Ancient City of Beersheba
Tel Sheva, the mound of biblical Beersheba, is located
in the northern Negev, several kilometers east of the
present-day city of Be'er Sheva. The Arabic name of
the mound, Tell es-Sab'a, preserves the biblical
name; the archeological finds support its identification
with biblical Beersheba.
The ancient town was built on a
low hill on the bank of a wadi (dry river-bed),
which carries floodwater during the winter months.
A close-to-the-surface aquifer along the wadi ensured
the year-round supply of water.
Beersheba is first mentioned in
the biblical account of God's revelation to the patriarchs
(Gen. 26:23-25; 46:1) and its name is derived from
the Hebrew word shevu'a (oath) or shiv'a (seven)
as elaborated in Gen. 21:31 and 26:33. Beersheba
symbolized the southern boundary of the Land of Israel,
as in the phrase from Dan to Beersheba. (Judges
20:1; 1 Samuel 3:20; and 1 Kings 5:5)
A large area of the site was excavated
between 1969 and 1976, producing several layers of
the remains of settlement, including fortified towns
of the early Israelite period and the monarchic period
of Judah, covered by remnants of small fortresses
dated from the Persian to the Roman periods.
The earliest remains of settlement
at Beersheba are a number of rock-hewn dwellings
(12th-11th centuries BCE) and a 20 m.-deep well supplying
fresh water to the inhabitants of the first permanent
unfortified settlement of Israelites of the Tribe
of Simon. (Joshua 19:2)
By the end of the 11th century
BCE, a fortified settlement was established at Beersheba
with the houses built close to one another on the
hill's summit, forming an outer, circular defensive
wall with only a narrow opening for a gate. The houses
opened inwards, towards a central square, where livestock
was kept.
In the mid-10th century BCE, during
the monarchic period, the first large fortified city
was established at Beersheba, to serve as the administrative
center of the southern region of the kingdom. Its
area extended over some 10 dunams (2.8 acres) of
the hill's summit. It was a planned city, fortified
by a solid wall of mudbrick on stone foundations.
The city gate, with a four-chambered gatehouse, is
typical of Israelite military architecture of that
period. The plan of this city, on broad lines, was
preserved throughout the next 300 years, during which
time it was rebuilt several times.
In the 9th century BCE, a new city
wall was erected on the remains of the previous one.
The new casemate wall was composed of two parallel
walls with a narrow space between them which was
divided into small rooms, creating living and storage
spaces within the wall.
The uppermost layer of the mound
revealed the 8th century BCE city of Beersheba, a
remarkable example of provincial town planning and
indicative of the importance of the city for the
defense of the southern border of the Kingdom of
Judah at the end of the monarchic period. The area
of the walled city was divided into quarters; peripheral,
circular streets followed the course of the city
wall and a main street cut through the center of
the town; and all the streets met at the square inside
its gate. A planned drainage system was constructed
beneath the streets to collect rainwater into a central
channel, which carried it under the city gate and
outside into the well. An impressive water system
was also constructed in the northeast of the city,
within the wall, with a stone staircase leading down
to a water chamber cut deep into the rock. This sophisticated
system assured a regular water supply even in times
of long siege.
In the eastern part of the city
stood a complex of three pillared structures covering
an area of 600 m2. This served as the
city's storehouse, as is evident from its ground-plan,
its location near the city gate and from the hundreds
of pottery vessels, including many large storage
jars, found there. Next to the city gate also stood
the governor's palace, with many rooms and three
large reception halls. Most of the dozens of houses
in the city were built uniformly, with four rooms,
one of which served as a courtyard. They were located
along the streets and, in the houses abutting the
city wall, one room was built into the narrow space
in the casemate walls.
The population of Beersheba in
the 8th century BCE is estimated at 400-500, including
officials and soldiers of the army of Judah stationed
in Beersheba, the regional capital of the south.
A large horned altar was uncovered
at the site. It was reconstructed with several well-dressed
stones found in secondary use in the walls of a later
building. This altar attests to the existence of
a temple or cult center in the city which was probably
dismantled during the reforms of King Hezekiah. (1
Kings 18:4)
The city of Beer-sheba was destroyed
by King Sennacherib of Assyria, during his campaign
against Judah in 701 BCE. During the 7th century
BCE a small settlement existed on the site, its poor
and sparse construction indicative of royal neglect;
it came to an end when the Babylonians conquered
the Kingdom of Judah in 587-6 BCE.
Sources: Ministry
of Foreign Affairs |