[Avodah] date of churban habayit

[Eli Turkel]

In the past, we have discussed the differences in dates between secular
scholars and the Talmud (seder olam) regarding the "missing" years of
Persian rule and, hence, the date of the destruction of the first Temple.
The Talmud considers only four Persian rulers until Alexander the Great.
Originally, the secular date (586 BCE) was based on Greek historians and
some Persian records of many more Kings.

There has been an intensive investigation of dates relying on Cabon14 and
many other recent devices, including magnetism.

Enclosed is the abstract of an article from PNAS from April this year that,
among other things, confirms the secular dates (

    Reconstructing the absolute chronology of Jerusalem during the time
    it served as the Judahite Kingdom's capital is challenging due to
    its dense, still inhabited urban nature and the plateau shape of the
    radiocarbon calibration curve during part of this period. We present
    103 radiocarbon dates from reliable archaeological contexts in five
    excavation areas of Iron Age Jerusalem, which tie between archaeology
    and biblical history. We exploit Jerusalem's rich past, including
    textual evidence and vast archaeological remains, to overcome
    difficult problems in radiocarbon dating, including establishing
    a detailed chronology within the long-calibrated ranges of the
    Hallstatt Plateau and recognizing short-lived regional offsets in
    atmospheric 14C concentrations. The key to resolving these problems
    is to apply stringent field methodologies using microarchaeological
    methods, leading to densely radiocarbon-dated stratigraphic sequences.
    Using these sequences, we identify regional offsets in atmospheric 14C
    concentrations c. 720 BC and in the historically secure stratigraphic
    horizon of the Babylonian destruction in 586 BC. The latter is
    verified by 100 single-ring measurements between 624 to 572 BC. This
    application of intense 14C dating sheds light on the reconstruction
    of Jerusalem in the Iron Age. It provides evidence for settlement in
    the 12th to 10th centuries BC and that westward expansion had already
    begun by the 9th century BC, with extensive architectural projects
    undertaken throughout the city in this period. This was followed by
    significant damage and rejuvenation of the city subsequent to the
    mid-eight century BC earthquake, after which the city was heavily
    fortified and continued to flourish until the Babylonian destruction.

-- 
Eli Turkel