There are elements of history woven in. I believe what you are trying to say is that they are loose historical accounts. For example, George Washington didn't actually chop down a cherry tree, but he did exist and did many great things. It would be unusual if ancient historical accounts did not weave legends, allegory, fables and myth into their accounts. Such that it made them more memorable and easier to pass down orally. It in no way diminishes the overarching message and history of the account.Everything in the OT is exaggeratedSo what exactly are you trying to get at?They don’t know a lot more than they claim to know. They look at fragments of a past culture. No one knows the real history.Right, as if we’d have any idea or capability to determine a city’s population from 2,000 years ago within a few hundred people.
Archaeologist can tell a lot..
Have you been to Jerusalem.. The old city is quite small. They didn't have enough water and the land is very stony.. The north around Galilee and the Decapolis was more prosperous.
I follow Israeli archaeologist pretty closely for the past 40 years.. I have been to Jordan and Palestine several times so it interests me .Everything in the OT is exaggerated...
Prove it.
By the way, have you read the last 2 chapters of Deuteronomy?
Of course. Why? Do you think Moses wrote the Pentateuch? There are a number of doublets in the stories because Israel and Judah had different accounts that were cobbled together about the time of King Omri... and the origins of those stories are older from Sumer and the north Coast Canaanites. It doesn't diminish the value or the truth of the stories. But, they aren't history.