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

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                Jewish University In CyberspacE
           birnbaum@jer1.co.il      juice@jer1.co.il 
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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

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