Heat radiates off the stagnant waters of the lowest elevation on earth. Brine crusts along the western shore under an unyielding sun. A sheer escarpment rises sharply from the salt flats to trap the stagnant air in a brutal thermal envelope. This desolate strip of land chokes out almost all vegetation. Only the spring at En-gedi cuts through the earth to offer fresh water.
Armies marching in the ninth century b.c. required this scarce water to survive the journey north. Regional inscriptions from the neighboring kingdom of Moab document brutal border conflicts with the house of Judah during this period. King Jehoshaphat commanded the highland capital of Jerusalem around 850 b.c. His administration monitored the approach from the southeastern desert. A coalition of Moabite and Ammonite forces used the shallow southern ford of the Dead Sea to bypass fortified roads and strike straight for the spring.
The invading infantry climbed the Ascent of Ziz to breach the Judean highlands. This steep switchback trail gains over 1,300 feet in elevation as it cuts through the fractured rock of the fault line. It emerges into the wilderness of Jeruel near the highland outpost of Tekoa. Judean scouts watched the approaching column funnel into the narrow ravine. The canyon walls bottlenecked the massive force into a vulnerable line of march.
Armies confined in tight corridors often destroy themselves before the enemy ever strikes a blow.
The bottleneck shattered the coalition command structure. Paranoia and confusion spread rapidly among the trapped ranks of Moabites and Ammonites. Local mercenary guides turned on their allies in the chaos. The Judean forces arrived at the highland watchtower only to find the ravine choked with corpses. They spent three days hauling equipment and weapons out of the gorge before leaving the dead for the desert scavengers.