Biblical Hebrew Forum

[George Athas <gathas AT mail.usyd.edu.au>]

Ian Hutchesson wrote:

> [...]I think there is enough evidence from archaeology and epigraphy to
> frequently point in the other direction. We know about Sargon's usurpation
> of the throne of Kish from purely archaeological and epigraphic materials.
> We know about the Hittites and their internal politics mainly through the
> archaeological and epigraphic remains of Hattushish, Egypt and Mesopotamia.
> >From the trade records at Ebla we get a reflection of the Mari political
> situation. Also from the Ebla materials we have a good understanding of the
> internal palace workings. The eclipse of a city at a particular time shows
> political shifts. As a more recent example of archaeological and epigraphic
> work, the coins of a society often give us better information about the
> internal political situation than we get from written sources (especially
> true in Rome).

But Ian, these societies were already well developed at the time, with an 
already
existent infrastructure and political system which had been place for a long 
time. In
1000 BCE, Israel and Judah didn't have a well developed political structure.
Best,
GEORGE ATHAS
Dept of Semitic Studies,
University of Sydney
- Email: gathas AT mail.usyd.edu.au
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