A 2024 study published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology argues that Tel Reḥov was a central player in the formation of early monarchic Israel, economically and politically integrated into the kingdom despite its distinctive material culture and deep Bronze Age roots.
Authored by Omer Sergi of Tel Aviv University, the research challenges past assumptions that Tel Reḥov stood apart from the Israelite polity due to its urban continuity, unique architecture, and diverse finds. “Rather than expressing political identities and affiliations, the material culture of Late Iron IIA Tel Reḥov attests, first and foremost, to its social organization and complexity,” Sergi wrote.
Evidence of shared economic systems comes from the distribution of standardized storage vessels, including Hippo Jars and Cylindrical Holemouth Jars, found at Tel Reḥov and other sites such as Megiddo and Jezreel. “The very fact that centrally produced standardized jars… is sufficient to indicate that all these sites were related to some sort of centrally controlled redistribution/provision mechanism,” Sergi stated.
Epigraphic evidence connects Tel Reḥov directly to Israel’s ruling elite. Inscriptions on two Hippo Jars name a “Nimshi” family, known from biblical texts as Jehu’s lineage. Sergi wrote, “It is thus possible that the Nimshi family, who served the Omride kings of Israel as military leaders, also originated (or at least owned lands and properties) in the Beth-Shean Valley, and perhaps even had a residence at Tel Reḥov.”
Sergi concluded that Tel Reḥov was both integrated into and instrumental in the rise of the Omride kingdom. “Not only was Tel Reḥov part and parcel of the polity… but it may even have been the driving force behind the emergence of that polity within the power vacuum caused by the demise of the former urban system,” he wrote.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
