Assaf Kleiman

Recent excavations at Megiddo facilitate the establishment of a nuanced record for the Iron IIA in northern Israel. A previously unknown phase in the settlement history of the site has been recognized at the southeastern sector of the site and is termed here “Middle Iron IIA”; it is radiocarbon dated to ca. 900 BCE. A similar phase can be detected at Tell el-Far‘ah North, the location of biblical Tirzah, and perhaps at sites in the Beth-shean Valley. This phase portrays significant urban and economic developments in the Northern Kingdom in pre-Omride times, probably in the days of King Baasha. In this article, we describe the archaeological finds that can be attributed to this phase and discuss the biblical references to the reign of Baasha, who ruled for more than two decades, and seems to have set the infrastructure for the prosperity of the north during the Omride dynasty.