Gibeon's History in the Light of Excavation

GIBEON'S HISTORY IN THE LIGHT OF EXCAVATION

JAMES B. PRITCHARD Berkeley (Ca!.)

Three seasons of excavation at el-Jib by the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania have yielded sufficient evidence to warrant some preliminary conclusions about the history of occupa tion at the site. 1) Five major periods of urban settlement have become evident as the debris lying on top of the sixteen-acre hill has been cut through to bedrock in four areas. The profile of occupation at this stratigically located mound, 9 km. north of Jerusalem, is of peculiar interest to students of Old Testament history because of the fortunate discovery during the three seasons of 61 graffiti in archaic Hebrew script on jar handles. 2) Thirty-one of these inscribed handles contain the biblical name gb'n, Gibeon, the ancient city with which el-Jib had been identified on other grounds by a long line of explorers and geographers extending over a period of almost three hundred years. The el-Jib = Gibeon equation, first suggested by VON TROILO in 1666 3) and later adopted by POCOCKE (1738),4) ROBINSON (1838),5) ALBRIGHT (1924),6) ABEL (1934), 7) and others, was strongly contested during the thirty years before the discovery of the jar handles, principally on the

1) The 1956 and 1957 campaigns were jointly sponsored by the University Museum and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. In these two campaigns, as well as in 1959 (May 28-August 6), the American Schools 0f Oriental Research cooperated. Preliminary reports by the writer have appeared in the University Museum Bulletin, XXI March 1957, pp. 3-26, and XXII June, 1958, pp. 12-24; The Biblical Archaeologist XIX Dec. 1956, pp. 66-75; The Illustrated London News Oct. 27, 1956, pp. 695-697; March 29,1958, pp. 505-507. 2) Material from the seasons of 1956 and 1957 is published in James B. PRIT CHARD, Hebrew Inscriptions and Stamps from Gibeon, Philadelphia, The University Museum, 1959. 3) Franz Ferd. VON TROILO, Orientalische Reisebeschreibung, Dresden, 1676, p. 290. I am dependent on E. ROBINSON for this reference. 4) Richard POCOCKE, Beschreibung des Morgenlandes, Erlangen, 1754, II, p. 73. 5) E. ROBINSON, Biblical Researches in Palestine, I 1874, p. 455. 6) W. F. ALBRIGHT, AASOR IV 1924, p. 94. 7) RB XLIII 1934, pp. 347-373. Supplements to Vetus Testamentum VII 2 J. B. PRITCHARD basis of information preserved in the Onomastic011 of EusEBlUs. 1) Before asserting that the identification of Gibeon with el-Jib has been made certain by the finding of the ancient name inscribed on the handles, one possible objection must be dealt with. 2) Could not the appearance of Gibeon on the handles found at el-Jib be an indica tion of a place of origin for the jars which had been brought to the site of el-Jib? If so, Gibeon would have to be located elsewhere. Fortunately there is considerable evidence that el-Jib was the point of origin for the Gibeon handles. First, there is the fact of the very large number of these inscriptions found at the very site which has been identified with biblical Gibeon with so much scholarly support over a period of three centuries. The finding of a funnel made of the same clay as the jars to which the handles belonged and of a size which fits the mouth of the jars constitutes rather strong evidence that el-Jib was the place of filling rather than that of emptying the jars. Finally, if the jars were for wine to be exported, as seems likely, the most recent discovery of rock-cut cellars in 1959 (to be described below) adds considerable weight to the theory that at el-Jib there was a very large wine industry. The jars to which the inscribed handles belonged were thus carefully marked with the name and address of the makers of the product so that the containers could be returned for proper credit or refund. Some such condition of sale could account for the absence of Gibeon handles at neighbouring sites, such as Gezer, Tell en-Nasbeh, Tell el-Ful, Beth-shemesh, and Beitin, where extensive excavations have been carried on. The unusual circumstance of finding the ancient name of a city in the debris of occupation has occurred in only three other excava tions in Palestine. An Egyptian stela of Seti I which was found at Beisan contains the name of Beth-shan; 3) the name Lachish appears in the text of one of the sixth-century letters found at Tell ed-Duweir ;4) and boundary stones found on the outskirts of Tell el-J azari are inscribed with the name Gezer. 5) All other identifications of ancient sites are based either upon the assumption that the ancient name has

1) See A. ALT, P] XXII 1926, pp. 11-12; XXV 1929, pp. 14 If.; ZDPV LXIX 1953, pp. 1 If. G. BEYER, ZDPV UII 1930, pp. 199-211. For an opposing view see A. ]IRKU, ]POS VIII 1927, pp. 187-190. 2) I am grateful to Professor KARL ELLIGER for raising this question in Z DP V LXXIII 1957, pp. 129-132. 3) ANET, p. 253. 4) O. TUFNELL, Lachish Ill, London, 1953, p. 333. 5) R. A. S. MACALlSTER, The Excavation of Gezer, London, 1912, I, pp. 37-40.