Subject: JUICE Geography #9 - Lachish Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 23:24:31 +0000 To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
>From JUICE Administration juice@wzo.org.il To: geography@wzo.org.il Subject: JUICE Geography #9 ================================================================= World Zionist Organization Jewish University In CyberspacE birnbaum@jer1.co.il juice@jer1.co.il http://www.jer1.co.il/gate/juice ================================================================= Course: Biblical Geography Lecture: 9/12 Lecturer: Eli birnbaum The Lachish Region During the last 8 weeks we have wandered from the Golan in the north to Eilat in the south. The Lachish region is in the southern part of the country , extending north east along the border of the Negev desert. Its main road runs from the port city of Gaza through Gath, Lachish, Maresha, Beit Guvrin, Azeikah, the Elah Valley and the Ayalon valley before turning east through the Beit Horon Ascent, to the Hill Road and Jerusalem. There is a break-off road which connects Maresha to the Hill Road at Hebron. You may remember that the Hill Road runs from Beersheva in the south through Jerusalem to the Jezreel valley in the Galilee. http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/facts/land/fland2.html This road in this lecture linking the coast with the Hill Road is probably one of the most important of the "local" roads, not including the "international highways" such as the Via Maris or the Kings Road. http://www.wzo.org.il/juice/map/map5.htm What makes it so important? The fact that it winds its way from the coast directly into the heartland of the country. Many, if not most, of the major battles fought between the Philistines, the Egyptians or any other invading army and the local Israelites were fought on the hills overlooking this road. Trace the road with your finger from Gaza along the plain to Lachish (about 20 miles inland from the important port of Ashkelon). Our first stop leads off to the left. Most of us may think of the walls of Nineveh when we hear the name Lachish. Although the historical pictographs of Sennacherib's battle of Lachish have been preserved in the famous Walls of Nineveh, the history of Lachish predates the Israelite arrival by centuries. The city was an important Canaanite fortified town since the 2nd millennium before the common era. Its first inhabitants date back further, probably to the early Bronze Age. Our first encounter with Lachish is through the Tel Amarna letters, two of which were written by local rulers Zimreda and Yabniilu. The entire area was apparently not traversed by our forefathers, who knew it as Eretz Gerar (the Land of Gerar). As a direct result of Joshua's conquest of Ai and the subjugation of the Gibeonites, Adoni Zedek, the Canaanite king of Jerusalem (the Jebusites only took Jerusalem later), rallied the local kings, including Japhia king of Lachish and Devir king of Eglon, to attack Joshua at Gibeon. The battle and the chase are vividly portrayed in Joshua 10. The Israelites chased them to the Ayalon valley. From there a hailstorm drove them to the gates of Azeikah overlooking the Elah valley. We will meet up in Azeikah again later with the story of David and Goliath. The kings were caught hiding in a cave. This decisive blow by Joshua liberated most of the area for the tribe of Judah. Joshua's capture of Eglon, west of Lachish, completed his design of controlling the plains cities leading to the hills. He could thus move into the hills against Hebron without having to worry about reinforcements and relief forces reaching the area. Lachish was given to the tribe of Judah, specifically to Kenaz of the tribe of Judah, bordering the tribe of Dan to the north and Shimon to the south. Much of the coastal plain as well as large tracts of land in the very north of the country (Lebanon/Syria of today) were known as "eretz hanishar" - the land that remained which we have already touched on in previous lectures. These were sections of the coastal plain which ran more or less parallel on a curve from just east of Gath to Nachal Yarkon (Afek or Afeq) near present day Petach Tikva. Joshua didn't complete the push to the coast since many of the tribes were impatient to settle down. It is possible that he preferred not to attempt to conquer the coast and thus risk a clash with the Egyptians who controlled much of the Via Maris. Another practical reason can be seen in Joshua 17:18 where he exhorts the Israelites not to fear the "iron chariots" of the enemy, and in Judges 1:19 - "And the Lord was with Judah and he drove out the inhabitants of the mountain" but he couldn't drive out the inhabitants of the valley because they had chariots of iron. For whatever reason these lands were not settled immediately and by the time the Israelites got their act together a newcomer had landed in the area. A few generations after the conquest by Joshua (approx.1170 BCE) a "sea people", most probably from the Islands of Asia Minor (Mycenea) and Greece, invaded the coastal area and succeeded in forcing out Ramses III. Initially, at least, they seemed content to settle on the coast in five fortified cities: Gaza, Ashkelon and Ashdod on the Via Maris, and further inland Gath and Ekron (not to be confused with Eglon), near the border of the tribe of Judah (Samuel I 6:17). If you study the land division for the tribe of Judah you will note that it is very detailed. The land was divided into 12 districts. Our district (Lachish) was the lower half of what was known as the plain (Shephelah) (Joshua, 15:35-40). All told there were 112 cities mentioned in Judah's portion. Much of the history of this area is linked with the Philistines. These newcomers brought with them the knowledge of iron smelting which they probably learned from the Hittites. By keeping the secret to themselves they forced the Israelites to turn to them for the forging of hoes and plowshares (I Samson 13:19). They fought fierce battles with the Egyptians, as we learn from the hieroglyphics of the Temple of Amun, dating from the time of Rameses III (1195-1164 BCE). Despite their defeat they succeeded in settling along the coast, probably with the consent of Rameses III. They were able to do so because the Canaanites were weak and the Israelites were preoccupied with settling the land and making the transition from a nomadic to an agrarian culture. For one century they concentrated on establishing a power base on the coast. Gradually they cast their eyes inland and began moving into the hill country. Their first attacks were short raids, but eventually they encroached on a number of cities, which fell under their influence and ended up under their rule. http://wzo.org.il/juice/map/map2.htm This is the background to one of the most famous biblical stories, that of Samson and Delilah. Samson was born in the border village of Tzorah (Samson 13:2). He fell in love with a Philistine woman from the neighboring village of Timnat. It is interesting to read his father's almost contemporary reaction when Samson tells him of his desire to marry a gentile: "Is there no Jewish girl good enough?" (Judges 14:2-4). I will leave you to read the story for yourselves. Note that Delilah also hailed from "just over the border" in Nachal Sorek (Judges 16:4) which runs a few miles north of Nachal Elah. Most of Samson's story takes place right in our area. As most of you know Samson was put to death by the philistines yet before his death he begged God for one last bout of strength . His last words were "O Master of the Universe, bestow unto me ( this request for strength) in this life as compensation for the loss of one of my eyes. For the loss of the other I will wait to be rewarded in the future." So great was the fear he inspired that for the next 20 years the Philistines did not attack the Israelites (Jerusalem Talmud, Sot. 1:8, 17b). In my last lecture I had touched upon the story of Samson which resulted in the letter from Yossie Molier regarding the "righteousness of Samson" ad intermarriage. If any of you want to see the question and the answer again please let me know. In short remember that there were major changes in the attitudes in Judaism following the cataclysmic destruction of the first and the loss of 10 of the 12 tribes to the Jews people. The centrality of individual prayer, the reading of the Torah and our attitude to the nations around us underwent a profound change. Back to our area - clashes with the Philistines continued despite Samson's successes. A few years later, in the time of the high Priest Eli (approx. 1060BCE), a major battle was fought at the northern border of Judah between Afek and Even Ha'ezer (I Samuel 4). The Israelites were defeated and in desperation they sent for the Ark of the Covenant (shades of Indiana Jones) which was in Shilo. The battle was a disaster and the Ark was taken to Ashdod. When catastrophe after catastrophe smote the city it was decided to move it to Gat. That city didn't fare any better and it was moved again, this time to Ekron. The Ekronites were no fools and had no desire to keep it either. Eventually it was returned across the border to Beit Shemesh with appropriate gifts (I Samuel 5-6). By this time the area controlled by the Philistines had expanded northwards to include the cities of Dor and Meggido. There was only one option for the fractionalized Israelites and with the help of the Prophet Samuel they chose a king. Most of Saul's major battles took place in other parts of the country but skirmishes continued in the Shephelah throughout his reign. Of all the biblical stories, none illustrates the theme of pitting the weak against the strong as graphically as the story of David and Goliath (I Samuel 17). David was living at home with his father in the Bethlehem area when his brothers were mobilized to do battle. The Philistines were camped in Azeikah which controlled the road from Lachish to Jerusalem. This is the same road which would take you today passed Kibuutz Netiv HaLamed Hey towards Beitar. On the other side of the dry bed of the Elah valley was the Israelite encampment. It is easy to imagine the story when you walk in the wadi and see the smooth stones on the ground. David's success earned him the gratitude of Saul, but not for long, and he was forced to flee. During this time he was informed that the Philistines were stealing from the granaries of Kaliah just southeast of Azeikah. After defeating the Philistine forces he found himself trapped in the city by Saul's men: "for he is shut in by entering a town that has gates and bars" (I Samuel 23:1-13) - not those kinds of bars! David managed to escape with the help of Eviatar the priest, fleeing southward past Gat to Ziklag. After being crowned, David managed to regain most of the territory lost to the Philistines, leaving them with approximately the same area they had prior to their expansion. David selected his "strong men" or military leaders from the areas he could trust most. They included men from Kaliah, Azeikah and Gat. David declared Lachish his provincial capital. Under Solomon's reign there was little change. When he died in 926 BCE with him died the dream of a united Israel. His son Rehoboam ruled in the south and Jeroboam reigned (approx 850 BCE) the 10 tribes to the north. "And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days" (I kings 14:30).For the next 350 years the two kingdoms existed side by side, sometimes in alliance, sometimes at war. Both were greatly affected by the powers on their borders - Israel by the Assyrians and Judah by the Egyptians. Rehoboam concluded that one of his priorities was to strengthen those towns that were essential to protect the kingdom. He formed two lines of defense. The inner line included the towns of Eitam, Tekoa, Bet Zur and Adullam. The outer ring ran through the Judean desert due west and then north to include Adorayim, Lachish, Azeikah, Mareshah and Tzorah (II Chronicles 11:8-9). He rebuilt their walls and added storehouses and armories in the event of a long siege. Mareshah is located on the road between Gat and Hebron just before the road branches north to Azeikah (near Beit Guvrin). It was mentioned as the home of at least one prophet, Eliezer ben Dodavahu and probably the prophet Micha as well (Micha 1:1). These fortifications proved their worth during the invasion of Zerah the Ethiopian who was defeated at Mareshah by Asa (II Chron. 14:8-14). Amaziah ruled Judah from approx 800 BCE for 29 years (II Kings 14:2). He successfully battled Edom and met his enemy Yehoash face to face at Beit Shemesh. The meeting was a disaster and Jerusalem was looted. Fifteen years later Amaziah was forced to flee to Lachish where he was assassinated (II kings 14:18-21). In less then 100 years the world changed again. In 701 BCE Sennacherib the Assyrian invaded the south with the intention of subduing Egypt. His attack took him to the gates of Lachish. King Hezekiah tried to fortify the town. He began to construct a water tunnel but was not able to complete it. The battle (II Kings 18:14) is graphically depicted, as noted above, on the walls at Nineveh. It is from Lachish that Sennacherib sent his letter to Jerusalem (II Chron. 32:9). Nebuchadnezzar invaded in 597 BCE. By 588 the only two fortresses left standing after the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem were Lachish and Azeikah, but they too fell eventually. A large number of potsherds have been found with references to events during the siege. Both cities were reinhabited between the declaration of Koresh and the Return of Nehemiah (Neh. 11:30). During the 2nd Temple period most of the cities were rebuilt. Mareshah became an Seleucid stronghold and although Judah tried to defeat them it was his nephew John Hyrcanus who succeeded in recapturing the city at the end of the 2nd Century BCE (Josephus' War of the Jews 1:269). Little else is known about the time of the second temple. Mareshah became a mixed community with a strong component of Sidonites. One of them, Apollophanes, built a beautiful painted tomb for his family which is still visible today. Azeikah was a successful town, renowned for its high quality fruit (Trac. Yev. 122A). http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/arch/atikot1.html After the destruction of the Temple the local Jewish population was depleted, but not entirely eradicated. Some people succeeded in holding on to their farms although taxes were exorbitant. As some towns declined others took their place. After the destruction of Mareshah in 40 BCE by the Parthians, Bet Guvrin that was until then a small village increased in importance. It is referred to by Josephus as one of the important towns taken by the Romans in 68 CE. Bet Guvrin was given the status of a city by Septimus Severus who renamed it Eleutheropolis in the year 200 CE. We know of at least two Talmudic scholars who lived there, Judah Ben Jacob and Jonathan the Amorah. Jews remained in Bet Guvrin and the general region at least until Byzantine times. Benjamin of Tudelah found a few Jewish families there on his visit in 1171. Many people moved to Ashkelon and Gaza on the coast, thus ensuring a Jewish presence throughout the Arab invasions up until the Crusades. According to Benjamin of Tudelah, Ashkelon was "a large and beautiful town, which contains two hundred Jews, and apart from them, several dozen Karaites and about three hundred Samaritans." while Gaza had about 80 families . Gaza, by the way, had an almost continuous, and during the Ottoman rule an even flourishing, Jewish population from Talmudic times until 1929. Bibliography R.A.S. Macalister, The Philistines (London 1914) Perlman and Yannai, Historical Sites in Israel Y. Rafel, Toldot Eretz Israel (Heb.) Yohanan Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, Westminster Press M. Avi-Yonah, A History of the Holyland, Jerusalem 1969 Atlas Daat Mikrah (Hebrew), Mosad Harav Kook **********************************************************************