https://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-edomite-territory-mt-seir.htm
https://heroisdabiblia.com.br/en-us/artigos/amonites-moabites-and-edomites-who-were-these-peoples
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Moses told Isreal to “Do not abhor to the Edomites, for he is your brother” (Deuteronomy 23:7).
Edom extended from the souther tip of the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba and to the east including the capital of the Arab Nabatean nation.
The Edomites, descendants of Esau, pushed into and settled in the mountainous region of Seir (later known as Edom or Idumea) primarily during the second millennium B.C., with significant settlement occurring around the 19th century B.C. (approx. 1926–1886 B.C.) as they displaced the native Horites.
Key Historical Points of Edomite Settlement and Migration:
Initial Settlement (c. 19th Century B.C.): Esau (Edom) moved to Seir, transitioning from the region around Hebron and dispossessing the Horites, as recorded in Bible.ca and JW.ORG.
Establishment of Kingdom (c. 13th–8th Century B.C.): After a period of decline and nomadic lifestyle (19th-14th c. B.C.), Edomites, along with Moabites and Ammonites, established settled kingdoms, according to Jewish Virtual Library.
Migration to Southern Judea (6th Century B.C.): Following the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem (586 B.C.), many Edomites moved into southern Palestine (the Negev and southern Judean hills) due to pressure from the incoming Nabatean Arabs.
Idumean Period (Hellenistic times): The Edomites in southern Judea became known as Idumeans, were conquered by Maccabean leaders like Judas Maccabeus and John Hyrcanus, and were eventually forced to convert to Judaism in the 2nd century B.C. (c. 126 B.C.)
Idumeans (descendants of the Edomites who migrated to southern Judea) became highly Hellenized during the Hellenistic period (roughly 4th–2nd centuries BCE), particularly in their urban centers, adopting Greek culture, language, and customs.
Cultural Hellenization: During the Hellenistic period, Idumea—particularly cities like Mareshah (Marisa)—experienced significant Greek and Phoenician influence. Archaeological excavations at Mareshah have uncovered Greek abecedaries and evidence of Greek language usage, suggesting the adoption of Hellenistic culture.
Political Context: The Idumeans, who inhabited parts of southern Judea after their migration from Edom, were known to have Greek influences before their eventual forced conversion to Judaism by the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus around 125 BCE.
Herod's Background: Herod the Great, who was of Idumean origin and became King of Judea, operated as a Roman-appointed king in a deeply Hellenized and Romanized context.
Philhellene vs. Independent Identity: While Hellenized, the Idumeans maintained their own traditions, including the veneration of the deity Qaus. Their Hellenism was a product of the broader cultural transformation of the Levant under Greek influence.
Found at Timna Mine= only textiles found in Edomite sites. Additionally thousands of seeds they found to confirm the age of the site. “This is the first time seeds from this period have been found uncharred and in such large quantities,”
Qausmalaku 732 BC
Aiarammu 701 BC
Qausgabri 680 BC
" I am Mesha King of Edom" Mehsa Stele 843 BC
"People of Seir" Papyrus Moscow 127 1001 BC
"Tribes of Edom" Papyrus of Anastasi VI 1205 BC
Edom experienced major population growth from the late 8th century BCE onward.
New small settlements, unfortified villages, and forts appeared, likely built to protect agriculture, mining, trade, and local communities.
In Transjordan, Edom was made up mostly of agricultural villages, with about eleven known settlements ranging from one to two hectares in size.
Its main city, Buṣeirah, was much larger and included a palace and temple.
From Buṣeirah, central elites appear to have tried to control and organize the wider region.
Archaeologists link Edom’s rapid growth to three main factors: copper mining in the Aravah, Assyrian influence, and Arab trade.
These developments helped form an independent but fragmented kingdom made up of cooperating tribal groups under a monarchy.
Edomite society combined agriculture and pastoralism and interacted with nearby populations, especially in the Beersheba Valley, an area also contested by the Kingdom of Judah.
The tribal character of Edomite society continued even into the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
The Edomite language was a West Semitic, Canaanite language, closely related to Hebrew and Moabite.
It is attested from the 7th century BCE through ostraca and seals naming kings, officials, and priests.
By the end of the 8th century BCE, the Edomites adopted the Aramaic alphabet, influenced by the script used in Assyrian administration.
Qos (also called Qaus) was the chief Edomite god and appears in both Edomite and Assyrian records.
Although the Hebrew Bible condemns the gods of Moab and Ammon, Qos is not directly attacked there and appears mainly in personal names.
Within Edom, Qos held official religious status and appears in the names of kings and in blessing formulas such as “I bless you through Qos.”
Archaeologists have found several seals belonging to priests of Qos, as well as at least one seal connected to the worship of Baal.
From the 8th century BCE through the Persian period, the name of Qos appears widely in inscriptions, seals, ostraca, cuneiform tablets, and even the Hebrew Bible.
The cult of Qos remained the dominant religion in Edom and later Idumea until the Persian period.
Early Copper Industry: Archeological findings (such as those studied at Tel Aviv University) suggest that early Edomites operated a technologically advanced, organized, and centralized copper-mining system in the Timna and Faynan regions of the Arava during the 12th–11th centuries BCE.
Capital City: The biblical capital of Edom is cited as Bozrah.
Edomite Evolution: Initially, the Edomites were a nomadic population ("Shasu" in Egyptian records) inhabiting the Transjordan highlands before coalescing into a monarchy, often in conflict with Israel.
Territorial Shift: Following the Babylonian conquest (c. 6th century BCE), the Edomites moved into southern Judah, with their original Transjordanian territory eventually taken over by the Nabatean Arab kingdom.
The Edomites played a major role in regional trade and resource exploitation due to their strategic location overseeing the southern Araba and copper routes
Persian Period (c. 550–330 BCE). Following the fall of Jerusalem, Edomites migrated into southern Judea, forming “Idumea,” a region which functioned as a district under Persian control. The Edomites—now Idumeans—interacted with the Persian administration, with many working for or serving under their rule in the Negev.
Key Connections between Persians and Edomites (Idumeans):
Administrative Presence: Edomites (Idumeans) during the Persian period (5th–4th century BCE) lived in a region that fell under the authority of the Persian Empire's administrative system, often described as an "Idumean satrapy" or district.
Archaeological Evidence: Thousands of Aramaic ostraca found in the Negev suggest a well-organized Idumean population working within the economic and bureaucratic framework of the Persian Empire.
Territorial Shifts: As the Nabataeans entered the original Edomite territory, many Edomites moved west, creating a "New Idumea" in the southern hills of Judea during the Persian era.
Cultural Interaction: While the Edomites maintained their culture, their interactions with the imperial power (who also used Aramaic) and the surrounding administrative systems (like Persian-led Arab trade) were intense.
The Edomites should not be confused with the Persians ethnically; they were a Semitic people neighboring Judea, whereas the Persians were an Indo-European people from the Iranian plateau
1773 Idumea or the Land of Philistine - Dutch map. Israel not
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