Tag: Isaiah

Report from Jerusalem, #25, September 2010

Ancient treasures in Gaza

There was a report last August about the difficulties of presenting archaeological remains in and around Gaza city. Much work has been done in the area in the past and much remains to be done, but at present organized digs are difficult to arrange and stray finds or rescue digs are open to unpreventable looting. In addition, contractors are loathe to report any finds to the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, as they will send a team of investigators and the building work will be held up for long periods. As a result discoveries are not notified and small finds are just covered over or looted by the contractors.

The Director of the Ministry, Mohammed Kheila, points out that funds for rescue work have been allocated, but his staff is small and unable to deal with all the many sites, both on private and public projects. Hayam al-Bitar, head of the Hamas Government Museums Department, says that they try and educate the public in the importance of the ancient findings and arrange suitable exhibitions, but they are hampered by lack of appropriate materials for cleaning and preservation due to the Israeli embargo on non-essential goods.

Philistine Temple at Tel es-Safi, near Kiryat Gat

Tel es-Safi (Tel Tsafit), identified as Biblical Gath, is being excavated by a team from Bar-Ilan University under the direction of Prof. Aren Maier. A Philistine temple building has been excavated, dating to the 10th century BCE, including two large column bases that would have supported pillars to the roof, and may have defined the inner sanctum of the temple. Several walls on the site appear to have collapsed outwards due to a severe earthquake. Prof. Maier speculates that it may have been the earthquake of c.750 BCE mentioned in the books of Isaiah (2:19, 21) and Amos (1:1, 4:11: 6:11, 9:1), and speculates that, judging by the damaged walls, it may have been of an intensity of 8 on today’s Richter scale. The excavators also found evidence of the siege equipment used by Hazael of Damascus in his destruction of Gath in around 830 BCE.

Reopening of Israel Musem in Jerusalem

There was a special ceremony in early August for archaeologists to celebrate the opening of the archaeological wing of the Museum, recently renovated on a large scale. All the existing exhibits have been newly presented in a most attractive new setting. Of special interest is a new room that presents details of some of the famous pioneers of archaeological work in Israel/Palestine. Individual sections are devoted to the work of Sir William Flinders Petrie, to Felicien de Saulcy (who worked in Jerusalem, Herodion and Airaq al-Amir) and Conrad Schick, several of whose Temple models are shown. There is also a section on the work of the Palestine Exploration Fun; the original theodolite, used for the Survey of Western Palestine by Charles Warren and others, is exhibited.

Heavy Gold Coin from Tel Kedesh

The heaviest gold coin ever found in Israel was uncovered recently at the dig in Kedesh led by Sharon Herbert and Andrea Berlin of the University of Michigan and University of Minnesota. Dating to the time of the Ptolemaic dynasty, ruling from Alexandria, the obverse shows the head of Queen Arsinoe Philadelphus, wife (and half-sister) of Ptolemy II, and the reverse has two overlapping cornucopia, symbols of plenty. The unusual size and weight (27.71 g), suggest that the coin, minted in Alexandria, was used for ceremonial purposes to honour the queen, rather than as currency. It was minted by one of her successors, Ptolemy V, in 191 BCE.

According to Dr. Donald Ariel, head of the IAA Coin Department, the coin – a mnaieion – had a nominal value of one mina, equivalent to 100 silver drachmas, and is then a and would have been equivalent in value to half-a-year’s average senior salary, about $80,000 today. Tell Kedesh, south of Kiryat Shemona, has been shown to be the administrative seat of the satrap (governor) during the Persian period and continued as such under the Ptolemies who reigned over Israel/Palestine after the death of Alexander the Great, until they were ousted by the Seleucids in 198 BCE. The coin was found by the central administrative building that housed public rooms and an archive.

Cameo of Eros from Givati Car Park site, Jerusalem

The large building site opposite the City of David Visitors’ Centre has recently offered up another piece of jewelry (previously there were gold and pearl earrings) of the Roman period. This time it is a small figure of Eros in relief cut into semi-precious pale blue onyx placed on a dark brown onyx background. The piece is only 1 cm. long and 0.7 cm. wide. It may have been enclosed in an oblong metal setting and used as a ring or even an earring. The figure of Eros is resting with his left hand on a reversed torch, an image that symbolizes the loss of life, according to Dr Doron Ben Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets, who are leading the excavation of the site by the IAA.

A Moabite Temple

Last week an announcement from Amman reported on the finding of numerous sacred vessels within an Iron Age shrine (c.1200-539 BCE) at Khirbet ‘Ataroz (Biblical Ataroth) near to Madaba, south-west of Amman. According to Ziad al-Saad, Jordan Antiquities Chief, the structure measured 9 m. by 4 m., had a raised platform and two antechambers, and stood in an open courtyard of 12 m. by 12 m. The excavation turned up over 300 sacred vessels and figurines, including a bull figurine depicting the god Hadad, circular clay vessels, lamps and altars. The dig is being conducted with La Sierra University of California and the pieces will be exhibited in Jordan’s new Archaeological Museum on the Acropolis in Amman. We await further news of this important find.

Stephen Gabriel Rosenberg
Albright Institute, Jerusalem

Report from Jerusalem, #20, January 2010

Earliest settlers at Gesher B’not Ya’akov site, north of Lake Kinneret

This site on the banks of the Jordan has yielded evidence of very early artifacts of the Acheulian culture, according to researchers from the Hebrew University, so early in fact, that they seem to indicate human activity half-a-million years earlier than previously thought. There was in this area a freshwater lake (later Lake Hule, now drained) that changed over the years and which supported “a hundred thousand years of hominid occupation”. The evidence comes from a high density of fish and crab bones indicating the earliest signs of fish consumption by prehistoric people. There are remains of charred wood and signs of processing of basalt and other stone hand tools located around a hearth. The tools are in the form of hand axes, scrapers, and choppers, as well as hammers and anvils that suggest the processing of nuts for roasting and eating.

The evidence of dating is not clear and sceptics have suggested that the remains could be typical of any date of camping site with fish bones, nutshells and a hearth. It remains to be seen what further evidence of dating the Hebrew University researchers will be bringing forward.

Taliban, one of the Lost Tribes?

A senior research fellow at the Institute of Haematology of Mumbai (Bombay) has been awarded a grant to the Technion of Haifa to study the possibility that the core of the Taliban movement has a blood link to one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. This subject, which up to now has been in the realms of fantasy, is given a certain legitimacy by the fact that the examination of DNA samples and links can now be put on a scientific basis. Shahnaz Ali, an Indian scientist, will be supervised by Prof. Skorecki of the Technion who is well-known for researching Jewish genetic origins.

The majority of the Afghan Taliban are Pashtuns, and it has been their belief that they are the descendants of the Afridi Pathans, and there is a popular theory that their tribes are descendants of the Israelite tribe of Ephraim, that was exiled by the Assyrians in 722 BCE.
Shahnaz has taken extensive blood samples of the local Taliban population and the grant will enable him to analyse them at Haifa, where the work is expected to take up to one year.

Khirbet Qeiyafa (Valley of Elah fortress) ostracon deciphered.

The pottery shard with ink writing, uncovered last year by Prof. Yossi Garfinkel at the above site, has now been deciphered by Prof. Gershon Galil of Haifa University. It is written in ink in a form of Paleo-Hebrew script on five lines separated by a series of dashes, an unusual feature. Galil notes that the language is Hebrew as it uses certain words, such as “almanah” (widow) not used in the language of adjoining cultures. The sentiments expressed, such a taking care of slaves and strangers, are not to be found in the writings of neighbouring nations, but relate closely to social issues expressed in Hebrew writings, such as Isaiah 1:17, Psalms 72:3 and Exodus 23:2.

Galil postulates that the fact that scribes were active at this period in peripheral areas such as this site, must indicate that in the capital and other urban areas, scribes were perhaps even better trained and able to record significant data.

The ostracon, judging by the context in which it was found, is of the tenth century BCE and is therefore the earliest example of Hebrew writing known so far (presumably some experts consider it earlier than the Gezer Calendar). Galil also notes that the writing is evidence of a kingdom that administers a form of justice in its territory, and this would indicate an administration existing in the tenth century BCE, which would be the period of King David, according to the Biblical chronology.

The text of the shard, in English (as published by Galil) is as follows.

“You shall do (it), but worship the (Lord),
Judge the sla(ve) and the wid(ow)…. judge the orph(an),
(and) the stranger. (P)lead for the infant…. plead for the po(or and)
the widow. Rehabilitate (the poor) at the hands of the king.
Protect the po(or and) the slave…support the stranger”.

This is a most important find but the reading printed here made by Galil is strongly challenged by some scholars and not accepted by Garfinkel himself. It seems that for some reason Galil, who is a fine historian but not known as an epigrapher, has rather jumped the gun and come to a reading and to conclusions that are not accepted by many archaeologists and epigraphers. One looks forward to seeing the full scholarly publication of the text, when hopefully we can expect to see a consensus on the reading and its implication for the history of the period.

Early settlement at Ramat Aviv, north of Tel Aviv.

There was intelligent life in Tel Aviv eight thousand years ago, and near the University! The Israel Antiquities Authority have recently uncovered a structure in Ramat Aviv dating it to between 7,800 and 8,400 years ago. It lay on the northern bank of the Yarkon river, where it was joined by its Ayalon tributary, the kind of well-watered site selected by the earliest settlers, who left behind basalt bowls and animal remains, including hippopotamus bones and sheep/goat teeth, according to Ayelet Dayan who directed the dig for the IAA.

Stephen G. Rosenberg,
W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, Jerusalem