Recent discoveries by archaeologists indicate a discovery of the biblical kingdom of Edom, often presumed by secular historians as a “biblical myth.”
Sky News reports that scientists have uncovered technological advances made by the ancient people that could indicate Edom existed.
Edom was a neighboring enemy state of Judea located southeast of the Dead Sea. According to the Christian Post, Edom is mentioned over a hundred times in the Old Testament and was born from the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s twin brother.
According to the Sunday Times, the discovery “flies in the face of many historians who have dismissed [Edom’s existence] as a myth.”
Researchers from the University of California and Tel Aviv University made the discovery in the Arabah Valley. They excavated a 6,000-year-old copper production site called “Slaves’ Hill.” Layers of smelting waste from the copper helped scientists create a picture of the “technological leap” those in the region made.
Scientists used a process called radiocarbon dating to put a timeframe on the smelting waste, also known as slag. It revealed lower concentrations of copper, which told the researchers that more had been extracted. This leap, according to team leader Erez Ben-Yosef, shows how society progressed from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. Workers became more efficient in the second half of the 10th century BC with the techniques discovered here becoming more common in different sites across the region.
“Our study sheds new light on the emergence of the archaeologically elusive biblical kingdom of Edom, indicating that the process started much earlier than previously thought,” he said.
“That said, the study’s contribution goes beyond the Edomite case, as it provides significant insights on ancient technological evolution and the intricate interconnections between technology and society.
“The results demonstrate that the punctuated equilibrium evolutionary model is applicable to ancient technological developments and that in turn, these developments are proxies for social processes.”
Photo courtesy: Creative Commons/Kingdoms of the Levant Map
