Gibeon (ancient city)

Gibeon ( Hebrew: " Hill City ", "City on the Hill " ) was the major city of the Gibeonites, and is in the Old Testament, primarily in Jos 9 EU mentioned. It is identified with el- Jib. It was up in late antiquity time a center of viticulture.

On a relief of Pharaoh Shoshenk ( 945-924 BC) at Karnak is mentioned the place.

Topography

Gibeon was in the land of the Hivites (Josh. 9.7 EU) or Horites (1 Mos 36.2 to 20 EU) in the north- west of Jerusalem and was part of the territory of Benjamin ( Jos 18,25 EU). It was a large city with able-bodied men (Joshua 10.2 EU) and belonged to the tribe land of King Saul.

The location of Gibeon is difficult to determine. In general, it is assumed the place in the present village of Ed- Jib (also: El- Djib ), about 9 km north- west of Jerusalem.

Archeology

The archaeologist James B. Pritchard of the University of Pennsylvania dug the place in 6 campaigns from 1956-1962. Finds from the middle and late Bronze Age are known, massive walls of the early Iron Age, and a large basin could be exposed. It was equated with the water basin of Gideon.