vi. ANTIQUITIES. —At a time approximately dated B.c. 2800, the Akkadians from the lower Tigris were sending ships to Sinai for granite (Tel- loh inscriptions of Gudea), and cutting cedars in Amanus (Amalum), and it is not improbable that they entered Palestine as did Amraphel (Aham- murabi) and Arioch (Friaku), who raided (Gn 145-17) through Bashan, Moab, and Edom to Kadesh- barnea, returning by En-gedi up the Jordan Valley to Dan, and to the land of Hobah north of Dam- ascus. The date of the participators in this alleged early Chaldean raid may possibly be fixed by the cuneiform tablets c. B.C. 2300 (see above, p. 647"). During the same period the Men or Minyans(Jer51”, but see KAT? ad loc.) were ruling in Lower Egypt, and are said in Egyp. records (see Brugsch, i. 234) to have come from Assyria and from east of Syria, robably from near Lake Van. Their language, ike the Akkadian, appears (Tel el-Amarna tablets, No. 24, Berlin) to have been Mongolic, and they adored Set, a deity worshipped by the Hittites, to whom they were probably akin. It is not im- possible, therefore (but see above, p. 646"), that at
During the
this early period a Hittite tribe may have been ~
established among the Amorites in the south at Hebron (Gn 23), though in the later times of the Heb. conquest and in Solomon’s age (Jos 1,1 K 4”) the Hittites are confined to North Syria. Ip the lowest strata of the mound at Lachish pottery as well as flint instruments occur, ant may belong to this period, and with these a signet which appears to have on it both Egyptian and Hittite hieroglyphics. To this early period may also be attributed the rude stone monuments, which are numerous in Moab, and which also occur near the Jabbok, at Rabbath-ammon, and near SOf in Northern Gilead, as well as in the Jaulin. There are three or four examples in
δῦ4 PALESTINE
PALESTINE
Upper Galilee, and a group west of Tell el-Kadi (Dan), but none are known in Western Palestine south of the Sea of Galilee. These monuments resemble those of our own islands, including monumental pillars (maggébéth of the Hebrew), circles of village enclosure stones (jdzérim, Arab. hadhr), and tables supported on upright or flat stones, such as are called cromlechs or dolmens in Britain. The Moabite examples of the latter class of monuments cannot have been sepulchral, and were never covered over with mounds like the tomb-chambers of Europe. sro can only (in many instances) have served as tables, probably as altars, and they have often ‘cup hollows’ in the top stone, fitted for libations, such as are still
ured into similar cup hollows in the north of
urope. The distribution of these monuments is remarkable, since they have disappeared from the regions in which Hezekiah and Josiah (2 K 18* 23*-®) destroyed the Canaanite altars and pillars, surviving cal in regions beyond the influence of the kings oe iadal They occur on Nebo (cf. Nu 23"), and at Dan, both of which were centres of idolatrous worship.
The monumental history of Palestine from Egyp. sources begins about B.C. 1700 (Brugsch’s date), before which time the foreign kings of the Delta (Minyans or Hyksos) were in communication with ‘the north.’ Ahmes, first of the new native dynasty from Thebes (the 18th), drove the Asiatics from the Delta, and pursued them to Sharuhen (Tell esh-Sheri'ah) on the borders of Palestine. Thothmes 1. marched into Palestine and Syria, and beyond the Euphrates, about B.c. 1633; and a generation later Thothmes III. won a great victory at Megiddo in Central Palestine, defeating a league of Canaanites and Hittites, and pursuin his conquests through Pheenicia by Aradus an Tunep, and beyond the Euphrates. The list of cities conquered in Palestine, about B.C. 1600, includes those of Philistia, Lower Galilee, and Bashan, as far as Ashtaroth and Damascus; but none appear to be mentioned in Samaria or Upper Judea, or in Gilead or Moab. The Egyp. chariots could not enter these rugged mountains. Among the 119 towns in Palestine mentioned on this valu- able list at Karnak (first published by Mariette) the following cities noticed in the Bible are found in the order here given :—Megiddo, Gaza, Dothan, Rabbith, Kartan, Damascus, Edrei, Abila (of Bashan), Hammath, Madon, Lasharon, Ashtaroth, Maachah, Laish, Hazor, Adami, Kishion, Shunem, Misheal, Achshaph, Taanach, Ibleam, Anem, Kadesh (of Issachar), Anaharath, Nekeb, Joppa, Lod, Ono, Shochoh (near Adullam), Naamah, peat, Rakkon, Gerar, Aroer (of Simeon), Lebaoth, Rehoboth, Adoraim, Anim, Gezer, Rabbath, Zorah, Anem, En-gannim (of Judah), Gibeah (of Judah), and Zephathah. These cities therefore all bore their biblical names in B.C. 1600, before the Exodus, and the list has the highest value for critical purposes. The civilization of the Canaanites at this period as described in the spoil lists of Thothmes 11. is most remarkable. All the precious metals were in use; art objects from Phoenicia and Assyria were imported ; ivory was used for inlay- ing ; chariots Bee eet with gold and silver, or painted ; armour of bronze, and iron weapons are noticed with flint axes. Thrones, footstools, and sceptres, of precious wood, were adorned with gold and ivory; tables were set with gems; and tents had pillars of iron and of gold. The cities had walls, and fine harvests of wheat and barley were reaped, while horses and flocks were captured by the Egyptians. Statues with heads of gold are also mentioned. Wine, oil, honey, balm, and fruits were presented. Even the ploughs seem to have been adorned with gold ; ead cedar wood was