Redating the Edomites

In biblical lore, Edom was the implacable adversary and menacing neighbor of the Israelites . . . and from time to time they had to be dealt with by force, notably by the likes of Kings David and Solomon. . .

Exactly when did the nomadic tribes of Edom become an organized society with the might to threaten Israel? Were David and Solomon really kings of a state with growing power in the 10th century B.C.? Had writers of the Bible magnified the stature of the two societies at such an early time in history?

An international team of archaeologists has recorded radiocarbon dates that they say show the tribes of Edom may have indeed come together in a cohesive society as early as the 12th century B.C., certainly by the 10th. The evidence was found in the ruins of a large copper-processing center and fortress at Khirbat en-Nahas, in the lowlands of what was Edom and is now part of Jordan.

Posted by David on June 13, 2006 9:45 PM