799:
the
Shephelah hills differ from the former in almost all respects. Structurally, they constitute a major synclinal part of the south Judean anticlinorium, composed mainly of chalky formations of Senonian-Eocene origin. Hypsographically, the Shephelah consists of two parts: a western one (the "Low Shephelah"), rising to a height of about 600 ft. (200 m.) above the Coastal Plains, and an eastern one (the "High Shephelah") about 600 ft. (200 m.) higher than the former. On the north the Shephelah borders on the tectonically conditioned Aijalon Valley, one of the main natural approaches to the Judean Mountains. The Shephelah is a region of gently sloped hills separated by the confluents of the major rivers descending into the area from the Judean Mountains. At their entrance into the Shephelah, these rivers, and several of their tributaries, form relatively wide-floored valleys that run for a considerable stretch along the border between the hill and the mountain region. Passage between these longitudinal valleys is relatively convenient, and this natural communication channel has been very important throughout history.
338:, whose foothills it forms, and the Coastal Plain. About 60 km (35 miles) long in north–south direction and only 13 km (8 miles) wide, it is subdivided into two parts: the western "Low Shephelah", which starts at an altitude of ca. 150 metres above sea level and rises to no more than ca. 200 metres above the Coastal Plain, and the eastern "High Shephelah" rising to altitudes between 250 and 450 metres above sea level. In the upper part the valleys descending from the Judean Mountains are deeper, and they broaden once they reach the lower part where the riverbeds create larger spaces between the hills. Where they reach the Shfela, the rivers can flow over substantial distances along the border between the mountains and the hills, forming longitudinal valleys. Passage between the east–west and north–south valleys has dictated the communication routes throughout history.
822:. Quote: "The Judean Plain is an intermediate region situated between the Coastal Plain to the west and the Judean Mountains to the east. The altitude of its hills varies from 150 to 450 meters above sea level, and geologically speaking, the plain is a syncline, i.e., a basin in which the layers of rock have folded downwards and sunk. [...] The plain consists of two distinct landscape units: the lower plain, to the west, where the hills are lower and separated by broad riverbeds; and the upper plain, where the valleys are deeper and the hills rise to a height of between 250 and 450 meters above sea level."
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Archaeological surveys in the
Shephelah have found evidence of habitation during the Late Bronze period. During the early Iron Age, the population of what has been widely believed to be a Canaanite enclave between the rising centres of both coastal Philistia and the Israelite/Judahite highlands, went
798:
Topographically, the
Shephelah represents a transition zone between the Coastal Plains and the Hebron and Jerusalem Mountains. It is relatively narrow – about 8 mi. (13 km.) – in proportion to its south-north extension – about 35 mi. (60 km.). Though they form the foothills of the Judean Mountains,
481:
into decline, though a string of settlements survived on the eastern edge. In the Iron Age IIA–B, population growth resumed and by the 8th century BCE it was densely populated, not so much by natural growth but as a result of incoming settlers, beginning with the short-lived settlement at
509:, Tel Harasim and Tel Nagila. This colonization, together with the inhabitants of the Canaanite enclave, identified with the highland Israelite/Judahite culture, and its expansion coincides with the decline of Philistia. During the decline and ultimate destruction of Judah by the
260:. The different use of the term "Judean Plain", as either defining just the Coastal Plain segment stretching along the Judaean Mountains, or also including, or only referring to, the Shfela, often creates grave confusion.
874:
Deuteronomy 1:7; Joshua 9:1; 10:40; 11:2, 16; 12:8; 15:33; Judges 1:9; 1 Kings 10:27; Jeremiah 17:26; 32:44; 33:13; Obadiah 1:19; Zechariah 7:7; 1 Chronicles 27:28; 2 Chronicles 1:15; 9:27; 26:10; 28:18.
1011:
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layer in place as a ceiling. Apart from using the extracted rock, they also utilised the generated underground hollows for different purposes (refuge, burial, storage etc.).
449:. The biblical towns established there guarded settlements of the interior and took advantage of trade passing along this route. Ayalon was the primary access corridor to
326:
The Shfela region within Israel. Right: cities surrounding it - Rehovot (north), Ashdod & Ashkelon (coast), Beit
Shemesh & Kiryat Gat (east)
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to mean the low hills of soft limestone, which, as already explained, form a distinct district between the plain and the watershed mountains. The name
781:
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and it became the core of what was known in Greek as Idumea. The
Shephela flourished during the Hellenistic period, was strongly affected by the
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399:. The valleys and lower areas contain soil with a high sand content, as well as large tracts of fertile areas. Seasonal
709:
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310:, its name tends to be translated as 'vale' or 'valley'. The Shfela was the site of many biblical battles. During the
57:
522:
1047:
454:
907:
529:(132–136). It flourished again in the Byzantine period and was the scene of one of the major battles during the
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485:. The overall estimated numbers for inhabitants range from 50,000 to 100,000, over numerous sites such as
472:
331:
245:
118:
345:, i.e. it formed as a basin whose rock layers were folded downwards, but is part of the wider south Judean
217:
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Caves are a major feature of the southern part of the Shfela, many of them bell-shaped such as those in
257:
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314:, hollowed out hills were connected to form elaborate bunker systems for the combat with the Romans.
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A series of east–west valleys cuts the
Shfelah into districts. From north to south, they are: the
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Israel in
Transition: From Late Bronze II to Iron IIa (c. 1250–850 BCE): 1 The Archaeology
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942:"Pits and Caves in the Shephelah of Israel compared with Similar Pits in East Anglia"
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349:-a regional formation characterised by upward folding. Typical to the Shfela are the
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334:. Topographically, it represents the transition from the higher and more rugged
912:. Oxford Archaeological Guides. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 214.
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756:, still exists in four or five places within the region round Beit Jibrîn."
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The Holy Land: An Oxford
Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700
617:
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For reservation about this consensus see
Avraham Faust, 2020 pp.128-130.
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Today the Shfela is largely rural with many farms, but the cities of
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Ancient Israel and Its
Neighbors: Interaction and Counteraction
525:(66–70) and was largely depopulated of Jews as a result of the
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stretching over 10–15 km (6.2–9.3 mi) between the
706:– historical site and modern monastery in the Ayalon Valley
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The Bible assigned land in the Shfela to the tribes of
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formations. The soft Eocene chalk is known locally as
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One of the major characteristics is hills formed of
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820:British Park – Scenic trails in Israel's Heartland
782:"Land of Israel: Geographical Survey. Shephelah"
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736:(pub. Richard Bentley and Son: London 1878, p.
517:, the region was taken over gradually by the
8:
1008:'Between the Highland Polity and Philistia,'
422:The Shfela has a temperate Mediterranean to
244:), is a transitional region of soft-sloping
128:
26:
1014:, vol.383 2020pp.115-137pp.117-119,122,124.
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372:), so that in the past people quarried the
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977:. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 27.
341:In geological terms, the Shfela is a
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971:Lester L. Grabbe (1 December 2008).
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407:. The southern part is made up of
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395:which are made of hard chalk and
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906:Jerome Murphy-O'Connor (2008).
330:The Shfela consists of fertile
336:Jerusalem and Hebron Mountains
1:
531:Muslim conquest of the Levant
839:. Eisenbrauns. p. 334.
818:Jewish National Fund (KKL),
192:
688:Bar Kokhba hiding complexes
441:, Guvrin Valley, Valley of
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203:'the Lowlands') or
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887:The Plain of the Shephelah
169:460 m (1,510 ft)
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468:History and archaeology
403:can develop during the
940:Ben-Arieh, Y. (1969).
833:Nadav Naʼaman (2005).
734:Tent Work in Palestine
710:Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut
523:First Jewish–Roman War
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166:Highest elevation
786:Encyclopaedia Judaica
712:– modern Israeli town
700:– modern Israeli town
515:Neo-Babylonian Empire
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283:roughly surround it.
788:. Thomson Gale. 2007
740:), wrote: "The term
537:Archaeological sites
533:of the 7th century.
453:along the ascent of
391:, as opposed to the
1043:Hebrew Bible places
891:Jewish Encyclopedia
693:Geography of Israel
511:Neo-Assyrian Empire
298:Biblical references
150: • Length
95: /
862:15:33-36, 19:40-41
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376:while leaving the
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308:King James Version
158: • Width
62:The Shephela near
1048:Regions of Israel
984:978-0-567-59913-1
919:978-0-19-923666-4
846:978-1-57506-108-5
527:Bar Kokhba revolt
424:semi-arid climate
411:, while north of
312:Bar Kokhba revolt
254:Judaean Mountains
248:in south-central
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130:שְׁפֵלַת יְהוּדָה
99:31.700°N 34.917°E
28:שְׁפֵלַת יְהוּדָה
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435:Sorek Valley
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415:consists of
405:rainy season
393:Judean Hills
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304:Hebrew Bible
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277:Beit Shemesh
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628:Tel Lachish
487:Tel Lachish
462:Beit Guvrin
213:הַשְּׁפֵלָה
125:Native name
102: /
1037:Categories
925:29 January
792:29 January
717:References
698:Kiryat Gat
559:Beit Jimal
549:Tel Batash
281:Kiryat Gat
227:), or the
193:hašŠəp̄ēlā
185:הַשְּפֵלָה
145:Dimensions
946:Geography
754:Shephelah
742:Shephelah
665:Tel Zayit
598:Tel Halif
574:Tel Burna
507:Tel Erani
499:Tel Zayit
495:Tel Burna
451:Jerusalem
318:Geography
306:. In the
218:romanized
177:Shephelah
958:40566784
682:See also
653:Tel Yona
618:Kharruba
579:Tel Eton
519:Edomites
513:and the
447:Adorayim
413:Ashkelon
397:dolomite
366:calcrete
351:Senonian
343:syncline
269:Ashkelon
256:and the
161:10-15 km
23:Shephela
893:(1906).
608:Jarmuth
554:Maresha
443:Lachish
368:crust (
273:Rehovot
224:haŠfelá
220::
201:
115:Geology
90:34°55′E
87:31°42′N
981:
956:
916:
860:Joshua
843:
746:Talmud
704:Latrun
633:Lavnin
623:Keilah
544:Azekah
491:Azekah
401:swamps
374:kirton
362:kirton
358:chalky
355:Eocene
279:, and
265:Ashdod
250:Israel
205:Shfela
137:Hebrew
133:
49:Region
35:Hebrew
31:
1012:BASOR
1010:, in
954:JSTOR
752:, or
750:Sifla
732:, in
670:Zorah
660:]
648:Sokho
589:Imwas
584:Gezer
455:Horon
409:loess
389:chalk
288:Judah
153:55 km
64:Tarum
979:ISBN
927:2017
914:ISBN
872:e.g.
841:ISBN
794:2017
591:and
417:clay
385:marl
378:nari
370:nari
290:and
199:lit.
175:The
738:276
505:,
493:,
489:,
292:Dan
1039::
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