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THE FIRST TEMPLE PERIOD
AND THE LONG DAVIDIC DYNASTY
Kings and Palaces
785-733 BCE
Uzziah, King of Judah
Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old,
and proclaimed him king to succeed his father Amaziah.
2 Chroniques 26:1
In ancient Near Eastern societies, the royal title was handed down
from father to son.
Uzziah, a descendant of David, became king when his father Amaziah died.
The Bible recounts that he was abruptly removed from power, however,
for burning incense in the Temple himself, as this was a priestly
prerogative. He was afflicted with leprosy, and gave up his throne to
his son before he died.
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King Uzziah's epitaph.
Collection The Israel Museum, Jerusalem Photo © The Israel Museum, by Dr. Jean-Luc Pilon, Canadian Museum of Civilization
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In the Ruins of a Royal Palace
The ruins of the royal citadel from the 8th-7th century BCE unearthed
at Ramat Rahel, south of Jerusalem, give us an idea of what the sumptuous
palaces of the last kings of Judah must have looked like. Inside the
fortifications, a window balustrade survived, with several
capitals bearing palmettes in the style of Phoenician craftsmen-a style
popular with the Israelites.
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Window balustrade.
Israel Antiquities Authority Collection, exhibited at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Photo © Israel Museum, Jerusalem
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