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Jerusalem

The History of Jerusalem

In Jerusalem the past reverberates in the present. Around every corner, in every ditch, basement, living room, bedroom and cafe the past lurks quietly (sometimes not so quietly)  nearby - like an unyielding shadow oblivious to its need for light. Everything in Jerusalem is religious and political - at the same time. The three unmovable forces of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam collide head-on with apocalyptic fervor in her streets, classrooms, boardrooms, churches, mosques and synagogues. There is no other city like Jerusalem in the world.

Why is this city so important to humanity? What forces have fueled the torrents of blood that have flowed through her ancient streets? Why is an appropriate question. For ancient Jerusalem was a city of no real importance or significance. It sat astride no great trading routes of antiquity. It possessed no special features, no wonder of the ancient world, no great scholar, or ruler, or artist. It was, essentially, a backwater mountain town. Its primary attribute was water.  Jerusalem was supplied by one of the few natural water sources in all of Canaan, the Gihon Spring.

The Birth of Jerusalem - Canaan

The biblical land of Canaan, which corresponds to present-day Israel and the West Bank, extended from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Jordan River in the east, and from Mount Hermon in the north to the southern boundary of Beersheba in the Negev Desert. 

Despite its historical significance, Canaan covered a relatively small area of approximately 8,000 square miles—slightly smaller than the U.S. State of New Jersey, which spans 8,723 square miles. Yet this is a geographically diverse land embracing Mediterranean beaches, vast and barren wildernesses, scorching desert, and rocky mountains.

Rising sharply from the coastal plains in the west, the Judaean Mountains form Canaan’s eastern border. These mountains' dramatic rise and fall is dizzying. From Jerusalem to Jericho, the route plummets from 2500 feet above sea level to 825 feet below sea level in just 6/10ths of a mile. 

Like the prickly spine of a porcupine, the Judaean Mountains provided its inhabitants natural defense from marauding invaders and desert bandits. Securely nestled among this mountain range ancient Jerusalem emerged. The Gihon Spring and natural defenses provided by the mountains made Jerusalem a natural place for a settlement to spring up. While not located on any major international trade routes of the time, it did sit astride the main Central Ridge Route running north-south in the Canaan Highlands.

The first signs of settled life in ancient Jerusalem date back to the Chalcolithic Era, some 7000 years ago between the years of 5000 - 4000 BC. Ancient dwellings, complete with well-preserved floors and various fittings, were unearthed by archaeologists. They also found a variety of pottery vessels, flint tools, and a basalt bowl, along with small sickle blades for harvesting cereal crops.

Archaeologists also uncovered chisels and polished axes for building, along with borers and awls, indicating ongoing construction. A single carnelian bead was discovered, which signifies either jewelry was manufactured in the area, or trade with neighboring city-states existed. Ancient Jerusalem was a thriving settlement during this early period of world history.

Burial pottery was discovered in Jerusalem dating to the Early Bronze I period (3300 - 3050 BC). This pottery featured geometric patterns painted in red thin lines by using a delicate brush; the patterns appear to imitate weaving. However, it was during the Early Bronze Age II - III (ca. 3050–2300 B.C.) that intense urbanization began to take place. Peculiar enough, it was Ai that took precedence over Jerusalem during this era.

Located just north of Jerusalem, Ai (modern Khirbet et-Tell) was a prominent urban center during the Early Bronze Age II-III (c. 3000–2300 BCE), spanning approximately 25 acres. At this time, Canaan’s total population is estimated to have been around 150,000 people, with nearly half concentrated in the hill country surrounding Jerusalem. This unprecedented population density in the region—unique to the Early Bronze Age—may have been fueled by the Gihon Spring, Jerusalem’s perennial water source and one of the few reliable natural springs in Canaan.

It was during the Early Bronze Age a fortified settlement sprang up in Jerusalem. The discovery of walls and towers near the Gihon Spring suggests a small urban center had evolved. Massive civil projects in other cities, such as Ai’s 0.5-million-gallon water reservoir, are indicative of strong central governments during this flourishing era.

Jerusalem of the Early Bronze Age was not a major influence in the region. Scholars have tried to connect the biblical narrative, particularly the early chapters of Genesis, to the Early Bronze Age. Although archaeological evidence hasn't concretely linked the Bible to this era, tantalizing echoes of the Early Bronze Age appear in the narrative.

The Early History of Jerusalem (Middle  - Late Bronze Age)

Around 2300 BC the urban centers of Canaan collapsed. For three centuries the land remained sparsely populated. Beginning around 2000 BC things began to change. The onset of the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 2000 - 1550 BC) saw a re-emergence of urban life in Canaan. Canaanite culture emerged as the dominant influence and flourished during this period.

It is in this period, ca.1900 - 1800, the name Jerusalem appears in the Egyptian Execration Texts. These texts are ancient Egyptian inscriptions found on pottery bowls or figurines that contain curses directed at peoples and places considered hostile to Egypt. They formed part of rituals designed to magically neutralize threats against the pharaoh and the Egyptian state.

There were two sets of the Execration Texts, one dating from 1900 B.C. and the other from 1800 B.C. In the first Execration Text ca. 1900 B.C. The first Execration Text lists Jerusalem’s ruler as Yaqir-Ammu.  The second set, ca 1800 B.C., contained longer lists of cities suggesting the reemergence of the city-state in Canaan. In both sets Jerusalem is referred to in Egyptian hieroglyphics as rwsh3mm. Different linguists have transliterated this as Rushalimum, Urushamem, or Urusalim.

The city of Jerusalem experienced growth as well. It was during this time that massive fortified walls appeared in Jerusalem. These walls were 26 feet thick. Furthermore, the excavation revealed the Spring Citadel. This massive Canaanite fortress protected Jerusalem’s Gihon Spring by allowing access to the water solely through a western entrance from within the city.

Just who occupied ancient Jerusalem, and at what time,  is of some debate. The names from the Execration Texts are West Semitic names, specifically Amorite. Thus, most scholars conclude Jerusalem was under Amorite control. This corroborates Joshua 10, which describes the Southern Campaign of Joshua’s Conquest. In Joshua 10 the Israelites take on the “five kings of the Amorites”, the first of which mentioned is Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem.

A third independent reference to Jerusalem is discovered in The Amarna Letters (14th century B.C.). Abdi-Heba is king of Jerusalem under Egyptian vassalage in these letters. He pleads for military assistance against invaders and attackers. At one point pharaoh sent 50 archers to station inside of Jerusalem. Jerusalem’s attackers in the Amarna Letters are called the Habiru. These letters speak to ancient Jerusalem ca. 1350 B.C.

While no direct connection has been made to the Conquest and the Amarna Letters, the two speak to common themes and possess common elements. The term Habiru and Hebrew are very similar linguistically and a topic of debate among scholars. Are the Hebrews mentioned in the Amrana Letters? What is clear is that Jerusalem’s strategic location in the mountains of Judaea made it a popular target of would-be conquerors - and Israel was one of those.

Jerusalem in the Old Testament

Abraham is believed to have lived in the Middle Bronze Age. The Seder Olam Rabbah - a 2nd-century CE Hebrew language chronology - places Abrahams’ birth in 1812 BC.  Early Church Fathers like Jerome & Eusebius place Abraham ca. 2000 BC. Other scholars, using calculations from Genesis 11 - 25, agree with the Early Church Fathers and place Abraham’s life ca. 2166–1991 BC.

Thus his encounter with Melchizedek fits within the historical record of Jerusalem/Salem’s existence. Melchizedek is a mystery. Was this a person? A priest? A king? Was this a title, perhaps, and not a specific person?

But we know about Jerusalem during the time of Abraham. While Abraham’s precise time period is unknown, nearly all scholars place him either in the Late Early Bronze Age (ca. 2300 - 2000 BC), but most likely the first leg of the Middle Bronze Age (2000 - 1550 BC). As shown above, Jerusalem was a well-fortified city likely ruled by Canaanites, and at various time under Egyptian vassalage.

Interestingly enough, while Joshua and the Israelites, or the Hebrews, were successful in the campaign against the Amorite kings referenced above, they did not seize control of Jerusalem (Cf. Judges 1:8-21). This confirms the Amarna Letters, which perhaps date from the same period and  shows Jerusalem under Canaanite rule.

The extent of the Israelite occupation of Jerusalem is a topic of debate, but it is clear they did not rule the city. Judges 8:21 states;

“And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.”

The ruling people of Jerusalem in the book of Joshua thus confirms the Amarna Letters. The city was under Canaanite control, specifically the Jebusites, who had renamed the city Jebus. They remained in control of Jerusalem until the time of David, ca. 1000 B.C. and the onset of Iron Age IIA (1000 - 925 B.C.).

It is during the era of King David that Jerusalem becomes the eternal capital of Israel. The City of David presumably assimilated the existing Jebusite city. Jebus was located on a narrow spur bound on the east by the Kidron brook, and on the west by the Tyropoeon Valley. The House of David is honored by Yahweh above all other houses, and Jerusalem is established as not only the capital city of a united Israel, but also the residence of Yahweh Himself in the temple.

During King David's rule, Jerusalem became Israel's capital city. The City of David likely absorbed the earlier Jebusite settlement called Jebus, which was built on a narrow ridge between the Kidron Valley to the east and the Tyropoeon Valley to the west. Yahweh chose Jerusalem to be the eternal capital of Israel, and David’s house would be honored above all others. Jerusalem  became the political center of a united Israel. David would also make it a religious hub. By the time of Jesus, approximately 1000 years later, Jerusalem was the beating heart of Israel. 

David brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. His son & successor, King Solomon, would build the First Temple and house the Ark in the Holy of Holies. Solomon’s temple would stand until 586 B.C. when it fell to the Babylonians.

Jerusalem took center stage in the Iron Age and has not relinquished that role today. Three thousand years after David, and 4000 years since Abraham and Melchizedek, Jerusalem remains tied to the Jews and the nation of Israel.

The Jebusites, despite certain spurious claims otherwise, have disappeared into history, along with the Amorites, Philistines, Amalekites and their Canaanite brethren. But Israel remains. And she claims Jerusalem as her eternal capital. A divided city in a divided land. A city where the past reverberates in the present.

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Note to Readers

In this new age of AI we feel it is important to have transparency as to how thehistoryofisrael.com utilizes & implements AI. While AI provides an incredible amount of information in seconds, it must be monitored and checked as well.  This article has used, in part,  AI information generated from ChatGPT and DeepSeek. However, all AI is verified by additional sources and is not the sole source of information, nor taken for granted as being accurate. All sources, whether through AI generated responses or old-fashion  human research, are double checked for accuracy.  Grammar and lexicon also utilizes AI generated feedback, but as a guide and reference rather than a verbatim copy & paste.

The human effort remains a necessary component of our work.

SOURCES

https://library.biblicalarchaeology.org/department/jerusalems-golden-tomb/

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jerusalem-from-canaanite-city-to-israelite-capital#:~:text=The%20long%20history%20of%20Jerusalem,the%20enemies%20of%20the%20king/

https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9357/map-of-canaan/

https://www.sci.news/archaeology/chalcolithic-period-settlement-jerusalem-03642.htm

Kline, Erich.  (2004). Jerusalem Besieged: From Ancient Canaan to Modern Israel. The University of Michigan Press.

Mazar, A. (1990). Archaeology of the Land of the Bible: 10,000–586 BCE. Doubleday.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/canaanite-fortress-discovered-in-the-city-of-david/

Lawler, Andrew. (2021). Under Jerusalem. Anchor Books.

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