ARAD

A. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

During the Early Bronze Period (3,100-2,100 B.C.), Arad was an important city in the eastern Negev, situated on a main road that led to Edom in TransJordan.  The earliest recorded history about Arad comes in reference to the King of this region (Numbers 33:40).  During 3,000 - 2,650 B.C., Arad served as a major urban center for the inhabitants of the region.  Arad was then destroyed and then abandoned long before the Israelite Exodus from Egypt and their entry into Canaan.  Arad was temporally resettled prior to the Israelite conquest, and is actually mentioned by Joshua in his conquest listing of cities taken (Joshua 12:14).

According to Judges 1:9, the Negev was then controlled by the people of Judah.  Thus, since 1,500 years prior, the city was finally re-fortified by the Israelites, probably by King Solomon (970-930 B.C.) . The city was rebuilt on the upper hills, east and higher than the Early Bronze city.  Pharaoh Shishak (930 B.C.) mentions the city of Arad in his list of conquered cities as he invaded Canaan from Egypt.   The Israelites inhabited Arad throughout the time period of the Kingdom of Judah until the city underwent the reforms of King Josiah in 610 B.C. Arad was then destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians in 587 B.C.

Following the period of the Old Testament, Arad was re-inhabited by the Nabataeans in the 3-4th C.B.C., and eventually by the Romans and others throughout the Byzantine and Islamic periods.

The modern day city of Arad was founded in 1962 as a home base for scientists working in connection with the Dead Sea industries, and for archaeologists engage in researching desert and Dead Sea sites.

B. BIBLICAL REFERENCES

1.  Joshua 12:14 Joshua lists the roster of kings taken in the conquest of Canaan.  Arad is mentioned.

2.  Judges 1:16f:   The city is located in the region of the Kenites (a people related to the family of Moses).

3.  II Chron. 34:1-7   In this indirect reference, Josiah’s massive religious reforms take place.  The archaeological evidence points to Josiah’s reforms in destroying a temple that was built                              here.   

C. ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS OF INTEREST

1. EARLY BRONZE:  Excavations of the tel were first carried out between 1962 and 1967 on behalf of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Israel Department of Antiquities, and the Israel Exploration Society.  The excavations in the two different settlements (EB and IA), were direected by R. Amiran and Y. Aharoni.   A large fortified/walled city (2,900-2,700 B.C.) The stone wall was 8 feet in width and almost one mile in length, supported by 11 semicircular towers and 2 gateways.  The city was built in a circular pattern, with circular streets for the purpose of catching scarce rain water and diverting it into the city cistern or well.  Located in the depression (lowest point) of the city was this cistern served the city well.  (Later in the 9th C.B.C, the Israelites seemingly rebuilt this cistern with stone and rock.  The Israelite diggers built the shaft of this cistern 68 feet down.  The well was later used and rebuilt in the Herodian Period.). 

Typical Early Bronze broad room houses were discovered, with entrances into the house through one of the longer sides.  Other remarkable fins included a clay model of one of these houses, imported vessels from Egypt, and an abundance of well painted pottery.  This Early Bronze settlement was then abandoned for no explained reason.

 2.  IRON AGE: A new settlement was founded on the hill east of the originally-standing city of Arad.  Here dating to the 11th C.B.C, a small raised platform was discovered, possibly dating to the Kenites.  This was probably the high place of worship for these new settlers.  In the 10th C B.C., a temple was erected on its site.  This area now become part of a strongly fortified royal citadel, founded by Solomon.  During the period of the monarchy, it was destroyed and burnt 6 times (the first by Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt in 930 C.B.C.).

Of particular interest to this period is this temple.  This temple/fortress was surrounded by a casemate wall, a double-walled enclosure divided by rooms.  In the northwest corner stood this temple, complete with a Holy of Holies, or debir, a sacrificial altar (5 cubits square and 3 cubits high, of uncut stone.  See Exodus 20:25; 27:1), 2 incense altars, and dimensions and plans quite similar to Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem.  In addition, the temple consisted of one main room, the hekel.  Within the debir (Holy of Holies) stood a small bemah (high place) and a massebah.  These were stones that were used to represent gods.  Flanking the entrance to the hekel were 2 stones slabs, probably the base of pillars, similar to the pillars of Jachin and Boaz that stood in the temple in Jerusalem (see I Kings 7:21, II Chron. 4:17).    Interestingly, the altar seemingly was not used from the end of the 8th C.B.C. and the temple was destroyed with the erection of the last Israelite citadel in the second half of the 7th C.B.C.  Some suggest that it was Josiah (some argue for Hezekiah a century earlier) and his reforms that brought the end to the use of this temple.  By destroying the temple, Josiah was now forcing people to travel to Jerusalem for worship and for the festivals instead of “being lazy” and worshipping here against Jewish law.   It appeared as if the incense altars were reverently laid on their sides and covered with earth.

Also, 100’s of ostraca (inscriptions made on pottery) were found in the various strata.  Nearly half were Aramaic, and the rest in Hebrew.  The Aramaic ostraca are mainly from the dockets of the Persian garrison, and consisted of lists of names, troops, and quantities of commodities such as wine, oil, flour, and silver.  The Hebrew ostraca are an important find, for they increase our awareness of the palaeographic importance.  Some of these contained private names, family names and numerals.  Some may have been a list of donations made for the temple.

Most interesting is a group of letters from the archives of a man called Eliashib, who was a high official and possibly the commander of the last citadel during the time of Josiah.  Eliashib’s career centered around administrating the everyday life of Arad, making provisions to nearby traders, as well as taking important military orders in order to defend the city from the nearby Edomites.  In addition, in one letter, there is a reference to Beersheba and in another to the House of Yahweh.  This perhaps is the first mentioning of the temple ever found.

As it concerns the fortification itself, Strata VIII here at Arad was destroyed at the same time as Strata VII at Lachish, suggesting that the Assyrians also sieged Arad as they did Lachish.

3.   Roman/Byzantine:   One can see remains that date to the 1st C.B.C.- 6th C.A.D.  One item of interest is a church, complete with a 3 fold apse.  As mentioned before, the well was rebuilt for proper usage.