Endnote 11 – Redating the Exodus

While the recent excavations at Lachish have redated the end of the final Late Bronze stratum (stratum VI) to c. 1150 B.C., they have also indicated a destruction of the previous stratum (stratum VII A) in the 13th century B.C. It remains to be seen whether this earlier destruction should be dated to c. 1230–1220 B.C., i.e., to coincide with the date usually favored for the conquest. But even if this proves to be the case, it will only increase the number of suitable destructions from two, to three, and will not substantially affect the present argument. Note, however, that Bryant G. Wood, Palestinian Potter of the Late Bronze Age: An Investigation of the Terminal LB II B Phase, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Toronto, 1985, pp. 468–472, also lowers the destruction of Bethel (Beitin) from the 13th century B.C. into the 12th century B.C. on the basis of the ceramic evidence, thus taking another city out of the 13th century scenario.