| According to the Tanakh, there were two | | | | as 'The Citadel'. |
| locations called Jerusalem, one inhabited by the | | | | The citadel and sanctuary were constructed in |
| Amorites (Joshua 10:5), and the other inhabited by | | | | the time of King David and Solomon. Artifacts |
| the Jebusites (Joshua 15:63; Judges 1:21). One in | | | | found within the sanctuary of the citadel mostly |
| the mountains (Joshua 10:6) and the other | | | | spoke concerning offerings of oil, wine, wheat, and |
| surrounded by mountains (Psalm 125:2; Nehemiah | | | | etc. brought to there by numerous people from |
| 8:15). One the Children of Israel conquered when | | | | not just David and Solomon's time but throughout |
| they entered the land of Israel (Judges 1:8) and | | | | the reign of the kings of Judah til the kingdoms |
| the other was took by King David some 300 | | | | fall to Babylon. However, in the Persian, |
| years later (2 Samuel 5:7; 1 Chronicles 11:5). One in | | | | Maccabean, Roman, and early Mohammadean eras |
| the mount of Ephraim (Genesis 33:18; Genesis | | | | locals continued to transport these items to the |
| 14:18; Joshua 18:1; Judges 4:5;) and the other just | | | | sacred precinct of the upper hill. Markers of this |
| north of Rimmon which is in the southern part of | | | | ancient Israelite service remain til this day from |
| Judah (and the inheritance of Simeon- Joshua | | | | broken pottery litered upon the entire site. |
| 19:7-8) (Zechariah 14:10; Joshua 15:21-32). | | | | During the reign of the kings of Judah the citadel |
| Therefore, reasonably two questions come to | | | | was periodically refortified, remodeled and rebuilt |
| mind: Which one is the modern city Jerusalem | | | | upon one another a number of times, until |
| that we all know? And where is the other | | | | ultimately it was destroyed between 597 BCE and |
| Jerusalem? | | | | 577 BCE whilst Jerusalem was under siege from |
| Modern Jerusalem's name is well known to mean | | | | the Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar. Among the most |
| Salem that was the place of King Melechzedek, | | | | fascinating artifacts unearthed from this time are |
| and was written to be in the mountain of Ephraim. | | | | ostraca from the mid-7th century BCE that |
| Jerusalem is located in some of the highest | | | | refered to this citadel as the House of Yahweh. |
| mountains in the region (on the top, not | | | | Habitation of Tel Arad and the upper citadel did |
| surrounded by mountains) and is also just next to | | | | not end with the Babylonians. In fact, during the |
| Bethel. The mountains from the site of Shechem, | | | | Persian period (5th - 4th centuries BCE) almost a |
| Bethel, and modern Jerusalem are all on the same | | | | hundred ostracon and pottery were written in |
| mountain range that streach from Shimron north | | | | Aramaic and were mostly accounts of locals that |
| to Har Hebron south. Just considering the | | | | brought oil, wine, wheat, and etc to the upper hill. |
| geographic clues I would conclude that Modern | | | | Thus, several citadels were built upon one another |
| Jerusalem is the Jerusalem of King Adoni-zedek | | | | and existed in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. |
| the Amorite that Joshua fought against and | | | | Herod even reconstructed the lower city for the |
| chased to Makkedah (also not far from modern | | | | purpose of making bread. |
| Jerusalem). | | | | The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in the first |
| However, if this is the Amorite Jerusalem then | | | | century wrote an almost perfect geographic |
| where is the Jebusite one? It was this Jerusalem | | | | description that fits Tel Arad and also gave a |
| that David came to and took a fortress that was | | | | matching explaination of why the citadel dealt with |
| built there on mount Zion. And this place he set | | | | so much food and supplies in pottery. As stated in |
| up his own tabernacle to place the Ark within the | | | | the 'Wars of the Jews' 5:1: ".. The city was built |
| citadel. This place was a House of Yahweh and | | | | upon two hills which are opposite to one another, |
| the city of David fortified by Solomon and other | | | | and have a valley to divide them asunder; at |
| kings of Judah (2 Samuel 5:9; 2 Chronicles 8:11; 1 | | | | which valley the corresponding rows of houses on |
| Kings 9:24; 1 Kings 11:27; 2 Chronicles 32:5), but | | | | both hills end. Of these hills, that which contains |
| wasn't the Temple built by Solomon on Mount | | | | the upper city is much higher, and in length more |
| Moriah (2 Chronicles 3:1). Today there is only one | | | | direct. Accordingly, it was called the "Citadel," by |
| place that has been found and proven to be a | | | | king David; he was the father of that Solomon |
| House of Yahweh in Israel. | | | | who built this temple at the first; but it is by us |
| Tel Arad (Hebrew: תל | | | | called the "Upper Market-place." But the other hill, |
| ¬Ã‚Ž) (not to be confused with biblical Arad) is | | | | which was called "Acra," and sustains the lower |
| located west of the Dead Sea, about 10km west | | | | city, is of the shape of a moon when she is |
| of modern Arad in an area surrounded by | | | | horned; over-against this was a third hill, but |
| mountain ridges which is known as the Arad | | | | naturally lower than Acra, and parted formerly |
| Becken. The Arad area is north of the old and | | | | from the other by a broad valley." |
| modern place of Mizpe Rimmon The site is divided | | | | The site lasted til the Romans destroyed |
| into a lower city and an upper hill which holds the | | | | Jerusalem and completely expelled the |
| only ever discovered 'House of Yahweh' in the | | | | 'circumcised' in 135 AD. |
| land of Israel. | | | | Archaeology has already substanciated that Tel |
| The House of Yahweh upon the hill of Tel Arad | | | | Arad existed and was inhabited at the time that |
| even after over 40 years has sparked a number | | | | Josephus would have wrote this. However, this |
| of questions with many trying to understand why | | | | description of the citadel of David could only be |
| the site has a sanctuary, holy of holies that were | | | | on mount Zion and only in Jerusalem. Yet, one |
| built in time of the two greatest kings of Judah. | | | | fact that is rarely spoken of directly in the |
| Why does it have records of well known priestly | | | | Tanakh is that there were two Jerusalems. |
| families, and countless amounts of offerings and | | | | With such clear cut differences between the two |
| pottery from the time of its establishment in King | | | | Jerusalems the possibility that the House of |
| David's time to the Roman and Islamic Empires. | | | | Yahweh at 'Tel Arad' is the Citadel of David, the |
| One conclusion many are beginning to come to is | | | | Arad Becken is the Jerusalem surrounded by |
| that this is the tabernacle of David (1 Chronicles | | | | mountains, and not too far north from Mizpe |
| 6:32; Isaiah 16:5; Amos 9:11), the hill of Zion, and | | | | Rimmon does not stray too far from logic. |
| area of the Jerusalem of the Jebusites. And | | | | Nevertheless, time will tell whether clear proof will |
| although it might seem unbelievable the evidence | | | | come to the light on the issue. |
| behind the theory is beginning to have allot of | | | | For more developments on this I suggest you |
| weight. | | | | search 'House of Yahweh' or 'Tel Arad' on |
| In the 11th century BCE (the time of Samuel, Saul | | | | Wikipedia and read these two pages Citadel |
| and David), initially the upper hill was an unwalled | | | | History, Zion Search from people presently on the |
| piece of land cut off as an official or sacred | | | | site. |
| domain, and then later as a garrison-town known | | | | |