Endnote 7 – Why Did the Early Israelites Dig All Those Pits?

In support of Toombs’s theory are two facts: (1) the areas where the pits were dug are primarily composed of chalk, and (2) chalk is valuable for cultivation purposes. The main problem with the theory is the fact that the Shechemites had no need to dig pits for chalk, because it was available almost everywhere around them. As G. E. Wright points out, “did the inhabitants of the area of Balatah dig frantically all over the cella different types of unlined pits to get floor chalk which abounded on the mountain sides and indeed almost wherever they looked?” (Toombs, “Stratigraphy of Tell Balatah,” Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 17 [1972], p. 107, note 45.)