our return from Gaza to Beit Jibrîn, we took the road by es-Sukkarîyeh and el-Kubeibeh, because these villages were much spoken of; and we thought perhaps traces of antiquity might be found there, from which at least a presumption might be drawn. as to the site of Gath. But, as already related, we found nothing to authorize even the slightest conjecture. Another road somewhat further north passes through the villages el-Fâlûjy and 'Arâk el-Menshîyeh, which we did not visit, although they were in sight. We could not learn that they contain any remains of antiquity.

The Gath which Eusebius and Jerome place at five Roman miles north of Eleutheropolis towards Diospolis, appears to be the same with Gath Rimmon, a Levitical city in the tribe of Dan,' which the same writers describe as lying twelve miles from Diospolis towards Eleutheropolis. The distance from Eleutheropolis accords well with the site of Deir Dubbân, near which we first fell in with the remarkable excavations of this region. From that place to Beit Jibrîn we travelled not quite two hours, by a somewhat winding road.2 The distance to Lydda, however, must be more than four hours, or twelve Roman miles.

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Another ancient city which lay not far from Eleutheropolis, was Maresha, the Maresa or Marissa of Josephus, situated in the plain of Judah and afterwards fortified by Rehoboam. Here Asa defeated the immense host of Zera the Ethiopian; and Judas Maccabæus, after having captured Hebron from the Idumeans, descended by way of Maresha, which he laid desolate, to Ashdod. After various changes of masters, it was at length rebuilt and fortified by Gabinius; but was again destroyed by the Parthians during their irruption against Herod. In the days of Eusebius and Jerome the ruins of Maresha were shown "in the second mile" from Eleutheropolis. The direction is not given; but from all the circumstances, it would seem probable, that Eleutheropolis (at first Betogabra) had sprung up after the destruction of Maresha, and had been built with its materials." Assuming Beit Jibrîn as the site of Eleutheropolis, we were led to suppose at the time, that the foundations we discovered on

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1 Josh. 19, 45. 21, 24. 1 Chr. 6, 69. togabra), as Rufinus read it in his copy, 2 See above p. 23.

3 Josh. 15, 44. 2 Chr. 11, 8.

2 Chr. 14, 9. 10. Joseph. Antiq. 12. 8. 6. Comp. 1 Macc. 5, 65-68, where as Reland shows, Maresa should be read for Samaria; Palæst. p. 889. Comp. p. 31, above.

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Jos. Antiq. 14. 5. 3. ib. 14. 13. 9. 6 Onomast. art. Masera, Mapnoά.

If we may assume with Reland, that the Betaris of Josephus is for Begabris (Be

(Joseph. B. J. 4. 8. 1. Reland Palæst. pp. 626, 628; comp. p. 28, n. 1, above,) then this village, which Vespasian captured in Idumea, would seem to have sprung into note after the destruction of Maresha, as related in the text; and grew up into the later and more renowned Eleutheropolis. That the Idumea of Josephus extended thus far, will be immediately shown in the text; pp. 68, 69.

the southeastern part of the remarkable Tell south of the place, were remains of Maresha. The spot is admirably adapted for a fortress; it lies about a Roman mile and a half from the ruins of Beit Jibrin, that is, within the second mile, though certainly not two miles distant. Nowhere else in the vicinity could we find or hear of any trace of ruins.'

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Somewhere in the vicinity of Eleutheropolis lay also the village of Moresheth, the birth-place of the prophet Micah. The name Moresheth-Gath, under which it once occurs, seems to imply that it was near to Gath; Eusebius and Jerome place it eastward of Eleutheropolis; and the latter writer in another place remarks, that it was still a small village near that city. In the journey of Paula, Jerome again speaks of the village in connection with the fountain of Samson, as having formerly contained the sepulchre of Micah, where was now a church. This latter circumstance seems not improbably to refer to the ruined church of Santa Hanneh, twenty minutes S. S. E. of Beit Jibrîn, close by which are the ruined foundations of a village, which may or may not be ancient. In this case Jerome would appear either to have confounded Maresha and Moresheth; or else the one lay perhaps upon the hill, and the other in the valley north, between the church and the excavated sepulchres. That they were. two distinct places, appears, partly from the difference of the names, which come from different roots; and partly from the fact that the prophet Micah mentions them together. More difficult is it to account in any case for the epithet Gath.

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It appears from history, that during or soon after the Jewish exile, the Edomites spread themselves throughout the south of Judea, which they continued to occupy, and which consequently is included under the name of Idumea by Josephus and later writers. Judas Maccabæus captured from them Hebron, Marissa, and Ashdod; and John Hyrcanus, after taking Adora and Marissa, compelled the Idumean inhabitants of the whole region to conform to the laws and customs of the Jews." Jerome also in speaking of the Idumeans, calls them Horites, and makes them dwell within the borders of Eleutheropolis. Now we

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know, that the original inhabitants of Idumea proper were actually Horites, that is, Troglodytes, "dwellers in caverns," or under ground; who, although dispossessed by the Edomites, continued to live among the latter, and apparently became with them one people. It is for this reason, probably, that Jerome thus calls the whole nation Horites; adopting however a different signification of the word, "the free," in order (by a Rabbinic conceit) to make out a Hebrew etymology for the later name Eleutheropolis. Yet it is also possible, that the Edomites were called Horites in Palestine in the original acceptation of the word; for Jerome also asserts, that Idumea, or the whole southern region from Eleutheropolis to Petra and Ailah, was full of habitations in caves; the inhabitants using subterranean dwellings on account of the great heat.2-Does not this language suggest the idea, that Jerome is here alluding in part to the singular excavations which we discovered near Deir Dubbân, and which are so particularly numerous around Beit Jibrîn or Eleutheropolis? May we perhaps suppose, that the Idumeans brought with them their habits of life, and preferred to excavate for themselves here dwellings under ground in the soft limestone rock? It did not indeed occur to us at the time, that possibly this had been the object of these caverns; but it might well have been the case; for they were all dry, and in general well lighted. We needed candles only in exploring those on the south side of the Tell near Beit Jibrîn; and even these may not improbably have once received light by openings now filled up. -I do not wish to be considered as here advancing an hypothesis; but merely as bringing forward a suggestion, which may deserve consideration.3

May 23d continued. The village of Idhna lies just east of the water-shed at the head of the valley we had ascended. Just beyond it, another larger valley, Wady el-Feranj, comes from the southeast and running by the place towards the northwest ultimately passes down to Beit Jibrîn, forming with others the broad valley which there comes in on the north side. The present Idhna is a small village, divided into two parts by a short Wady or gully running into Wady el-Feranj. Each part has its separate Sheikh with his Kusr or tower; and the inhabitants are divided into two parties, according as they live north or 1 Gen. 14, 6. Deut. 2, 12. 22. Gen. 36, 20. 21.

2 Comm. in Obad. vs. 5. 6, "Omnis australis regio Idumæorum de Eleutheropoli usque ad Petram et Ailam (hæc est possessio Esau) in specubus habitatiuncu

las habet; et propter nimios calores solis, quia meridiana provincia est, subterraneis tuguriis utitur."

3 See the account of these various caverns, not less than five different clusters in all, pp. 23, 29, 51–53.

south of the water-course. In all civil broils, the Sheikhs with their followers usually take different sides.

We had alighted at the Kusr of the Sheikh on the north side, a rude square building of stone, two stories high. He was an old man, who welcomed us kindly, and went with us to the top of the hill which overhangs the village on the north, to point out and name the places in sight. According to him, the village once stood upon this hill. It is now cultivated, and covered with young orchards of fig trees; the ground having been cleared of stones by laying them up in walls. In this way all traces of ancient foundations have been destroyed; but I picked up on the top a handful of marble tesseræ, once belonging to ancient Mosaic work.1

Idhna lies near the foot of the mountains, where the steep ascent of the higher ridge soon begins. Here a village called etTaiyibeh came in sight, situated on the high ridge above; and the direction of Nüsib or Beit Nusib at the foot, was also pointed out, though the place itself was not visible. Beit Üla lay beyond, also out of sight. These with Nûba and Khârâs form a cluster of villages at the foot of the mountain near Terkûmieh; through which last passes the more travelled road from Beit Jibrin to Hebron.?

While taking our observations on the hill, we were exceedingly incommoded by a strong southwest wind, which was blowing with some violence, although we had felt it comparatively little in the valleys. Before going with us, it seems, the hospitable old Sheikh had without our knowledge given orders to prepare a breakfast for us; and on our return, the women announced that the bread was baked, and the meal would be ready in a few minutes. Although anxious to get on, we yet waited for some time, rather than disappoint his well meant though ill timed hospitality; but as we saw no end to the delay, we at length mounted and moved off. The Sheikh now came running with his bosom full of bread, which he distributed among our muleteers; assuring us that the semen (melted butter) and leben (soured milk) were already poured upon the bread in a bowl for the breakfast; and beseeching us to wait and partake of it. We thought it better to proceed; much to the dissatisfaction of the muleteers, who complained long afterwards, that we had bearings of places, all but one (the last) lying east of the meridian line: Um Burj N. 3° E. Jemrûrah N. 8° E. Ribba N. 10° E. Deir el-Hawa N. 23° E. Khârâs N. 56° E. Nûba N. 60° E. Beit Nusîb nearly N. 62° E. Jedûr N. 62° E. Beit Ummar N. 67° E. Bŭkkâr N. 70° E. Kusbur N. 73° E. yibeh S. 80° E.

1 I am not aware that Idhna (Jedna) can be brought into connection with any scriptural name. Reland indeed, forgetting his usual sagacity, finds in it the Ithnan of Josh. 15, 23. But this latter place lay quite at the southern extremity of Judah, towards Edom; comp. vs. 21. Reland Palæst. p. 862.

2 We took here at Idhna the following

Sŭfa N. 87° E. TaiDawâimeh S. 70° W.

taken them away from a savoury breakfast.-We had thus far found it so much against the custom to offer money in return for our entertainment, that we had given it up; and from Gaza to Hebron we did not pay a para, nothing being expected. We were doubtless thought the better of, for not making the attempt.

..

Leaving Idhna at 91 o'clock, we followed up Wady el-Feranj on a course E. S. E. into the mountains, which here began immediately to rise on our left. The Wady soon became a deep and narrow glen. At 10.10 we reached a fork of the valley, where on a projection of the right hand mountain stands a ruined tower. A path leads along up the right hand Wady towards the village of Dûra, and another up the left hand branch to Taiyibeh; while our road began immediately to climb the mountain between the two valleys. The ascent was long and steep, but rendered easier by many zigzags. At 10.50 a village (probably. Dura) appeared S. 10° W. on a distant part of the mountain. We reached the top at 11 o'clock, just by a cistern of rain water excavated in the rock. Here our course back bore W. N. W. and Taiyibeh, now about upon the same level, N. by E.

We came out here upon a somewhat narrow ridge of high table land, between the two valleys above mentioned, which here run nearly parallel to each other towards the northwest and into both of which we could look down almost perpendicularly to a great depth. This plateau we found after a short distance to be well tilled; its surface being occupied by fields of grain, olive groves and vineyards. The bottoms of the two deep valleys on each side were also in high cultivation.

Pursuing the same general course and gradually ascending, we reached Teffûh at 11 o'clock; an old village on a higher and broader part of the same ridge. It contains a good number of inhabitants, and lies in the midst of olive groves and vineyards, with marks of industry and thrift on every side. Indeed many of the former terraces along the hill sides are still in use; and the land looks somewhat as it may have done in ancient times. Several portions of walls, apparently those of an old fortress, are visible among the houses; and seem to attest the antiquity of the place. The large stones of which they are built, are soft; and the edges being worn away by the weather, the chinks are everywhere filled in with thin pieces of stone, which give to the whole a more modern aspect than really belongs to it. The name Teffûh marks this as the site of the ancient Beth Tappuah of the mountains of Judah, not far from Hebron.1 From here

1 Josh. 15, 53. Another Tappuah lay in the plain of Judah, apparently in the vicinity of Zanoah, Jarmuth, Socoh, etc.

Josh. 15, 34. Which of these was the place conquered by Joshua, it is difficult to say; Josh. 12, 17, comp. 10, 36.—Eu