Aschdod und Jerusalem

Felix Hagemeyer examines in this study, using the examples of Ashdod and Jerusalem as well as archaeological findings, extrabiblical sources, and the Ashdod texts of the Hebrew Bible, the complex relationships between Southwest Palestine and Judah from the late Middle Bronze Age to the early Hellenistic period. According to the archaeological evidence, there were predominantly cooperative relationships between the two regions. The coast had a stronger influence on the highlands than vice versa, with the mutual relationship initially being significantly shaped by the neighboring cities of Gath and Ekron, and later by the great empires of Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. In the Hebrew Bible, Ashdod is frequently referenced in post-exilic texts that argue against the steadily growing interconnections. Ashdod evolved into a topos of a 'theology of otherness,' which held a similar significance in the late Judean identity narratives as Samaria.