Three Conquests of Canaan

ÅA Wars in the Middle East are almost an every day part of Eero Junkkaala:of Three Canaan Conquests our lives, and undeniably the history of war in this area is very long indeed. This study examines three such wars, all of which were directed against the Land of Canaan. Two campaigns were conducted by Egyptian Pharaohs and one by the Israelites. The question considered being Eero Junkkaala whether or not these wars really took place. This study gives one methodological viewpoint to answer this question. The author studies the archaeology of all the geo- Three Conquests of Canaan graphical sites mentioned in the lists of Thutmosis III and A Comparative Study of Two Egyptian Military Campaigns and Shishak and compares them with the cities mentioned in Joshua 10-12 in the Light of Recent Archaeological Evidence the Conquest stories in the Book of Joshua. Altogether 116 sites were studied, and the com- parison between the texts and the archaeological results offered a possibility of establishing whether the cities mentioned, in the sources in question, were inhabited, and, furthermore, might have been destroyed during the time of the Pharaohs and the biblical settlement period. Despite the nature of the two written sources being so very different it was possible to make a comparative study. This study gives a fresh view on the fierce discus- sion concerning the emergence of the Israelites. It also challenges both Egyptological and biblical studies to use the written texts and the archaeological material togeth- er so that they are not so separated from each other, as is often the case. Åbo Akademi University Press ISBN 951-765-334-4 2006 Eero Kalevi Junkkaala Born 1947 in Helsinki, Finland Eero Junkkaala studied theology at the University of Helsinki during 1971–1976 (M.Th.), and was ordained into the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1976. After his ordination, he taught at the Finnish Bible Institute from1976 to 1987 and also became the principal of the school. Between1988 and 2005 he was the General Secretary of the Finnish Theological Institute. Since 2006, he has worked at the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission as a Consultant in Biblical Studies. He has participated in many archaeological excavations in Israel. In several sites, such as Aphek-Antipatris, Jiftah-El, Tel Soreg, Mitham Leviah, Palmachim, Emmaus-Nico- polis and Modi’in, this participation has been annually between 1984 to 2003. Cover figure: Part of Shishak’s inscription on the temple of Amon at Karnak. Photo: Katariina Mäkilä Eero Kalevi Junkkaala Born 1947 in Helsinki, Finland Eero Junkkaala studied theology at the University of Helsinki during 1971–1976 (M.Th.), and was ordained into the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1976. After his ordination, he taught at the Finnish Bible Institute from1976 to 1987 and also became the principal of the school. Between1988 and 2005 he was the General Secretary of the Finnish Theological Institute. Since 2006, he has worked at the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission as a Consultant in Biblical Studies. He has participated in many archaeological excavations in Israel. In several sites, such as Aphek-Antipatris, Jiftah-El, Tel Soreg, Mitham Leviah, Palmachim, Emmaus-Nico- polis and Modi’in, this participation has been annually between 1984 to 2003. Cover figure: Part of Shishak’s inscription on the temple of Amon at Karnak. Photo: Katariina Mäkilä THREE CONQUESTS OF CANAAN Three Conquests of Canaan A Comparative Study of Two Egyptian Military Campaigns and Joshua 10-12 in the Light of Recent Archaeological Evidence Eero Junkkaala ÅBO 2006 ÅBO AKADEMIS FÖRLAG – ÅBO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY PRESS CIP Cataloguing in Publication Junkkaala, Eero Three conquests of Canaan : a comparative study of two Egyptian military campaigns and Joshua 10-12 in the light of recent archaeological evidence / Eero Junkkaala. - Åbo : Åbo Akademi University Press, 2006. Diss.: Åbo Akademi University. ISBN 951-765-334-4 ISBN 951-765-334-4 ISBN 951-765-335-2 (digital) Gummerus Kirjapaino Oy V aajakoski 2006 i TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface ...............................................................................................................iii 1 Introduction...................................................................................................5 1.1 The purpose of the study.....................................................................5 1.2 A historical survey of research..........................................................11 1.3 Conclusion ...........................................................................................35 2 Methods in historical geography and archaeology..............................37 2.1 Historical geography..........................................................................37 2.1.1 Transliteration of Canaanite words in Middle Egyptian ...37 2.1.2 Preservation of ancient names...............................................41 2.2 Ceramic chronology ...........................................................................44 2.2.1 The Late Bronze Age ...............................................................47 2.2.2 Iron Age I..................................................................................54 2.2.3 Iron Age IIA..............................................................................62 3 Presentation of the material .....................................................................68 3.1 Egyptian topographical texts ............................................................68 3.2 The Amarna Letters............................................................................82 3.3 The biblical text ...................................................................................84 3.4 Archaeological sites in Israel.............................................................89 3.4.1 The historical setting ...............................................................89 3.4.2 Excavations and surveys ........................................................92 4 Archaeological survey of the sites ..........................................................95 4.1 Thutmosis III’s list...............................................................................95 4.1.1 The nature of the list................................................................95 4.1.2 Archaeological evidence.......................................................100 4.2 Shishak’s list ......................................................................................173 4.2.1 The order of the names in the list........................................173 4.2.2 Archaeological evidence.......................................................174 ii 4.3 The list in Joshua .............................................................................. 227 4.3.1 The “conquered and unconquered cities”......................... 227 4.3.2 Archaeological evidence ...................................................... 229 5 The Egyptian campaigns compared with the biblical accounts of conquest .................................................................................................... 303 5.1 The relevance of our comparative study ...................................... 303 5.2 Similarities and dissimilarities between Thutmosis III, Shishak and Joshua......................................................................................... 313 5.3 The issue of ethnicity ....................................................................... 314 5.4 The Book of Joshua and Early Israel.............................................. 317 6 Appendices ............................................................................................... 319 6.1 Comparative stratigraphy............................................................... 319 6.2 Identification of the sites ................................................................. 321 7 Bibliography............................................................................................. 324 8 Index .......................................................................................................... 391 9 Abbreviations........................................................................................... 402 iii PREFACE The Bible and archaeology have been my major interests through many decades. As a Bible teacher, my main passions have always been historical and geographical questions. As an archaeologist – first on voluntary basis and later as field supervisor – I have participated in excavation projects at several sites in Israel over a twenty-year period. My first instructor was Professor Moshe Kochavi at Aphek-Antipatris in 1984. I am very grateful that Professor Kochavi, who has trained one whole generation of Israeli archaeologists, was also my teacher and friend over many years. His encouragement and support were much appreciated, especially on the long, but inspirational and educational project of the Land of Geshur in Golan. I have also been involved in digs under the leadership of Dr. Eliot Braun and Dr. Mikko Louhivuori. Dr. Braun is the most precise archaeologist and I learned a lot under his direction. I am particularly indebted to Mikko Louhivuori who as early as in the 1970s, had aroused my interest in the archaeological world. Our innumerable discussions in Israel and tours to many different sites have deepened my knowledge of the archaeology and history of the Lands of the Bible. Collaborating with him on the Emmaus-Nicopolis excavation project 1994-2002 marked a new phase in my practical archaeological

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