Weapons, burnt wooden beams, dozens of coins and a fortified structure from the Hellenistic period – tangible evidence of a battle that took place between the Hasmoneans and the Slovaks about 2,100 years ago, are currently being unearthed in the Antiquities Authority’s excavations in the Lachish Forest area. The excavations are being carried out as part of the project to establish the Derech Malkei Yehuda in cooperation with the Jewish National Fund, funded by a landmark project at the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage, and with the participation of students from Eretz Israel and Archeology.
Emil Elgam, Israel Antiquities Authority
According to Saar Ganor, Vladik Lifshitz and Achinam Montagio, excavation directors on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “The site we uncovered illustrates, in fact, the stories of Hanukkah. We seem to have discovered a structure “Hasmonean attack. But according to the findings on the ground, the Slovak defense did not succeed; the structure we discovered underwent significant destruction and burning by the Hasmoneans.”
A structure that was designed as a well-fortified unit was discovered in the excavation. The outer walls, which were not less than 3 m wide, were built of large stones, and an external wall shaped like a slope, which protects against climbing. In its interior, the fortified building was divided into seven rooms, which were preserved to an extraordinary height of c. 2 m. A staircase, which led to a second floor, which did not survive, was exposed in the excavation. It can be estimated that the height of the building was about 5 m.
The site where the fortified structure was exposed is located at the top of a high hill, which dominated the main road that passed through the Lachish River, and which connected, in ancient times, between the coastal plain and the main mountain boulevard. From the building you can overlook Marsa – the largest city in the area, which was the capital of Adomia in the Hellenistic period.
Students from the Ministry of Education’s Studies in Israel and Archeology, from schools in Be’er Sheva, Dimona and Nitzan, participated in the excavation, as part of the administration, education and rapprochement of the community led by the Israel Antiquities Authority. Students discover their history “through their hands” as part of their studies for a matriculation certificate in the profession and turning the archeological excavation into a learning scientific laboratory. In addition, students from the Asher Ruach preparatory school for at-risk youth from Mitzpe Ramon took part in the excavations, as part of a week aimed at making a significant contribution to the community.
Saar Ganor, Israel Antiquities Authority
During the excavation, thousands of large stones were removed, which collapsed from the top of the building. A layer of intense destruction, about half a meter thick, was discovered below them. Within this stratum, hundreds of finds were discovered – including pottery, slingshots, iron weapons, burnt wooden beams, and dozens of coins that can be dated to the end of the second century BCE.
On the finds and coins, the destruction of the structure can be attributed to the conquests of the Hasmonean John Hyrcanus by the area of Adumea, around 112 BC, archaeologists say.
The Hasmoneans, who began their rebellion against the Hellenistic rule and the House of Celebus, following the decrees of Antiochus IV and harming their Jewish lifestyles, waged many battles against the Slovak army. The conquests of John Hyrcanus, described in the Book of Maccabees and by the historian Yosef ben Matityahu, led to the expansion of the Hasmonean state to the south.
According to Eli Escozido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “The stories of the Maccabees are revived before our eyes, and this is the magic of the Antiquities Authority’s work: “The Hellenists, who then led, for the first time, to the establishment of an independent and sovereign Jewish entity. The Hasmoneans certainly could not have imagined that in 2,000 years, students living in the State of Israel would follow in their footsteps. It is unusually exciting.”
At the end of the excavations, the building will be preserved and developed, and it will open to the general public in cooperation with the southern part of the Jewish National Fund, as one of the points of visit on the “Road of the Kings of Judah”.