SUMMARY: Excavations at the ancient site of Hazor have unearthed a magnificent staircase in the palace district of the city. Famous for being captured and burned by Joshua during the Israelite conquest of Canaan, Hazor also revealed evidence for a destruction by the Assyrians on their way to ending the kingdom of Israel.
And Joshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms. And they struck with the sword all who were in it, devoting them to destruction: there was none left that breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire. – Joshua 11:10-11 (ESV)
Palace Stairs Show City’s Grandeur
Archaeologists have announced the discovery of a wonderfully preserved staircase at the ancient city of Hazor in northern Israel, site of famous biblical battles, including Joshua’s conquest of Canaan. The Bible’s Book of Joshua describes Hazor as the head of all the kingdoms of Canaan. New finds are beginning to show just how grand and powerful the city was.
“We knew for sure that Hazor’s palace — the biggest and most important Canaanite city in the south of the Levant — will be architecturally impressive.” said Dr. Shlomit Bechar, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Co-Director of excavations. “But this staircase is unique and impressive and suggests what kind of grandeur we are yet to discover.”
Talking with The Times of Israel, Bechar said that as amazing as these stairs are, it may be that they are not the main entrance to the palace, but rather a staircase leading to a lower courtyard, which could then lead to another larger staircase into the large palace complex.
“To find such a grand staircase indicates the building is going to be much more amazing than what we would have expected,” she said. “Nobody expected to find this staircase, which is one of several. It could be that these are leading possibly to another staircase, possibly to another entrance, to another hall in the building. But we don’t know,” she said.
Stairs Match Bible’s Description of Hazor’s Power
So far, seven amazingly preserved basalt stairs have been revealed, each about 15 feet wide. Other smaller sets of stairs were found nearby. According to Bechar, the precision and craftsmanship of this monumental staircase is unprecedented in this era and region, with each stair shaped to fit snugly into place. She intends to continue excavating the staircases in the area in the next several seasons.
Hazor was located on a major trade route connecting Egypt in the south with the Babylonian Empire to the northeast and the Hittite Empire (in modern Turkey) to the northwest. This helped make it the largest city in Canaan/Israel with an estimated population of 20,000 spread between the upper palace district of about 30 acres and a much larger lower city of more than 175 acres.
Teams from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have been excavating the site of Tel Hazor for the last 30 years. During this time, and in earlier excavations, it has been the training ground for some of Israel’s most prominent archaeologists. In the latest season, a group of 90 people from all over the world assisted in the excavations.
Originally unearthed last season the stairs have undergone conservation and are ready for visitors. Tel Hazor National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is open to the public.
Dating the Archeological Finds at Hazor
Early reports of these finds have been a bit fuzzy regarding the dates assigned to them. It appears these stairs were constructed in the Late Bronze Age and then went on to be part of the city destruction and fire that ended that phase of the Canaanite city, as well as the Late Bronze Age in that part of the world. These events are conventionally dated to roughly 1200 BC.
Evidence of a massive fire is seen in the same layer of the city as the staircase. Bechar maintained that the buildings of this phase of the city existed for 200 to 250 years before being destroyed.
“This is exactly the palace that, if you were to go by the biblical narrative, would have been conquered by the Israelites,” Bechar said.
One must keep in mind that Bechar is speaking from the perspective of the majority view of the Ramesses Exodus Theory, which holds that the Exodus occurred in the mid 1200s BC. This would put Joshua’s conquest of Canaan beginning 40 years later with Hazor’s destruction around 1200 BC. For another example of dating the conquest to 1200 BC, see the Update: Is this Solar Eclipse Really Joshua’s Miracle?
However, if one adopts this Ramesses dating for the Exodus and conquest, the archaeological history of the city after this point creates a problem for fitting with the biblical narrative. After Hazor’s destruction at the end of the Late Bronze Age, the archaeological evidence appears to show that it was only rebuilt in a limited way and not strong again until long afterward. The Bible, on the other hand, has Hazor developing into a major power again after the conquest, to the point where its army under the command Sisera, dominates Israel during the time of the biblical judge Deborah.
An earlier phase of history at Hazor, which limited evidence already suggests was also a massive city, must be the one that Joshua defeated and burned. That city may have been even greater than the one with the magnificent staircase recently uncovered. For other evidence in the pattern of evidence matching the exodus and conquest earlier than the time of Pharaoh Ramesses II, see the article: Top 10 Artifacts Show Biblical Exodus was Real History.
Was this Hazor from the Time of Judge Deborah or even King David?
And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD after Ehud died. And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. Then the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years. Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. – Judges 4:1-4
If the Israelite conquest happened earlier in the city’s history, the staircase must pertain to a point later in Israel’s history. According to the Bible, Deborah would go on to lead the Israelites to victory over the powerful city-state of Hazor about 250 years after the conquest. This would fit the archaeology of Hazor being uncovered by the excavation team led by Hebrew University. The Bible does not say whether Deborah’s forces burned Hazor, only that they defeated it, but that is certainly possible.
There is also the possibility that the destruction layer associated with the staircase at Hazor comes from an even more recent period. If the standard archaeological dates are misdated by two or three centuries, as proposed by chronological revisionists, then the staircase might date to the time of King David. For more on this idea, see the past Update: The Real gate of Solomon.
The Bible says that after centuries of being pushed around by foes on every side during the Judges period, David would restore all of Israel’s territory – including the lands to the north where Syria had encroached. Again, the Bible is not explicit about a fiery destruction of Hazor at that time, but it is certainly possible.
David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates. – 2 Samuel 8:3 (ESV)
If this is the case, it would mean that the Israelites at the time of David were the ones to destroy this Late Bronze Age city. David himself may have even ran up these stairs with a torch in hand on his way to burning the palace.
Another find at Hazor linked to Assyrian invasion
According to the Hebrew University press release, part of the remains of the final Israelite settlement at Hazor were also uncovered in a more recent layer of this year’s excavations. Large numbers of shattered pottery vessels were found – evidence of another city destruction here, many centuries after the time of the staircase.
The Bible says that King Solomon built at Hazor, and several hundred years later it was destroyed by the Assyrians under Tiglath-Pileser III. This event is dated to 732 BC, which fits what is known of this destruction layer well.
In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria. – 2 Kings 15:29 (ESV)
Once again, the archaeological remains attest to the accuracy of the Bible’s account – this time to the invasion that would bring about the end of the northern kingdom of Israel.
Final Thoughts
The recent finds of spectacular courtyards and staircases confirm the Bible’s account of the grandeur, wealth and power of Hazor some 3,000 years (or more) ago. The fact that they may fit the Hazor of Deborah’s or David’s day instead of Joshua’s conquest only heightens the anticipation of what may be found in future years – an older city of equal or greater magnitude. Most of the lower city also waits to be uncovered. Evidence fitting the Bible’s account of history continues to roll in. – Keep Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: Stunning staircase and paved entrance hall at Tel Hazor dated to the Late Bronze Age. (Credit: The Selz Foundation Hazor Excavations in Memory of Yigael Yadin)
