History of Jerusalem midterm Flashcards
Topography of Jerusalem
Jerusalem (unlike big cities) isn’t by water, or trade routes. It’s 9 acres and is known as Central Hills/Hill Country area.
Jerusalem’s only water source is in Ir David, the Gichon and cities were built on hills nearby (old city) the water source.
Not built to sustain many people.
Jerusalem was often attacked from the north because that’s the only place where you can get the high ground.
Execration Texts
Pot sherds (broken pottery), 80 dishes called Execration texts. Wrote enemies on pots smashed them, (voodoo).
“Rushalimum” and its princes on them,
Inscribed with writing/cursive hieratic . Real writing–mentions names of countries, towns, rulers alleged to be enemies of Egypt. voodoo/sympathetic magic–they took these vessels/wrote on them the town of x, name of ruler, each vessel had one or two names and then you smashed the vessel and thats what should happens to your vessels
first mention of Jerusalem
They believe Shalim, Canaanite sun god was in the area.
princes of Rushalimum
Yikran and Shashan
tel amarna
Tel amarna is archaeological site of amarna tablets
ostrica
execration texts. broken pottery used as paper and written on after being broken
abdi hepa
Yevusi king of Jerusalem
6 letters in amarna letters King Abdi-hepa, king of “Jerusalem,” (Jerusalem) asking for troops or cities having land disputes.
He only asked for help in the 1st one but instead of help, he was almost killed. After he only sent letters complaining about land disputes.
prince/king of jerusalem sending letters to pharoah
late bronze age
Jerusalem is city with king and vassal and important enough to communicate with pharoah. One of many canaanite city states–they ask for small petty requests and praise themselves and they impugn motives of neighbors. Egyptian sovereignty in land of israel over bickering vassals
Amarna tablets/letters–discuss vassals and international scene
preserved international correspondence; If it had been in hieroglyphs it wouldve been on papyrus and wouldnt have preserved.
350 letters between Egyptian king and Canaan/Retinu (Retinu=Egyptian name for Canaan).
Letters are written on clay pottery, mostly in Akkadian cuneiform, (Mesopotamia writing system).
Why did the Amarna tablets preserve?
Armana letters–you can find clay tablets but not papyrus bc it preserves really well.
significance of Amarna tablets
Amarna letters show that Jerusalem had importance on local Canaanite scene. Not all that central to the lives of the Avot in the way beer sheva and chevron do. Jerusalem is really associated with David.
Akhenaten–amarna tablets
14c bce–heretic king pharoah Akhenaten moves capital away from Thebes to new town in desert so he could worship sun all day long–Brings father’s and his own international correspondence–babylonian king writing letters “WHY ARE YOU MAKING MY MESSENGER STAND IN SUN ALL DAY”.
Yevusim
Abdi Hepa Yevusi king of Jerusalem in Late Bronze Age (1500-1200) in Amarna Period. Retinue (What the Egyptians called Canaan) became a vassal to Egypt because it was a buffer zone against their enemies.
Abdi-hepa called his citadel “Beit Shulamit”–House of Well Being. There were no fortifications or big buildings.
Letters from him to Pharaoh requesting archers, as nomads were attacking his area.
Abdi-Hepa fought the ruler of Shechem
Egypt was focused on the war with the Hitti
Built the Fortress of Zion. The 1st wall of Jerusalem built in 1800 BCE, the middle Bronze Age (1700-1600 BCE). From 1550 to 1200 BCE (Late Bronze Age) there were no new walls built (because they were strong or Egypt didn’t let) but 1200 the Yevusim fixed the walls and expanded it down the eastern slope. They were agriculturalists, used Gichon Spring. This was a place of political importance. Melchizedek was king of “Salem” during Avraham, but we don’t know if he’s Yuvasi. Yehoshua beat Adonizedek in battle, king of Jerusalem, and took over Jerusalem, but couldn’t drive out the Yevusim fully. Yevusim still had control, even during the time of David until he drove them out.
first occupiers of Jerusalem, under King Aravnah. Idea that jerusalem was impregnable so they placed blind and lame statues–mocking. we don’t know what happened to them after David drove them out
Aravnah
He was maybe last Yevusi king, he wasn’t kicked out of Jerusalem, he was even allowed to keep his estate, and David bought some of the estate. The estate included a “threshing floor”, which maybe has religious significance. This is the area of Mt. Moriah where the Temple will be built.
David relocated Aron to Jerusalem and built an altar on the threshing floor, this is a watershed moment first time Jews in Jerusalem (making Jerusalem both the spiritual and political capital).
watershed moment
David’s conquest is known as a watershed moment which is a moment that completely changes the direction of the story.
Watershed Moment – the moment David conquers the Yevusim. Went from provincial canaanite town of some importance and destiny changed to the political and ultimately religious capital for a new nation
Yoav
Yoav captures Jerusalem by going up the water shaft and surprising those in the city — but this text is incomplete and we don’t really know the full story.
Under Yevusi control — the first opinion was that Yoav went through the water shaft by the Gichon, penetrating the Metzudat Zion. Yoav was his commander in chief because he was first to attack.
Ir David
Ir David was in a fragile state. David removes any control pocket. Wide valleys, more rain, far from threats. 15 acres. 1200 people. Regal-ritual city, a place for the palace and temple and workers in both. He fixed the walls, recaptured the Ark of the Covenant and brought it to Jerusalem.
Common practice in ancient near east to make it his city when he conquers it; Ir david rebranding was typical
Carbon dating
Carbon dating-we have the same amount of carbon in our bodies but we stop when we die and radioactive carbon begins to die - halflife 5740 years
Cant carbon date stone or pottery but can do anything that was once alive
Olive pits used a lot
Stepped stone structure
The Metzudat Zion is another name for the stepped stone structure. The Stepped Stone Structure holds up the mountain, but when joined together with to make the palace. Stepped Stone Structure is 12 stories high, going down Kidron Valley.
Stepped stone structure excavated long time ago–house is from time of chizkiyahu but the structure itself must’ve been holding up an important building. Speculated that it was metzudat tzion fortress. stepped stone structure were integrated into david’s palace (mazar’s theory)
Eilat Mazar and Discovery of David’s Palace
Large Stone Structure–From area h kathleen kenyon found this palmette evidence of state govt; Eilat mazar noticed that and put it together with the pasuk bc they were looking in canaanite jerusalem but mazar argues–he went “down” to the fortress–maybe the palace is outside the city and david wouldnt knock down people’s houses to build his palace–found large stone structure, probably David’s palace
Shmuel 2: 8:17–David goes south from his palace to fortress to fight phlishtim
Mazar noticed in Kenyon’s field research that there was a stone capital with a palm design. Found a block (smooth stone) carved with a palm design. She went to Tanach and read the part where Dovid went down to Metzudat Tzion, from that she was able to say that everyone has been looking in the wrong places.
David had built a city palace north of the city, he knew that the city was going to expand to the north, so he built it a little north of Ir David.
When she dug in Ir Dovid, she found enormous foundation stones —> proof.
She published that right away right as Finkelstein was about the publish his work.
Just north of Metzudat Tzion, called it large stone building which is the palace. There’s also the step stone structure which holds up the mountain but the two are joined together to make the palace — the step stone structure is 12 stories high, going down the Kidron Valley
theory before Mazar
Dovid was a tribal chief.
building material ancient israel
Basic building material in ancient Israel was sun dried mud brick (very cheap). You put the mud brick into forms and let it dry in the sun. Stone foundation with mud bricks, mud bricks touching the ground would make the rain able to destroy it easily.
Monumental archeology is stone
BHMK
Beis HaMikdash
Jerusalem gains regional status and doubles in population and size. He’s rich and the city was doing well.
He used Phoenician allies/Tyre cedar (good builders) to build the Beis HaMikdash.
It took 7 years to build Temple, and 13 years to build the larger palace, but kept it close to the temple because he wanted his temple to be an expansion of the Beis HaMikdash.
The Beit Hamikdash was a tri-part temple, with Ulam, Dvir, and Heichal.
It fortified Mt. Moriah by expanding the old walls. The Aron was moved into the Beit Hamikdash. The Aron was believed to have rested on a depression rock made of limestone, the Dome of the Rock.
There’s no evidence of Shlomo’s palace, or the Beis HaMikdash because it was rebuilt, (can’t excavate now because Muslims).
18x13meters, limestone
Temple plan is a tripartite (three parts). Standard plan for the times.
Rectangular Depression on Mt. Moriah, believed the Aron was there. His palace was made out Ashlar stone, and built Bit-Hilani style.
3 parts of BHMK
Three parts are ulam (courtyard), heichal (main room), and the Dvir (Holy of Holies). No archeological evidence of this edifice.
Shlomo’s Temple is innovative. Heichal comes from Sumerian. E.Gal means “great room.” Sumerian to Akkadian and Akkadian to Hebrew. Cubit is a foot and a half. Heichal was 20 cubits wide and 40 cubits long. Main building height is 30 cubits. Temple was 60X20. Ulam has extra space so add 10. No archeological evidence of the structure, but there are archeological parallels.
Archaeological Parallels
Tel Tayinat
‘Ain Dara
Tel Tayinat
South East Turkey. Located near Orontes river near the Turkish-Syrian border. Two monumental buildings: temple and palace
Temple:
Has two pilllars, known as a tripartite kind of temple (meaning it has 3 rooms), entrance is on the short side, dates after the time period of Shlomo (perhaps inspired by his temple, dimensions and proportions are similar)
Later on a second temple was found
Two temples are necessary to pray to another being, found many gold, iron, bronze items, most incredible thing found there: cuneiform tablets, originally written for sumerian, written in akkadian, found in the Dvir wealth of ritual paraphernalia - Libation vessels, gold, silver, oil.
‘Ain Dara
Located in south west Syria, Temple is from the 10th century — same as Shlomo Ha’Melech. Had steps approaching platform. Flanked by two columns. In the courtyard had a large stone basin like in Shlomo’s. They had cherub structures. 3ft Long Footprints in stone leading to the temple.
Water Gate/Layout and Activities
Northern entrance to city was a commercial area. Meetings, trades, announcements, prophets. Storage rooms. There were outer and inner gate houses. Cistern outside the gate. The outer gate also had a projecting tower, this gate we know today. Gates were the hub of activity, where people congregate.
Gates had 3 parts:
Outer-gate house (some chambers there, also had a road that led into the gate)
Watergate complex (open area within gate complex)
Inner-gate house (leads into the city itself)
cistern
Cisterns practical way to make water more convenient.
Rechavam
Under Rechavam, son of Shlomo, civil war and Israel splits away from Judah
-Israel in the beginning is rather hostile. It’s not growing , in a very defensive mode, north is more prosperous. Judah is more isolated, and doesn’t really prosper like the north does. Kingdom of Israel is more concerned with fighting with tother, and things calm down. There is marriage between Israel and Judah.
Shlomo died, his son, Rechavam took over. Still building so labor tax. People want him to stop the tax, but he didn’t. People appointed Yeruvam, (not from the Davidic line). Kingdom split north and south. Yeruvam’s North= Kingdom of Israel (capital Shomron). Rechavam South=Kingdom of Judah (Jerusalem.) The north tribe had 2 mini temples (in place of the Temple in Jerusalem.) in Don and Beit El (at the 2 ends of the new Israel kingdom). Jews weren’t attached to Jerusalem as the spiritual center, bc BHMK wasn’t around for long enough. Jerusalem/Judah/South lost power and got poor because it borders no one. Judah/Israel/North got power and rich because they bordered countries so trade. The 2 kingdoms had war for 50 years until mutual enemy - Aram.
Athalia
She is an Israelite princess who marries the Judahite prince Jehoram(not the one who becomes king) When Jehoram dies, he is succeeded by his son Ahaziah and when he dies she takes over. She tries killing all her grandchildren.
Encounter with Assyria
Everyone knows what Assyrians do to people. Jerusalem will now become a big city. Israel brings technological know-how. Getting refugees from Israel as Assyria attacks Israel whose practice is more syncretistic (two religious traditions blended).
Yeshayahu advising Chizkiyahu
The Navi Yeshayahu advises Chizkiyahu. Chizkiyahu wants to rebel. Why? Doesn’t like paying taxes. Why collect money and send it to the enemy? He is a vassal. Wants political independence. Stops paying tribute and attacks. Advised by Yeshayahu to rebel
Yeshayahu HaNavi influences Chizkiyahu religiously. Yeshayahu enforces no idols and to celeb He tells C to rebel and not be a vassal to Ashur. C knows that if he does this he has to prepare for a siege in 3 ways.
Sencheriv
Sancherib rules Assyria til 681, waging successful campaign from north. After he destroys lachish he heads toward jerusalem.
Sencharibs inscriptions
Archaeology
Melachim 2 and yishayahu
Prism: Rassam cylinder/prism of sennacherib that are inscribed with history from this time (see Annals of Sennacherib)
Writings on the prisms were about the siege and that he conquered many cities and he was successful, and after Jerusalem, he was going to go to Egypt.
Jerusalem under Chizkiyahu
During the times of Chizkiyahu Jerusalem expanded. The refugees from the north fill it in.
Chizkiyahu centralizes Jerusalem as the place of worship. Purify Judaism from idolatrous elements. Religious reforms. Israel goes through 100 years of economic growth. Growing. Trading.
Chizkiyahu expects Sancherib to come (since he rebelled against Sancherib). Knows it’s going to take some time to come. Since Jerusalem has expanded, he needs to fortify the new parts. How does Chizkiyahu prepare for war? He builds a new wall for the expanded city. He diverts the water of the spring to a pool. Makes sure there is enough food and water to survive (good archaeological evidence).
Broad wall
Broad wall remains in the Old City found from Chizkiyahu’s time. Founded after 1967. Uncovered a huge portion of the wall.
LMLK handles
Found some “Lemelech” seals. If one is making a siege, they need food and water (able to get water easily). Created a system for storing food. State sponsored storage vessels. Found at least 2,000 of these stamps for the siege. Names of four cities on it. Each vessel (storage jars) typically weighed around 50-80 pounds. Likely only one strong guy would lift it. Probably buried them in the ground to stay cool (and because they can’t stand on their own). That was the first thing Chizkiyahu did, gather provisions.
Water tunnel
Chizkiyahu made a tunnel from the Gichon spring (down the slope, Kidron) to the Silwan pool (lower part, Central) (incredible engineering feat.) Goes by Ir David. Built completely underground (couldn’t really see where they were building). Gravity transports the water. About a third of a mile. Change of elevation from the spring to the pool. Done by a team of two. One team started at the pool, the other at the spring, they worked toward each other. If you touch the wall, you can feel the difference of the chisel marks. We know this because of an inscription they found inside. Had to carve niches where they could put their lamps (no natural light). Chizkiyahu’s numbers. Date of Construction: 701 BCE Length: 1,750 feet (⅓ mile) Direct Distance: About 1,000 feet Entrance: Gichon Spring
The inscription is by the exit of the Silwan Pool. Founded in 1909 by the Parker expedition. Ktav Ivri. The original was cut out by the Ottomans and is in Istanbul. Goal was to divert the waters so the Assyrians could not have access to it. Concealed the entrance to the water. Area of water is inconvenient. Central Valley was more convenient. Inscription was written by an engineer. Literacy is higher than it was in Egypt and Mesopotamia (if an engineer can write). Recounts the exciting moment when the tunnel was completed.
