Moshiyosef
2009-06-10 12:01:30 UTC
Kathleen Kenyon, renown archaeologist who dug up Jericho
believes there was a substantial gap of time, up to 150 years
from the fall of MBA city destroyed circa 1550 BCE.
This date is fairly certain because of busshels of grain
burned at the time of the destruction which can be
dated effectively by RC14 (radiocarbon dating)
which dates the destruction about 1560-1550 BCE.
Using pottery comparisons she estimated a gap in
occupation of about 150 years with a reoccupation
around 1400 BCE. This 1400 BCE occupation
was destroyed between 1350-1325 BCE
per Kenyon. Here is her quote:
Kathleen Kenyon: Digging Up Jericho, Jericho and the Coming of the
Israelites, page 262:
"As concerns the date of the destruction of Jericho by the Israelites, all
that can be said is that the latest Bronze Age occupation should, in my
view, be dated to the third quarter of the fourteenth century B.C. This is a
date which suits neither the school of scholars which would date the entry
of the Israelites into Palestine to c. 1400 B.C. nor the school which
prefers a date of c. 1260 B.C."
However, as other archaeologists have pointed out,
scarabs from the reign of Hatshepsut through
Amenhotep III were found in nearby tombs which
tend to confirm a continuous occupation during or
immediately after the reign of Hatshepsut (1515-1494 BCE)
down past the reign of Amenhotep III (1424-1386 BCE)
at the very earliest (based on KTU 1.78 text dating).
This evidence thus conflicts with Kenyon's belief the
LBA city destroyed by Joshua was only a recent
occupation beginning around 1400 BCE, but instead
would have been occupied for up to 100 years earlier
if that occupation occurred during the reign of
Hatshepsut.
Of note, though, this dating does not conflict with
the RC14 confirmed dating of Jericho's destruction
c. 1560-1550 BCE based on the RC14 findings.
Hatshepsut's earliest dated reign c. 1515 BCE would
confirm the city was rebuilt about a 50-75 years after
it had been destroyed in 1550 BCE, thus the LBA
occupation was not a mere 50 years as Kenyon
suggests, but up to 150 years (1500-1350 BCE vs
1400-1350 BCE).
Of course, the last scarabs found from the reign of
Amenhotep III would tend to confirm Kenyon's
belief that the city was destroyed between 1350-1325 BCE
by the Isrealites. Since the Israelites would have
left Egypt 40 years earlier, that gives an Exodus
range of 1390-1365 BCE. This range of dating
is consistent with the KTU 1.78-based dating
for the end of the reign of Amenhotep III in
1386 BCE, which would have also been the
year of the Exodus. 1386 BCE, of course,
falls within the Jericho-based range of
1390-1386 BCE.
Rounding out this dating is more RC14 dating
from Rehov which dates Shishak's invasion
c. 871 BCE, year 39 of Solomon. When that
RC14 dating is applied to the timeline, year
4 of Solomon falls in 906 BCE which means
the Exodus, 480 years earlier, falls in 1386 BCE,
the same dating you get when you apply the
KTU 1.78 astronomical text that dates year
12 of Akhenaten to 1375 BCE, and thus
his 1st year and the last of Amenhotep III to
1386 BCE. (1375 + 11 = 1386 BCE).
NOTES ON THE LBA CITY WALLS:
Of note, the Bible records massive walls of
Jericho that were quite impressive, which were
brought down miraculously by trumpet blasts
with a little help from their Creator-god,
YHWH. Regarding those walls though, Kenyon
says:
From "Digging Up Jericho" page 261:
"It is a sad fact that of the town walls of the Late Bronze Age, within
which
period the attack by the Israelites must fall by any dating, not a trace
remains."
Christian Biblicalist harmonize this evidence with
the Biblical suggestion that these LBA walls might have
been other than mud bricks used in previous occupations but
were ashlar stones similar to those found at Hazor that the
Israelites destroyed. The stones at Hazor have evidence of
great heat from a fire and the Bible says that the Israelites
did burn down Hazor. If so, that would explain the great
reputation of the impenetrable walls of Jericho.
However, if the walls were not simply toppled but actually
destroyed by sound waves, they would have been
demolished into sand particles. Medical science uses
a process called electroshock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) to
pulverize kidney stones into fine sandlike particles that
can then be easily flushed. This process uses sound waves.
Thus the Biblical account about the trumpet blasts would
be a reference to the scientific method in which the
walls were brought down, if using sound waves, would
have brought them down by pulverizing them into sand
particles. The account says that the walls "fell flat" which
is consistent with the walls being turned to sand and thus
lying flat on the ground allowing the Israelites to rush into
the city over the sand.
In this case, however, with the ashlar block stone walls
being turned into sand by the coverted sound waves from
the trumpet lasts into shockwaves, only sand would remain
from the former walls, which would long be washed away
or blown away by the winds of time and thus no evidence of
any walls from that occupation still in existence to
commemorate the great stone walls of Jericho. Thus, indeed,
as Kenyon notes, no trace at all of any massive stones
were found from this level. Thus archaeologically confirming
the walls must have been destroyed completely, which
sound waves can accomplish.
Also confirming the walls were completely destroyed is the
massive erosion of this level. Without those foundation stones
remaining there would be little to impede erosion over the years,
thus this level is nearly completely eroded with just one small
room left from this level. Of course, archaeologists assume this
means this level was a small occupation level, but the historical
record attests to the contrary. Of course, you can't decide
what the entire original city was like based on what is left from
the massive erosion. In fact, Kenyon even suggested that the
erosion was so extensive another city would have been built
on top of this layer and we wouldn't know it because it would
have been completely eroded. The scarabs would prove
otherwise, of course, and that was just a statement in passing
of how extensive the erosion of this level was. Again,
the massive erosion and no evidence of any huge stones
from the walls would contfirm those walls were completely
destroyed by sound waves and thus reduced to sand.
I mention this because even though Kenyon is quite clear
this is the only city occupation that Israelites could have
destroyed, the lack of walls at this level have others trying
to link the Israelites to the walls destroyed in 1550 BCE.
However, if the walls were destroyed there would be
no need to look any further than the LBA town destroyed
in 1346 BCE, 40 years after the confirmed date of the
Exodus in 1386 BCE at the end of the reign of
Amenhotep III.
Mos
believes there was a substantial gap of time, up to 150 years
from the fall of MBA city destroyed circa 1550 BCE.
This date is fairly certain because of busshels of grain
burned at the time of the destruction which can be
dated effectively by RC14 (radiocarbon dating)
which dates the destruction about 1560-1550 BCE.
Using pottery comparisons she estimated a gap in
occupation of about 150 years with a reoccupation
around 1400 BCE. This 1400 BCE occupation
was destroyed between 1350-1325 BCE
per Kenyon. Here is her quote:
Kathleen Kenyon: Digging Up Jericho, Jericho and the Coming of the
Israelites, page 262:
"As concerns the date of the destruction of Jericho by the Israelites, all
that can be said is that the latest Bronze Age occupation should, in my
view, be dated to the third quarter of the fourteenth century B.C. This is a
date which suits neither the school of scholars which would date the entry
of the Israelites into Palestine to c. 1400 B.C. nor the school which
prefers a date of c. 1260 B.C."
However, as other archaeologists have pointed out,
scarabs from the reign of Hatshepsut through
Amenhotep III were found in nearby tombs which
tend to confirm a continuous occupation during or
immediately after the reign of Hatshepsut (1515-1494 BCE)
down past the reign of Amenhotep III (1424-1386 BCE)
at the very earliest (based on KTU 1.78 text dating).
This evidence thus conflicts with Kenyon's belief the
LBA city destroyed by Joshua was only a recent
occupation beginning around 1400 BCE, but instead
would have been occupied for up to 100 years earlier
if that occupation occurred during the reign of
Hatshepsut.
Of note, though, this dating does not conflict with
the RC14 confirmed dating of Jericho's destruction
c. 1560-1550 BCE based on the RC14 findings.
Hatshepsut's earliest dated reign c. 1515 BCE would
confirm the city was rebuilt about a 50-75 years after
it had been destroyed in 1550 BCE, thus the LBA
occupation was not a mere 50 years as Kenyon
suggests, but up to 150 years (1500-1350 BCE vs
1400-1350 BCE).
Of course, the last scarabs found from the reign of
Amenhotep III would tend to confirm Kenyon's
belief that the city was destroyed between 1350-1325 BCE
by the Isrealites. Since the Israelites would have
left Egypt 40 years earlier, that gives an Exodus
range of 1390-1365 BCE. This range of dating
is consistent with the KTU 1.78-based dating
for the end of the reign of Amenhotep III in
1386 BCE, which would have also been the
year of the Exodus. 1386 BCE, of course,
falls within the Jericho-based range of
1390-1386 BCE.
Rounding out this dating is more RC14 dating
from Rehov which dates Shishak's invasion
c. 871 BCE, year 39 of Solomon. When that
RC14 dating is applied to the timeline, year
4 of Solomon falls in 906 BCE which means
the Exodus, 480 years earlier, falls in 1386 BCE,
the same dating you get when you apply the
KTU 1.78 astronomical text that dates year
12 of Akhenaten to 1375 BCE, and thus
his 1st year and the last of Amenhotep III to
1386 BCE. (1375 + 11 = 1386 BCE).
NOTES ON THE LBA CITY WALLS:
Of note, the Bible records massive walls of
Jericho that were quite impressive, which were
brought down miraculously by trumpet blasts
with a little help from their Creator-god,
YHWH. Regarding those walls though, Kenyon
says:
From "Digging Up Jericho" page 261:
"It is a sad fact that of the town walls of the Late Bronze Age, within
which
period the attack by the Israelites must fall by any dating, not a trace
remains."
Christian Biblicalist harmonize this evidence with
the Biblical suggestion that these LBA walls might have
been other than mud bricks used in previous occupations but
were ashlar stones similar to those found at Hazor that the
Israelites destroyed. The stones at Hazor have evidence of
great heat from a fire and the Bible says that the Israelites
did burn down Hazor. If so, that would explain the great
reputation of the impenetrable walls of Jericho.
However, if the walls were not simply toppled but actually
destroyed by sound waves, they would have been
demolished into sand particles. Medical science uses
a process called electroshock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) to
pulverize kidney stones into fine sandlike particles that
can then be easily flushed. This process uses sound waves.
Thus the Biblical account about the trumpet blasts would
be a reference to the scientific method in which the
walls were brought down, if using sound waves, would
have brought them down by pulverizing them into sand
particles. The account says that the walls "fell flat" which
is consistent with the walls being turned to sand and thus
lying flat on the ground allowing the Israelites to rush into
the city over the sand.
In this case, however, with the ashlar block stone walls
being turned into sand by the coverted sound waves from
the trumpet lasts into shockwaves, only sand would remain
from the former walls, which would long be washed away
or blown away by the winds of time and thus no evidence of
any walls from that occupation still in existence to
commemorate the great stone walls of Jericho. Thus, indeed,
as Kenyon notes, no trace at all of any massive stones
were found from this level. Thus archaeologically confirming
the walls must have been destroyed completely, which
sound waves can accomplish.
Also confirming the walls were completely destroyed is the
massive erosion of this level. Without those foundation stones
remaining there would be little to impede erosion over the years,
thus this level is nearly completely eroded with just one small
room left from this level. Of course, archaeologists assume this
means this level was a small occupation level, but the historical
record attests to the contrary. Of course, you can't decide
what the entire original city was like based on what is left from
the massive erosion. In fact, Kenyon even suggested that the
erosion was so extensive another city would have been built
on top of this layer and we wouldn't know it because it would
have been completely eroded. The scarabs would prove
otherwise, of course, and that was just a statement in passing
of how extensive the erosion of this level was. Again,
the massive erosion and no evidence of any huge stones
from the walls would contfirm those walls were completely
destroyed by sound waves and thus reduced to sand.
I mention this because even though Kenyon is quite clear
this is the only city occupation that Israelites could have
destroyed, the lack of walls at this level have others trying
to link the Israelites to the walls destroyed in 1550 BCE.
However, if the walls were destroyed there would be
no need to look any further than the LBA town destroyed
in 1346 BCE, 40 years after the confirmed date of the
Exodus in 1386 BCE at the end of the reign of
Amenhotep III.
Mos