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Related: About this forumRecent Excavations Support the Biblical Narrative of Ancient Judea's Power
The book of Kings, describing the glory of King Solomons reign, states:
And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the Lord, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer. For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomons wife. And Solomon built Gezer, and lower Beth Horon. . . . And all the cities of store that Solomon had, and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
Archaeologists are divided about this and similar passages. There is no extrabiblical evidence of Solomon, but the real question for scholars is whether, around the time of David and Solomon, Judean monarchs ruled a large kingdom roughly the size of modern Israel, or just a small chiefdom comprising Jerusalem and surrounding hills. Recent excavations at Gezer, located in the lowlands west of the Judean hill country (known as the Shephelah), support the biblical story of a larger kingdom. Marek Dospel reports, citing the work of the two men who led these excavations:
Steven Ortiz and Samuel Wolff . . . present new archaeological evidence from Gezer that in the time of Solomon, the city did indeed boast a monumental gate and administrative complex that was meant to convey power and authority over newly acquired territories in the Shephelah.
It was during Solomons reign, in the mid-10th century BCE, that Gezer underwent a radical change. It became a well-fortified city with a massive six-chambered gate, an adjoining casemate wall, and a large administrative building, write Ortiz and Wolff. Their excavations confirm that during the 10th century, Gezer was a fortified city most likely administered by a royal authority.
https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/history-ideas/2024/07/recent-excavations-support-the-biblical-narrative-of-ancient-judeas-power/
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Recent Excavations Support the Biblical Narrative of Ancient Judea's Power (Original Post)
Richard D
Jul 2024
OP
Yeah, but were they Jewish yet? That's pretty much the easiest thing you can ask an archeologist to do is identify
brewens
Jul 2024
#1
Interesting. I have been debating with someone on these pages of whether the Hebrew Bible
question everything
Jul 2024
#3
brewens
(15,359 posts)1. Yeah, but were they Jewish yet? That's pretty much the easiest thing you can ask an archeologist to do is identify
Jewish occupation. If there is no evidence of their following the dietary laws or other artifacts showing their practicing Judaism, this only means so much.
Richard D
(9,375 posts)2. Rumor has it . . .
. . . that discovered were jars of gefilte fish labeled "kosher for Passover".
JoseBalow
(5,302 posts)4. I think they found some coins
question everything
(48,898 posts)3. Interesting. I have been debating with someone on these pages of whether the Hebrew Bible
is describing historical events based on archeological findings
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143262758
As far as I am concerned my part is done.
Richard D
(9,375 posts)5. Very few if any people . . .
. . . who think it's all bullshit have read it. Well, really very few have read it anyway. For me, reading it has changed a lot of my beliefs.