Teqoa (ancient town)

Tekoa, Teqoa, Thekoa^[1] or Thecoe^[a] (Hebrew: תקוע; Greek: Θεκώα) was an ancient town in the hill country of Judea, known from various ancient sources. The town is identified with the contemporary ruin of Tel Tekoa^[3] or Khirbet Tekoa (also spelled Khirbet et-Tuqu'^[b]), located about 12 km southeast of Bethlehem on the edge of the Judaean Desert.

Tekoa

Shown within the West Bank
Alternative name	Teqoa; Thekoa; Thecoe; Kh. et-Tuqū'; Kh. Tekoua; Kh. Tekû'a; Ch. Teḳū
Region	Judaean Hills/Judaean Desert
Coordinates	31°38′02.8″N 35°12′36.6″E
Palestine grid	164/114
Type	town
History
Cultures	Jewish, Byzantine, Arab

The town appears in the Hebrew Bible, which connects its founding with the descendants of Caleb, in connection with figures such as the wise woman of Tekoa, the prophet Amos, and in accounts of Tekoa's fortification under Rehoboam (or possibly Josiah). Tekoites returning from exile reportedly participated in rebuilding Jerusalem's walls, and the town features in accounts of the Maccabean revolt, the First Jewish Revolt and the Bar Kokhba revolt.

Archaeological finds at the site of Khirbet Teqoa include pottery from Iron Age IIA–IIC, Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman periods, as well as remains of a Byzantine church dedicated to St. Nicholas and a propheteion commemorating Amos. Although the site remained inhabited into the Middle Ages, with the remains of a Crusader fortress, it has been largely deserted since the 17th century.

The ancient town is distinct from the modern Palestinian Bedouin village of Tuqu' and the Israeli settlement of Tekoa, which are nearby and named after the historic site though were established in the 20th century.

Identification and location

Tekoa is identified with Khirbet et-Tuqu',^[4] a hilltop ruin overlooking the desert that bears its name: the Wilderness of Tekoa.^[4] This identification accords with Eusebius, who in his 4th-century Onomasticon (98:17) described Tekoa as a village located twelve Roman miles from Jerusalem. The hill is scattered with ancient remains, including cisterns, tombs, and the ruins of a Byzantine church.^[2] These findings, together with the preservation of the ancient name, confirm the site's identification as ancient Tekoa.

History

Iron Age (Biblical Period)

Tekoa was inhabited during the Iron Age II, when it was a town of the Kingdom of Judah. The town is mentioned repeatedly in the Hebrew Bible. According to the biblical narrative, the town's origins trace back to the clan of Caleb: Tekoa is named as a son of Ephrathah in a genealogical list. In the Septuagint version of the Book of Joshua, a passage absent from the Masoretic Text, Tekoa is listed alongside Bethlehem and other nearby localities as part of the territory allocated to the Tribe of Judah.^[5] According to the Books of Samuel, one of David's elite warriors, Ira ben Ikkesh, hailed from Tekoa (2 Samuel 23:26). The town is also notable as the home of the "wise woman of Tekoa," whom Joab brought to David to counsel him and facilitate the reconciliation of Absalom (2 Samuel 14:2–20).^[6] According to the Bible, King Rehoboam fortified Tekoa along with other towns to defend his kingdom (2 Chronicles 11:5, 6). This suggests Tekoa's strategic importance, guarding the approaches from the desert to the east. The town is also identified in the Bible as the home of the prophet Amos, a shepherd from Tekoa who prophesied in the Kingdom of Israel (Amos 1:1).^[7]

A royal stamped jar handle dating to the late 8th century BCE was discovered at Tekoa, bearing the inscription "LMLK" ("belonging to the king") and indicating the site’s inclusion in the administrative network of Judah established during preparations for the Assyrian invasion.^[3] Following the Babylonian conquest and the fall of Judah in the 6th century BCE, the Tekoa region became largely depopulated.^[8]

Tekoa appears to have continued as a Jewish town after the Babylonian captivity. Post-exilic records list Tekoa's inhabitants among the clan of Caleb. Men from Tekoa were reportedly among those who returned from exile in Babylonia and helped rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in the 5th century BCE (Nehemiah 3:5, 3:27). This indicates that Tekoa was resettled and inhabited during the Persian period (6th–4th centuries BCE), although archaeological evidence from that era is scant. Small finds of Persian-period pottery have been reported at the site, suggest a modest presence. During this period, the surrounding area saw renewed settlement activity, with communities shifting westward toward areas near the watershed where water and agricultural conditions were more favorable, and the region gained increased importance as the district (pelekh) of Tekoa mentioned in the Book of Nehemiah.^[8]

Hellenistic and Roman periods

Tekoa is mentioned again in ancient accounts of the Maccabean revolt in the 160s. According to 1 Maccabees, during the campaign of the Seleucid general Bacchides (c. 162 BCE), the rebel forces of Jonathan and Simon fled to the desert of Tekoa and camped near a cistern at Asphar (1 Maccabees 9:33). Josephus, in his account of this war, says Bacchides fortified Tekoa along with other towns, indicating that the site may had a fortress or garrison in the 2nd century BCE. Tekoa's olive oil was famed in antiquity; praises the "oil of Tekoa" as the finest quality oil for use in the Temple in Jerusalem, followed by that of Regev in Transjordan.^[9]

During the Roman period, the Jewish historian Josephus refers to Tekoa in the context of the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73 CE). He notes it in passing when describing the movements of rebel and Roman forces in Judaea. The site's proximity ot Herodium (Herod the Great's fortress and tomb, only a few kilometers away) may have given Tekoa some significance. According to Josephus, Simon bar Giora, a leader of one of the Jewish factions during the revolt, camped in Tekoa while attempting to capture Herodium.^[10] In his autobiographical work, The Life of Flavius Josephus, he also recounts that, while in Tekoa, he recognized three men among those being crucified. After persuading Titus, he was allowed to have them removed from the crosses; two of the men subsequently died, while the third survived.^[11][12]

The surrounding region also saw military activity during the Bar Kokhba revolt, a major Jewish uprising against Roman rule that ultimately led to the depopulation of much of Judea. Tekoa is mentioned in several documents from this period. It is also possible that at one point, its inhabitants fled to refuge caves along the cliffs of the nearby Wadi Khureitun (Naḥal Tekoa) stream.^[13]

Late Roman and Byzantine periods

By the late 3rd–early 4th century, Christian writers also mention Tekoa. The church historian Eusebius (c. 330 CE), noted in his Onomasticon that Tekoa was "now a village" in his day. Tekoa flourished as a Christian village in the Byzantine period (4th–7th century CE), owing largely to its association with the prophet Amos. From at least the 4th century, pilgrims reported seeing the tomb of Amos at Tekoa, though veneration of the site may have begun earlier, in the context of ancient Judaism.^[14] A tradition recorded in the Lives of the Prophets, an apocryphal work from the early centuries CE, holds that Amos was not only from Tekoa but also buried there, allegedly dying after being struck on the tympanum by a club wielded by the son of Amaziah, his biblical adversary and a priest of Bethel.^[15][14]

Archaeology

The site comprises around 30 acres.^[2] Archaeological remains include burial caves, cisterns, a Byzantine church and chapel, as well as a Crusader fortress.^[2]

Byzantine monastic complex

An octagonal baptismal font at Tekoa, 1940

A large Byzantine church was uncovered in the northern part of archaeological site during a 1968 survey and partial excavation.^[2] The structure, measuring about 25 by 17 meters, was basilical in plan and likely formed part of a monastic complex.^[2] Its prayer hall featured a rectangular external apse, a nave flanked by two aisles separated by rows of columns and pilasters, and an entrance in the southern wall.^[2]

Remains of a mosaic floor and various architectural fragments, including columns, capitals, and square bases, were documented. North of the church lay an open courtyard with several cisterns, while adjoining rooms extended to the west and south. An octagonal baptismal font decorated with crosses and rosettes was also found nearby, and some architectural elements from the church were later reused in the adjacent Crusader fortress.^[2]

A small apsidal chapel, about 11×6 meters in size and oriented to the east, was found south of the main church near the center of the site. It was enclosed within a walled area roughly 20×17 meters across.^[2]

Burial caves

Several burial caves discovered near the Byzantine complex contained oil lamps from the Byzantine period, decorated with cross motifs and inscriptions.^[2]

See also

• Khirbet Shema – an archaeological site identified with a different Tekoa, located in Upper Galilee

Notes

1. Alternatively, Tequ'a; Teqo'a; Tecoa^[2]
2. Alternatively, Kh. et-Tuqūʿ; Kh. Tekoua; Kh. Tekûʿa; Ch. Teḳū^[2]