| List of Tables | xi |
| Acknowledgments | xiii |
| Abbreviations | xvii |
| Introduction: Background and Statement of Thesis | 1 |
| A. | Background | 1 |
| B. | Statement of Thesis | 3 |
| C. | Method | 3 |
| Chapter 1. | Presuppositional Issues | 7 |
| A. | Presuppositions About Chronology | 7 |
| 1. | Background | 7 |
| 2. | The Chronology Problem | 7 |
| 3. | Approaches to the Chronology Problem | 8 |
| a. | Preference for 2 Kgs 18:13 and 2 Kgs 19:9 | 8 |
| [alpha]. | The Ethiopian Tirhaka | 8 |
| [beta]. | The Two-Campaign Theory | 9 |
| b. | The Emendation Approach | 10 |
| c. | The Co-Regency Approach | 10 |
| d. | Preference for 2 Kgs 18:10 | 12 |
| 4. | Summary: Relevance of the Chronology Problem | 14 |
| B. | Presuppositions About Dating of the Book of Chronicles | 15 |
| C. | Presuppositions About the Paleographic Dating of the Siloam Tunnel Inscription | 17 |
| Chapter 2. | An Archaeological Assessment of the Economic Buildup of Hezekiah and Josiah | 19 |
| A. | Introduction | 19 |
| B. | Settlement and Economic Buildup During the Reigns of Hezekiah and Josiah | 22 |
| 1. | The Judean Shephelah | 22 |
| a. | General Discussion | 22 |
| b. | Mareshah | 27 |
| c. | Tell Beit Mirsim | 27 |
| d. | Beth Shemesh | 29 |
| e. | Lachish | 31 |
| 2. | Judean Hills and Towns Surrounding Jerusalem | 32 |
| a. | General Discussion | 32 |
| b. | Mizpah (Tell en-Nasbeh) | 34 |
| c. | Gibeon (el-Jib) | 37 |
| d. | Ramat Rahel | 39 |
| e. | Khirbet Rabud | 40 |
| f. | Beth Zur (Khirbet et-Tubeiqa) | 41 |
| Summary | 44 |
| 3. | The Negeb | 45 |
| a. | General Discussion | 45 |
| b. | Beersheba | 46 |
| c. | Arad | 48 |
| d. | So-called "new" 7th century BCE Settlements | 50 |
| [alpha]. | Aroer | 50 |
| [beta]. | Horvat `Uza | 53 |
| [gamma]. | Horvat Radum | 53 |
| [delta]. | Tel `Ira | 54 |
| [varepsilon]. | Tel Masos | 56 |
| e. | Horvat Qitmit | 57 |
| Summary | 57 |
| 4. | Jerusalem | 59 |
| a. | Introduction | 59 |
| b. | Minimalist/Maximalist Debate Before Avigad's Excavations | 59 |
| c. | Avigad's Excavations in the Jewish Quarter | 61 |
| d. | Comparision of Economic Development by Hezekiah and Josiah | 63 |
| e. | Date of First Settlement on the Western Hill | 64 |
| f. | Extent of Extramural Settlements Around Jerusalem | 69 |
| Summary | 70 |
| 5. | The Judean Desert | 71 |
| a. | Introduction | 71 |
| b. | Horvat Shilha | 71 |
| c. | Tel Goren (Ein Gedi) | 72 |
| d. | Jericho (Tell es-Sultan) | 74 |
| e. | Buqe`ah Sites | 75 |
| Summary | 78 |
| C. | Conclusions | 79 |
| Chapter 3. | The lmlk Jars: Their Bearing on the Reign of Hezekiah | 81 |
| A. | Preliminary Issues and History of Research | 81 |
| 1. | Introduction | 81 |
| 2. | Previous Arguments for the Dating of the lmlk Jars | 82 |
| 3. | Previous Arguments for the Function of the lmlk Jars | 87 |
| 4. | Relationship Between Official and lmlk Seal Impressions | 90 |
| B. | Date of the lmlk and Official Seal Impressions Revisited | 93 |
| 1. | Introduction: Possibilities Raised by Tushingham and A. Mazar | 93 |
| 2. | Role of Official Impressions in Evaluating the Chronology of the lmlk Jars | 95 |
| 3. | Refutation of the Possible 7th Century-Use of lmlk Impressions in Jerusalem | 98 |
| 4. | Refutation of the Possible 7th Century-Use of lmlk Impressions at Ramat Rahel | 102 |
| 5. | Ramifications of These Finds for Tushingham's Proposal | 106 |
| 6. | Discussion of the So-Called secondary 7th-Century Use of lmlk Jars | 106 |
| a. | Arad | 106 |
| b. | Smaller Sites Mentioned by A. Mazar | 108 |
| 7. | The Earliest Use of lmlk Jars | 109 |
| C. | Conclusions Drawn From the lmlk Data | 110 |
| 1. | Identification of the Owners of the Impressions with PNN as Royal Officials | 110 |
| a. | Previous Proposals | 111 |
| b. | Method of Application of the Impressions | 112 |
| c. | Fabric and Makeup of the Seals | 117 |
| d. | Multiple Seals Belonging to the Same Individual | 121 |
| e. | A Conservative Estimate of the Number of Engravers Used | 123 |
| f. | Titles on the Impressions with PNN on Royal Jar Handles | 126 |
| Summary | 135 |
| 2. | Evidence for Non-Military Uses of the lmlk Jars | 136 |
| a. | Introduction and History of Discussion | 136 |
| b. | Typological Overview of the lmlk Jars | 138 |
| c. | Unfortified Sites with lmlk Impressions | 141 |
| [alpha]. | Tell ej-Judeideh | 141 |
| [beta]. | Beth Zur | 143 |
| [gamma]. | Khirbet El-Burj | 143 |
| [delta]. | Agricultural Sites Around Jerusalem | 144 |
| [varepsilon]. | Agricultural Sites in the Shephelah | 145 |
| d. | Sites With lmlk Impressions Not Destroyed by Sennacherib | 146 |
| [alpha]. | Gezer | 147 |
| [beta]. | Mizpah (Tell en-Nasbeh) | 150 |
| [gamma]. | Gibeon (Tell el-Jib) | 151 |
| [delta]. | Gibea (Tell el-Ful) | 151 |
| Summary | 152 |
| 3. | Distribution of the lmlk Jars as a Kingdomwide Phenomenon | 157 |
| a. | Introduction | 157 |
| b. | Garfinkel's Proposals | 158 |
| c. | Official Seal Impressions as Pointers to Kingdomwide Political Organization | 161 |
| D. | Summary of lmlk Conclusions | 165 |
| Conclusion: Significance of this Study for 2 Chronicles 29-32 | 170 |
| Appendices | lmlk Jars: New Data on an Old Phenomenon | 183 |
| Appendix I | A New corpus of the lmlk impressions | 185 |
| Appendix II | New corpus of the official seal impressions | 198 |
| Bibliography | 221 |