Editing Adullam (section)

===Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods===
Few records abound for the site during the classical period. In 163 BCE, it was in Adullam that [[Judas Maccabaeus]], the principal leader of the [[Maccabean Revolt]] during a time of foreign dominion in the country, retired with his fighting men, after returning from war against the [[Idumaeans]] and the [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid]] general, [[Gorgias (general)|Gorgias]].<ref name="AmitDavid"/><ref>[[2 Maccabees]] 12:32–38; [[Josephus]] (''[[Antiquities of the Jews|Antiquities]]'' 6.12.3.; 8.10.1.)</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Clermont-Ganneau|1875|pp=171–172}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Rainey|1983|p=18}}</ref><ref name="EncyclopaediaJudaica">{{Harvnb|Encyclopaedia Judaica|1971|p=311 (s.v. Adullam)}}</ref> Adullam stood near the highway which later became the [[Roman road]] in the Valley of Elah, which road led from [[Jerusalem]] to [[Bayt Jibrin|Beit Gubrin]].

As late as the early 4th century CE, Adullam was described by [[Eusebius]] as being "a very large village about ten [Roman] miles east of [[Bayt Jibrin|Eleutheropolis]]."<ref>{{Harvnb|Notley|Safrai|2005|pp=27 (§77), 82 (§414)}}. As for the word "east," this is not to be understood directly east in relation to Beit Gubrin (Eleutheropolis), as proven by other descriptions of biblical place names in Eusebius' writings, but can also mean "northeast", as in this case, or "southeast".</ref>
[[File:Kh. esh Sheikh Madkour (Adullam - Upper site).jpg|thumb|Cave-like structure at the Upper site of Adullam]]