Africans in Abel Beth Maacah

Alice C. Linsley

There is more and more evidence that the territory where ancient Israel, Aram, and Phoenicia met was an ethnic melting pot.

Abel Beth Maacah (shown in red on the map) is in the region. There are references to the city in 2 Samuel 20:14; 1 Kings 15:20, and 2 Kings 15:29.

The wise woman of Abel Beth Maacah saved her town from destruction when she surrendered the head of Sheba to David’s general (2 Sam. 20:17-22). Sheba contested David's claim to the throne. Indeed, the royal House of Sheba was very old and had roots in Africa and Southern Arabia. Sheba may have sought refuge with Afro-Arabian kinsmen living in Abel Beth Maacah.

Tel Abel Beth Maacah is a large archaeological site consisting of a mound with a small upper northern section and a large lower southern section. These sections are connected by a saddle. Excavations at Tel Abel Beth Maacah have been conducted since 2012 under the direction of Robert Mullins (Azusa Pacific University) and Nava Panitz-Cohen (Hebrew University of Jerusalem). Ruhama Bonfil was the surveyor.

A Hebrew inscription on a jar unearthed at Abel Beth Maacah may resolve a long-running dispute about the extent of Israelite territory in the 9th-century B.C.E. Written in Hebrew, the inscription reads Ibnayo: “belonging to Benaiyo.” Ibn and ben mean "son" so this should be read as "son of Aiyo." Aiyo is an African name with the variant spelling Ayo.

Also found at Abel Beth Maacah was a 13th century ceramic jug with a cache of 12 silver coins. The coins were fused together by corrosion. However, Miriam Lavi used a diluted acid solution to separate the silver pieces. The hoard included earrings and an ingot in the shape of the continent of Africa (shown below).

Related reading: 3000-Year Inscription found at Abel Beth Maacah; Silver Hoard Found at Abel Beth Macaah; Hebrew Priests in Aram, Edom, Judah, and Moab; 2012 Survey Report of Abel Beth Maacah

Nubian Captives

Alice C. Linsley

In this detail taken from Treasures of Egypt and Nubia, we see a reproduction of a Ippolito Rosellini painting done during the 1825 Franco-Italian expedition to Egypt. Red and black Nubian captives are roped together and the rope is pulled by the Pharaoh whose back is shown at the bottom right.

It is evident from another image that both red and black are bound.

Incense burners found at Addi Akaweh in the Tigray region of Ethiopia bear an inscription that says the region was ruled by three kings jointly ca. 2800 years ago. They ruled with their queens over a population of black and red citizens. One commentators states that the Shebans were red (like the Ainu) and the Hebrews were black. This has not be verified. It seems more likely that Nubian parents often had children of different color. This happens even today and sometimes with twins.

Genesis indicates that Esau was red. Was Jacob black?


Notes on Sheba:

The Queen of Sheba probably did not rule over the same territory as her very powerful ancestors named in Genesis. By the time of Solomon came to power Sheba's territory was diminished. David likely took control of some of those lands in the south. Remember, Sheba claimed to have a legitimate right to the throne in Jerusalem (and he probably did have a legitimate claim). He lost his life when he took refuge in the city of Abel Beth Maacah. He was beheaded there (2 Samuel 20:1-22).

Beersheba means the Well of Sheba. It was a principal settlement and very old center for metal work. Jews will deny this since Abraham lived there, as did Isaac. They interpret Beersheba to mean the well of seven.

Bilquis is mentioned in Yoruba lore. There are some problems with the alignments of the stories, however. A huge barrier wall has been discovered in Nigeria which the locals say is associated with Queen Bilquis. This seems to come from later Arabic sources though. I believe, however, the local people are correct in their association of the wall with the Shebans because they were kin to the Jebusites and the Ijebu still live in that place. Gen. 10 indicates that both the Shebans and teh Jebusties were Kushites. Jerusalem was originally a Jebusite or Ijebu shrine city. The Sheban (also spelled Sebans; Sabaeans) are clan of Joktan, son of Eber (Ebry) om Genesis 10:27-28). In Gen. 10:6-7 we find their ancestors are called Seba and Sheba and they are identified as Kushites. According to Vedic tradition, the Kushites ruled the ancient world for 7000 years.

Jesus said, "The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here." (Matt. 12: 42; Luke 11: 31)

Related reading: Biblical Sheba and Nubians Linked

Seats of Wisdom

Alice C. Linsley


Jeremiah refers to Edom and Teman of Edom as seats of wisdom. The prophet writes: Concerning Edom: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed? (Jeremiah 49:7)

The wisdom to which Jeremiah refers is that of the Horite ruler-priests who were renown in the ancient world for their wisdom. Edom was Horite territory. Seir the Horite is listed in Genesis as one of the Edomite kings. He is a contemporary of Esau the Elder.

Reference: Genesis 36

Note that there are 2 named Esau. 
Esau the Younger is the grandson of Esau the Elder.

The wisdom of the Horites extended to medicine, astronomy, writing, commerce, navigation, natural sciences, and architecture. The 400-acre Edomite complex at Petra reflects Horite beliefs.

The Horites were the inventors of the earliest known writing systems. They were the early scribes and wise men or prophets. Naba-tean refers to Naba or Nabu, the guardian of scribes and prophets. The cult of Nabu was introduced into Mesopotamia and Babylon by the Kushites. Kushite kings sometimes bore the name Nabu, as with Nabu-shum-libur, an early Kushite king in Babylon and Nabu-aplu-iddina. This is the origin of the Hebrew word nabi, meaning prophet. 

The worldview of the Horites is essentially Kushite. As the Kushites spread across the ancient world, they took their wisdom with them. This wisdom is expressed in proverbs, poetry, descriptions of battles, travels, astronomical observations, commercial accounts and medical texts. It is represented in the huge collection of ancient Arabic texts found at the oases of Teman and Dedan. Teman and Dedan were caravan stops along the trade route from Sheba to Babylon. Genesis 10:7 designates Sheba and Dedan as Kushites.

Approximately 11,000 Thamudic inscriptions have been found scattered from the regions of Dedan and Teman to Syria. These represent the proto-scripts of the Biblical Afro-Asiatics. Similar inscriptions have been identified along the Nile in Sudan. These are accompanied by petroglyphs showing humans, oxen, cattle, circles and spirals. Abraham's Proto-Saharan ancestors venerated cattle.

The wisdom of the Horites was so extensive that it was unrivaled in the ancient world before the rise of Greece and much of the wisdom ascribed to the ancient Greeks was borrowed from the Horites. Iamblichus wrote that Thales of Miletus insisted that Pythagoras go to Memphis to study because the priests there were esteemed for their knowledge and wisdom. Plato studied for 13 years in Egypt under the priest Sechnuphis and his conception of the eternal Forms was based on Horite metaphysics.

The Greek word for boundaries in creation is oros or horos, a reference to the celestial archetype of Horus who was said to be the marker of boundaries. Horus was born of Ra by the Virgin Queen Hathor-Meri who became pregnant when overshadowed by the Sun, the emblem of the Creator. Hathor's totem was a cow and temple images show her holding her son in a manger. This is an early expression of Messianic expectation and it is based upon the Edenic promise that a Woman of the Horite lines would bring forth the "Seed" who would crush the serpent's head and restore Paradise (Gen. 3:15). Jesus identified Himself as that Seed in John 12:24 when he told his disciples, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."

In the works of Plato and Aristotle horos or horismos refers to landmarks, boundaries and categorical limits. From Horus come the words hour, horoscope, horologion, horotely and horizon. The association of Horus with the horizon is evident in Har-ma-khet, meaning "Horus of the Horizon". Horus was said to control the winds and to establish the cardinal points. The stars, planets and constellations were fixed in place by Horus, and as Ben Sira reminds us, not one of the heavenly bodies "has ever got in the way of another, and they will never disobey his word." (Ecclesiaticus 16:24)

Horus shrines and temples were located at major water systems and Horus ruled the waters. This is why the Horus name appears in the word for river in Hebrew and Arabic (nahar/nahr) and in Aramaic (nehar). Abraham’s older brother controlled commerce on the Tigris River between Ur and Haran. His Horus name is Na-Hor (Gen. 22:20).


Ancient Tyre

Another seat of wisdom was ancient Tyre. This island city was a Horite shrine as ancient as Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The artisans who served the temple at Tyre lent their architectural and metal-working expertise to the construction of David's palace and Solomon's temple.

The wisdom of Tyre is associated with the Edenic Promise, as is the wisdom of Edom. "Son of Man, raise a lament over the king of Tyre and say to him: Thus says the Lord God: You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and flawless beauty. You were in Eden, in the Garden of God; every precious stone was your adornment... and gold beautifully wrought for you, mined for you, prepared the day you were created." (Ezekiel 28:11-18)

Tyre was the home of Hiram I, the father of the Tyrian king who helped to build Solomon’s temple. Hiram I was kin to David and sent skilled artisans to help David build a palace in Jerusalem, “the city of the Great King” (Matt. 5:35). Hiram is also known as "Huram" and "Horam", which are versions of the names Hur, Hor and Harun (Aaron), as in Jabal Harun, the Mountain of Aaron.

According to Midrash, Hur was Moses’ brother-in-law, Miriam’s husband. Hur’s grandson was one of the builders of the Tabernacle. I Chronicles 4:4 lists Hur as the "father of Bethlehem". Bethlehem was in the heartland of Horite Hebrew territory. David was born about B.C. 1040, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a Horite shepherd-priest. The settlement was originally known for the sacrifice of sheep and rams. The meat was distributed to the poor, which is why the settlement was originally called "House of Meat." This meaning is retained in the Arabic name for the town: "bêt lahm".

When Jesus went to Tyre His true identity was recognized, according to Mark's Gospel (cf. Matt. 15:21). Hiram I, David and Jesus share a common Horite ancestry. Their Horite lineage extends back to Eden. The Horites believed that the promised Seed of the Woman would be born of their ruler-priest lines and they expected Him to visit them. In Mark 7:24, this expectation was fulfilled when the Son of God visited Tyre. Mark explains that there Jesus “could not pass unrecognized.”

Related reading: Juan Manuel Tebes, The Wisdom of Edom; Horite Hebrew Expectancy and the Star of Bethlehem; The Wisdom of Yeshua Ben Sira; Edom and the Horites; Horite Mounds; The Antiquity of the Edomite Rulers