Burial tombs excavated by the Israel Antiquities Authority (iaa) in the highlands of the Negev have yielded a plethora of finds that provide insight into the commerce of the Negev and the Near East from the seventh to fifth century b.c.e.
According to a February 5 press release from the Government Press Office, the discoveries include, among other items: jewelry, arrowheads, alabaster cultic artifacts, beads, rare shells and an Egyptian amulet. iaa excavation director Dr. Martin David Pasternak and senior researcher of the iaa, Dr. Tali Erickson-Gini, reported, “The great variety of finds are evidence that this previously unknown site was a place of burial for trade caravans during that period, and burial and cultic practices took place here.”
These tombs are located near the Tlalim Junction, about 22 miles south of Beersheva. These tombs would have been a day’s journey south from the border of the kingdom of Judah. According to the researchers, they are “not found near any sites, settlements or fortresses that could explain their presence …. However, it should be noted that they are situated at a central junction of roads leading through the Negev Highlands to the Arava.”
The report suggests that those who used these burial sites traded several commodities, including slaves: “In light of the presence of special artifacts, we assume that many of the deceased were women, and it is possible that the trade caravans conducted human trafficking.” Numerous texts from the period describe transactions of human property. The Egyptian amulet that was discovered depicted the god Bes, the deity believed to protect women and children.
Archaeologists also discovered numerous flint arrowheads at the site. “The unique concentration of flint artifacts uncovered in the site are unparalleled in Israel and the only source that we know of is Yemen and Oman,” iaa flint tools expert Dr. Jacob Vardi said. This provides evidence that some of the caravans were from as far as modern-day Yemen. These arrowheads were also painted with a rare red ochre dye. “The presence of ochre on these arrowheads may indicate their religious or cultic significance as having special value.”
Arrowheads were not the only artifacts to connect the site to southern Arabia. Archaeologists also discovered alabaster vessels from south Arabia that were made for the transport of resin, which could be turned into incense. Three ostraca incised with southern Arabian names found in Jerusalem from this same time period show that the trade between Judah and southern Arabia was a thriving commercial sector (see Prof. Yigal Shiloh’s 1987 article “South Arabian Inscriptions From the City of David, Jerusalem” for more information). The Ophel Pithos Inscription on display in our exhibit shows that this trade extended back to the 10th century b.c.e.
The Bible also indicates that spice trade was occurring between southern Arabia and the kingdom of Judah in the seventh century b.c.e. Jeremiah lived and prophesied in this time. He quotes God as saying, “To what purpose is to Me the frankincense that cometh from Sheba, And the sweet cane, from a far country?” (Jeremiah 6:20). This spice likely passed through this vital junction; it’s traders likely used these tombs.
Ezekiel also lived while this tomb was in use but after Judah had fallen. In Ezekiel 27, he wrote to the city of Tyre (a major Phoenician city), “The traffickers of Sheba and Raamah, they were thy traffickers; they traded for thy wares with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold” (verses 22-23). Phoenician-style artifacts were also found among the tombs, indicating the existence of this trade between Tyre and the spice traders of Sheba (southern Arabia). Dozens of beads were also found, made from “precious stones.” Again, these traffickers would have journeyed through the junction near these tombs.
Overall, the discovery of these tombs matches very well with the Bible’s description of commercial enterprises of Near Eastern kingdoms in the seventh to fifth century b.c.e.
Director of the iaa Eli Eskosido wrote, “The discovery emphasizes the central role of the Negev in antiquity as an international crossroad and as a gateway for trade and a meeting place of cultures.” This trade was a major economic factor in the kingdom of Judah throughout the last few centuries before its collapse. Hopefully, future excavations and publications from these tombs will yield more information about trade between biblical nations in the seventh to fifth century b.c.e.
