Ai (Canaan)

The Ai (Hebrew: הָעַי, romanized: hāʿAy, lit. 'the heap (of ruins)'; Douay–Rheims: Hai) was a city in Canaan, mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. According to the Book of Joshua, it was conquered by the Israelites, headed by Joshua, during their conquest of Canaan.^[1]

The Ai's ruins are commonly thought to be in the modern-day archeological site of Et-Tell. Excavations revealed a large urban settlement dating back to around 3100 BCE, with cycles of destruction and rebuilding until roughly 2400 BCE. It remained uninhabited until a small village emerged in the Early Iron Age. In light of these findings, scholars interpret the biblical account of Ai's conquest as an etiological story explaining the origin of the place name.^[1]

^ ^a ^b Lemche, Niels Peter (2004). Historical dictionary of ancient Israel. Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical eras. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-8108-4848-1.

[:0-1] Lemche, Niels Peter (2004). Historical dictionary of ancient Israel. Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical eras. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-8108-4848-1.

[1]