Sokho (alternate spellings: Sokhoh, Sochoh, Soco, Sokoh; he, שׂוֹכֹה ,שׂוֹכ֖וֹ ,שֹׂכֹ֖ה) is the name given to two ancient towns in the territorial domain of
Judah as mentioned in the
Hebrew Bible, west of the
Judean hills. Both towns were given the name ''Shuweikah'' in
Arabic, a diminutive of the Arabic ''shawk'', meaning "thorn". The remains of both have since been identified.
One is located about southwest of
Hebron and has been identified with the twin ruins known as ''Khirbet Shuwaikah Fauka'' and ''Tahta'' (Upper and Lower Shuwaikah), southwest of
Eshtamoa in the Hebron Hills district (grid position 150/091
PAL)().
The other ruin is situated on a hilltop overlooking the
Elah Valley between
Adullam and
Azekah
Azekah ( he, עֲזֵקָה, ''ʿazēqā'') was an ancient town in the Shfela ("lowlands of Judea") guarding the upper reaches of the Valley of Elah, about 26 km (16 mi) northwest of Hebron.
The current '' tell'' (ruin) by that name, a ...
(), in the lower stratum of the Judaean foothills (grid position 147/121
PAL). Today it is a popular tourist attraction better known as Givat HaTurmusim. The site, occupied as early as the
Iron Age, was visited by
Claude Conder
Claude Reignier Conder (29 December 1848, Cheltenham – 16 February 1910, Cheltenham) was an English soldier, explorer and antiquarian. He was a great-great-grandson of Louis-François Roubiliac and grandson of editor and author Josiah Conder. ...
in 1881, who writes that it was already a ruin in his days, with two wells in the valley towards the west.
A third town by this name,
Shuwaykah
Tulkarm, Tulkarem or Tull Keram ( ar, طولكرم, ''Ṭūlkarm'') is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located in the Tulkarm Governorate of the State of Palestine. The Israeli city of Netanya is to the west, and the Palestinian cities ...
, was located in the Hefer region (), north of
Tulkarm (grid position 153/194
PAL).
[ (original Hebrew edition: 'Land of Israel in Biblical Times - Historical Geography', Bialik Institute, Jerusalem (1962))]
Antiquity
Although it is listed in as being a city in the plain, Socho is actually partly in the hill country and partly in the plain. The biblical account states that the
Philistines encamped between Sokho and Azekah in the
Valley of Elah before
Goliath
Goliath ( ) ''Goləyāṯ''; ar, جُليات ''Ǧulyāt'' (Christian term) or (Quranic term). is a character in the Book of Samuel, described as a Philistine giant
In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''gigas'', cognate giga-) a ...
's historic encounter with
David, the son of Jesse (). David slew the Philistine giant with a stone slung from a shepherd's sling.
Rehoboam
Rehoboam (; , ; , ; la, Roboam, ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the last monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel and the first monarch of the Kingdom of Judah after the former's split. He was a son of and the successor to Solomon and a gr ...
fortified the place (), but it is not clear which of the two sites is referred to. Socho was one of the cities occupied temporarily by the Philistines in the time of
Ahaz ().
The word "Sokho" appears on certain
LMLK seal
LMLK seals (with LMLK meaning 'of the king') are ancient Hebrew Stamp seal, seals stamped on the handles of large storage jars first issued in the reign of King Hezekiah (circa 700 BC) and discovered mostly in and around Jerusalem. Several comp ...
s during the
Judean monarchy. It is believed by many scholars to be one of four cities that acted in some administrative capacity.
The
Mishnaic Rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...
Antigonus of Sokho
Antigonus of Sokho ( he, אנטיגנוס איש סוכו) was the first scholar of whom Pharisee tradition has preserved not only the name but also an important theological doctrine. He flourished about the first half of the third century BCE.
...
, mentioned in ''Ethics of the Fathers'' (
Pirkei Avot 1:3), likely came from the Hebron-region town. Rabbi Levi Sukia, of the first generation of
Amoraim
''Amoraim'' (Aramaic language, Aramaic: plural or , singular ''Amora'' or ''Amoray''; "those who say" or "those who speak over the people", or "spokesmen") refers to Jewish scholars of the period from about 200 to 500 Common Era, CE, who "sai ...
, also came from Sokho (Jerusalem Talmud, Eruvim).
In
Byzantine times,
Eusebius described Sokho (Σοκχωθ) as a double village at the ninth milestone between
Eleutheropolis (Bet Guvrin) and Jerusalem (Eusebius, ''
Onomasticon
Onomasticon may refer to:
*Onomasticon (Eusebius)
*Onomasticon of Amenope
*Onomasticon of Joan Coromines
*Onomasticon of Julius Pollux
*Onomasticon of Johann Glandorp
*''Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum
Onomasticon may refer to:
*Onomasticon (Eusebius ...
'' 156:18 ff.), which would correspond to the Elah Valley location. The 6th-century
Madaba Map also depicts Sokho (Σωκω).
Givat HaTurmusim
The hill of Tel Sokho is now known as ''Givat HaTurmusim'', or "Hill of the
Lupines". In late March, the entire hill is covered with wild blue mountain lupines (''
Lupinus pilosus
''Lupinus pilosus'', commonly known as blue lupine, ( he, תורמוס ההרים, ar, ترمس برّي) is a species of flowering plant from the family Fabaceae which is endemic to Israel where it is found in Mediterranean scrubland. It has ...
'') and becomes a popular outing destination for Israeli families.
The hill is surrounded by precipitous slopes on its north side, making it almost impassable. Trails ascend the mountain on its northwestern and southeastern sides. The Elah Valley runs in a westerly-easterly direction on its north side, the hilltop affording a good view of the valley below.
On the elevated plateau, one can see the foundations of ancient dwellings carved into the bedrock with individual chambers divided by broken stone protuberances. Caves and grottoes dot the landscape, and cisterns are carved deep into the rock. Oak trees, fig trees, and terebinths grow on the mountainside and piles of large ashlar boulders, covered with lichen, attest to the presence of a defensive wall around the city in antiquity. According to the biblical narrative, when
Joshua captured the city from the Canaanites, the city and environs became the inheritance of Judah.
Archaeology
A survey of the site in the Elah Valley was conducted in 2010 by Joseph Garfinkel on behalf of the
Hebrew University's Institute of Archaeology and by Michael Gerald Hasel on behalf of
Southern Adventist University. Excavations at the foot of the northern slope exposed a Byzantine building from the 5th to 6th centuries. Remains dating to
Iron Age II were uncovered in another dig at the foot of the northern slope, and walls dating to the Middle Bronze Age were discovered in probe trenches. Potsherds dating to the Late Bronze Age and later periods were gathered, along with a terracotta figurine of reddish-brown clay depicting a naked woman.
The discovery of a pre-exilic stamp with the imprint ''
La-melekh'' (למלך), and in which Sokho is named with another three cities, has led archaeologists to conclude that Sokho may have served as an administrative or storage center. One of the wells to the west in the valley, mentioned by Claude Conder, was destroyed with explosives by Arab infiltrators (''mistanenim'') in 1956, never being rebuilt. An intensive survey conducted in 2010 included an examination of Middle Bronze and Iron Age burial caves, as well as slag from a pottery workshop (which probably dates to the Crusader/Mamluk period).
See also
*
Levantine archaeology
References
External links
Pictures of Tel SokhoJebel Shuweikeh Forest Reserve, 1926 British Mandate document, designating forest as State Domain
{{Authority control
Canaanite cities
Archaeology of Palestine (region)
Archaeological sites in Israel
Archaeological sites in the West Bank
Ancient Israel and Judah
Former populated places in the State of Palestine
Former populated places in Israel
Hebrew Bible cities
Establishments in the Kingdom of Judah
Tells (archaeology)
Kingdom of Judah
Biblical geography
Valley of Elah