Israelite highland settlement

In the early Iron Age, Canaan was characterized by a significant increase in a sedentary Israelite population in Samaria.^[1]

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Thumb — Israelite sites in Canaan (in French) during the late 2nd millennium BC, based on the Israel Finkelstein's book *The Bible Unearthed*

Archaeology

Archaeological field surveys conducted since the 1970s found a large increase in the settled population dating to the 12th century BC Late Bronze Age collapse. It is not known whether the Israelites arrived in the wake of conquests or the new villages were established by former nomads or displaced persons. A similar increase was not found in the surrounding lowland areas. According to archaeological evidence, these areas may have been inhabited by Canaanites or Sea People.

A 2005 book by Robert D. Miller applies statistical modeling to the sizes and locations of the villages, grouping them by economic and political features. He found highland groupings centered on Dothan, Tirzah, Shechem, and Shiloh. The tribal territory of Benjamin was not organized around any main town.

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Biblical narrative

The Book of Joshua describes the conquest of Canaan, including the Fall of Jericho and the Battle of the Waters of Merom.

This evidence does not prove there was a conquest, but if the biblical reference to "daughter villages" means all villages closest to a specific town, the list of Canaanite towns not taken in the Book of Judges (Judges 1:27–35), which begins: "Nor did Manesseh drive out Bet Shean and her daughter-villages ...", the correspondence to the survey results is remarkably accurate. Towns not captured in the central zone were Taanach, Ibleam, Megiddo, Dor, Gezer, Aijalon, Shaalbim, and Jerusalem.

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Israelite highland settlement

Archaeology

Biblical narrative

See also

References

Bibliography

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