ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, July 19, 1996 TAG: 9607190043
SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: MATT CRENSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
CEREAL GRAINS show 40 years passed between the Israelite exodus and the Jericho battle.
Just like the Bible says, Joshua fought the battle of Jericho during the early 16th century B.C., leading an Israelite army that had just spent 40 years wandering the wilderness, two archeologists say.
New radiocarbon dates of cereal grains from debris left by the destruction of Jericho support several aspects of Exodus, the second book of the Old Testament that describes the departure of the Israelites from Egypt and their journey to the promised land.
Other scholars said the argument was interesting, but lacked supporting evidence.
For years, geologists have suggested that many aspects of Exodus, from the parting of the Red Sea to a plague consisting of a ``darkness that can be felt,'' can be attributed to the eruption of the Thera volcano on the Mediterranean island of Santorini in 1628 B.C.
That predates the new Jericho destruction dates by 45 years, note Hendrik J. Bruins and Johannes van der Plicht in a brief letter to Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
``This time difference is rather striking, as it could fit the desert period of 40 years separating the Exodus from the destruction of Jericho, mentioned in ancient Hebrew texts,'' the archaeologists write.
To estimate the date of Jericho's destruction, Bruins and van der Plicht compared the radiocarbon dates of grains excavated from the debris to a more precise date for the Thera eruption that is based on counting tree rings.
Bruins and Van der Plicht argue that the eruption of Thera caused plagues in Egypt, allowing the Israelites to escape. Then the chosen people spent about 40 years in the desert, whereupon Joshua led them to victory over the Canaanite city of Jericho.
LENGTH: Short : 44 linesby CNB