810:
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.
349:, 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.
833:. 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."
484:
84:
69:
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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
809:
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,
492:
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
520:, 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
271:. 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.
885:
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.
1022:
391:
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.).
460:. 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
337:
The Shfela region within Israel. Right: cities surrounding it - Rehovot (north), Ashdod & Ashkelon (coast), Beit
Shemesh & Kiryat Gat (east)
759:
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
792:
532:
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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410:. The valleys and lower areas contain soil with a high sand content, as well as large tracts of fertile areas. Seasonal
720:
94:
698:
321:, its name tends to be translated as 'vale' or 'valley'. The Shfela was the site of many biblical battles. During the
68:
533:
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465:
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540:(132–136). It flourished again in the Byzantine period and was the scene of one of the major battles during the
191:
496:. The overall estimated numbers for inhabitants range from 50,000 to 100,000, over numerous sites such as
483:
342:
256:
129:
356:, i.e. it formed as a basin whose rock layers were folded downwards, but is part of the wider south Judean
228:
525:
471:
Caves are a major feature of the southern part of the Shfela, many of them bell-shaped such as those in
268:
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325:, 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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953:"Pits and Caves in the Shephelah of Israel compared with Similar Pits in East Anglia"
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360:-a regional formation characterised by upward folding. Typical to the Shfela are the
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345:. Topographically, it represents the transition from the higher and more rugged
923:. Oxford Archaeological Guides. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 214.
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767:, 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
628:
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1008:
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
536:(66–70) and was largely depopulated of Jews as a result of the
202:
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stretching over 10–15 km (6.2–9.3 mi) between the
717:– historical site and modern monastery in the Ayalon Valley
297:
The Bible assigned land in the Shfela to the tribes of
371:
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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831:British Park – Scenic trails in Israel's Heartland
793:"Land of Israel: Geographical Survey. Shephelah"
912:
910:
747:(pub. Richard Bentley and Son: London 1878, p.
528:, the region was taken over gradually by the
8:
1019:'Between the Highland Polity and Philistia,'
433:The Shfela has a temperate Mediterranean to
255:), is a transitional region of soft-sloping
139:
37:
1025:, vol.383 2020pp.115-137pp.117-119,122,124.
824:
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383:), so that in the past people quarried the
1039:Soils of the Coastal Plain and the Shefela
313:The Shfela is mentioned many times in the
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52:Shfela, Judean Foothills, Judean Lowlands
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27:Lowland region in south-central Israel
988:. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 27.
352:In geological terms, the Shfela is a
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982:Lester L. Grabbe (1 December 2008).
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418:. The southern part is made up of
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406:which are made of hard chalk and
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917:Jerome Murphy-O'Connor (2008).
341:The Shfela consists of fertile
347:Jerusalem and Hebron Mountains
1:
542:Muslim conquest of the Levant
850:. Eisenbrauns. p. 334.
829:Jewish National Fund (KKL),
203:
699:Bar Kokhba hiding complexes
452:, Guvrin Valley, Valley of
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214:'the Lowlands') or
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898:The Plain of the Shephelah
180:460 m (1,510 ft)
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81:
66:
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479:History and archaeology
414:can develop during the
951:Ben-Arieh, Y. (1969).
844:Nadav Naʼaman (2005).
745:Tent Work in Palestine
721:Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut
534:First Jewish–Roman War
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177:Highest elevation
797:Encyclopaedia Judaica
723:– modern Israeli town
711:– modern Israeli town
526:Neo-Babylonian Empire
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336:
294:roughly surround it.
799:. Thomson Gale. 2007
751:), wrote: "The term
548:Archaeological sites
544:of the 7th century.
464:along the ascent of
402:, as opposed to the
1054:Hebrew Bible places
902:Jewish Encyclopedia
704:Geography of Israel
522:Neo-Assyrian Empire
309:Biblical references
161: • Length
106: /
873:15:33-36, 19:40-41
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387:while leaving the
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319:King James Version
169: • Width
73:The Shephela near
1059:Regions of Israel
995:978-0-567-59913-1
930:978-0-19-923666-4
857:978-1-57506-108-5
538:Bar Kokhba revolt
435:semi-arid climate
422:, while north of
323:Bar Kokhba revolt
265:Judaean Mountains
259:in south-central
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244:שְׁפֵלַת יְהוּדָה
240:Judaean Foothills
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141:שְׁפֵלַת יְהוּדָה
110:31.700°N 34.917°E
39:שְׁפֵלַת יְהוּדָה
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426:consists of
416:rainy season
404:Judean Hills
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315:Hebrew Bible
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288:Beit Shemesh
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639:Tel Lachish
498:Tel Lachish
473:Beit Guvrin
224:הַשְּׁפֵלָה
136:Native name
113: /
1048:Categories
936:29 January
803:29 January
728:References
709:Kiryat Gat
570:Beit Jimal
560:Tel Batash
292:Kiryat Gat
238:), or the
204:hašŠəp̄ēlā
196:הַשְּפֵלָה
156:Dimensions
957:Geography
765:Shephelah
753:Shephelah
676:Tel Zayit
609:Tel Halif
585:Tel Burna
518:Tel Erani
510:Tel Zayit
506:Tel Burna
462:Jerusalem
329:Geography
317:. In the
229:romanized
188:Shephelah
969:40566784
693:See also
664:Tel Yona
629:Kharruba
590:Tel Eton
530:Edomites
524:and the
458:Adorayim
424:Ashkelon
408:dolomite
377:calcrete
362:Senonian
354:syncline
280:Ashkelon
267:and the
172:10-15 km
34:Shephela
904:(1906).
619:Jarmuth
565:Maresha
454:Lachish
379:crust (
284:Rehovot
235:haŠfelá
231::
212:
126:Geology
101:34°55′E
98:31°42′N
18:Shfelah
992:
967:
927:
871:Joshua
854:
757:Talmud
715:Latrun
644:Lavnin
634:Keilah
555:Azekah
502:Azekah
412:swamps
385:kirton
373:kirton
369:chalky
366:Eocene
290:, and
276:Ashdod
261:Israel
216:Shfela
148:Hebrew
144:
60:Region
46:Hebrew
42:
1023:BASOR
1021:, in
965:JSTOR
763:, or
761:Sifla
743:, in
681:Zorah
671:]
659:Sokho
600:Imwas
595:Gezer
466:Horon
420:loess
400:chalk
299:Judah
164:55 km
75:Tarum
990:ISBN
938:2017
925:ISBN
883:e.g.
852:ISBN
805:2017
602:and
428:clay
396:marl
389:nari
381:nari
301:and
210:lit.
186:The
749:276
516:,
504:,
500:,
303:Dan
1050::
961:54
959:.
955:.
909:^
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669:he
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