruins of the Arab village, Tel Beth Shemesh (East), to allow for the expansion of Highway 38.
(Excerpt) Read more at biblicalarchaeology.org ...
TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: archaeology; archeology; barkokhbarevolt; bethshemesh; chemosh; godsgravesglyphs; israel; jerusalem; letshavejerusalem; meshastele; moabites; persianempire; philistine; philistines; romanempire; telbethshemesh
First used during the Persian and Hellenistic periods, this cave, together with an elaborate system of manmade tunnels, functioned as a hide out for the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh during the time of the Bar-Kokhba Revolt (132–136 C.E.). Photo courtesy Israeli Institute of Archaeology.
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posted on
06/01/2021 5:41:43 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
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posted on
06/01/2021 5:45:41 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...
3
posted on
06/01/2021 5:46:11 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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