Lachish Level V
The first Judahite town at Lachish and the question of Rehoboam's wall
Found 1932 — Level V first exposed by the Wellcome-Marston expedition (J. L. Starkey, 1932–38) and defined by Olga Tufnell in Lachish III (1953); re-examined by David Ussishkin (1973–94); the Level V city wall was found in Areas CC and BC by Yosef Garfinkel, Michael Hasel and Martin Klingbeil (Fourth Expedition, 2013–2017)
Where Tel Lachish (Tell ed-Duweir), Shephelah (Israel)
Dates from c. 10th–early 9th century BCE (wall radiocarbon-dated to the second half of the 10th century) · Iron Age IIA · Shlomo (Solomon) and Rechavam (Rehoboam)
Now at Tel Lachish National Park
How Lachish Level V was found
Ussishkin found Level V to be a small unwalled settlement with a cult room. Garfinkel's team uncovered a stretch of city wall on the northeast slope and dated it by radiocarbon to the late tenth century, arguing it is the fortification Rehoboam built.
What it is
The earliest Iron Age occupation on the mound after a long gap, with houses, a small shrine with cult stands, and (per the newer excavations) a fieldstone city wall about 3 m wide. Level V ended in a fire, perhaps Shishak's campaign.
Why it matters for the Bible
2 Chronicles lists Lachish among the cities Rehoboam fortified right after Solomon's death. For decades Level V was thought unfortified, which supported the view that Judah was too weak to build walls before the eighth century. The 2013–17 excavations and their radiocarbon dates put a wall here around 920 BCE, exactly when Chronicles says Rehoboam built one. Finkelstein and others dispute the dating of the wall and prefer a ninth-century date, so Lachish V is now a test case for the reliability of the Chronicler's fortress list.
The Hebrew word: ah-RAY mah-TZOHR
עָרֵי מָצוֹר
עָרֵי מָצוֹר is pronounced ah-RAY mah-TZOHR and means fortified cities (2 Chronicles 11:5) (Strong's H5892 + H4692).
People this discovery connects to
- Rehoboam — רְחַבְעָם (Reh-chav-AHM) — the people are enlarged
Places
- Lachish — לָכִישׁ (Lah-CHEESH) — uncertain
Events
Rehoboam fortifies cities of Judah · Shishak's campaign
Lachish Level V in Scripture
Joshua 10:3 First mention of Lachish in Scripture.
2 Chronicles 11:5-6 The start of Rehoboam's building program for the defense of Judah.
2 Chronicles 11:9 Lachish is named in Rehoboam's list of fortified cities; the Level V wall is proposed as this fortification.
Questions people ask
What is Lachish Level V?
The earliest Iron Age occupation on the mound after a long gap, with houses, a small shrine with cult stands, and (per the newer excavations) a fieldstone city wall about 3 m wide. Level V ended in a fire, perhaps Shishak's campaign.
When was Lachish Level V discovered?
It was found in 1932 by Level V first exposed by the Wellcome-Marston expedition (J. L. Starkey, 1932–38) and defined by Olga Tufnell in Lachish III (1953); re-examined by David Ussishkin (1973–94); the Level V city wall was found in Areas CC and BC by Yosef Garfinkel, Michael Hasel and Martin Klingbeil (Fourth Expedition, 2013–2017), at Tel Lachish (Tell ed-Duweir), Shephelah.
Where is Lachish Level V today?
Tel Lachish National Park.
Which Bible verses does Lachish Level V relate to?
Joshua 10:3, 2 Chronicles 11:5-6, 2 Chronicles 11:9.
Is Lachish Level V authentic?
Level V's existence is undisputed; the date and even the existence of a Level V city wall are debated between the Garfinkel and Finkelstein camps.
Related discoveries
- שִׁישַׁקBubastite Portal of Shoshenq I (Shishak)Pharaoh's victory list at Karnak naming towns of Israel and Judah
- מַשְׂאֵתLachish Letters (Lachish Ostraca)Military dispatches from the last days of Judah: 'we cannot see the signals of Azekah'
- בָּמָהLachish Gate Shrine and Desecrated ToiletA gate sanctuary with broken altar horns and a stone latrine — Hezekiah's reform in action?
- סֹלְלָהLachish Level III: Assyrian Siege Ramp and Battle DebrisThe only surviving Assyrian siege ramp, with arrowheads, sling stones and a mass grave
- כִּנִּיםLachish Ivory Comb: The Earliest Canaanite SentenceA 3,700-year-old lice comb inscribed 'May this tusk root out the lice of the hair and the beard'
- בַּיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִיLachish Level VI Destruction and the Fosse TempleA Canaanite city under Egypt, burned around 1150 BCE
Sources
- Garfinkel et al., 'Lachish Fortifications and State Formation in the Biblical Kingdom of Judah in Light of Radiometric Datings', Radiocarbon 61 (2019)
- Ussishkin (ed.), The Renewed Archaeological Excavations at Lachish (1973–1994) (2004)
- Y. Garfinkel, M. G. Hasel et al., 'Lachish Fortifications and State Formation in the Biblical Kingdom of Judah in Light of Radiometric Datings', Radiocarbon (2019)
- 'The Level V City Wall at Lachish', Palestine Exploration Quarterly 155/2 (2023)