Game changers from the Bible – part 2 of 3 - The Arad High Place

The Bible Comes Alive - Game changers from the Bible – part 2 of 3

When visiting Israel you can literally feel how the Bible comes alive with every step you take. Every stone & every site tells you a story from the Bible.

This city of Arad is located in the Eastern part of the Judean desert between the city named Beer-Sheba (the city of Abraham) and the Dead Sea. This city was located in the southern part of the land of the tribe of Judah and nearby we have the Tel of Arad – the old city of Arad that was built in the 12th century BCE. There were 18 seasons of excavations of this Tel from 1962 up until today.

The main discoveries were: a fortified city surrounded with walls- 1,200 meters long; a special type of a house the “Arad House” – one big hall with a smaller one next to it which served as the kitchen and pantry. One of the most important discoveries was a temple – the “High Place” - with a stage and an altar for religious ceremonies. Even more astounding was the discovery of the two tablets with the 10 commandments.

Arad was inhabited until the Byzantine period 4-5th century AD.

The archaeologists believe that during the 3rd millennium, more than 3,000 years ago, the weather in the Judean desert was much more humid than nowadays. At that time the main source of livelihood was agriculture: grape vines, olive groves. The change in climate causing this region to become a desert one caused the inhabitants to leave this city and it was abandoned since then.

The new city of Arad, nearby, was built in 1962. Today’s inhabitants’ sources of livelihood are from the Dead Sea Industries and tourism around the Dead Sea.

One more place to enjoy during your visit to Israel.

Thank you Jay McCarl for this great video.