Biblical Archaeology Review - January-February 2018

10

QUERIES&COMMENTS

January/February 2018

unexpectedly march into Idumea,
without bloodshed; and made a sudden
attack upon the city Hebron, and took
it” (War 4.529).
Am I missing something here?
AL SCHLAF
DES MOINES, IOWA

David Ben-Shlomo replies: There was
possibly a misunderstanding regarding
my statement about Hebron not being
mentioned in external texts. I meant that
Hebron is mentioned several times in the
Old Testament but is not mentioned in
any external Bronze Age or Iron Age texts.
An exception would be the appearance
of Hebron as one of the four cities of the
LMLK seal impressions (H
̇

BRN) during
the end of the Iron Age. This is interesting
especially because Hebron and its fortifica-
tions are described in the Old Testament
as very ancient: “built seven years before
Zoan in Egypt” (Numbers 13:22).
Regarding the Second Temple period
and Josephus, Hebron is mentioned several

times, yet the construction of the monu-

mental mausoleum on top of the Tombs of

the Patriarchs by Herod the Great is not

explicitly mentioned. However, Josephus

might have mentioned this construction

indirectly in a passage relating to the tomb

of the patriarchs: “Their tombs are shown

in this little town to this day, of really fine

marble and of exquisite workmanship”

(Wa r 4.531–532).

THE TEMPLE MENORAH

Missing History and Mystery?

The article by Fredric Brandfon on the

history of the Temple Menorah (“Did the

Temple Menorah Come Back to Jerusa-

lem?” BAR, September/October 2017)

was a remarkably thorough account, save

for one omission.

Jordanes tells us that Alaric moved

south in Italy with his booty, but turned

back, and then died suddenly. He was

then buried somewhere in the bed of the

Busento River with much of his booty.

That supposedly might have included

the Menorah, along with other Temple

objects looted from Rome.

The account is of debatable histori-

cal value, but it surely should have been

included as a variant on the Menorah’s

obscure history.

JOHN W. BARKER

PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF HISTORY

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN—MADISON

Fredric Brandfon responds: Thank you

for highlighting the story of Alaric and

the Temple Treasure, possibly taken from

Rome in 410 C.E. As historians, we are

constantly making judgments about what

we think is important and what we think

is less so.

I make only oblique reference to Alaric

in my article when I say that Procopius

reported the sack of Rome by the Visigoths

and their alleged capture of the “treasures

of Solomon the King of the Hebrews.”

CONTINUES ON PAGE 66