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JEZREEL, AND MEGIDDO: ROYALCENTRES OF OMRI AND

by

DAVID USSISHKIN Tel Aviv

The biblical text informs us that Omri built Samaria as the capital of the northern kingdom of . On the other hand, the events related in 1 Kings xxi and 2 Kings ix-x indicate that Jezreel was also a royal centre of the Omride dynasty. This leads to the question of the role of Jezreel vis cl vis Samaria in the kingdom of Israel. A number of possible explanations-based primarilyon geographical, historical and biblical considerations-have been proposed. Morgenstern (1941, pp. 286, 288, 303) and others who followed hirn suggested that Samaria was the summer capital, while the royal winter palace was located in Jezreel. Alt (1959) believed that the kingdom of Israel had two capitals, one for the Canaanite and one for the Israelite population. Yadin (1978) suggested that Samaria served as the capital but that the temple of Ba'al was built on rather than Samaria, not far from Jezreel. Finally, Olivier (1987) believed that Samaria was the capital while Jezreel was a kind of "gateway city", controlling the access from the east to the Valley of Jezreel and the hilly, central regions of the kingdom. The discussion about Samaria and Jezreel should also indude Megiddo. This large and central city is located ca. 15 km. from Megiddo as the crow flies, and eye contact exists between the two places. It needs to be explained, therefore, why a new centre had to be built in Jezreel, situated so near to Megiddo. A fresh evaluation of these problems is now possible in view of the data retrieved in the recent archaeological excavations at Tel Jezreel. Intensive excavations have been carried out at this site for six sea• sons, between 1990 and 1996, by the British School of in and the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University under the direction of John Woodhead and myself (see Ussishldn and Woodhead 1992; 1994; forthcorning). The excavations provided us with a dear picture of the settlement at the time of the Omride dynasty, which will form the starting-point of our discussion. 352 DA VID USSISHKIN

The fortified enclosure at J ezreel

Tel Jezreel is located on a ridge extending along the southern edge of the Valley of Jezreel. Situated on a prominent summit, it dominates the valley below, where the highway from Megiddo to Beth-shan ex• tended in ancient times. In addition to its strategie position, Tel Jezreel commands a breathtaking view of the valley below and of to the east. The c1imate here is mild: in summer it is not as hot as in the valley below, and a breeze often blows from north and north-west. There is ample water; aspring, cEn Jezreel, is situated in the valley below, and the site contains many rock-cut cisterns used to collect rainwater. The roughly rectangular site is ca. 60 dunams (ca. 14 acres) in size. On the basis of evidence of unstratified pottery, it is c1ear that Tel Jezreel had been settled in the Early Bronze Age and the Late Bronze Age as well as during Iron Age I immediately before the Omride enc10sure to be discussed below was buHt, that is, in the 10th century B.C. In the periods following the Iron Age, Jezreel has continuously been settled till present times. A large settlement extended over the site in the Byzantine period. A medieval village from the period of the is situated in the western part of the site, where the remains of a church and a tower still stand; later the Arab village of ZerCin was buHt here. The settlement relevant to us is that dating to the 9th century B.C. A large rectangular fortified enc1osure, symmetrical in plan, was buHt here (Fig. 1). On its northern side1 the enc10sure bordered on the steep slope ofthe site facing the Valley of Jezreel. A casemate wall was buHt around the enc1osure. Squarely shaped, projecting towers were buHt in the corners. The wall and the towers were supported on the outside by a ramp. The lower, interior part of the ramp was made of layers of brown soil, and its upper, exterior part was made of limestone chips and gravel. A rock-cut moat surrounded the enc10sure on three sides, except for the northern side where the wall and the ramp extended along the edge of the steep slope. The rock-cut moat, whieh is 8 to 12 m. wide, is at present mostly fi1led with later-in-date debris; its

1 As can be seen in Fig. 1, the sides of the enclosure are, in fact, oriented to the north• north-east, east-south-east, south-south-west and north-north-west. For the sake of sirn• plicity , the sides of the enclosure are referred to here as if they are oriented to the north, east, south and west respectively.