Bethoron(Hebrew:בֵית־חוֹרֹ֔ן,lit. 'house of Horon';Ancient Greek:Ὡρωνείν), alsoBeth-Horon,were two neighboring towns inancient Israel,situated on theGibeon–Aijalonroad. They served as strategic points along the road, guarding the "ascent of Bethoron". While theHebrew Biblesometimes distinguishes between the two towns—Upper and Lower Bethoron—it often refers to both simply as Bethoron.[1]The towns are mentioned in the Bible and in other ancient sources: Upper Bethoron appears inJoshua16:5,Lower Bethoron in Joshua16:3,both in1 Chronicles7:24,[2]and the ascent inI Maccabees3:16.
The ancient towns of Upper Bethoron and Lower Bethoron are identified respectively with the present-dayPalestinian Arabvillages ofBeit Ur al-FauqaandBeit Ur al-Tahta,which preserve the ancient names.[3][1]Archaeological evidence suggests that Lower Bethoron was established first, as the earliest potsherds discovered there date back to theLate Bronze Age,while those from the upper town originate from theIron Ageonward.[4]
Etymology
edit
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| bꜣtꜣ(j) ḥwꜣrwn[5][6] inhieroglyphs | |||||||||
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| Era:3rd Intermediate Period (1069–664 BC) | |||||||||
TheHebrewname Bethoron (Beit Horon,בית חורון) is derived from the name of anEgypto-Canaanitedeity,Horon,mentioned inUgaritic literature.[2][7][3]The city is mentioned among the cities and towns smitten bySheshonq Iin hisinscriptionat theTemple of KarnakasBatae Houarn.[5][6]
Ascent of Beth-horon
editThe biblical "way of Beth-horon", also known as "the ascent of Beth-horon", is a pass which ascends from the plain ofAijalon(nowAyalon-Canada Park) and climbs to Beit Ur al-Tahta (1,210 ft.). It then ascends along the ridge, with valleys lying to north and south, and reaches Beit Ur al-Fauqa (2,022 ft.). Al-tahta means 'the lower', and al-fauqa (fawqa) means 'the upper' in Arabic.
The ascent is an ancient east-west trade route connecting two broadly north-south routes, theVia Marisalong the Mediterranean coastline, and theWay of the Patriarchs,which follows the crest of the central mountain range of Samaria in the north and Judah in the south.
History
editIron Age: in the Bible and contemporary texts
editUpper Bethoron is first mentioned in theBook of Joshuaas a city on the border between theIsraelitetribes ofBenjaminandEphraim(Joshua 16:5). The borderline passed alongside the two Bethorons (Joshua 16:5; 21:22[8]) who belonged to the latter Israelite tribe and therefore, later on, to theNorthern Kingdom of Israel,while the tribe of Benjamin belonged to theKingdom of Judah.One or both of the towns was aLevitical city(Joshua 21:22; 2 Chronicles 6:53[9]).[1]
According to biblical records, these cities were conquered by the Israelites under the leadership ofJoshua,who defeated the fiveAmoritekings near Gibeon and pursued them southward past Beth-Horon toAzekahandMakkedah(Joshua 10:5-11). According to the Bible, when Joshua defeated the Amorite kings, "he killed a large number of them atGibeon,and chased them by the way of the 'Ascent of Beth-horon' ".[10][1]
Later on, thePhilistineschose to launch their attack againstSaulvia the route passing through Beth-Horon (1 Samuel 13:18), sending a company of their men to hold "the way of Beth-horon".[1]
Upper Bethoron is later mentioned in2 Kingsas one of the cities built and fortified bySolomon(1 Kings 9:17,also in2 Chronicles 8:59). Solomon "built Beth-horon the upper, and Beth-horon the nether, fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars" (2 Chronicles 8:5;[11]1 Kings 9:17[12]).[1]
FromEgyptiansources it appears that Bethoron was one of the places conquered byShishakof Egypt fromRehoboam.[13]
According to 1 Chronicles 7:24,[14]Lower Bethoron was built byShe'era,daughter ofBeriah, son of Ephraim.[2]The Second Book of Chronicles mentions Beth-Horon in the context of disbanded Israelite mercenaries inAmaziah's army who looted towns in Judah "fromSamariato Beth-Horon "(2 Chronicles 25:13).[1]
Hellenistic period
editTheSyrian(Seleucid) generalSeronwas defeated here in 166 BCE byJudas Maccabeus(1 Macc.3:13–24[15]) in theBattle of Beth Horon.Six years laterNicanor,retreating fromJerusalem,was defeated and slain (1 Macc. 7:39;[16]Josephus,AntiquitiesBk12 Ch10:5.[17])
Bacchidesrepaired Beth-horon "with high walls, with gates and with bars and in them he set agarrison,that they might work malice upon ( "vex" ) Israel "(1 Macc. 9:50–51[18]). Later, the Jews fortified it againstHolofernes(Judith4:4–5[19]).
Roman period
editThere are traces of anancient Roman pavingstill visible.
In thebattle of Beth Horonin the year 66 CE, the first decisive Jewish victory in theFirst Jewish–Roman Warthe Roman generalCestius Galluswas driven inheadlong flightbefore the Jews.[20]
Late Roman & Byzantine periods
editEusebius'Onomasticonmentions the 'twin villages' andSt. Jeromedescribes them as 'little hamlets.'[2][21]
Jerome(late 4th to early 5th centuries) noted that Bethoron was just a little village at his time. In his eulogy forSaint Paula,he describes Lower and Upper Bethoron as cities founded by Solomon and destroyed by war.[22]
Arab villages
editThe twoPalestinianArab Muslim villages ofBeit Ur el-FauqaandBeit Ur et-Tahtapreserve theHebrew–Canaanitename,[2]and have been identified as the sites of Upper and Lower Bethoron.[3]
Modern period
editIn 1915, thePalestine Exploration Fundwrote that changes in the main road to Jerusalem had left the Bethoron route "forsaken" and "almost forgotten".
The Israeli settlement ofBeit Horonwas founded in 1977 on a site adjacent to the two Arab towns.
Highway 443follows part of the ancient road.
Archaeology
editArchaeologicalfinds indicate that the lower town was established before the upper one.Potsherdsfrom the LateBronze Ageonward were discovered at Lower Beit Ur, whereas those in Upper Beit Ur date only from theIron Ageonward.[2]
References
edit- ^abcdefgLemche, Niels Peter (2004).Historical dictionary of ancient Israel.Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical eras. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 81.ISBN978-0-8108-4848-1.
- ^abcdefEugenio Alliata (2000-12-19)."Bethoron (Bayt Ur)".Studium Biblicum Franciscanum.Archived fromthe originalon 2008-08-29.Retrieved2007-09-12.
- ^abcJohn Gray (January 1949). "The Canaanite God Horon".Journal of Near Eastern Studies.8(1): 27–34.doi:10.1086/370902.JSTOR542437.
- ^Eugenio Alliata (2000-12-19)."Bethoron (Bayt Ur)".Studium Biblicum Franciscanum. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-08-29.Retrieved2007-09-12.
- ^abWallis Budge, E. A. (1920).An Egyptian hieroglyphic dictionary: with an index of English words, king list and geological list with indexes, list of hieroglyphic characters, coptic and semitic Alpha bets, etc. Vol II.John Murray.p.978.
- ^abGauthier, Henri (1925).Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques Vol. 2.p. 9.
- ^William Albright(December 1941). "The Egypto-Canaanite God Haurôn".Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research(84): 7–12.JSTOR1355138.
- ^Judges 21:22
- ^2 Chronicles 6:53
- ^Joshua 10:10
- ^2 Chronicles 8:59
- ^1 Kings 9:17
- ^Müller, W. M.(1893).Asien und Europa nach altägyptischen Denkmälern(in German), p.166;etc.
- ^1 Chronicles 7:24
- ^1 Maccabees 3:13–3:24
- ^1 Maccabees 7:39
- ^Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews Bk12 Ch10:5
- ^1 Maccabees 9:50–9:51
- ^Judith 4:4–4:5
- ^Paul K. Davis,100 Decisive Battles from Ancient Times to the Present: The World's Major Battles and How They Shaped History(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 71.
- ^Sharon, 1999, p.165
- ^Guérin, 1868, pp.343-344
Bibliography
edit- Masterman, E. W. G. (1915).BETH-HORON.International Standard Bible Encyclopedia,Orr, James, retrieved December 9, 2005.
- Sharon, Moshe(1999).Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, B-C.Vol. 2. BRILL.ISBN9004110836.