Footnote 2 – Solomon’s Negev Defense Line Contained Three Fewer Fortresses

They are Horvat Ritma, Horvat Mesora and the fortress at Mesad Nahal Haro‘a—opposite Atar Haro‘a. Har Raviv was excavated in 1979 by the author. Now, as the spring excavations have shown, there are several architectural differences between the three square Persian fortresses and that of Har Raviv. We believe today that the fortress at Har Raviv can be included in the rectangular fortress type of Solomon’s era (tenth century B.C.).