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Khirbet QeiyafaAn Early Iron IIa Fortified City in Judah
Yosef Garfinkel (Hebrew University) & Saar Ganor (IAA)
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V. Guerin: 1869
C.R. Conder & H.H. Kitchener: 1883
Y. Dagan: 1992
Z. Greenhut: 2001
Yosef Garfinkel & Saar Ganor 2007-2008
History of Research
Thanks
J.B. SilverBerman Center for Biblical Archaeology
Foundation Stone
Curtis and Mary Brenan Foundation
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Azekah
Socoh
Qeiyafa
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View from Qeiyafa to the Elah valley
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The city wall
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Area: 2.3
hectares
City wall:
700 mlong
Sitemap
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Area B
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Schematic plan of Area B (Iron Age)1
2
3
45
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Casemate city wall
200,000 tons of stones
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A fourchamber
gate
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Two buildings (dwellings?)
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Stone Massebah
Upside down in wall
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Steps leading into Building 2
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Ostracon
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1. The longest
Proto-CanaaniteInscription ever
found
2. The earliest
Hebrew inscription
Known to date
3. A letter
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The pottery
A complete absence of
late Philistine bichromepottery, that is known at
Qasile X (see plate) or
Miqne IV.
When the citywas built?
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The
characteristic
pottery of
Khirbet Qeiyafa:
Early Ashdod
Ware
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Complete absence of Late Philistine Decorated Ware (Tell Safi)
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4 samples
&
4 samples
Collecting
olive pits
for C14dating
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C14: Four Calibrated Olive pits (Oxford)
* Please note 2 standard deviations: lower as 969 BC at 77.8%
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Low chronology is now officially
dead and buriedLow chronology is now officially
dead and buried
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The methodological problems of
the Low Chronology
Samplestaken from
Northern
sites. NoSamples from
Judah.
Samples from LateIron I, and from later
phases of the Iron
IIa. No samples fromearly Iron IIa. No
samples from
Megiddo Vb.
2. Stratigraphy1. Geography
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Implications for understanding the 10th
century BC
1. Chronology: Iron IIa started at ca. 1000 BC
2. Settlement pattern: fortified city
3. Political organization: centralized
4. Biblical narrative: Between Socoh and Azekah
5. Paleography: spread of alphabetic writing;
literacy in Judah in early 10th century BC.
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Historical Identification ?
Adataim? (Y. Dagan)
Azekah? (S. Ganor)
Sha'arayim? (D. Adams, A. Rainey)
Efes Damim? (Todd Bolen)
Gov? (N. Naaman)
And the answer is . ????
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Area C
Area C
Two working days
In November 6th
& November 7th
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A second gate in Area C, facing Jerusalem
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Khirbet Qeiyafa: the only known city in
Judah or Israel with two gates
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An Iron Age City with two gates??
1. In the city list of Judah's tribal inheritance Sha'arayim
appears after Socoh and Azekah (Jos 15, 36).
2. After David killed Goliath the Philistines run away
through the way to Sha'arayim " (1 Sam 17:52).
3. In the city list of the tribe of Simeon, Sha'arayim is
mentioned as one of the cities unto the reign of David"(1 Chr 4:31)*.
*A scribal error: Sha'arayim (1 Chr 4:31) =
Shilhim (Jos 15:32) = Sharuhen (Jos 19:6)
Sha'arayim
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A. General Arguments:1. Geographical location in Judah
2. Sha'arayim: mentioned in Judah's city list3. Fortified field cities are known only in Judah
4. Casemate city walls are known only in Judah
5. Main entrance facing Jerusalem
B. Material Culture:6. No pig bones
7. Aren Maier: Gath pottery is different8. Petrographic analysis: local Elah valley pottery
9. Hebrew inscription
Why the city is Judean
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Thank You