Page 362 - Four Thousand Years Ago by Geoffrey Bibby

[1300-11130 B.C.] The Exodus
309
reacted more vigorously to the Assyrian attack was less clear
The Great King never showed himself in the southeastern
provinces, and it was said that he was fully occupied dealing with
the raids of the Achaeans, who had been strongly reinforced by
the European freebooters from farther north, upon his western
provinces.
On the stage of world politics the new nomads beyond
Jordan played but a minor role, and they had by now been
quiescent for nearly two years.
Then one morning news reached the coast that the Israelis
had crossed Jordan and were encamped outside Jericho. They
were commanded by Joshua, their most renowned general, who
had succeeded Moses. Joshua was one of the few who had been
of military age when the Israelis left Egypt, and during the no­
mad period he had been a famous raiding chieftain. Now, in
his sixties, he was still as active as ever. After a week’s siege he
led a direct assault on the walls of Jericho, and captured and
burnt the town.
The news of the fall of Jericho threw the princes of the hill
cities into a panic. Many met together to swear alliance against
the invader down in the river valley below them. Surely a united
front could hold the steep escarpment.
The following year, after the crops were in, Joshua struck up
from the valley with a small probing force, was met outside one
of the smaller cities, and forced back. But he returned with a
larger force, captured the city, and made an example of it. Its
prince was executed, its inhabitants killed and enslaved, and the
town itself razed to the ground. This measure had its effect;
the prince of one of the major cities, Gideon, lost his nerve, and
sent overtures to the new power in the land, offering peace and
alliance. It was the breach in the ranks which Joshua had been
looking for. He accepted the alliance, and withdrew to his
permanent camp in the Jordan valley outside Jericho to await
events 1
To the inhabitants even of the coastal cities it was now clear
that the situation was critical. But the Egyptian m.htary gov­
ernor saw no reason to take action. This was after allI an ata
of minor tribal warfare between vassal princes. The Israelis