A Woman King?

August 3, 2009

She wrote that bands of rough people and rebels had entered the region. Historians have tried to trace the origin of the tablets. “The big question became, 'What city did she rule?'” say Lederman and Bunimovitz. They believe that she ruled as king (rather than “queen,” which at the time described the wife of a male king) over a city of about 1,500 residents. A few years ago, Professor Nadav Naaman, also of TAU, suggested that she might have ruled the city of Beit Shemesh, but there has been no proof until now.

“It was a very well-to-do city,” says Lederman. “Strangely, such extensive destruction, like what we found in our most recent dig, is a great joy for archaeologists because people would not have had time to take their belongings. They left everything in their houses. The site is loaded with finds.”

Excerpts from an article by www.israel21c.org

Photo Credit: Photos from an article by www.israel21C.org

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