THE CAMPAIGN OF PHARAOH SHISHAK TO PALESTINE

BY

B. MAZAR Jerusalem (Isr.)

The campaign of Pharaoh Shishak the First belongs to the most important historical events which determined the history of Palestine in the period following the reign of Solomon. According to the evidence of the Book of Kings it occurred in the fifth year of Reho­ boam, king of Judah, that is shortly after the split in the kingdom of Israel began to show its results and cause political complications and a weakening of the rule both in J udah and in Israel. Thus it was a propitious time for the founder of the Twenty-Second Libyan Dynasty to raise the prestige of his monarchy, to carry out his aim of appearing as an important political force in the areas of Western Asia adjoining Egypt as well as to profit from the occasion by enrich­ ing his country with the spoil of the Palestinian cities. The military campaign was preceded by recurrent attempts of Pharaoh Shishak to interfere in the affairs of the Israelite kingdom, which, inter alia, found their expression in the support he gave Jeroboam against Solomon, in the political ferment which he evoked in Edom and possibly even in the extension of his power over Philistia. It is obvious that the construction of fortresses and chariot cities, such as Gezer, Beth-Horon and Baalath, which were carried out by Solomon in the later years of his reign, were the results of the aggressive policy pursued by Shishak against the Kingdom of Israel, in marked contrast to the line followed by the kings of the preceding Twenty-First Dynasty. As regards the results of Shishak's campaign, we can learn about them not only from the few written accounts which have come down to us but also from the archaeological finds in various tells of Palestine. It appears that complete or partial destruction befell various fortresses and settlements on the borders and along the main lines of communication, as well as certain regions; this occurred towards the end of the Early Iron Age, most likely as a consequence of the destruction and plunder done by the Egyptian troops. 58 B. MAZAR

The campaign of Shishak in Palestine is mentioned in two Biblical sources, both of which refer to it only in passing. One, which has been preserved in 1 Kings xiv and in 2 Chronicles xii, is apparently derived from a Chronicle of the Temple of Jerusalem. According to this source Shishak, king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem in the fifth year of king Rehoboam and took a heavy tribute from