Ai

A small town or village captured by Joshua probably about 1125 BCE; but the scale of the operation is much exaggerated in the account of Josh. 8 and seems to be an attempt to extol the military prowess of the Hebrews. It is also suggested, in the absence of any undisputed archaeological confirmation, that the account was compiled as an explanation of a well-known ruin—which is the meaning of the word in Hebrew—and has no historical basis.