Top Ten Discoveries Related to Joshua and the Conquest
The books of Joshua and Judges describe the settlement of the Israelites in the Promised Land. Some have suggested the archaeological evidence does not support the biblical description of the conquest of Canaan in the 15th century BC. This can be based on a faulty reading of the biblical text, expecting widespread destruction throughout the region and instantaneous new cultural remains signalling the arrival of the Israelites.
The Context of the Biblical Narrative
One needs to understand the Bible describes a limited, prolonged conquest of Canaan, with the Israelites living amidst the local population whom they failed to completely defeat. Numerous scholars have noted that the Israelites did not immediately take over the entire land, destroy all the cities, re-build their own cities and establish their own distinct, material culture. Kenneth Kitchen, for example states, “The book of Joshua in reality simply records the Hebrew entry into Canaan... This is not the sweeping, instant conquest-with-occupation that some hasty scholars would foist upon the text of Joshua.” Simply put, the distinct archaeological record of their presence would be limited, and would begin to appear over a period of time.
Top Archaeological Evidence
This isn’t to say that there is no evidence of the Israelite conquest of Canaan under Joshua. Here are the top discoveries that demonstrate the historical reliability of the biblical description:
10. Burn Layers at Jericho, Ai, and Hazor
God promised the Israelites that they would live in most of the Canaanite cities once they had taken them: “I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them.” (Joshua 24:13). In fact, the book of Joshua records that only three cities were destroyed by fire: Jericho (Josh. 6:24), Ai (Josh 8:28), Hazor (Josh. 11:11). Interestingly, there are 15th century BC destruction layers at all three sites. Details regarding these sites include:
- Jericho: While the destruction of Jericho (City IV) is controversial, the fiery destruction has been dated by some scholars to the 15th century. Numerous jars of burned grain were found in the remains of the Canaanite homes, affirming the biblical description of the battle occurring in the spring of the year.
- Ai: A 15th-century destruction layer was discovered at the fortress of Ai. Excavations at Khirbet el-Maqatir revealed ample pottery dating to the Late Bronze Age I, much of which had been refired in a site-wide conflagration.
- Hazor: The Canaanite city of Hazor has two significant destruction layers: a 15th century BC destruction, which should be attributed to Joshua, and a 13th century BC destruction layer. Archaeologist Douglas Petrovich notes that the Hazor of Joshua’s day clearly was destroyed by a massive conflagration.
9. Walls of Jericho
The first city the Israelites conquered in Canaan was Jericho. The Bible describes the moment the city was taken: “So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown... and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city.” (Josh. 6:2). Excavations at Tell es-Sultan (Old Testament Jericho), have revealed two city walls: an inner wall and an outer wall. This physical evidence aligns with the scriptural account of the city's defenses.