Azekah

Azekah ( heb. עזקה, Αζηκα Septuagint - the name means cave ) is a town in Judah. It is located in the Shephelah, the coastal plain between the Judean mountains and the Mediterranean.

Biblical findings

Azekah is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible seven times. In Jos 10:10 EU, the city is mentioned as a theater of war for the conquest of the Israelites. Accordingly, Azekah is also in the list of occupied cities in Jos 15,35 EU. Also in 1 Sam 17.1 EU Azekah is theater of war. In Jer 34.7 EU is reported from the city that they could withstand the onslaught of the king of Babylon.

Neh 11,30 EU leads Azekah, among other places than populated area in the post-exilic time.

The foundation of the city in 2 Chr 11,9 EU is attributed to King Rehoboam of Judah. However, the note probably dates only from the 7th century

Archaeological development

Azekah is today identified with the archaeological site Tell Zakarīye. End of the 18th century began Frederick J. Bliss and RA Stewart Macalister with the excavations at Tell. They uncovered a bell-shaped grave, which was decorated with several crosses. In a larger cave they found Christian graffiti. The pottery found indicate a settlement in the Byzantine period. From this period also a bath house, whose structures were, however, found off the mound. Subsequent settlement structures are not found. Of them is told only in the travelogues of Felix Fabri.

Tell the name of the place Zakarīye received by the map of Madaba, which shows a church of St. Zacharias there, which suggest and late sources such as Theodosius. It is probably also by Theodosius to a station on the pilgrimage route from Ashkelon to Jerusalem.

Today there are still some walls and caves to see.