| Revision as of 05:43, 29 April 2009 editFolks at 137 (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Pending changes reviewers26,577 edits add cat← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 00:06, 10 November 2024 edit undoJprg1966 (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers95,517 editsm →In the Hebrew Bible | ||
| (59 intermediate revisions by 38 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{Short description|Biblical site in the West Bank}} | |||
| ]]] | |||
| {{Infobox ancient site | |||
| |name = Beth-zur | |||
| |native_name = | |||
| |alternate_name= | |||
| |image = Beit Sur1.jpg | |||
| |alt = | |||
| |caption = Ruins of medieval tower at Khirbet Burj as-Sur, near biblical Beth-zur, 1920s | |||
| |map_type = West Bank | |||
| |map_alt = | |||
| |map_size = 220 | |||
| |location = ] | |||
| |region = | |||
| |coordinates = {{coord|31.58333|35.1|display=inline}} | |||
| |type = | |||
| |part_of = | |||
| |length = | |||
| |width = | |||
| |area = | |||
| |height = | |||
| |builder = | |||
| |material = | |||
| |built = | |||
| |abandoned = | |||
| |epochs = | |||
| |cultures = | |||
| |dependency_of = | |||
| |occupants = | |||
| |event = | |||
| |excavations = | |||
| |archaeologists= O.R. Sellers<ref name=NegevGibson/> | |||
| |condition = | |||
| |ownership = | |||
| |public_access = | |||
| |website = | |||
| |notes = | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Beth-Zur''' (also '''Beit Tzur''', '''Bethsura''') is a ] site of historic and archaeological importance in the mountains of ] in southern ], now part of the ]. Beth Zur is mentioned several times in the ] and the writings of the Roman Jewish historian ]. The ] took place here in 164 BCE.<ref name=macs>1 Maccabees 4:26-35</ref> | |||
| Beth-Zur has been identified with the site of '''Khirbet et-Tubeiqa''',<ref>Carta's Official Guide to Israel and Complete Gazetteer to all Sites in the Holy Land. (3rd edition 1993) Jerusalem, Carta, p.118, {{ISBN|965-220-186-3}}</ref> near Khirbet Burj as-Sur.<ref></ref> | |||
| '''Beth-Zur''' (beth'-zur), also spelled Bethsura, Beth-tsur, Belt Cur, or Baith-sour, is a historically and archaeologically significant site in the southern ], referenced several times within the ] and in the writings of ]. It is the place where the ] occurred. The ruined citadel can be found near the main road between ] and ], approximately 4 miles north of latter. The site’s location is now disclosed by the presence of a ruined medieval tower. The name Beth-Zur means "house of rock," or less likely "house of the god Zur." Beth-Zur was inhabited in the lifetimes of ] and ]. | |||
| ==Etymology== | |||
| Beth-Zur is mentioned in Joshua as being near ] and ], in the Judean hill country.<ref> ] 15:58 </ref> ] is credited with its fortification.<ref> ] 11:7 </ref> ] is said to have been the ruler of a half district of the same name.<ref> ] 3:16 </ref> | |||
| The name Beth-Zur means "house of rock" or (less likely) "house of the god Zur".{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} A person named Beth Zur is mentioned in ] ({{bibleverse|1|Chronicles|2:45|NIV}}). | |||
| The Israeli settlement of ] was named after the biblical town, founded in 1984 just 2 km north-east. | |||
| ==In the Hebrew Bible== | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| Beth-Zur is mentioned in ] as being near ] and ], in the Judean hill country ({{bibleverse|Josh|15:58}}). According to the same verse, it was part of the territory of the ]. 1 Chronicles, on the other hand, associates the town with ] (1 Chronicles 2:42–50).<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Lemche |first=Niels Peter |title=Historical dictionary of ancient Israel |date=2004 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-4848-1 |series=Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical eras |location=Lanham, Md. |pages=85}}</ref> | |||
| ] credits ] with its fortification ({{bibleverse|2 Chr|11:7}}). The prophet ] is said to have been the ruler of a half district of the same name ({{bibleverse|Neh|3:16}}). | |||
| ⚫ | The battle was the confrontation between the ] Greek general ] and the ], led by ], resulting in the defeat of |
||
| The historian ] places the distance between Beth-zur and Beit Zechariah at 70 '']''.<ref>], '']'' (12.9.§ 4)</ref> | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| <references/> | |||
| ==Bronze Age to Persian period== | |||
| O.R. Sellers, excavating at Khirbet et-Tubeiqa in 1957, discovered that the site was first settled at the end of the third millennium BCE, and was fortified, like many other ]ite cities, during the ] in the 18th–17th centuries BCE.<ref name="NegevGibson">{{cite book |author=Avraham Negev and Shimon Gibson |title=Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land |publisher=Continuum |year=2001 |isbn=0-8264-1316-1 |location=New York and London |pages=89–90 |chapter=Achzib Beth Zur; Bethsura}}</ref> The settlement continued into the ], and a rare coin inscribed "the governor Hezekiah" attests to the existence of Beth-Zur during the ].<ref name=NegevGibson/> The original inscription is ''yhzqyh hphh'', 'Yehezqiyah ha-pechah' (Yehezqiyah the governor), and the coin might also be from the time when Persian rule was replaced by the ].<ref name=Ronen>{{cite journal |last=Ronen |first=Yigal |title=The Weight Standards of the Judean Coinage in the Late Persian and Early Ptolemaic Period |journal=] |volume=61 |number=2 |year=1998 |pages=122–126 |doi=10.2307/3210642 |jstor=3210642 |s2cid=163428381 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3210642 |access-date=27 September 2020}}</ref><ref name=McK>{{cite book |last=Fitzpatrick-McKinley |first=Anne |title=Empire, Power and Indigenous Elites: A Case Study of the Nehemiah Memoir |page=162 |publisher=BRILL |series=Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism, vol. 169 |year=2015 |isbn=9789004292222 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qIC9BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA162 |access-date=27 September 2020}}</ref><ref name="Lykke">{{cite book |last=Lykke |first=Anna |url=https://vbn.aau.dk/en/publications/coins-and-coinages-in-the-context-of-ancient-greek-sanctuaries(e99cefbf-6b44-43d3-89c0-205f14d3079a).html |title=J. Hengstl, E. Irwin, A. Jördens, T. Mattern, R. Rollinger, K. Ruffing, & O. Witthuhn (Eds.), Eine neue Prägung: Innovationspotentiale von Münzen in der griechisch-römischen Antike |publisher=] |year=2016 |series=Philippika - Altertumswissenschaftliche Abhandlungen / Contributions to the Study of Ancient World Cultures (Vol. 102, pp. 109-118) |pages=109–118 |chapter=Coins and Coinages in the Context of Ancient Greek Sanctuaries: Jerusalem – a Case Study from the Fringe of the Greek World |access-date=27 September 2020}}</ref> | |||
| ==Hellenistic period== | |||
| '''Betsoura''', as the ] called the town, reached a peak of prosperity during the Hellenistic period.<ref name=NegevGibson /> A citadel was built at Betsoura during the 3rd century BCE,<ref name=NegevGibson /> when a series of ] between the ] and the ] of Egypt rocked the region. | |||
| ⚫ | In 164 BC, during the ], the ] was fought here.<ref name=macs /> The site's importance lay in its strategic location on a hilltop dominating the highway, preventing the approach of a hostile army from the ] to the Judean plateau. Josephus describes Beth-Zur as the mightiest stronghold in ].<ref>Ant., XIII, v, 6</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | The battle was the confrontation between the ] Greek general ] and the ], led by ], resulting in the defeat of Lysias and his forces. This victory was followed by the recapture of ] by the Maccabees. The key to the battle was the exploitation of the natural terrain and fortifications.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} | ||
| Once victorious, Judas rebuilt the old Middle Bronze Age ramparts and the more recent citadel. The fortified town then changed hands repeatedly until regaining the peaceful character lost during the Maccabean Wars, under the reign of ] (r. 134–104). However, by 100 BCE the town had been fully abandoned.<ref name=NegevGibson /> | |||
| ==Roman period== | |||
| Beth-Zur was inhabited in the lifetimes of ] (260/265–339/340), who mentions it as the village of '''Bethsoro''' (Onomasticon 52:2),<ref name=NegevGibson/> and of ]{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}. | |||
| ==Crusader period== | |||
| '''Khirbet Burj as-Sur''', the medieval site at Beth-Zur, has the Palestine grid coordinates 1594.1104.<ref name="Pringle">{{cite book |author=Denys Pringle |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-_NbE5obqRMC&q=Burj+as-Sur |title=Secular Buildings in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: An Archaeological Gazetteer |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2009 |isbn=9780521102636 |pages=41–42 |chapter=Burj as-Sur (No. 71) |access-date=11 May 2015}}</ref> The ruins of a tower stand near the main road between ] and Hebron, approximately 4 miles north of Hebron.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} The western wall, the most visible remnant of the building, is standing to a height of 9.5 m.<ref name=Pringle/> '''Beithsur''' or '''Bethsura''', as the ] called Beth-Zur, was given in 1136 to the ] by the lord of Hebron.<ref name=Pringle/> | |||
| ==In popular culture== | |||
| The existentialist author ] wrote a play set in Beth-zur while he was prisoner in a ], called Bariona or the Son of Thunder. It narrates the story of a Jewish village that lost faith just before ].{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ⚫ | Masterman, E. W. G. |
||
| ===Bibliography=== | |||
| ⚫ | *Masterman, E. W. G. (1915). "". ''International Standard Bible Encyclopedia''. Eds. Orr, James, M.A., D.D. Retrieved December 9, 2005. | ||
| ⚫ | *Hutchinson, J. (1915). "". ''International Standard Bible Encyclopedia''. Eds. Orr, James, M.A., D.D. Retrieved December 12, 2007. | ||
| {{Sites of the Israelite Settlement}} | |||
| ⚫ | Hutchinson, J. (1915). "". ''International Standard Bible Encyclopedia''. Eds. Orr, James, M.A., D.D. Retrieved |
||
| {{Authority control}} | |||
| {{Jewish-hist-stub}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Latest revision as of 00:06, 10 November 2024
Biblical site in the West Bank Ruins of medieval tower at Khirbet Burj as-Sur, near biblical Beth-zur, 1920s | |
  Shown within the West Bank | |
| Location | West Bank |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 31°35′00″N 35°06′00″E / 31.58333°N 35.1°E / 31.58333; 35.1 |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | O.R. Sellers |
Beth-Zur (also Beit Tzur, Bethsura) is a biblical site of historic and archaeological importance in the mountains of Hebron in southern Judea, now part of the West Bank. Beth Zur is mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible and the writings of the Roman Jewish historian Josephus. The Battle of Beth-Zur took place here in 164 BCE.
Beth-Zur has been identified with the site of Khirbet et-Tubeiqa, near Khirbet Burj as-Sur.
Etymology
The name Beth-Zur means "house of rock" or (less likely) "house of the god Zur". A person named Beth Zur is mentioned in 1 Chronicles (1 Chronicles 2:45). The Israeli settlement of Karmei Tzur was named after the biblical town, founded in 1984 just 2 km north-east.
In the Hebrew Bible
Beth-Zur is mentioned in Joshua as being near Halhul and Gedor, in the Judean hill country (Josh 15:58). According to the same verse, it was part of the territory of the Tribe of Judah. 1 Chronicles, on the other hand, associates the town with Caleb (1 Chronicles 2:42–50).
2 Chronicles credits Rehoboam with its fortification (2 Chr 11:7). The prophet Nehemiah is said to have been the ruler of a half district of the same name (Neh 3:16).
The historian Josephus places the distance between Beth-zur and Beit Zechariah at 70 stadia.
Bronze Age to Persian period
O.R. Sellers, excavating at Khirbet et-Tubeiqa in 1957, discovered that the site was first settled at the end of the third millennium BCE, and was fortified, like many other Canaanite cities, during the Middle Bronze Age IIB in the 18th–17th centuries BCE. The settlement continued into the Iron Age, and a rare coin inscribed "the governor Hezekiah" attests to the existence of Beth-Zur during the Persian period. The original inscription is yhzqyh hphh, 'Yehezqiyah ha-pechah' (Yehezqiyah the governor), and the coin might also be from the time when Persian rule was replaced by the Ptolemaic.
Hellenistic period
Betsoura, as the Greeks called the town, reached a peak of prosperity during the Hellenistic period. A citadel was built at Betsoura during the 3rd century BCE, when a series of wars between the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt rocked the region.
In 164 BC, during the Maccabean Revolt, the Battle of Beth-Zur was fought here. The site's importance lay in its strategic location on a hilltop dominating the highway, preventing the approach of a hostile army from the Valley of Elah to the Judean plateau. Josephus describes Beth-Zur as the mightiest stronghold in Judea.
The battle was the confrontation between the Seleucid Greek general Lysias and the Maccabees, led by Judas Maccabeus, resulting in the defeat of Lysias and his forces. This victory was followed by the recapture of Jerusalem by the Maccabees. The key to the battle was the exploitation of the natural terrain and fortifications.
Once victorious, Judas rebuilt the old Middle Bronze Age ramparts and the more recent citadel. The fortified town then changed hands repeatedly until regaining the peaceful character lost during the Maccabean Wars, under the reign of John Hyrcanus (r. 134–104). However, by 100 BCE the town had been fully abandoned.
Roman period
Beth-Zur was inhabited in the lifetimes of Eusebius (260/265–339/340), who mentions it as the village of Bethsoro (Onomasticon 52:2), and of Jerome.
Crusader period
Khirbet Burj as-Sur, the medieval site at Beth-Zur, has the Palestine grid coordinates 1594.1104. The ruins of a tower stand near the main road between Jerusalem and Hebron, approximately 4 miles north of Hebron. The western wall, the most visible remnant of the building, is standing to a height of 9.5 m. Beithsur or Bethsura, as the Crusaders called Beth-Zur, was given in 1136 to the Hospitallers by the lord of Hebron.
In popular culture
The existentialist author Jean-Paul Sartre wrote a play set in Beth-zur while he was prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp, called Bariona or the Son of Thunder. It narrates the story of a Jewish village that lost faith just before Jesus Christ was born.
References
- ^ Avraham Negev and Shimon Gibson (2001). "Achzib Beth Zur; Bethsura". Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land. New York and London: Continuum. pp. 89–90. ISBN 0-8264-1316-1.
- ^ 1 Maccabees 4:26-35
- Carta's Official Guide to Israel and Complete Gazetteer to all Sites in the Holy Land. (3rd edition 1993) Jerusalem, Carta, p.118, ISBN 965-220-186-3
- Erich Zenger, Einleitung in das Alte Testament, p. 721
- Lemche, Niels Peter (2004). Historical dictionary of ancient Israel. Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical eras. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-8108-4848-1.
- Josephus, Antiquities (12.9.§ 4)
- Ronen, Yigal (1998). "The Weight Standards of the Judean Coinage in the Late Persian and Early Ptolemaic Period". Near Eastern Archaeology. 61 (2): 122–126. doi:10.2307/3210642. JSTOR 3210642. S2CID 163428381. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- Fitzpatrick-McKinley, Anne (2015). Empire, Power and Indigenous Elites: A Case Study of the Nehemiah Memoir. Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism, vol. 169. BRILL. p. 162. ISBN 9789004292222. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- Lykke, Anna (2016). "Coins and Coinages in the Context of Ancient Greek Sanctuaries: Jerusalem – a Case Study from the Fringe of the Greek World". J. Hengstl, E. Irwin, A. Jördens, T. Mattern, R. Rollinger, K. Ruffing, & O. Witthuhn (Eds.), Eine neue Prägung: Innovationspotentiale von Münzen in der griechisch-römischen Antike. Philippika - Altertumswissenschaftliche Abhandlungen / Contributions to the Study of Ancient World Cultures (Vol. 102, pp. 109-118). Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 109–118. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- Ant., XIII, v, 6
- ^ Denys Pringle (2009). "Burj as-Sur (No. 71)". Secular Buildings in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: An Archaeological Gazetteer. Cambridge University Press. pp. 41–42. ISBN 9780521102636. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
Bibliography
- Masterman, E. W. G. (1915). "Beth-Zur". International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Eds. Orr, James, M.A., D.D. Retrieved December 9, 2005.
- Hutchinson, J. (1915). "Lysias". International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Eds. Orr, James, M.A., D.D. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
| Sites of the Israelite settlement | |
|---|---|
| Sites involved in the 13th–11th century BCE archaeological phenomenon of the Israelite Settlement | |
| New settlements at previously unoccupied sites in late 13th/early 12th centuries |
|
| New settlements at long deserted sites in 12th/11th centuries |
|
| Destroyed in late 13th/early 12th centuries | |
| Not destroyed in late 13th/early 12th centuries | |