Beth-shean

Across the fertile expanses of the rich northern valleys, cities went up in flames, from Tel Rehov, to Beth-shean, to Taanach, to Megiddo.

The Bible Unearthed Israel Finkelstein 2001

But Hazael was not strong enough to annex the devastated Israelite centers farther south in the Jezreel and Beth-shean valleys, which were far away from the core area of his rule.

The Bible Unearthed Israel Finkelstein 2001

An Egyptian stronghold was excavated at the site of Beth-shean to the south of the Sea of Galilee in the1920s.

The Bible Unearthed Israel Finkelstein 2001

The site is located in a beautiful elevated spot, enjoying a mild climate in the winter and a cool breeze in the summer and commanding a sweeping panorama of the entire Jezreel valley and the hills surrounding it, from Megiddo in the west throughGalilee in the north, to Beth-shean and the Gilead in the east.

The Bible Unearthed Israel Finkelstein 2001

Could the Israelites of the central hill country have established control not only over small sites like Tel Qasile, but over the large “Canaanite” centers like Gezer, Megiddo, and Beth-shean?

The Bible Unearthed Israel Finkelstein 2001

The great Canaanite cities of the coastal plain and the northern valleys, such as Megiddo, Beth-shean, Dor, and Gezer, were listed in the book of Judges as uncaptured—even though their rulers were included in the book of Joshua in its list of defeated Canaanite kings.

The Bible Unearthed Israel Finkelstein 2001

The provincial capital was located in Gaza, but Egyptian garrisons were stationed at key sites throughout the country, like Beth-shean south of the Sea of Galilee and at the port of Jaffa today part of the city of Tel Aviv.

The Bible Unearthed Israel Finkelstein 2001

Wholesale destruction has also been traced at Dan and Beth-shean.

The Bible Unearthed Israel Finkelstein 2001

While some of the main locales of Biblical history, such as Jerusalem, Hebron, Jaffa, Beth-shean, and Gaza, had never been forgotten, hundreds of additional places mentioned in the Bible were unknown.

The Bible Unearthed Israel Finkelstein 2001

The once-great Canaanite cities of Rehov, Beth-shean, Taanach, and Megiddo are listed as targets of the Egyptian forces, and indeed a fragment of a victory stele bearing the name of Shishak was found at Megiddo— unfortunately in the dump of previous excavations, so its precise archaeological connection was unclear.

The Bible Unearthed Israel Finkelstein 2001