Ancient Israelâs neighbors east of the Jordan
Who were the Ammonites, Moabites and Edomites in the Bible?
When the kingdoms of Israel and Judah controlled the land of Canaan, the kingdoms of Ammon, Moab and Edom ruled east of the Jordan. Although the Bible offers information about these three Iron Age kingdoms, recent archaeological discoveries are bringing to light a fuller picture of them. In his article âAmmon, Moab and Edom: Gods and Kingdoms East of the Jordan,â published in the November/December 2016 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Joel S. Burnett examines the incredible archaeological discoveries from Ammon, Moab and Edom.
Who were the Ammonites? In the Bible, they are described as being descendants of Ben-ammi, who was the son of Lot (Abrahamâs nephew) and Lotâs younger daughter (Genesis 19:38). The capital of the Iron Age kingdom of Ammon was Rabbah, which is located at modern-day Amman, Jordan. Burnett describes the boundaries of Ammon: âThe Ammonite heartland comprised the north-central Transjordanian Plateau encircled by the upper Jabbok ⊠within a 12.5-mile radius of its capital at the headwaters of the Jabbok.â The Ammonitesâ primary deity was the god Milcom. Depictions of Milcom have been uncovered through archaeological excavationsâas have representations of Ammonite kings, such as the monumental statue uncovered at Rabbah in 2010…
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE… – Biblical Archaeology Society
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