20:
273:) and climbs to Beit Ur al-Tahta (1,210 ft.). It then ascends along the ridge, with valleys lying to north and south, and reaches Beit Ur al-Fauqa (2,022 ft.). Al-tahta means 'the lower', and al-fauqa (fawqa) means 'the upper' in Arabic.
73:
sometimes distinguishes between the two towns—Upper and Lower
Bethoron—it often refers to both simply as Bethoron. The towns are mentioned in the Bible and in other ancient sources: Upper Bethoron appears in
788:
An
Egyptian hieroglyphic dictionary: with an index of English words, king list and geological list with indexes, list of hieroglyphic characters, coptic and semitic alphabets, etc. Vol II
835:
114:, which preserve the ancient names. Archaeological evidence suggests that Lower Bethoron was established first, as the earliest potsherds discovered there date back to the
1146:
1116:
317:). The borderline passed alongside the two Bethorons (Joshua 16:5; 21:22) who belonged to the latter Israelite tribe and therefore, later on, to the
382:). Solomon "built Beth-horon the upper, and Beth-horon the nether, fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars" (2 Chronicles 8:5; 1 Kings 9:17).
920:
757:
687:
659:
1141:
58:
192:
493:
165:
160:
151:
148:
144:
162:
1080:
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792:
157:
154:
145:
141:
89:
363:
via the route passing through Beth-Horon (1 Samuel 13:18), sending a company of their men to hold "the way of Beth-horon".
691:
445:
96:
348:(Joshua 10:5-11). According to the Bible, when Joshua defeated the Amorite kings, "he killed a large number of them at
318:
265:
The biblical "way of Beth-horon", also known as "the ascent of Beth-horon", is a pass which ascends from the plain of
504:
581:
449:
654:. Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical eras. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 81.
1136:
1131:
512:
500:
221:
584:
wrote that changes in the main road to
Jerusalem had left the Bethoron route "forsaken" and "almost forgotten".
82:
78:
976:
943:
540:(late 4th to early 5th centuries) noted that Bethoron was just a little village at his time. In his eulogy for
1000:
100 Decisive
Battles from Ancient Times to the Present: The World's Major Battles and How They Shaped History
954:
462:
476:, that they might work malice upon ("vex") Israel" (1 Macc. 9:50–51). Later, the Jews fortified it against
413:
405:
46:
19:
408:. The Second Book of Chronicles mentions Beth-Horon in the context of disbanded Israelite mercenaries in
349:
284:, which follows the crest of the central mountain range of Samaria in the north and Judah in the south.
281:
102:
The ancient towns of Upper
Bethoron and Lower Bethoron are identified respectively with the present-day
62:
965:
912:
987:
433:
761:
695:
594:
332:
According to biblical records, these cities were conquered by the
Israelites under the leadership of
181:
830:
569:
469:
86:
69:
road. They served as strategic points along the road, guarding the "ascent of
Bethoron". While the
40:
1024:
796:
840:
738:
270:
225:
1063:
1012:
655:
306:
276:
The ascent is an ancient east-west trade route connecting two broadly north-south routes, the
730:
561:
557:
409:
322:
310:
250:
246:
188:
111:
107:
616:
onward were discovered at Lower Beit Ur, whereas those in Upper Beit Ur date only from the
544:, he describes Lower and Upper Bethoron as cities founded by Solomon and destroyed by war.
1117:
Israel
Antiquities Authority report on the discovery of a burial cave in Beit 'Ur al-Tahta
437:
115:
31:
786:
508:
481:
367:
326:
298:
238:
75:
1042:
1125:
814:
66:
472:
repaired Beth-horon "with high walls, with gates and with bars and in them he set a
1053:
816:
Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques
Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques Vol. 2
553:
103:
70:
1057:
605:
541:
356:
93:
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375:
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613:
588:
531:
477:
401:
302:
242:
1095:
1082:
314:
453:
441:
277:
617:
609:
608:
finds indicate that the lower town was established before the upper one.
572:
name, and have been identified as the sites of Upper and Lower
Bethoron.
523:
473:
457:
429:
394:
345:
337:
119:
844:
390:
371:
266:
742:
565:
537:
341:
333:
233:
213:
389:
sources it appears that Bethoron was one of the places conquered by
734:
425:
386:
228:
18:
360:
340:
kings near Gibeon and pursued them southward past Beth-Horon to
591:
was founded in 1977 on a site adjacent to the two Arab towns.
241:. The city is mentioned among the cities and towns smitten by
352:, and chased them by the way of the 'Ascent of Beth-horon'".
503:
in the year 66 CE, the first decisive Jewish victory in the
400:
According to 1 Chronicles 7:24, Lower Bethoron was built by
836:
Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research
721:
John Gray (January 1949). "The Canaanite God Horon".
118:, while those from the upper town originate from the
833:(December 1941). "The Egypto-Canaanite God Haurôn".
133:
1059:Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, B-C
917:Asien und Europa nach altägyptischen Denkmälern
760:. Studium Biblicum Franciscanum. Archived from
321:, while the tribe of Benjamin belonged to the
966:Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews Bk12 Ch10:5
293:Iron Age: in the Bible and contemporary texts
8:
1002:(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 71.
370:as one of the cities built and fortified by
808:
806:
280:along the Mediterranean coastline, and the
780:
778:
681:
679:
677:
675:
673:
671:
137:
1049:, Orr, James, retrieved December 9, 2005.
1047:International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
297:Upper Bethoron is first mentioned in the
456:, was defeated and slain (1 Macc. 7:39;
412:'s army who looted towns in Judah "from
220:) is derived from the name of an
652:Historical dictionary of ancient Israel
629:
716:
714:
712:
645:
643:
641:
639:
637:
635:
633:
534:describes them as 'little hamlets.'
416:to Beth-Horon" (2 Chronicles 25:13).
366:Upper Bethoron is later mentioned in
359:chose to launch their attack against
7:
1147:Ancient Jewish settlements of Judaea
301:as a city on the border between the
329:(Joshua 21:22; 2 Chronicles 6:53).
35:
597:follows part of the ancient road.
519:Late Roman & Byzantine periods
14:
530:mentions the 'twin villages' and
325:. One or both of the towns was a
23:Upper Bethoron, drawing from 1880
436:was defeated here in 166 BCE by
57:, were two neighboring towns in
723:Journal of Near Eastern Studies
756:Eugenio Alliata (2000-12-19).
686:Eugenio Alliata (2000-12-19).
1:
692:Studium Biblicum Franciscanum
785:Wallis Budge, E. A. (1920).
650:Lemche, Niels Peter (2004).
1041:Masterman, E. W. G. (1915).
216:name Bethoron (Beit Horon,
1165:
1142:Geography of the West Bank
587:The Israeli settlement of
582:Palestine Exploration Fund
319:Northern Kingdom of Israel
81:, Lower Bethoron in Joshua
50:
45:'house of Horon';
217:
813:Gauthier, Henri (1925).
556:Arab Muslim villages of
336:, who defeated the five
492:There are traces of an
193:3rd Intermediate Period
1062:. Vol. 2. BRILL.
505:First Jewish–Roman War
406:Beriah, son of Ephraim
24:
1096:31.87722°N 35.11861°E
977:1 Maccabees 9:50–9:51
944:1 Maccabees 3:13–3:24
282:Way of the Patriarchs
22:
758:"Bethoron (Bayt Ur)"
688:"Bethoron (Bayt Ur)"
501:battle of Beth Horon
494:ancient Roman paving
446:Battle of Beth Horon
261:Ascent of Beth-horon
92:, and the ascent in
1092: /
239:Ugaritic literature
1101:31.87722; 35.11861
1023:Guérin, 1868, pp.
507:the Roman general
452:, retreating from
448:. Six years later
420:Hellenistic period
271:Ayalon-Canada Park
197:(1069–664 BC)
61:, situated on the
25:
1011:Sharon, 1999, p.
933:1 Chronicles 7:24
891:2 Chronicles 8:59
869:2 Chronicles 6:53
661:978-0-8108-4848-1
515:before the Jews.
380:2 Chronicles 8:59
210:
209:
198:
173:
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44:
1154:
1137:Tribe of Ephraim
1132:Levitical cities
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955:1 Maccabees 7:39
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919:(in German), p.
910:
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694:. Archived from
683:
666:
665:
647:
562:Beit Ur et-Tahta
558:Beit Ur el-Fauqa
444:3:13–24) in the
323:Kingdom of Judah
251:Temple of Karnak
219:
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138:
134:
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112:Beit Ur al-Tahta
108:Beit Ur al-Fauqa
104:Palestinian Arab
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578:
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521:
513:headlong flight
496:still visible.
490:
438:Judas Maccabeus
422:
295:
290:
263:
237:, mentioned in
195:
179:
161:
128:
116:Late Bronze Age
17:
12:
11:
5:
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1111:External links
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988:Judith 4:4–4:5
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606:Archaeological
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546:
520:
517:
511:was driven in
509:Cestius Gallus
489:
486:
466:Bk12 Ch10:5.)
421:
418:
404:, daughter of
393:of Egypt from
355:Later on, the
327:Levitical city
299:Book of Joshua
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178:bꜣtꜣ(j) ḥwꜣrwn
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764:on 2008-08-29
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580:In 1915, the
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564:preserve the
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548:Arab villages
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47:Ancient Greek
42:
33:
29:
21:
16:Biblical town
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1035:Bibliography
1019:
1007:
999:
994:
983:
972:
961:
950:
939:
928:
916:
908:
902:1 Kings 9:17
897:
886:
880:Joshua 10:10
875:
864:
858:Judges 21:22
853:
839:(84): 7–12.
834:
825:
819:. p. 9.
815:
787:
766:. Retrieved
762:the original
751:
729:(1): 27–34.
726:
722:
700:. Retrieved
696:the original
651:
604:
593:
586:
579:
551:
536:
527:
522:
498:
491:
488:Roman period
468:
461:
423:
399:
384:
376:1 Kings 9:17
365:
354:
331:
296:
275:
264:
255:Batae Houarn
254:
232:
211:
106:villages of
101:
87:1 Chronicles
71:Hebrew Bible
54:
36:בֵית־חוֹרֹ֔ן
27:
26:
1099: /
793:John Murray
601:Archaeology
595:Highway 443
554:Palestinian
542:Saint Paula
528:Onomasticon
463:Antiquities
357:Philistines
315:Joshua 16:5
247:inscription
182:hieroglyphs
94:I Maccabees
1126:Categories
1084:31°52′38″N
1069:9004110836
1043:BETH-HORON
795:. p.
768:2007-09-12
702:2007-09-12
624:References
614:Bronze Age
589:Beit Horon
532:St. Jerome
478:Holofernes
432:) general
378:, also in
305:tribes of
243:Sheshonq I
85:, both in
55:Beth-Horon
610:Potsherds
570:Canaanite
470:Bacchides
454:Jerusalem
303:Israelite
278:Via Maris
226:Canaanite
218:בית חורון
126:Etymology
1087:35°7′7″E
1056:(1999).
915:(1893).
620:onward.
618:Iron Age
552:The two
524:Eusebius
484:4:4–5).
474:garrison
458:Josephus
430:Seleucid
395:Rehoboam
387:Egyptian
346:Makkedah
307:Benjamin
122:onward.
120:Iron Age
53:), also
28:Bethoron
845:1355138
499:In the
450:Nicanor
442:1 Macc.
414:Samaria
410:Amaziah
402:She'era
391:Shishak
372:Solomon
368:2 Kings
338:Amorite
311:Ephraim
288:History
267:Aijalon
249:at the
245:in his
67:Aijalon
51:Ὡρωνείν
43:
1066:
923:; etc.
843:
743:542437
741:
658:
566:Hebrew
538:Jerome
482:Judith
426:Syrian
350:Gibeon
342:Azekah
334:Joshua
222:Egypto
214:Hebrew
76:Joshua
63:Gibeon
32:Hebrew
841:JSTOR
739:JSTOR
434:Seron
385:From
269:(now
234:Horon
229:deity
1064:ISBN
1027:-344
656:ISBN
560:and
424:The
361:Saul
344:and
309:and
212:The
110:and
41:lit.
1025:343
1013:165
921:166
797:978
731:doi
253:as
189:Era
180:in
1128::
1045:.
805:^
791:.
777:^
737:.
725:.
711:^
690:.
670:^
632:^
526:'
460:,
397:.
257:.
231:,
191::
99:.
49::
38:,
34::
1072:.
847:.
799:.
771:.
745:.
733::
727:8
705:.
664:.
568:–
480:(
440:(
428:(
374:(
313:(
224:-
65:–
30:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
