@InfraBlue,
InfraBlue wrote:The Merneptah Stele doesn't make reference to culture.
The line where Israel is thought to be mentioned is:
"Israel is laid waste and his seed is not."
Mentioning their culture by name is a pretty clear recognition of that culture as a specific entity.
InfraBlue wrote:Right. You, however, had conflated Jewish dietary practices with evidence of Israelites. These practices are evidenced throughout the region, so they don't distinguish "Israelite culture" specifically.
Given that the Israelite culture was one of the ones in that area with those dietary practices, these archaeological findings are evidence that Israeli culture was there at this time.
InfraBlue wrote:You're presuming what isn't there.
The Tel Dan Stele from that time period says:
Quote:[I killed
Jeho]ram son of [Ahab]
king of Israel, and killed [Ahaz]iahu son of
[Jehoram kin]
g of the House of David. And I set [their towns into
ruins and turned]
their land into [desolation ...]
other [... and Jehu ru]
led over Is[rael ... and I laid]
siege upon [... ]
Nowhere does it mention Judah.
It is a pretty safe presumption that the House of David refers to Judah's rulers and not to the rulers of some other kingdom.
InfraBlue wrote:I was referring to your assertion that Assyria recorded its conquest and destruction of the two kingdoms in 722 BC. In the Sargon Inscription, or Prism, it refers to Sargon besieging a town in Samaria, not the conquest and destruction of Israel nor Judah for that matter.
Here's a better translation:
Quote:At the beginning of my royal rule, I…the town of the Samarians I besieged, conquered (2 Lines destroyed) [for the god…] who let me achieve this my triumph… I led away as prisoners [27,290 inhabitants of it (and) equipped from among them (soldiers to man)] 50 chariots for my royal corps…. The town I rebuilt better than it was before and settled therein people from countries which I had conquered. I placed an officer of mine as governor over them and imposed upon them tribute as is customary for Assyrian citizens. (Nimrud Prism IV 25‑41)
Samaria was the capital city of the northern Israelite kingdom (just as Jerusalem was the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah).
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samaria_(ancient_city)
Depopulating a capital city was a pretty effective way to destroy a polity given the level of social organization back in those days.
Assyria did not destroy the southern kingdom of Judah. Rather Judah became their vassals, and prospered for a century for having done so.
InfraBlue wrote:They base their claims of ownership on the legends and myths of the Bible, i.e. they or their ancestors followed a religion with claims to Palestine, therefor they own Palestine. This assertion is complete and utter nonsense.
I suppose there could be someone somewhere basing their claim on that argument.
But there is also an argument based on the historical and archaeological fact that the West Bank is the ancient homeland of the Jewish people.
InfraBlue wrote:The arguments about the House of David and the House of Omri back in the days of Aram-Damascus and Assyria are plainly irrelevant to their preposterous stance.
A bit more relevant however to the argument that this is their historical and archaeological homeland.
InfraBlue wrote:Right, it is straightforward logic that they came from their own homeland, i.e. the places the Zionist Ashkenazim were indigenous to, e.g. Central and Eastern Europe.
History and archaeology show that the Jewish people are indigenous to the West Bank.
InfraBlue wrote:Right, it is reasonable to respect indigenous rights. It is completely delusional to claim ownership of Palestine based on the legends and myths found in the Bible as the Zionists assert, however.
That's why I base the claim on the historical and archaeological evidence that the West Bank is the ancient homeland of the Jewish people.
