Gibeon Winery and Inscribed Jar Handles
Rock-cut wine cellars and handles stamped 'Gibeon' that fixed the city's identity
Found 1956 — James B. Pritchard (University of Pennsylvania Museum), excavations 1956–62
Where El-Jib, 10 km northwest of Jerusalem (West Bank (Palestinian Territories))
Dates from 8th–early 6th century BCE · Iron Age IIB–C · Late kingdom of Judah; Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) and Gedaliah
Now at Site at el-Jib; finds divided between the Penn Museum, Philadelphia, and the Jordan Archaeological Museum, Amman
How Gibeon Winery and Inscribed Jar Handles was found
Pritchard found 63 rock-cut bell-shaped cellars, wine presses and fermentation vats, plus a great stepped pool and tunnel water system. More than sixty jar handles inscribed 'gb'n' (Gibeon) with personal names, mostly from the pool fill, proved the site's identity.
What it is
An industrial wine-making complex: cellars cut in the bedrock kept wine at a steady 18°C in large jars, with a total capacity of perhaps 95,000 litres. The jar handles bear the town name and family names such as Hananiah, Azariah and Amariah. The 'pool of Gibeon', a cylindrical shaft 11 m wide and 25 m deep with a spiral stair, is the setting of 2 Samuel 2:13.
Why it matters for the Bible
Gibeon is one of the few biblical towns confirmed by its own name written on site. Jeremiah 41:12 places the showdown between Johanan and Gedaliah's assassin Ishmael 'by the great waters that are in Gibeon' — the great pool Pritchard cleared. The winery shows a prosperous late-Judean economy near Jerusalem and the export of wine in the generation before the exile.
The Hebrew word: giv-OHN
גִּבְעוֹן
גִּבְעוֹן is pronounced giv-OHN and means Gibeon (Strong's H1391).
People this discovery connects to
- Ishmael son of Nethaniah — יִשְׁמָעֵאל (yish-mah-EL) — God hears
- Johanan son of Kareah — יוֹחָנָן (yoh-chah-NAHN) — YHVH is gracious
Places
- Gibeon — גִּבְעוֹן (giv-OHN) — hill city
Events
Pursuit of Gedaliah's murderer (Jeremiah 41)
Gibeon Winery and Inscribed Jar Handles in Scripture
Joshua 9:3 The Gibeonites' treaty with Israel — the city whose name the handles confirm. (First mention of Gibeon.)
2 Samuel 2:13 The pool of Gibeon where Joab's and Abner's men fought.
Jeremiah 41:12 Johanan catches Ishmael 'by the great waters in Gibeon' — the great pool excavated at el-Jib.
Questions people ask
What is Gibeon Winery and Inscribed Jar Handles?
An industrial wine-making complex: cellars cut in the bedrock kept wine at a steady 18°C in large jars, with a total capacity of perhaps 95,000 litres. The jar handles bear the town name and family names such as Hananiah, Azariah and Amariah. The 'pool of Gibeon', a cylindrical shaft 11 m wide and 25 m deep with a spiral stair, is the setting of 2 Samuel 2:13.
When was Gibeon Winery and Inscribed Jar Handles discovered?
It was found in 1956 by James B. Pritchard (University of Pennsylvania Museum), excavations 1956–62, at El-Jib, 10 km northwest of Jerusalem.
Where is Gibeon Winery and Inscribed Jar Handles today?
Site at el-Jib; finds divided between the Penn Museum, Philadelphia, and the Jordan Archaeological Museum, Amman.
Which Bible verses does Gibeon Winery and Inscribed Jar Handles relate to?
Joshua 9:3, 2 Samuel 2:13, Jeremiah 41:12.
Related discoveries
- בְּרֵכָהGibeon: Inscribed Jar Handles and the Great PoolThe city's own name stamped on wine-jar handles beside a rock-cut pool
- מִצְפָּהTell en-Nasbeh (Mizpah) and the Jaazaniah SealGedaliah's capital after 586, and the seal of a captain named in 2 Kings 25
- הַבָּמָה הַגְּדוֹלָהNebi Samwil (Tomb of Samuel) ExcavationsThe hilltop shrine of Samuel — and the search for Gibeon's 'great high place'
- יַיִןTel Kabri: Canaanite Palace and the Oldest Wine CellarA Middle Bronze ruler's palace with Minoan-style frescoes and forty jars of spiced wine
- חוֹתָםGedaliah son of Pashhur BullaSeal of a second official from Jeremiah 38, found beside the Jehucal bulla
- רַב־סָרִיסNebo-Sarsekim TabletA Babylonian temple receipt naming an officer from Jeremiah 39:3
Sources
- Pritchard, Winery, Defenses, and Soundings at Gibeon (1964)
- Pritchard, Hebrew Inscriptions and Stamps from Gibeon (1959)
- Wikipedia, 'Al Jib jar handles'
- Wikipedia, 'Gibeon (ancient city)'
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