Ai - Your Time is Up!

City of Ai Discovery (IAA)

Introduction

The conventional identification of biblical Bethel with the modern Arab village of Beitin, approximately 12–13 km north of Jerusalem, has long influenced archaeological and biblical scholarship. Similarly, the city of Ai has traditionally been associated with Et-Tell, located just east of Beitin. However, recent archaeological findings and a reevaluation of biblical geography suggest the need for a reassessment. This proposal centers Bethel at the rock-cut temple site on the eastern slope of Mount Moriah, corresponding to the Bethel of Jacob's vision in Genesis, and positions Ai east of Ras al-'Amud, adjacent to Bethany (al-‘Azariya) and Jabal Batin al-Hawa.

Part I: Reframing Bethel

1. Bethel of Jacob: Mount Moriah’s Eastern Slope

The rock-cut temple complex on the eastern slope of Mount Moriah, facing the Kidron Valley, has yielded Middle Bronze Age material remains, including cultic features consistent with ritual use. Traditional Jewish sources have long associated Mount Moriah with divine encounters (Genesis 22), and the architecture of the site resembles high places described in the Hebrew Bible. This supports the hypothesis that Jacob’s Bethel, where he dreamed of a ladder to heaven (Genesis 28:10–22), could have been located here rather than 13 km to the north.

2. Confusion Introduced by Beitin

The modern identification of Beitin as Bethel dates to 19th-century explorers such as Edward Robinson. While the phonetic similarity is compelling, the chronological and cultic evidence is less definitive. Beitin shows Iron Age occupation, but the Middle Bronze Age cultic prominence seen at Mount Moriah’s slope is largely absent. This suggests that Beitin may instead be the later Bethel of Jeroboam, where he established a royal shrine with a golden calf (1 Kings 12:28–29), reflecting a secondary and political use of the name Bethel.

Part II: Reconsidering Ai

1. Biblical Ai: East of Bethel

The book of Joshua (7–8) locates Ai east of Bethel. If Bethel is relocated to Mount Moriah’s eastern slope, then Ai must be sought in the adjacent eastern territories — specifically, Silwan, Ras al-‘Amud and its surrounding slopes.

2. Archaeological Evidence from Ras al-'Amud

Two excavation reports published in Israel Antiquities Authority Hadashot provide compelling evidence:

• 2011–2012 Excavation (Report #2181) uncovered occupation layers from the Intermediate and Middle Bronze Ages through the Iron Age, including domestic structures, pottery assemblages, and rock-cut installations.

• 2013 Excavation (Report #3340) revealed Late Bronze and Iron Age agricultural installations and ceramics, indicating sustained settlement.

These findings suggest that the site in Ras al-‘Amud was a continuously occupied, agriculturally productive, and potentially fortified site during the periods relevant to the conquest narratives. The location is 1.3 KM east of Mount Moriah’s Bethel, fulfilling the biblical geographic requirement.

Part III: The Role of Bethany and Jabal Batin al-Hawa

Bethany (al-‘Azariya) and Jabal Batin al-Hawa lie adjacent to Ras al-‘Amud respectively north-east and south-east of the rock-cut temple. This region:

• Preserves ancient routes connecting Jerusalem to Jericho and the Jordan Valley.

• Has archaeological evidence of Bronze and Iron Age occupation.

• Could represent the broader region of Ai, or a confederation of sites described in Joshua 8.

Furthermore, Batin al-Hawa phonetically echoes Beitin, as does the BTN of BeThaNy suggesting possible confusion in later periods between the Bethel of Jacob and that of Jeroboam.

Conclusion

This revised model:

• Centers Jacob’s Bethel at the rock-cut temple on Mount Moriah’s eastern slope.

• Repositions Ai at Ras al-‘Amud, with strong Late Bronze and Iron Age continuity.

• Attributes Beitin to the politically repurposed Bethel of Jeroboam, explaining textual and geographic discrepancies.

Further excavations, especially at Ras al-‘Amud and the Mount Moriah temple site, could decisively clarify the identities and roles of these ancient places in Israel’s formative history.

Upending Revisionist Bias

A standing stone, to commemorate a covenant and a set of clay tablets are sufficient proofs to reset the academic bias that has altered our understanding of Biblical history for the past 200 years. The bias was perpetrated by early French, German and British archaeologists that established the now broadly accepted views of Egyptian Pharaonic chronology. Their dating clashed with Biblical dating, by around 1-200 years, leading many to support the claim that the Bible was loosely constructed by 4 authors and its dates lacked credibility. These academics opposed the traditional Jewish view that the Bible is the word of God as transcribed by Moses. Now, we have proof to discredit their biased claims and restore the Bible to its rightful place. 

In 2010 excavations at the City of David on Jerusalem's Mount Moriah began to reveal the hidden rooms of a stone temple that baffled everyone. It took another 12 years before a carbon dating study by Weismann Institute and Cambridge University firmly established the date the water channel for the facility was built. The water channel flushed water onto the floors of 2 of the 4 main rooms that were carved out of bedrock. These rooms constitute a temple complex, which we have called Temple Zero because it proceeds the First Temple built by Solomon by at least 600 years.

According to Biblical chronology, Jacob left his parents for their ancestral home in Harran (Syria-Turkey border) where he was sent to find a wife and build a family. Commentators calculate he first spent 14 years learning with Noah's great, great grandson Ever. Before making his final departure he encountered the place of his famous stairway to heaven dream, the place he would name, Beit El, in 2185 (Since Creation) or 1576 BCE (CODEX JUDAICA) (Genesis 28:11).

Twenty years later Jacob returned from Harran in 2205 (Since Creation)1556 BCE. His last child Benjamin was born in 2208 (Since Creation) 1553 BCE (Genesis35:18-19). The birth was preceded by a brief (6-12 month) stop at Beit El. When he originally left Beit El for Harran and when he returned (Genesis 35:14) the Bible tells us that he set up and anointed a matzevah. The only, in-situ artifact of Temple Zero is a room containing a matzevah and the last use of the water channel that serviced the adjacent rooms was 18 years later 1535 BCE. Jacob, who by this time had been named Israel and his family were exiled to Egypt 12 years later in 1523 BCE (Genesis 46:1). This constitutes my first refutation of the Pharaonic chronology. 

The second refutation takes place after Israel's long exile and journey, back from Egypt, that took them away for 250 years. Joshua led Israel in numerous battles to conquer settle Israel's tribes in their allotted portions of land. Joshua ruled 32 years in the land. 

The Amarna letters span Egyptian Pharaoh's Amenhotep III, Akhenaten, through possibly Smenkhkare or Tutankhamun around 150 years. At least letter #254 must have been written during the overlap of Amenhotep III and Joshua's 32 year reign, which according to the Biblical record ended in 1245 BCE. But, the 100 year gap between Amenhotep III and Joshua would need resolution. Known as The Labaya tablet, #254 and others reference Pharaoh in his 32nd year of reign leaving only Amenhotep III who held power for 36-38 years during the Amarna period. According to the classic chronology Amenhotep III died in 1351 BCE.

If letter #254 describes the Biblical events that took place following 1273 BCE, at the beginning of Joshua's reign, the Egyptian chronology, immediately prior to the Amarna period, would have to be revised forward by around ~100 years, which would be difficult for classical Egyptologists to digest. Joshua must then have overlapped both Amenhotep III and Akhenaten, which if we wind back 40 years, would make Thutmose IV the prime candidate at the time of the Israelite Exodus led by Moses. 

Although limited, evidence of Israel's exodus in Egypt does exist, as does evidence of Egypt erasing and reconstructing its history, here we have an important artifact that has been written off by prolonged academic bias. Now that we have a proof date of Jacob returning from his exile and an letter #254 with an academic dating to ~1360 BCE, when Israel returned from their Egyptian exile, we can confidently challenge the revisionist bias and re-sync Common Era dates back to their Creation alignments. Such an adjustment would put letter #254 at ~1260 BCE, some 13 years after Moses death in 1273 BCE according to Creation. The Bible chronology tells us it took 14 years after Moses to settle the land.  

These two absolute dates and the context of the associated artefacts are sufficient to persuade anyone, except those whose bias against Israel surpasses their desire for truth. 

Bethel - Cause of Israel's Greatest Disaster?

Red routes through Benjamin's land connected west-east,
north-south and defines the "quarters" in Joshua 18:14-15

Benjamin's tribal land included the northern section of Mount Moriah. The southern part, marked near the Gihon Spring was Judah's territory and it included Luz or BeitEl (Bethel) (2Kings23:4). At the time Israel's tribal land boundaries were allotted by Moses and Joshua, Mount Moriah was occupied by Jebusites. Benjamin's territory served as a major traffic junction for people traversing the Judean ridge. The geophysical details are clearly described in the video below:

The precise location of Bethel (Luz according to Genesis 28:19, Joshua 18:13) and El Bethel (Genesis 35:7) remains a major point of contention among academics and Biblical scholars. Luz being synonymous with Bethel may not seem that significant, but it has caused and continues to cause Israel's greatest disasters. The problem is relevant because modern Bethel, north of Jerusalem, on Benjamin's northern border with Ephraim, distorts our understanding of places in Torah when it substitutes for Luz-Bethel, in ancient Jerusalem, on Benjamin's southern and Judah's northern boundary. In the map (above) replace the name "Jerusalem" with "Bethel" and you will immediately see the confusion these dueling Bethel locations could have caused by two of Israel's most politically competitive tribes.

What's the big deal you may ask?  During Israel's ~250 year exile in Egypt and sojourn in the dessert, the true location of Jacob's covenant at Bethel was buried under falling ground cover on Mount Moriah and its location forgotten by Israel. Around 250 years before the tribes of Israel were allotted land under Joshua, Jacob had returned to Luz-Bethel-Ancient Jerusalem where he had made a covenant and took the name Israel (Genesis 35:10). 

Importantly Mount Moriah, the mountain on which Luz-Bethel-Ancient Jerusalem was located would ultimately become the site of Israel's holy altar and temple. As such it would be a prestigious and economically lucrative location. However, from the time Israel returned to its land it was not clear whether Jacob's Bethel was on the southern (with Judah) or northern (with Ephraim) boundary of Benjamin. This exacerbated rivalry between the tribes, Ephraim (from Joseph) and Judah.

The Book of Joshua recorded the land demarcation. After Joshua, despite the temporary tabernacle initially being established in Ephraim's territory, at Shiloh, contentions grew over the site of the future permanent temple. While the tribes were at first preoccupied, defending and settling their land, they could not penetrate the Gihon Spring fortress that the Jebusites had built at Luz and the location of Jacob's Bethel remained hidden. It would be another 300 years before the fortress was captured by King David. During this long period, without a national consciousness about the location of Jacob's Luz-Bethel-Ancient Jerusalem, Bethel on Benjamin's northern boundary with Ephraim became established. Further, Bethel in the north was on the naturally busy route between Bethlehem, ancient Jerusalem (Jebus) and Shiloh, where the tabernacle was located for almost 300 years. 

The site of Jacob's covenant was buried and the national memory of its location lost. Now, after a decade of research the information is crystalizing and the mystery is being solved. Its clear to me the Jebusites, aided by Amorites, Hittites, Moabites and possibly Egyptians were motivated to built the huge fortress over the Gihon Spring. Most likely they were motivated to secure and industrialize water supply and prevent Israel returning to Ancient Jerusalem under Moses or Joshua. Their plan was successful and lasted ~400 years. We now know King David did not re-discover Jacob's Bethel-Luz location, however archaeological evidence indicates the entire area (shown in the high-ridge plan below) was buried with soft soil to preserve it. In excavations sand was taken from above the bedrock and sifted. In it a bullae was discovered from the Kings period and several from periods prior including bronze age artifacts. It has now become clear that the area on the bedrock was first re-discovered by King Uziah before the stone cut channel from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam and the eastern defensive wall were built. At that time it was decided to re-bury the area and protect it from the much anticipated Assyrian invasion.  

Recent discoveries at Ancient Jerusalem's City of David could be southern Bethel-Luz. They include:

High ridge plan[3] at the Gihon Spring in City of David
ancient Jerusalem. Oil and grain press, altar, covenant stone

Matzevah or the covenant stone was anointed with oil,
perhaps the location of Jacob's assumption of his name Israel

After King Solomon, Northern Bethel, on the boundary of Ephraim and Benjamin was exploited by Jeroboam who used it to demarcate and split the northern tribes of Israel. To do so he played with the historical confusion. He aligned with Egypt, built his palace in Shechem north of Shiloh, built Penuel (and most likely several other sites) and his idolatrous temple and altar in Bethel on Benjamin's northern boundary. Then, he specifically prevented Israel's northern tribes proceeding south to the temple in Jerusalem where his rival, Solomon's son Rehoboam presided (1Kings 12:25). 

Jerusalem's Holy Basis [In chronological order] - [1] Gihon Spring, cave dwelling, Salem (Genesis 7:1) high ridge with altar, oil and grain press. [2] Abraham pitched his tent East of Bethel, West of Ai. (Genesis 12:8) [3] Luz-Bethel high ridge addition of matzevah, upper Gihon pool, fortress and city walls. [4a] Ai destroyed. [4b] Joshua's ambush party (Joshua 8:14) remained in Kidron Valley. [4c] Joshua's troops attack over valley to Ai [5] Palace of King David

The image above describes the features that resolve the ambiguity of Jacob's Bethel. It may turn out that the matzevah (massebah), or standing pillar above the Gihon Spring is truly Jacob's and that the location was indeed obfuscated. If true, it would significantly re-orient scholars to re-consider all they know about the geography that has caused so much confusion. Finally we would restore Jacob to his rightful place, where he originally took the name Israel, where his father was bound by his grandfather who was the link to Israel's ancestral inheritance.

THE VIDEO BELOW IS IS THE LATEST UPDATE AS AT DECEMBER 2024.