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438:) and becomes a popular outing destination for Israeli families. The hill is surrounded by precipitous slopes on its north side, making it almost impassable. Trails ascend the mountain on its northwestern and southeastern sides. The Elah Valley runs in a westerly-easterly direction on its north side, the hilltop affording a good view of the valley below.
441:
On the elevated plateau, one can see the foundations of ancient dwellings carved into the bedrock with individual chambers divided by broken stone protuberances. Caves and grottoes dot the landscape, and cisterns are carved deep into the rock. Oak trees, fig trees, and terebinths grow on the
495:), and in which Sokho is named with another three cities, has led archaeologists to conclude that Sokho may have served as an administrative or storage center. One of the wells to the west in the valley, mentioned by Claude Conder, was destroyed with explosives by Arab infiltrators (
896:
482:
were discovered in probe trenches. Potsherds dating to the Late Bronze Age and later periods were gathered, along with a terracotta figurine of reddish-brown clay depicting a naked woman.
442:
mountainside and piles of large ashlar boulders, covered with lichen, attest to the presence of a defensive wall around the city in antiquity. According to the biblical narrative, when
911:
886:
763:
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339:), but it is not clear which of the two sites is referred to. Socho was one of the cities occupied temporarily by the Philistines in the time of
416:
701:
507:
included an examination of Middle Bronze and Iron Age burial caves, as well as slag from a pottery workshop (which probably dates to the
311:
as being a city in the plain, Socho is actually partly in the hill country and partly in the plain. The biblical account states that the
53:
891:
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680:
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668:(TIR): Tabula Imperii Romani. Iudaea, Palestina: Eretz Israel in the Hellenistic , Roman and Byzantine Periods; Maps and Gazetteer
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272:). Today it is a popular tourist attraction better known as Givat HaTurmusim. The site, occupied as early as the
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in 1881, who writes that it was already a ruin in his days, with two wells in the valley towards the west.
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358:. It is believed by many scholars to be one of four cities that acted in some administrative capacity.
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The Survey of
Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology
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A survey of the site in the Elah Valley was conducted in 2010 by Joseph
Garfinkel on behalf of the
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captured the city from the
Canaanites, the city and environs became the inheritance of Judah.
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1:3), likely came from the Hebron-region town. Rabbi Levi Sukia, of the first generation of
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189:
798:
547:(1995–1997). "A Preliminary Analysis of Ancient Survivals of Modern Palestinian Toponymy".
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577:
434:
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731:: Journal of the Jewish Palestinian Exploration Society, 2nd year, volumes 1–4, article:
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were uncovered in another dig at the foot of the northern slope, and walls dating to the
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607:(original Hebrew edition: 'Land of Israel in Biblical Times - Historical Geography',
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156:18 ff.), which would correspond to the Elah Valley location. The 6th-century
475:
471:
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331:). David slew the Philistine giant with a stone slung from a shepherd's sling.
479:
432:". In late March, the entire hill is covered with wild blue mountain lupines (
405:
648:
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Palestine in the Fourth
Century A.D.: The Onomasticon by Eusebius of Caesarea
268:), in the lower stratum of the Judaean foothills (grid position 147/121
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98:
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described Sokho (Σοκχωθ) as a double village at the ninth milestone between
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633:. Translated by G.S.P. Freeman-Grenville. Jerusalem: Carta. p. 86.
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24:
188:) is the name given to two ancient towns in the territorial domain of
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458:'s Institute of Archaeology and by Michael Gerald Hasel on behalf of
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227:(Upper and Lower Shuwaikah), 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest of
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212:, meaning "thorn". The remains of both have since been identified.
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858:, British Mandate document, designating forest as State Domain
735:(Heb. לפרשת מלכי כנען), Jerusalem 1934–1935, p. 41 (Hebrew).
585:(2 ed.). Philadelphia: Westminster Press. p. 442.
822:
Hasel, Michael G.; Garfinkel, Yosef; Weiss, Shifra (2017).
462:. Excavations at the foot of the northern slope exposed a
231:
in the Hebron Hills district (grid position 150/091
503:, never being rebuilt. An intensive survey conducted in
252:
The other ruin is situated on a hilltop overlooking the
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One is located about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of
485:
The discovery of a pre-exilic stamp with the imprint
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and has been identified with the twin ruins known as
16:
Archaeological sites in Israel mentioned in the Bible
383:, also came from Sokho (Jerusalem Talmud, Eruvim).
143:
138:
127:
90:
76:
19:For the neighbourhood of Rawalpindi, Pakistan, see
897:Former populated places in the State of Palestine
799:Excavators and Excavations Permit for Year 2010
824:Socoh of the Judean Shephelah: The 2010 Survey
582:The Land of the Bible: A Historical Geography
572:
570:
8:
30:
752:, vol. 6, New York, p. s.v. Socho
712:Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund
762:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
42:Stone wall at Tel Socho, Elah Valley, 2015
36:
29:
826:. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns Inc.
673:Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities
315:encamped between Sokho and Azekah in the
536:
243:makes mention of this twin site in his
912:Establishments in the Kingdom of Judah
755:
665:; Leah Di Segni; Judith Green (1994).
424:The hill of Tel Sokho is now known as
398:(Bet Guvrin) and Jerusalem (Eusebius,
887:Archaeological sites in the West Bank
7:
856:Jebel Shuweikeh Forest Reserve, 1926
350:The word "Sokho" appears on certain
287:, was located in the Hefer region (
185:
14:
902:Former populated places in Israel
877:Archaeology of Palestine (region)
561:10.13173/medilangrevi.9.1997.0093
200:. Both towns were given the name
23:. For the Korean given name, see
81:
59:
52:
882:Archaeological sites in Israel
555:. Harrassowitz Verlag: 98–99.
1:
549:Mediterranean Language Review
474:centuries. Remains dating to
460:Southern Adventist University
208:, a diminutive of the Arabic
60:
811:Israel Antiquities Authority
795:Israel Antiquities Authority
625:(2003). Chapmann III, R.L.;
420:Ancient cistern at Tel Socho
295:(grid position 153/194
750:The Anchor Bible Dictionary
408:also depicts Sokho (Σωκω).
323:'s historic encounter with
283:A third town by this name,
948:
18:
307:Although it is listed in
157:Blue Lupines at Tel Socho
47:
35:
892:Ancient Israel and Judah
186:שׂוֹכֹה ,שׂוֹכוֹ ,שֹׂכֹה
801:, Survey Permit # S-217
710:. Vol. 3. London:
221:Khirbet Shuwaikah Fauka
112:31.682108°N 34.973866°E
733:On the Kings of Canaan
421:
164:(alternate spellings:
158:
851:Pictures of Tel Sokho
525:Levantine archaeology
419:
373:Ethics of the Fathers
335:fortified the place (
156:
746:Freedman, David Noel
327:, the son of Jesse (
192:as mentioned in the
117:31.682108; 34.973866
917:Tells (archaeology)
907:Hebrew Bible cities
611:, Jerusalem (1962))
108: /
68:Shown within Israel
32:
927:Biblical geography
782:2006-02-08 at the
777:The Valley of Elah
466:building from the
428:, or "Hill of the
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369:Antigonus of Sokho
345:2 Chronicles 28:18
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128:Grid position
480:Middle Bronze Age
456:Hebrew University
337:2 Chronicles 11:7
276:, was visited by
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291:), north of
289:1 Kings 4:10
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266:Joshua 15:35
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237:Joshua 15:48
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198:Judean hills
194:Hebrew Bible
177:
173:
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663:Tsafrir, Y.
578:Aharoni, Y.
476:Iron Age II
450:Archaeology
401:Onomasticon
377:Pirkei Avot
354:during the
313:Philistines
254:Elah Valley
246:Onomasticon
115: /
91:Coordinates
866:Categories
592:0664242669
545:Zadok, Ran
531:References
497:mistanenim
406:Madaba Map
352:LMLK seals
139:Site notes
103:34°58′26″E
100:31°40′56″N
649:937002750
515:period).
488:La-melekh
464:Byzantine
388:Byzantine
303:Antiquity
285:Shuwaykah
202:Shuweikah
144:Condition
780:Archived
758:citation
725:S. Klein
704:(1883).
629:(eds.).
623:Eusebius
580:(1979).
519:See also
509:Crusader
392:Eusebius
363:Mishnaic
333:Rehoboam
274:Iron Age
256:between
241:Eusebius
131:147/121
77:Location
601:6250553
430:Lupines
390:times,
381:Amoraim
321:Goliath
319:before
293:Tulkarm
258:Adullam
229:As-Samu
25:Seok-ho
830:
729:Qovetz
679:
647:
637:
599:
589:
559:
513:Mamluk
444:Joshua
262:Azekah
217:Hebron
206:Arabic
182:Hebrew
170:Sochoh
166:Sokhoh
557:JSTOR
499:) in
366:Rabbi
325:David
225:Tahta
210:shawk
190:Judah
178:Sokoh
162:Sokho
31:Sokho
21:Sukho
828:ISBN
764:link
677:ISBN
645:OCLC
635:ISBN
597:OCLC
587:ISBN
505:2010
501:1956
493:למלך
361:The
341:Ahaz
260:and
223:and
174:Soco
147:Ruin
472:6th
470:to
468:5th
386:In
347:).
299:).
297:PAL
270:PAL
239:).
233:PAL
204:in
133:PAL
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651:.
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563:.
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