Proto-Canaanite period
Further information:
Canaan
Archeological evidence suggests that the first settlement was established near
Gihon Spring between 4500–3500 BCE. The first known mention of the city was in c. 2000 BCE in the
Middle Kingdom Egyptian Execration Texts in which the city was recorded as
Rusalimum.
[12][13] The root
S-L-M in the name is thought to refer to either "peace" (compare with modern Salam or Shalom in modern Arabic and Hebrew) or
Shalim, the god of dusk in the
Canaanite religion.
The
Book of Genesis 14:18, mentions a city called
Salem, which most Jewish commentators believe refers to Jerusalem, ruled by King
Melchizedek, whose name means "my king is zedek", where
Zedek is believed to refer either to the
Canaanite deity
Sydyk or the word
righteous.[
citation needed] According to one Jewish tradition reported by the
midrash, Jerusalem was founded by
Abraham's forefathers
Shem and
Eber.
Canaanite and New Kingdom Egyptian period
Further information:
City of David
Archeological evidence suggests that by the 17th century BCE, the
Canaanites had built massive walls (4 and 5 ton boulders, 26 feet high) on the eastern side of Jerusalem to protect their ancient water system.
[14]
By c. 1550–1400 BCE, Jerusalem had become a vassal to Egypt after the Egyptian
New Kingdom under
Ahmose I and
Thutmose I had reunited Egypt and expanded into the
Levant. The
Amarna letters contain correspondence from
Abdi-Heba, headman
[15] of
Urusalim and his
suzerain Amenhotep III.
The power of the Egyptians in the region began to decline in the 12th century BCE, during the
Bronze Age collapse. The
Battle of Djahy (
Djahy being the Egyptian name for
Canaan) in 1178 BCE between
Ramesses III and the
Sea Peoples marked the beginning of this decline. The gradual loss of a central power gave rise to independent kingdoms in the region. According to the Bible, Jerusalem at this time was known as
Jebus and its independent
Canaanite inhabitants at this time were known as
Jebusites.
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