The best place to begin a visit to the fortifications of Biblical Israel is Jerusalem. The Israel Museum (www.english.imjnet.org.il) has a splendid collection of Canaanite and Israelite archaeological artefacts from the Bronze and Iron ages, including pottery, seals, weapons and architectural reconstructions, such as the gate of the citadel of Hazor. The Bible Lands Museum (www.blmj.org), located nearby, also has a collection of Biblical artefacts, but its main collection consists of Mesopotamian and Egyptian antiquities, including some interesting models of Ancient Near Eastern cities. The Old City of Jerusalem does not lack interesting spots to visit. In the Jewish Quarter it is possible to see the remains of the northern wall of Biblical Jerusalem, as well as the remains of an Israelite tower. A visit to the City of David and Hezekiah’s Tunnel (www.cityofdavid.org.il), located nearby, offers quite an experience. The Tower of David Museum (www.towerofdavid.org.il) located in the Ottoman citadel is dedicated to the history of Jerusalem through the ages. An important part of the exhibit is dedicated to the development of Jerusalem during the Canaanite and Israelite periods.
The siege of Gangughtu, plate 70 from Paul-Émile Botta and Eugène Flandin’s Monuments de Niniveh (Paris 1849–59). This relief shows the Assyrian infantry surrounding the city. (Author’s collection)
Of equal interest and worth visiting is the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv (www.eretzmuseum.org.il). Here visitors can see a good reconstruction of a ‘four-room house’ as well as the Tel Qasile excavations.
Israel is a small country, and so many of the sites mentioned in this book can be reached from Jerusalem. In the north, the national parks of Megiddo, Dan and Hazor present various remains from the Iron Age. At Megiddo it is possible to see the remains of the Solomonic Gate, the stables and the water system. At Hazor, on the upper city, the remains of the Solomonic gates can be seen together with the citadel, storage rooms, a four-room house, and the impressive water system. In the south, the main attractions are the fort of Arad, the city of Beer-sheba and the remains of Lachish. Details on all the national parks (Tel Dan, Tel Hazor, Tel Megiddo, Tel Arad and Tel Beer-sheba) can be found on the website of the Israel Nature and National Park Protection Authority (www.parks.org.il).
This relief from the Palace of Sennacherib at Nineveh depicts Sennacherib’s camp during the siege of Lachish. (Plate 8 of Archibald Paterson’s Assyrian Sculpture – Palace of Sennacherib, 1915)