This thesis examines the development of the northern kingdom of Israel in the 9th and 8th centuries B.C. and its contacts and trade relations with Phenicia, with particular reference to the site of Kuntillet ʿAǧrud. The period of study covers the reign of the Nimsid dynasty (ca. 845–747 BC), with the northern kingdom particularly under kings Joash (802–787 BC) and Jeroboam II (787–747 BC) prospered and reached an unprecedented territorial expansion. This favored various political developments and power shifts between the Assyrian Empire, Aram-Damascus, Hamath, other Aramaic kingdoms and Israel. It should also be shown that the diplomatic and economic relations of the northern kingdom with the Phoenicians did not break off after the end of the preceding Omrid dynasty (ca. 882–845 BC), but continued and strengthened. It is important to use classic criteria for Phoenician influences, such as finds of volute capitals (Protoaeolian capitals) or ivories, and to show them through the analysis of additional archaeological and inscriptional findings, contacts and especially trade connections. The contacts in Kuntillet ʿAǧrud, a site in Sinai, become clear. The inscriptions and wall paintings found there attest to Phoenician and Israelite influence on site. The location of Kuntillet ʿAǧrud on the Gaza Strait, an ancient crossroads between the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, the Phoenician influences and the connection to the Northern Kingdom led to an ongoing discussion about the function of the place, which is interpreted partly as a place of worship and partly as a trading base.weiterlesen