Bronzemaking From the Time of King David

The earliest evidence of bronze production in the southern Levant—with links to Edom’s surge in copper production

By Armstrong Institute Staff • October 1

Excavations at el-Ahwat in the highlands of ancient Israel have uncovered the earliest evidence of bronze production in the entire southern Levant, with links to Edom’s surge in copper production in the Arabah Valley south of the Dead Sea. The discovery was recently published in a PLOS One paper titled “First Evidence of Bronze Production in the Iron Age I Southern Levant: A Direct Link to the Arabah Copper Polity.” On today’s program, host Brent Nagtegaal speaks with lead author Dr. Tzilla Eshel from the University of Haifa about the discovery and what it means for early trade networks and the metalworking abilities of the hill country population from 3,000 years ago.

Show Notes

First evidence of bronze production in the Iron Age I southern Levant: a direct link to the Arabah copper polity