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Transcript: Blakeley Miller JEZREEL JEZREEL Late Neolithic period (4500-2500 BCE) Agriculture fertile soil grazing plains Ample water supply spring of Jezreel that flowed close by provides Jezreel and surrounding fields with a constant access Trade routes Via Maris + Kings Highway Access to Egypt, Syria, & Mesopotamia commercial + military use *control of these highways was coveted... Fortress dating to Omride Dynasty 9th century (800 BCE) Purple: Via Maris Red: Kings Highway Joshua (19:18) "the 4th lot fell to Issachar...their territory comprised Jezreel..." I Kings (21:1) Naboth the Jezreelite refuses to sell king Ahab his vineyard that adjoins the royal palace. As a result, queen Jezebel has him stoned to death and urges Ahab to take the vineyard. II Kings (9:10) "the dogs shall devour Jezebel in the field of Jezreel, with none to bury her" Biblical References 1987: bulldozer accidentally uncovered ancient structures 1990 - 1996: David Ussishkin, Tel Aviv University + John Woodhead, British School of Archeology in Jerusalem lead major dig, uncovering rectangular compound surrounded by walls, moat, & gate on the southern side. 2012 -present: Dr. Norma Franklin, University of Haifa Zinman Institute of Archaeology + Dr. Jennie Ebeling, University of Evansville - Casemate** wall - 4 projecting towers surrounding fortress - Winery cut in limestone + olive presses (2017) Archeological findings King Omri - 6th King of Israel ; Omride dynasty - Black Obelisk of Shalamaneser III (Assyrian king) - Mesha Stele of Moabite king - Friendly relations with Phoenicians - Did evil in the eyes of the lord ( 1 Kings) King Ahab - Father was King Omri - Political alliances through marriage were common - Consistency in foreign deities worshipped by Jezebel - Did MORE evil in the eyes of the lord (1 Kings) But like, did that really happen? Naboth's Vinyard - soil conditions well suited for growing grapes + olives - archeological structures consistent with ancient winery discovered in vicinity of fortress.... rock-cut treading floors adjacent rock-cut vats, each more than one meter in depth; treading floor connected to a vat by a rock-cut channeldeep circular basin (additional vat?) sump for collecting liquids Probably, maybe? carbon dating from plaster dated to 1st century BCE Absence of later innovations Iron Age likely (1200–1000 BC) 1. Tanakh the Holy Scriptures: Torah, Nevi'im, Kethuvim 2. David Ussishkin, "Jezreel—Where Jezebel Was Thrown to the Dogs", Biblical Archaeology Review July / August 2010 3. Nadav Na'aman, "Historical and Literary Notes on the Excavation of Tel Jezreel," Tel Aviv 24, 1987, pp. 122-128 4. Jennie Ebeling, Norma Franklin and Ian Cipin, “Jezreel Revealed in Laser Scans: A Preliminary Report of the 2012 Survey Season,” Near Eastern Archaeology 75.4 (2012) 5. Norma Franklin, Jennie Ebeling, Philippe Guillaume and Deborah Appler, "Have we Found Naboth's Vineyard at Jezreel?," Biblical Archeology Reiew, December 2017, pp. 49-54 Sources: