Summary: Could recently discovered carved stone blocks be part of a palace from the northern Kingdom of Israel in the Biblical city of Mahanaim?
And when Jacob saw [the angels] he said, “This is God’s camp!” So he called the name of that place Mahanaim. – Genesis 32:2 (ESV)
Tall adh-Dhahab, Jordan
Evidence has been discovered recently in Jordan of a possible ancient Israelite palace built around 2,800 years ago. Ten stone blocks with carvings of lions and banquet scenes were unearthed at the archaeological site of Tall adh-Dhahab al-Gharbi in the valley of the az-Zarqa River, called the Jabbok River in the Bible.
The iconographic details on the blocks are typical of the area’s monumental public architecture, according to the researchers, suggesting they were part of a government complex. The structures date to the first half of the 8th century BC, during the prosperous period of the northern Kingdom of Israel.
Based on the data collected, experts say the location corresponds to the Biblical site of Mahanaim, named by the patriarch Jacob. The discovery not only provides new evidence of Israelite expansion in the region but also sheds light on how architecture reflected the dimension of power and culture in ancient times.
Biblical Mahanaim: Two Camps
Genesis 32 gives the famous account of how Jacob received his new name Israel, as he made his way home to Canaan from Padan-aram, where he had lived with his father-in-law Laban for 20 years, gaining wives, children and possessions. During this journey, he called a special place Mahanaim which means “two camps.”
Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God’s camp!” So he called the name of that place Mahanaim [two camps]. – Gen. 32:1-2
Afterward, when he learned that his rival and brother Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men, he divided his company into two groups thinking that if Esau attacked one, the other might escape (Gen. 32:6-8). Jacob’s family and possessions had grown so large in Padan-aram that as he considered his two encampments he thanked God for blessing him.
I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. – Gen. 32:10
During that night, Jacob had his amazing encounter with God, wrestling with him till dawn when Jacob’s hip was put out of joint, and he was renamed “Israel” (Gen. 32:22-32). Jacob’s mysterious opponent is called an “angel” (messenger) in Hosea 12:4 and “God” in Hosea 12:5 and Genesis 32:28, 30.
Mahanaim was located near the Jabbok River on the border between Gad and Manasseh (Josh. 13: 26,30). It became one of the Trans-Jordanian cities of refuge (Josh. 21:38) and a Levitical city (1 Chron. 6:80).
During the time of the Israelite monarchy, Mahanaim was an important place, most often mentioned in the Bible in connection with David. Saul’s son Ishbosheth reigned and was murdered at Mahanaim, while David reigned at Hebron (2 Sam. 2:8,12; 4:5-7). Later, when Absalom rebelled, David fled from Jerusalem to Mahanaim where he mustered his forces (17:24-27; 19:32). Then, while sitting at the gate of this town, David expressed immense grief after hearing of Absalom’s death.
Mahanaim is also referenced in 1 Kings 4:14, as the seat of Ahinadab, one of Solomon’s twelve officers.
“Exceptional” Carved Stone Slabs
The carved stone blocks unearthed at the Biblical site of Mahanaim are likely remains from the time when the Kingdom of Israel ruled over part of this region, said the team of archaeologists from Tel Aviv University’s (TAU) Institute of Archaeology. Their findings were published last November in the peer-reviewed journal Tel Aviv in a research article called, “An Israelite Residency at Mahanaim in Transjordan?”
The team found connections when comparing the carvings on the blocks with other drawings found at a different well-known site called Kuntillet Arjud, said study authors Prof. Israel Finkelstein of Haifa University and Prof. Tallay Ornan from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The Arjud site is a small Israelite outpost located in eastern Sinai, more than 155 miles from Mahanaim. This site was excavated in the 1970s and is known for inscriptions, murals and decorated jars that were found within its walls.
“We analyzed exceptional carved stone slabs featuring lions and banquet scenes,” said Finkelstein on a social media post, “suggesting they were part of a monumental structure built during the Kingdom of Israel’s rule in the region around 2,800 years ago.”
Seven of the blocks revealed “iconographic features or themes that are to be considered elements of public architecture of either a palace or an elaborate gate, most probably component/s of a governmental compound,” the researchers noted. Three of the blocks looked to be pictures from a banquet scene.
The evidence of a strong administrative Israelite presence in Transjordan helps us understand why key foundational Biblical stories were set in this area, said the study’s authors Finkelstein and Ornan.
Az-Zarqa River: Biblical Jabbok
The study centers on two adjacent mounds within a loop in the az-Zarqa River located a little over 3 ½ miles east of the Jordan River. The western hill, known today as Tall adh-Dhahab al-Gharbi, is where the incised blocks were found along with the remains of an ancient town occupied during multiple periods in antiquity. Across the river is Tall adh-Dhahab al-Sharqi, which has sparser archaeological remains, possibly from a single ancient shrine.
For more than a century, scholars have identified the az-Zarqa River as the Biblical Jabbok, the tributary of the Jordan described as flowing through the Gilead, the name the Bible gives to this region of Transjordan. They also identify the twin hills of al-Gharbi and al-Sharqi, as, respectively, the Biblical town of Mahanaim and the adjacent temple of Penuel.
Common Iconography
The iconography found on the blocks of Mahanaim are considered quite common across the Near East and can broadly be described as Syro-Hittite imagery, according to Ornan.
The banquet scenes include depictions of a lyre player and a man carrying a goat for a feast. Other pictures show fragmentary scenes of horses, a lion hunt and a Voluted tree. This type of palm tree is stylized with curled branches and is also known as the Tree of Life, an important religious symbol across the Levant, representing fertility and protection from evil.
The standardized use, from Mahanaim to Ajrud, of artistic conventions and symbols that were common throughout the Near East strongly suggests that the Israelites were very much part of the broader artistic and cultural milieu of ancient Canaan, said Ornan. This matches the Bible’s claim that the Israelites were quick to adopt the ways of the cultures around them including idol worship.
Conclusion
This new study of artifacts from Mahanaim points to the active presence of the Israelite kingdom in the area, which connects to several Biblical accounts. During the eras of both the First and Second Temples, Jewish sovereignty at times extended east of the Jordan River, although archaeological evidence about the details has been scarce.
“Recent finds at Tall adh-Dhahab al-Gharbi in the valley of the Jabbok seem to change this, shedding important light on Israel in Transjordan,” said the researchers.
Keep Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: Tulul adh-Dhahab (Jordan): Archaeological excavation of the TU Dortmund led by Prof. Dr. Th. Pola on the uppermost plateau of the western hill, 2008 campaign. View to the East. (credit: Jorre (Jochen Reinhard), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
