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BETSHAN (BETHSHEAN)
A. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
In the Harod Valley are the remains of an impressive city of historic importance. The site of Bethshean marks one of the longest, essentially unbroken occupations in Israel, accounting for 18 levels of occupation being unearthed by archaeologists! Originally in the Late Bronze Age (1,500-1,200 B.C.), the city was an important stronghold of the Egyptian empire, especially in the period from Seti I to Ramses III. In the Biblical period it was one of the Canaanite towns that resisted the attack of the Israelites. After the defeat of the Israelites by the Philistines (1,004 B.C.), the bodies of King Saul and his sons were displayed on the walls of Bethshean ( I Sam. 31:10,12). However, King David, as he expanded his kingdom northward, conquered the city, along with Megiddo and Taanach. Under the reign of King Solomon, Bethshean belonged to the 5th administrative district of Solomon, under Baana, one of the 12 officers of the kingdom of Israel (I Kg. 4:12). The city become known for it production of high quality cloth.
About 700 B.C the site was deserted and was not reoccupied until the Hellenistic period (332 B.C.) when it became known as Scythopolis under Ptolemy II. Under the Seleucids in the 2nd century B.C. the city received an additional name, Nysa, to commemorate the nurse of Dionysus who, according to legend, had been born there.
Having been conquered by John Hyrcanus (135-104 B.C.), it was taken by Pompey in 63 B.C. and became the capital of the Decopolis (Josephus, Antiquities, XIV, 75). During this time the city enjoyed great prosperity. No doubt Jesus visited this expansive city! Later it became of Christian city and the seat of a bishop. During the Byzantine period there were as many as seven churches and many monasteries spread throughout this region of Bethshean.
With the Arab conquest in 636 A.D., the city gradually lost its importance. With the arrival of the European Crusaders, the bishopric was moved from Bethshean to Nazareth, virtually resulting in Bethshean disappearing from historical sight. After a devastating earthquake in 749 A.D. this city of wealth and influence became little more than a dusty way-station at an important junction in area trade routes.
B. BIBLICAL REFERENCES
1. Judges 1:27 Manasseh did not drive out the Canaanites from Bethshean...
2. I Sam. 31:10 The Philistines, after killing Saul on Mt. Gilboa (in the Jezreel Valley), hang his body on the walls of Bethshean. The men of Jabesh take the body down. The armor of Saul was placed in the house of Ashtaroth, while they fastened his head in the temple of Dagon (I Chron. 10:10).
C. ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS OF INTEREST
1. EARLY BRONZE: With the Bethshean excavations rapidly becoming the premiere archaeological site in the Middle East (and many believe in the world), the earliest buildings that appear on Tel Bethshean date to the early part of the 3rd millennium B.C., marking the first of 18 levels of occupation that have been unearthed at a depth of 70 feet. The houses were built with flat bricks standing on a stone foundation. All these levels contained pottery typical to this early Canaanite period. This civilization and building structure continued through the Middle Bronze Period.
2. LATE BRONZE: During this period, Bethshean was controlled by the Egyptians. Hieroglyphic inscriptions from the Late Bronze strata bear cartouches (royal ovals) of Pharaohs Thutmose III (1,504-1450 B.C., possibly the Pharaoh of the Exodus), and Amenhotep III (1,417-1379 B.C.). Also a victory Stelae from the LB Age refers to Seti I (1,318-1,304 B.C.). This Stelae mentions for the first time the city’s military operations and mentions the name ‘Apiru” or Habiru. In addition, foundation deposits from buildings include objects inscribed with the names Ramses I and II (1,320-1,227 B.C.). A statute of Ramses III himself (1,198-1,166 B.C.) was also discovered.
Furthermore, two temples have been preserved, complete with signs of Egyptian architectural structuring, marking for us the significance of Canaanite religious worship as well as the influence of Egyptian polytheism in this area (ie. the influence of the Egyptian goddess Hathor, the “sacred cow”). These temples are often identified as temples of Astarte and Dagon. They are elongated rooms with pillars, an altar, and a portico entrance. These temples also provided a rich assortment of supposed cultic objects. Of these objects, figurines were found, one being a figurine of Hathor.
3. IRON AGE I: Bethshean became a Philistine city. It was at the end of this period that the Philistines hung the bodies of King Saul and his sons from Bethshean’s walls and from the walls of the temple of Dagon. In this period, continuing finds included clay figurines of Astarte, house-like shrines, gold and silver jewelry, and glass and inscribed objects. Of special interest and significance are tombs with anthropoid sarcophagi, associated with the Philistines of the Coastal Region on the Mediterranean Sea.
4. IRON AGE II & III: The city becomes an Israelite city, fortified by King David and later Solomon. Some of the same architectural and fortification structures from the earlier periods of civilization were used. Israelite incense burners can be dated to this period. During 815-700 B.C., the town became poor, with insignificant buildings.
5. HELLENISTIC: The city of this period re-located to the base of the tel. Only a few pottery fragments have been found dating to this period. However, it appears to be at the end of this period that the city of Bethshean began to re-build itself in significance and in wealth.
6. ROMAN I & II: From the early Roman Period, excavators have found some walls, in addition to pottery and coins. Two small altars were also uncovered, one dedicated to Dionysus and bearing a date (12. A.D.) This Roman city was the city known by Jesus!
Of the significant finds, 4 public buildings are quite impressive to see: a temple (probably serving the Roman god Dionysus, the main god of the city), a fountain (or Nymphaeum), a basilica (containing a 6-sided limestone alter depicting Pan, the god of the forest, flocks and shepherds, and Dionysus, the god of fertility, wine, and drama), and a theater. As this vast city expanded into the 2nd century A.D., it began to flourish also with 2 colonnaded streets (called the Cardo) complete with 6 foot deep drains, and a most impressive bathhouse. Numerous shops indicate the financial wealth of this city. It was during this Roman time that the city become one of the 10 most important cities. It was also re-named Scythopolis.
The theater itself is among the larger of the medium group of Roman theaters, having the capability to house nearly 7,000 people within its 11 -13 rows of seats. There were once 3 tiers of seating (now there are only 2, with the first of the two tiers being partially reconstructed). Researchers believe the theater has a system of ropes and pulleys that enabled workers to at least partially over the open air theater in times of blazing sun or pouring rain.
The Roman Bath were a major social and business center. The baths were a combination of a country club and stock exchange. Here, many contacts were made and contracts signed, weddings planned and political gains carried out. Intricate mosaic work shows much care was taken in insuring the aesthetic quality of time spent here.
To complete the awe of this Roman city, public toilets were built for the convenience of plaza shoppers and theater goers. The inner court had a roof supported by delicately carved columns. Each toilet seat was of marble and jutted out from the plastered wall. Every seat was placed over a trough of running water which continually flushed the area and freshened the building.
Other public buildings included public meeting houses, marble fountains, reflecting pools, a hippodrome (horse race track), and monuments.
7. BYZANTINE PERIOD: During the 4th century A.D., Bethshean gradually became a Christian city. As a mark of this cleansing, the temple was destroyed. Also, an inscription found on a large limestone slab north of the Roman theater reads, “In the time of Ablabios the magnificent Metropolitan ... the city was renewed.” To this period belong a circular cathedral and a monastery. In one of the private houses, mosaics, dating to the 6th century A.D. have been found. Another building, found to the north of the mound, is a 6th century synagogue with a mosaic pavement depicting the Torah Shrine and other ritual objects.