Khirbet Qeiyafah

Town Ruins at Top of Hill, March 2016

Khirbet Qeiyafa above the Elah Valley is the site of a 10th century BCE double gated Hebrew town south of Beth Shemesh and in close proximity to Azekah. In the Hebrew Bible it was stated that King David lived and fought in this area. Archaeology has confirmed there were both Semitic and Pelleset (Philistine) styles of pottery in this region. The Philistines were along the coastal plains, while the Hebrews held the hill country and its fertile valleys.  

The Philistines were amongst a group of Sea People from the Eastern Mediterranean islands who attacked Egypt during the time of Ramesses III. The Egyptians turned back their invasion fleet in the Nile delta as recorded in their annals discovered by Egyptologists. The Philistines (Pelleset) settled along the coast primarily between Gaza and the Yarkon River at Tel Aviv. The Hebrews were already in these hills when the Pelleset arrived. It is thought the Semitic people who originally inhabited the coast where forced up into the hills by the Philistine immigrants. Archaeologists found Israeli hill country towns were expanding in the Early Iron Age (1200 BCE - 1000 BCE) as Egyptian dominance was diminishing.  

There were likely skirmishes between the early Semitic people and the Philistines who had different cultures. Whether or not the Bible accurately recorded them is subject to debate. The fortified gates and walls are evidence the people at Khirbet Qeiyafa lived in fear of attack. The two peoples coexisted in this region for centuries after this town was built. They lived in separate towns. 

The gates were reconstructed from partial remains of the town. 

South Gate, March 2016

West Gate, March 2016

Town Walls, March 2016

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Written by David Q. Hall  dqhall59@yahoo.com

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