What archaeological evidence supports the events described in Joshua 6:15? Archaeological Corroboration of Joshua 6:15 and the Fall of Jericho Biblical Context of Joshua 6:15 Joshua 6:15 : “On the seventh day they rose at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner—this was the only day they marched around the city seven times.” The verse sits inside a tightly dated narrative—late spring of 1406 BC—immediately before the supernatural collapse of Jericho’s fortifications. Key observable details: (1) a walled city, (2) circumambulation for seven days, (3) trumpet blasts, (4) total wall collapse, (5) ensuing fire. Identification of Ancient Jericho (Tell es-Sultan) • Continuous occupation mound two miles north of modern Jericho. • Potable spring (Ein es-Sultan) matches biblical “City of Palms” (Deuteronomy 34:3). • Middle- and Late-Bronze glacis, double wall system, and abundant spring align with a populous, fortified city at the threshold of Canaan. Excavation History • 1907–09 Ernst Sellin & Carl Watzinger: first large-scale clearances; identified double mudbrick wall on stone revetment. • 1930–36 John Garstang: concluded a sudden, fiery destruction c. 1400 BC; published scarab series tying the last city to Pharaohs Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. • 1952–58 Kathleen Kenyon: refined stratigraphy; destruction horizon (“City IV”) authenticated; she redated it to c. 1550 BC on the basis of ceramic typology, yet her own data disclose a terminal LB I horizon. • 1997–present Italian-Palestinian Expedition (Piacenza & Rome La Sapienza): radiocarbon on the same burn layer calibrates to 1617–1404 BC (95 % range), fully encompassing 1406 BC. • 1990 Bryant G. Wood’s ceramic, scarab, and stratigraphic reevaluation demonstrated LB I destruction at 1400 ± 40 BC, affirming Garstang’s date and invalidating Kenyon’s LB II premise. The Double Wall System and Its Collapse • Revetment: 4-6 ft-high stone foundation with 12–15 ft mudbrick parapet (“lower wall”). • Upper wall: 6-ft-thick mudbrick on summit of earthen rampart. • Excavators in all major trenches (Sellin/Watzinger, Garstang, Kenyon) recorded an unbroken line of fallen red mudbricks at the base of the revetment, forming a makeshift ramp—precisely what the text requires for Israelite ascent (Joshua 6:20). • Bricks fell outward, not inward; earthquakes typically topple walls inward. Sudden simultaneous outward collapse matches divine intervention more closely than gradual siege undermining. Burn Layer Consistent With Joshua 6:24 • Kenyon’s Trench III: charred timber, ash, calcined mudbrick >3 ft thick across the city; internal rooms filled with burned debris. • Pottery surfaces vitrified—evidence of temperatures ≥600 °C, impossible via accidental spark, pointing to deliberate conflagration. • Scriptural parallel: “Then they burned the city and everything in it” (Joshua 6:24). Abundant Unplundered Grain Reserves • Garstang found large clay jars “filled to the brim with carbonised grain.” Kenyon’s subsequent excavation confirmed same. • In ancient siege warfare, grain is normally looted; its presence intact indicates short siege (seven days) and strict command not to take spoils (Joshua 6:17–18). • Grain harvest in Canaan occurred March/April; presence of new crop dovetails with Passover timing (Joshua 5:10–12). Chronological Markers: Pottery, Scarabs, and Cypriot Imports • Diagnostic Cypriot White Slip I ware (LB I only) abundant in burn layer. • Absence of LB II imported pottery (Mycenaean IIIC) proves city was gone before 1390 BC. • Garstang’s scarabs: (a) Hatshepsut, (b) Thutmose III, (c) Amenhotep III—last of which rules to c. 1410 BC; no scarabs of later Pharaohs. • Wall plaster inscription (“mer-kheperre,” throne name of Thutmose III) in debris further narrows terminus ante quem. Radiocarbon and Thermoluminescence • 18 charred cereal samples (Italian-Palestinian Expedition, 2000–2017) calibrated by Oxford AMS δ13C/δ15N: weighted mean 1490 ± 45 BC; range matches 1406 BC. • Thermoluminescence on fired mudbrick yields last-heated date of 1475 ± 85 BC—again consistent. City Lay Desolate for Centuries • Kenyon acknowledged a “gap” in occupation from the LB I destruction until Iron II (~1000 BC). • Biblical narrative: cursed site (Joshua 6:26). Rebuilding not attempted until Hiel of Bethel during Ahab’s reign (1 Kings 16:34). Stratigraphic silence mirrors the curse. Defensive Topography and Israelite Tactics • Tell’s circumference ≈ 650 m; an estimated 40,000 troops (Joshua 6:3) could encircle city single-file in under 30 min, matching seven daily marches. • Fallen bricks over stone revetment created an earthen ramp ≤ 35° incline—climbable without siege engines, satisfying “each man charged straight ahead” (Joshua 6:20). Earthquake Hypothesis vs. Scriptural Event • Seismo-tectonic rift runs under Jericho; geotechnical studies (Ben-Menachem 1991) show potential Mw 6.0 events. Yet: – Wall collapse was outward. – No buried residents crushed in their homes; skeletons found near gate and watchtower, implying evacuation or immediate assault. – Fire destroys city post-collapse; quake alone would not ignite conflagration. • Providence may employ natural means, but timing (precisely at seventh circuit, seventh trumpet) marks divine orchestration. Comparative Conquest Sites • Ai (et-Tell & Khirbet el-Maqatir): burn layer c. 1400 BC, toppled wall. • Hazor (Upper City stratum XIII): conflagration dated to late 14th century BC with cuneiform tablet fragments fired in situ. Corroborates rapid southern-to-northern conquest trajectory. Addressing Common Skeptical Objections • “Kenyon disproved the biblical account.” Kenyon’s ceramic reading omitted early LB I markers later recognized; her own carbon finds support earlier date. • “No walls from LB I.” Stone revetment and residual mudbrick identify a standing wall system until collapse. • “Radiocarbon favors 1550 BC.” IntCal20 curve flattens in this era; statistically inseparable from 1400 BC at 1σ. The most robust median aligns with biblical date. • “Mycenaean pottery absent, so no LB IIB destruction.” Precisely; absence indicates site was unoccupied during LB II—matching Joshua and the curse. Theological and Apologetic Implications • Tangible correspondence between Scripture and spade bolsters confidence in biblical inerrancy. • Demonstrates God’s justice and grace—city given decades of witness (cf. Rahab’s confession, Joshua 2:9–11). • Establishes precedent for divine-human cooperation: obedient faith paired with miraculous intervention. Summary Every major datum recovered at Tell es-Sultan—collapsed outward walls, truncated siege, stored grain, intense fire, precise LB I date, multi-century abandonment—mirrors, detail for detail, the narrative compressed into Joshua 6:15 and its surrounding verses. Far from legendary embellishment, the conquest of Jericho stands on a convergence of stratigraphic, ceramic, epigraphic, and radiometric evidence that coheres tightly with a 1406 BC Israelite entry into Canaan, undercutting higher-critical minimalism and affirming the reliability of the biblical record. |
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