Archaeology
ChabulonChabul, Zebulon, Kavul, Chabolo, KabulPlace descriptionChabulon, which lies near Ptolemais (on their proximity, see Life 213), is identified as the modern Arab village of Kabul, a place earlier associated with the border between Israelites and Phoenicians (1 Kings 9:13; see Gal & Alexander 2000). The town was built on a low hill above the Acco plain in the foothills of the Lower Galilee mountains. According to Josephus, “Cestius [Gallus] marched against a fortified city of Galilee called Chabulon on the frontier of Ptolemais and Jewish territory” (War 2.503; 3.38), saying further that the town had “houses built in the style of those at Tyre, Sidon and Berytus” (War 2.504; presumably Hellenistic peristyle houses), which were demolished during Cestius Gallus’s campaign. Josephus was in the town when he exchanged correspondence with Jonathan (Life 216-27); he left Zebulon for Yodefat, eight miles away, with 3000 men (Life 234). The town itself has not been excavated, but a tomb from the second century CE that was excavated yielded four ossuaries, two made of stone and two made of clay, pointing to the existence of Jews in the second and third century CE (Aviam 2000b). Pottery from the Hellenistic and Roman periods was found on the site (Gal & Alexander 2000). |