Tel Be'er Sheva
תל באר שבע | |
Israelite | |
Associated with | Israelites, Judahites |
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Asia-Pacific |
Tel Sheva (Hebrew: תל שבע) or Tel Be'er Sheva (Hebrew: תל באר שבע), also known as Tell es-Seba (تل السبع),[1] is an archaeological site in the Southern District of Israel, believed to be the site of the ancient biblical town of Beer-sheba.[2] The site lies east of modern Beersheba and west of the Bedouin town of Tel Sheva. Tel Sheva has been preserved and made accessible to visitors in the Tel Be'er Sheva National Park (Hebrew: גן לאומי תל באר שבע).[3]
Etymology
The Hebrew name of Beersheba is derived from be'er, meaning a 'well', and sheva, meaning 'oath' or 'seven'.
History
Beer-sheba is mentioned 33 times in the Hebrew Bible. It is often used when describing a border, such as "From Dan to Beersheba".
It is also a significant center in the patriarchal narratives:
Beer-sheba is the site of two significant wells: Abraham's well at Beer-sheba was seized by Abimelech's men (Genesis 21:25), and Isaac's servants dug a well at Beer-sheba also (Genesis 26:25).
Excavation
Tel Beer-sheba, the site of the Iron Age city, is located on a hill overlooking the Wadi Beer-sheba about two and a half miles east of the modern city of
Iron Age I
The earliest occupation at Beer-sheba during Iron Age I (Stratum IX) was represented only by seven large pits about 22 to 25 feet in diameter. Archaeologists believe that the entire settlement of this stratum covered about 2,990 sq. yards, approximately the area of half of a football field. It likely contained about 20 dwelling pits and 10 granaries and would have housed from 100 to 140 people. Stratum IX was abandoned then reused, new structures being added to the old. In Stratum VIII, which dates to the 11th century B.C.E., archaeologists found houses for the first time. Like Stratum IX, Stratum VIII was abandoned rather than destroyed. The pottery suggests that the same people who lived in Stratum VIII built Stratum VII at the end of the 11th century B.C.E., which comprised five domestic units in a possibly enclosed settlement.[6]
Iron Age II
The settlement of Beer-sheba was probably first fortified during the Iron IIA. Some archaeologists believe that Beer-sheba, which was on the southern border of the fledgling Israelite kingdom, was fortified by
The best preserved layout of the Iron II city may be reconstructed from Stratum II, which dates to the late 8th century BCE during the Iron IIB. At this time, the city was destroyed in a conflagration, possibly during the campaign of
Horned altar
One of the most significant discoveries at Tel Beer-sheba is that of a horned altar, the first ever unearthed in Israel. Altars with horns at each of their four corners are mentioned frequently in the Bible (Lev. 4:7, 18, 25; Ex. 29:12, 30:2; 38:2; 1 Kings 1:50; 2:28). The altar was not found assembled in situ, but was discovered in secondary use, the stones of the altar been incorporated into a later-date wall.[9]
As of 1975, there was an unresolved debate about the dating of the altar between Professor Aharoni and Professor
Professor Aharoni's interpretation would seem to strongly support a correlation with the biblical account of the cultic reform carried out by King Hezekiah, who ruled around 715–686 BCE (2 Kings 18:22).[9]
National park; UNESCO recognition
The site was restored by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority in 1990. In 2003, its water system was opened to the public as well. The excavated town is now open for visitors under the name Tel Be'er Sheva National Park.[5]
In 2007, Tel Sheva was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Of more than 200 tells in Israel, Beersheba was cited as one of the most representative, containing substantial remains of a city with biblical connections.[10]
See also
- "Abraham's well", a well dating to at least the 12th century CE; at Beersheba
- Archaeology of Israel
References
- ^ Claudine Dauphin (1998). La Palestine byzantine, Peuplement et Populations, Vol. III : Catalogue. BAR International Series 726. Oxford: Archeopress. p. 960.
- )
- ^ Professor Ze’ev Herzog. "Tel Beer Sheva National Park" (PDF). Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 2, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
- ^ Herzog, Ze'ev. "Beer-Sheba of the Patriarchs." Biblical Archaeology Review 6, no. 6 (1980):12-28. Accessed October 14, 2015. http://www.basarchive.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/bswbBrowse.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=6&Issue=6&ArticleID=3&UserID=2216
- ^ a b "Tel Beer Sheva National Park". Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
- ^ a b Herzog, “Beer-Sheba of the Patriarchs.”
- ISBN 978-1-57506-442-0.
- ^ Herzog, Ze'ev. Archaeology of the City: Urban Planning in Ancient Israel and Its Social Implications. Tel Aviv: Emery and Claire Yass Archaeology Press, 1997: 246.
- ^ a b c "Horned Altar for Animal Sacrifice Unearthed at Beer-Sheva." The Biblical Archaeology Review 1, no. 1 (1975): 1.
- ^ "Israel celebrates 8 new UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Biblical tels constitute 'testimony of universal value,' while Nabataean towns illustrate ancient trade routes". Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2016.