Tel Burna's Impressive (Visible) Fortifications

Here are a few looks at Tel Burna's impressive fortifications taken by Sky View.  Understand that it is extremely rare to be able to see Iron Age architecture directly on the surface of a tell - especially one that has not been touched by the spade of archaeology (you should hear the giddiness in my voice).

Needless to say - the possibilities for this site are very tantalizing. You can see some other aerial shots and descriptions at the official blog site of Tel Burna.

History of Ancient Israel Schematic

For those of you interested in such things here is a chronological chart I just made up for my upcoming History of Ancient Israel course.  The flow chart basically shows the growth and prosperity (or lack thereof) of ancient Israel at any given time during her history.  A quick glance will produce mostly gibberish to the onlooker (as my wife rapidly informed me when I asked for her opinion), however, I think a chart such as this can be a valuable tool for anchoring biblical history into one's mind.
This chart can show you two basic things relative strength (comparing Israel and Judah) and overall historical flow.  So without further ado here is this afternoon's work.

For instance notice the difference between the period of the Judges and Solomon's rule.

Note that there are five basic peaks in Israelite history (only two coincide with Israel and Judah) the United Kingdom, Jehoshaphat and Ahab, Uzziah and Jeroboam II, Hezekiah, and Josiah. Understanding this basic framework is immensely helpful for understanding the History of Ancient Israel, as well as general Bible reading. Wherever you are in the OT you can simply ask yourself - am I in a peak or am I in a valley? If you have a chart like this you should be able to find out where you are historically.