Rechav'am's fortifications

Every Thursday the Bar Ilan archeology department organizes a trip for the students to a historical site here in Israel. We need to complete a certain number of such trips to be able to complete our degree. You don't have to come to every single one, you just have to make sure that at some point you complete the required number.

Last Thursday we were supposed to go to Tel Arad, Tel Sheva and Tel Lachish, but due to heavy traffic, our lecturer decided to change the trip to over two hours in Tel Lachish (instead of 15-30 minutes as generally happens on this particular trip) and then we went to Tel Burna, which was cool, because typically archeology students don't go to Tel Burna. It's not one of the most famous and significant sites and has barely been excavated.

(my sketch of Tel Lachish at a distance)

I wanted to share something cool about Lachish. Lachish is probably most famous for being the most important city captured by Sanchariv during his conquest of Judea (which ended in his retreat - there are three different views on what caused that retreat: According to Tanach, it was because his encampment was struck by an angel of Hashem; according to Josephus, it was because his archers' bowstrings were eaten by mice; according to modern academic scholars, most likely because rebellions began in other parts of the Assyrian Empire and he had to go there to engage with the rebels).

However, Lachish is also mentioned a number of times beforehand in Tanach. Indeed, one of the latest archeologists to dig there was Yossi Garfinkel, who claimed to have discovered 10th century BCE Judean ruins around the tel. Naturally, there are those that disagree with his dating of the ruins (after all, carbon-14 dating could be give-or-take 50 years in either direction), but per his view, we find that circa the 10th century BCE, Lachish was Jewish and fortified. What is exceptionally fascinating about this fact is that this is actually something that's referred to in Tanach. In Chronicles 2:11:5 it says:

"Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem and built fortified towns in Judah."

followed by a list of cities fortified, one being (ibid. 9):

"...and Lachish..."

That is truly awesome, in my opinion. It seems Garfinkel merited to find Rechav'am's fortifications in Lachish!

(behold, some of the fortifications discovered by Garfinkel. Photo credit: Me, myself and I)


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