Subject: JUICE Geography 7 - Ayalon Valley
Date:    Wed, 13 May 1998 01:36:54 +0000
To:      "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>



From:          JUICE Administration <juice@virtual.co.il>
To:            geography@virtual.co.il
Subject:       JUICE Geography 7

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                  World Zionist Organization
                Jewish University In CyberspacE
           birnbaum@jer1.co.il      juice@jer1.co.il 
               http://www.jer1.co.il/gate/juice 
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Course: Biblical Geography
Lecture: 7/12
Lecturer: Eli birnbaum

The Ayalon Valley - Gateway to Jerusalem

Once you leave the coast, Israel is dominated by its mountain ranges,
running from Bet El to Hebron  to a height of  2500 feet  800  meters.
http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/facts/land/fland2.html 
There are few passages leading to the interior. One of the unusual features
is the very steep descent especially near Beit Horon where it drops almost
500 feet in half a mile. Most of Israel's major battles in both ancient and
modern times were fought in these valleys. The foothills leading to
Jerusalem run approximately 40 miles (60 Kilometers) and are about 8 miles
(12 kilometers) wide. The three major valleys are the Soreq, the Elah (where
David fought Goliath) and the Ayalon.

http://www.wzo.org.il/juice/map/map8.htm 

The mountains are made mostly of limestone a dark grey in color with some
white chalk  showing through. In milleniums past the lower region was part
of a great chalk sea which reached the mountains.
In this lecture we will be dealing with the Ayalon region, which is the
northernmost edge of the Jerusalem Hills also known as the kings mountain.
The   sheer slope of these mountains served as protection for Jerusalem.
Bordering the Ayalon valley to the west lies the Via Maris or sea road,
which was the main thoroughfare running north/south from the Sinai along the
coastal plain through the Jezreel valley, Beit Shean and on till Damascus. 

http://www.wzo.org.il/juice/map/map5.htm 

Three roads (see WEB map) link Jaffa to Lod to Jerusalem. To the north lies
the Beit Horon Ascent, which passes through Modi'in and comes out slightly
north of Jerusalem.  This is the scene of many Jewish victories especially
in the time of the Maccabees. This road was mainly used during the time of
Herod. The  most southern route is  through the Elah valley  leading to
Halhul and Hebron which we will deal with on a later lecture. 

Of all the routes the Emmaus route is the most direct, leading from Emmaus
to Kiryat Yearim (where the ark was kept after its recapture in Beit
Shemesh), Motza and Givat Shaul. In addition to the eastern road to
Jerusalem, Emmaus actually controlled access to roads in almost every
direction: northwest to Lod, north to Beit Horon, south to Beit Guvrin, and
southwest to Ashkelon. It is therefore easy to understand the importance of
the valley and the cities that controlled its exits. A more "modern" route
which played a vital role in the War of Independence is the "Bab el Wad"
(Gate to the Valley) which is today the main highway to Jerusalem from  the
Ayalon Valley.

http://www.wzo.org.il/juice/map/ayalon/index.html 

Within the valley's borders sit Sha'alavim, Latrun and Emmaus.   Directly
south of the valley lie Eshtaol, Tzorah, Beit Shemesh and to the southeast
Gezer. 

 BIBLICAL HISTORY - 
Since we are dealing with a region and not with a specific site, lets  try
to build a picture of the area by examining each of the localities within
the different historic contexts.

The earliest historical legends of the area concern the "infamous" spies
sent by Moses to look over the land. According to the Midrash, they arrived
in northern Hamat (Syria) and were chased down to Hamat of Yehudah (Midrash
Song of Songs, Zuta 6:9) known as Emmaus, which we will encounter in the
post-Biblical part of this lecture.

It is interesting that the first biblical reference to the valley relates to
war. We will constantly be reminded  of its importance in  protecting the
hill country from attacks by the Philistines who came from Ashkelon and
Gaza.  It is here that Joshua fought a desperate battle against the Amorites
and the five kings until late in the day, while large hailstones fell from
the sky. Seeing that he needed more time he prayed: "O Sun, stand still upon
Gibeon, and you, O Moon, in the Valley of Ayalon" (Joshua 10:12). The valley
lies within the inheritance of the tribe of Dan - "And the border of the
inheritance was Tzorah, Eshtaol, Ir  Shemesh, and Sha'alavim, and Ayalon..."
(Joshua 19:41-42).

Despite Joshua's conquest he did not totally succeed in ridding the area of
Philistines, especially the Amorites (Judges 1:34). In consequence, many of
the tribe of Dan decided instead of fighting for control of the land to
leave it in search of quieter pastures up north.

http://wzo.org.il/juice/map/map3.htm 

Samson was born in these hills, probably in the town of Zorah (Tzorah)
(Judges 13:25). The scene with the most famous femme fatale in the Bible,
Delilah, is also set in the nearby valley of Sorek (Judges 16:4). Somewhere
between Zorah and the neighboring hill Eshtaol, Samson was buried next to
his father Manoah (Judges 16;31). 

http://wzo.org.il/juice/map/map2.htm 

It is also from Zorah/Eshtaol that five men from the tribe of Dan set out to
find a safe haven, passing by the house of Micha whom we met in the lecture
on Bethlehem, taking with them the Levite of Micha and eventually arriving
in Laish (Judges 18:2-31)

Of all the Biblical cities in the area the most important  was Gezer,
halfway between Jerusalem and the port of Jaffa, which  controlled an
important section of the Via Maris. Few cities in ancient Israel have more
ancient documentation then Gezer. It is depicted on the walls of Thutmos
III's (15th century BCE) Temple of Ammon in Karnak. Three of its kings are
mentioned in ten of the 14th century BCE el-Amarna letters.  These area
Cuneiform clay tablets found in the archives of Amenhotep III and IV).
 
The text of one letter reads as follows:  "To Malchiel, man of Gezer, thus
says the king: I have sent you this tablet saying: I have sent Haniah, chief
of staff to take the beautiful women and he has brought all kinds of wealth.
Silver gold, clothing, and all kinds of precious stones and fine lumber. And
all this wealth comes to 160 Tevers. The total is 40 women, 40 silver
shekels each. Please send very beautiful women without any flaw so that your
master, the king will say: 'These are real knockouts! And may you be granted
long life.' In conclusion, know that your king is as well as the sun - his
soldiers, chariots, and horses are also well. And behold the god Ammon has
given upper and lower Egypt from the east to the west under the king's feet."

http://www.wzo.org.il/juice/map/ayalon/index.html 

   Gezer was one of the principal Canaanite cities in the region. Preserved
today are some remnants of the Canaanite religions including ten stone
monoliths, with a stone altar in the center. The king of Gezer controlled
the Ayalon valley and the area of Zorah/Eshtaol. During the conquest of
Joshua (12th century BCE) the city was captured from Horan, king of Gezer
(Joshua 10:33). It was officially given to the Levites though it fell in the
region of the tribe of Ephraim. During Solomon's time the walls were rebuilt
with the gate almost an exact duplicate of those in Hazor and Megiddo (Kings
I 9:15-16). Among the finds in Gezer were a water tunnel 216 feet long,
probably dating from this time.  One amazing find is the  "Gezer Calendar"
which also dates from this period. It consists of 7 lines written in Hebrew
describing the months of the year and the different agricultural work to be
done in each season. The fate of the people of Gezer is unknown although we
do know that Assyria destroyed the city at the end of the 8th century BCE. 

A legend from the time of Solomon concerned a nearby village named Kebab
which is probably the Israelite city of Givon, halfway between Jerusalem and
Tel Aviv. Solomon decreed that anyone owning more than 30 oxen or 40 sheep
must pay taxes. The townspeople figured on an unusual way to defeat the
Solomonic IRS. They divided all the oxen into groups of 29 and the sheep
into groups of 39, and gave one to each woman and child, thus claiming that
no one had more then the permitted number of animals. Solomon sent a
messenger (prophet) to convince the people not to try to fool the tax
collector, but he returned empty handed. Solomon then sent wolves, probably
from the IRS , who breathed fire and destroyed the village and the
surrounding fields. 
 
Another story concerns the attack on Jerusalem in 586 BCE. A call had gone
out for people to bring large stones to shore up the walls of Jerusalem. One
of the descendants of Samson took a great stone and proceeded to carry it to
Jerusalem. While he was on the mountain with the boulder on his shoulders he
saw smoke rising from the distant hills. Realizing that Jerusalem was
destroyed, his strength failed him and he was crushed beneath the boulder.
Today it stands near the top of the hill
of Zorah and is still known as the Rock of Destruction (Sela Hachurban).  

Many if not most of the inhabitants of the valley did not return after the
First Exile and most of the area fell into ruin. 

Post Biblical History

The importance of the area during the time of the Maccabees can be seen with
the help of the map (see the WEB site). For those to whom it is not
available, picture Modi'in slightly north-west of Ayalon. It is natural that
Judah's backyard should become the focal point for the beginning of the
revolt. His first battles were in the area of Beit Horon and Mitzpe,
protecting the road from Beit-Horon to Jerusalem (Book of the Maccabees
1,3,13-26,30).
 
One of the key sites which we will encounter from now on is  Emmaus. The
name itself is actually a corruption of the Greek translation of the Hebrew
Hamah or Hamtah, which in turn is named for the hot baths which existed
until relatively recent times. Emmaus sits at the main juncture of what is
known as the Roman road, even though many sections predate Rome by many
centuries. 

The Syrians/Seleucids under the command of General Gorgias (166 BCE) arrived
with "40,000 men and 7000 horses, as well as merchants with chains and gold
and who were promised Jewish slaves at a cheap price". Seeing that his
troops were at a distinct disadvantage in the hills, he returned to the
lower country, setting up camp at Emmaus. This location afforded both room
for the heavier methods of warfare and a direct route to the coast. Judah
Maccabee camped above the encampment decided to bring the war to his turf..
In a brilliant move, he divided his troops. A small force attacked the main
camp then  "fleeing "  -  leading the enemy on a wild goose chase into the
Judean Hills. His main force then entered the sparsely defended camp at
Emmaus and destroyed it. The Selucid troops, seeing the smoke, returned as
fast as they could. They were constantly harried along the way. Finding
their camp in ruins, they retreated back to Syria.

As the Maccabees increasingly gained control of the area they realized the
importance of nearby Gezer, which had been fortified by General Bacchides.
Simon, who had succeeded Jonathan as leader, finally succeeded in capturing
the city after a siege. He rebuilt the walls and his son John Hyrcanus used
it as his main headquarters.

 Lets jump a few years to the Time of Herod. Immediately after Herod's death
in 4 BCE, there was a short lived revolt against his ruling descendants and
against Rome. The Romans under Varus burned the town of Hamah (Emmaus) and
took the Jewish population into slavery.  The town was soon  rebuilt and
repopulated.  During the first revolt against Rome the Ayalon valley and
Emmaus in particular served as a supply route and base for the Roman army
and the Fifth (Macedonian) Legion camped there. After Titus' victory he
renamed the town Nicopolius (the city of victory), and 800 retired
Legionnaires settled there (War of the Jews 7:6). During the second revolt (
135 CE) Hadrian also set up a large Roman camp, although there was no actual
fighting in the area. Gezer itself did not figure prominently during the
first or second revolt, although some remnants of a Roman presence have been
found.

http://www.wzo.org.il/juice/map/ayalon/index.html 
 
According to Talmudic sources Emmaus was  quite a beautiful and relaxing
spot. It sounds like a travel brochure put out by the Ministry of Tourism.
"Emmaus is a source of beautiful water and nature" (Kohelet Rabba 7:15 Avot
D'Rabbi Natan 14:21-22).   Actually the entire quote in Kohelet Rabba is a
bit more scathing: "Rabbi Elazar ben Arech went to join his wife at Emmaus
with its beautiful scenery and baths, and sat there until he forgot all
about his (learning) students". Rabbi Yohanan ben Zaccai himself went there
for the baths. Probably due to its strategic location there was also a major
meat market (Talmud Bavli Keritot 3B).

Samaritans also settled in the area and built a synagogue during the 4th
century. Here' is an interesting illustration of inter-religious
cooperation: At the beginning of the 7th century just prior to the Moslem
conquest, there was a robber baron from Emmaus who cared so little for human
life that he was called the Wolf. His band of merry men included Christians,
Samaritans and Jews. The problem of brigands on the difficult narrow route
is referred to in a letter written in 1102 by a pilgrim named Seawolf. He
described the attacks on small caravans along the narrow road to Jerusalem
and the bodies of Christian pilgrims left unburied on the side of the ravine.

A year after the Moslem conquest in 638, a plague broke out in Emmaus (which
had become a major center for the conquering army), killing many of the
inhabitants including one of its military leaders, Ibn Chasane. The town was
abandoned. This seems the most accurate date for the end of the Jewish
presence in the city. 

With the advent of the Crusader conquest, life again returned to the region.
King Richard  pitched camp nearby at Beit Nuba while he organized his attack
on Jerusalem. The fortress of Montgisart was built. It is there that Baldwin
defeated Saladin in 1177, but by 1191 it was again in Moslem hands. Another
fortress was built a few kilometers to the east and about a kilometer
southwest of Emmaus called Lee Toton des Chevaliers (The Tower of the
Knights) which was later corrupted into the name Latrun.  After the Crusades
we hear little of the area until in 1890 when  a Trappist monastery was
founded there which became famous for its wines. The Trappist order was
founded in 1664 in a French monastery called La Trapp. One of the chief
principles of the order is silence. Emmaus and Latrun sit on either side of
what became the main road to Jerusalem. It continues for about 5 km till it
reaches "Bab el Wad" (the Gate of the Valley), a narrow ravine which is the
gateway to Jerusalem.

The British forces under General Allenby used both the route through Beit
Horon and the route of Bab el Wad in the capture of Jerusalem. In November
1917 a battle was fought between the
Australian Light Cavalry and the Turks who controlled the pass. By
outflanking and attacking from above they succeeded in routing the Turks who
retreated north, leaving the road to Jerusalem open.

During the years 1940-42 the British built an army camp and a prison camp at
Latrun. Those who were active in the Jewish underground and the political
wings were interned in these camps. Throughout 1948 during Israel's War of
Independence, Israeli forces attempted to capture and hold this fortress,
which the British had given to the Arabs. Latrun controlled the road, and it
was imperative that Israeli troops maintain a viable supply route to
Jerusalem to prevent it from being cut off from the rest of the country. In
this way they could ensure that Jerusalem would be included in the new
Jewish State by the United Nations. Wave after wave of immigrants, some
fresh from the boats, were given rifles and sent out in vain attempts to
capture the fort. Colonel David "Mickey" Marcus, a West Point graduate,
decided to build over an old path to bypass the main road. This secret road
was built at night by hundreds of volunteers, right under the very noses of
the Jordanian Legionnaires. It bypassed Latrun and was known as the Burma
Road. Colonel (then General "Aluf") Marcus was killed at Kiryat Yearim on
June 11 1948, the last casualty before the cease-fire. 

http://www.wzo.org.il/juice/map/ayalon/index.html 

On June 1967 the Israel Defense Forces captured the area without any resistance.

Bibliography

In addition to the biblical sources quoted in the lecture:
  
The Roman Road Emmaus to Jerusalem; (Heb) Society for Protection of Nature.
Dr. Moshe Fisher, Zvika Zuk. 1985

>From Ezra to the Last of the Maccabees: Elias Bickerman Schoken 1966

Madrich Ertez Yisrael Tel-Aviv and the Shephelah: (Heb.) Zev Vilnai 1950

The Excavations at Gezer: R.A.S. Macalister, London 1912 

War of the Jews...

Wilson, Sir Charles The Land of Judea, Ariel Jerusalem

Legends of Judea and Samaria; Vilnai

Orni and Efrat, Geography in Israel. IUP 1973

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