Bethoron

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Bethoron (Hebrew: בֵית־חוֹרֹ֔ן, lit. 'house of Horon'; Ancient Greek: Ὡρωνείν), also Beth-Horon, were two neighboring towns in ancient Israel, situated on the Gibeon–Aijalon road. They served as strategic points along the road, guarding the "ascent of Bethoron". While the Hebrew Bible sometimes distinguishes between the two towns—Upper and Lower Bethoron—it often refers to both simply as Bethoron. The towns are mentioned in the Bible and in other ancient sources: Upper Bethoron appears in Joshua 16:5, Lower Bethoron in Joshua 16:3, both in 1 Chronicles 7:24, and the ascent in I Maccabees 3:16. During the Second Temple period, the Bethoron pass was the site of several major military engagements, including Maccabean victories over Seleucid forces in the 160s BCE and the Jewish victory over the Romans at the Battle of Beth Horon in 66 CE. The pass's steep and confined terrain made it particularly suited to ambushes. The ancient towns of Upper Bethoron and Lower Bethoron are identified respectively with the present-day Palestinian Arab villages of Beit Ur al-Fauqa and Beit Ur al-Tahta, which preserve the ancient names. Archaeological evidence suggests that Lower Bethoron was established first, as the earliest potsherds discovered there date back to the Late Bronze Age, while those from the upper town originate from the Iron Age onward.