'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎355] (464/496)

closely corresponds with the ancient Hebrew. These tombs are five in
number: we visited and took measurements of them on another excur
sion into Mount Ephiaim. They are evidently of high antiquity, and
resemble the long tombs at the base of the pyramids of Ghizeh more
than any of the Sepulchres around Jerusalem, or in other parts of Pa
lestine or Asia Minor which I have visited; and also differ strikingly
from the long tombs pretended by Moslems to cover the remains of
Noah and other partriarchs in the East. I have sent to the Royal Asia
tic Society of London a short description of them, with a drawing by
Mr Critchlow, the architect who accompanied me. It is not improbable
that the ridge on which El-Jiba stands may have once been considered
as the southern prolongation of Mount Ephraim ; and that the present
tombs of Amalek mark the position of the Mount of the Amalekites in
the land of Ephraim near Pirathon the burial-place of Abdon the Pera-
thonite. The city of Ephraim, mentioned by John (xi. 54,) and placed
by Eusebius at eight miles 1SL from Jerusalem, cannot be far distant, if
the position assigned it by the Jewish historian is correct. The Amale
kites not only appear to have possessed colonies on Mount Ephraim, but
even penetrated the country beyond, so far north as the valley of Jezreel,*
where they were signally defeated by Gideon, who sent messengers
throughout Mount Ephraim to come down against them and the Midi-
anites and take before them the waters, even unto Beth-barah and
Jordan.*)* This eastern border of Benjamin and Ephraim, from its prox
imity to the valley of the Jordan, appears to have been peculiarly sub
ject to the incursions of the southern and eastern tribes, which, marching
up the Ghor, found ready and safe access into the land by means of the
many deep lateral defiles by which the country is intersected, as Joshua
himself did from Jericho, in his successful invasion of the border cities of
Canaan. Here was the scene of the many bloody conflicts between feaul
who resided at Gibeah El-Jiba, the Ammonites, the Philistines who had
a garrison in Michmash, and probably the Amalekites. On the hill of
Gibeah, (Saul’s birth place) the Gibeonites hanged Saul’s seven descen
dants. Between Michmash, which is a little to the north of the tombs
of Amalek, and Gibeah, Jonathan smote the Philistines while Saul
tarried in Migron, which is in the uttermost part of Gibeah, and while
the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah looked on. The passages by which
* Judges, vi. 33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the
children of the east, were gathered together, and went ovei an pi c ie in i@
valley of Jezreel. ,)
t Judges, vii. 24.