According to the archaeologists, "the stories of the judges in the Bible clearly illustrate the complex geopolitical reality and the struggle for territories of control, in the reorganization of the political forces in the Land of Israel
A citadel from the period of the judges was discovered in archaeological excavations near Kibbutz Galon, near Kiryat Gat. This is according to an excavation by the Antiquities Authority in the Beit Govrin forest area.
Photo by Emil Elgem, Antiquities Authority
According to archaeologists Sa'ar Ganor and Itmar Weisbein from the Antiquities Authority: the size of the citadel is 18 x 18 m and there are towers at the four corners. At the entrance to the building, a huge entrance threshold was preserved, carved from a single stone weighing about 3 tons. Inside the citadel was a courtyard paved with stone slabs with columns in the center. Rooms were arranged on both sides of the courtyard. In the citadel's rooms, hundreds of pottery vessels were uncovered, some intact, including special vessels such as a bowl and a mug, which were apparently used for worship, and a large number of bowls. Some of them were made in a style imitating Egyptian bowls.
The remains of the citadel were uncovered with the help of students majoring in Israel Studies from the multidisciplinary school in Be'er Sheva, trainees of the Nachshon Pre-Military Preparatory School, and many volunteers. This, as part of the Antiquities Authority's policy to bring the general public, and in particular the younger generation, closer to archeology.
According to Ganor Weissbein, "The stories of the judges in the Bible clearly illustrate the complex geopolitical reality and the struggle for territories of control, in the reorganization of the political forces in the Land of Israel. The plan of the citadel is known from other sites excavated in Israel, which were identified as Egyptian "governor's houses". The citadel was built in a strategic location, from where it was possible to observe the main road that ran along Nahal Govrin - a road that connected the coastal plain to the Judean lowlands.
According to Talila Libshitz, director of the community and forest department in the southern region of the Kimat Israel Foundation, The citadel is located in the Gobrin Forest and has been prepared for a visit by the general public together with the southern area of the Kimat Israel Foundation. It will open to the public tomorrow. 25.8.2020 In accordance with the requirements of the purple character.
One response
How is it possible at the same time to talk about the citadel as a site "from the period of the judges" where supposedly the children of Israel faced the Amalekites, Philistines and Midianites without mentioning Egypt, and on the other hand to talk about the citadel as an "Egyptian governor's house"?
It is clear that these two narratives cannot exist together, and it is clear that the archaeological find corresponds to an Egyptian citadel and not the home of Samson the hero... so why is this matter of the "period of the judges" mentioned at all?