Temple Mount coins exhibit

The Israel National News reports here on a new exhibit at the Davidson Center in the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden in Jerusalem.

A very special exhibition opens next week in Jerusalem, revealing to the public for the first time all of the ancient coins uncovered in excavations at the foot of the Temple Mount.

Alexander Jannaeus coin. Photo: IAA

The article includes some nice photos of the exhibit and a couple of the coins. One is labeled Lily King Yehonatan. In most English sources I have used on the period between the Testaments this ruler is called Alexander Jannaeus. He was the Hasmonean ruler recognized as King of Judea from 103 to 76 B.C.

Hendin, Guide to Biblical Coins,  shows a similar coin with the obverse (head) showing a lily surrounded by a Hebrew inscription (Yehonatan the king). The reverse (tail) shows an anchor with the inscription “of Alexander the king.”

HT: Joseph I. Lauer

The Ark at Kiriath-jearim

The first reference to Kiriath-jearim is in Joshua 9:17 where it is listed as one of the cities of the Hivites along with Gibeon, Chephirah, and Beeroth. These cities were located on the western side of the Judean hill country.

The name, Kiriath-jearim, means “city of forests” or wood, and is identified with Deir el-Azar. The Arab village at the site today is called Abu Ghosh and can be seen about nine miles west of Jerusalem to the right of the main highway to Tel Aviv. Several other names are given for the place. It is called Kiriath-baal (Joshua 15:60; 18:14), Baalah (Joshua 15:9), possibly Baalath (1 Kings 9:18), and Baale-judah (2 Samuel 6:2). Perhaps the simplest and correct explanation is that the Israelites changed the name from a place that honored Baal to a geographical one, the city of forests.

When the Danites moved from their allotted territory to the north they camped a little to the west of Kiriath-jearim at a place they called Mahaneh-dan (Camp of Dan; Judges 18:11-12).

Kiriath-jearim’s highest honor is in the association with the ark of the covenant. The Israelites took the ark from the tabernacle at Shiloh to the battle field at Ebenezer when they were fighting with the Philistines (1 Samuel 4). The ark was captured by the Philistines and taken to Ashdod, then to Gath, and finally to Ekron before they decided to get rid of it. The ark was returned to Beth-shemesh (1 Samuel 4-6).

The men of Beth-shemesh sent messengers to the residents of Kiriath-jearim asking them to come and take the ark to their town. The ark was brought into the house of Abinadad on the hill. His son, Eleazar, was consecrated by the men of the city to keep the ark of the LORD. The ark remained there for many years until David had it brought to Jerusalem (1 Samuel 6:21-7:2; 2 Samuel 6).

A prophet named Uriah, a contemporary with Jeremiah, lived at Kiriath-jearim. He preached a message similar to that of Jeremiah regarding Jerusalem in the days of the Babylonian threat. When he was threatened by King Jehoiakim he fled to Egypt, but was captured and brought back to Jerusalem and put to death (Jeremiah 26:20-24).

The ark of the covenant was here at Kiriath-jearim before David took it to Jerusalem. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Our photograph shows the hill of Kiriath-jearim. Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant Church was built in 1911 on the ruins of a fifth century Byzantine church.

This article was published in Biblical Insights, June, 2007.

German Archaeologist: Beneath every footstep in Syria is an ancient civilization

The Global Arab Network reports on a statement made by German archaeologist Markus Gschwind, head of the Syrian-German Archaeology Expedition, here. The report says,

Syria, the land of civilizations and history, is rife with ancient monuments that tell the stories of the many peoples and civilizations that lived in it, whose stories endured in the face of time to tell humanity about their greatness.

“Beneath every footstep in Syria is an ancient civilization,” says Archaeologist Markus Gschwind, head of the Syrian-German Archaeology Expedition working at al-Rafina in Hama. He notes that this saying is repeated around Germany, as most Germans consider Syria the most historically deep-rooted country in the Mediterranean.

In a statement to SANA, Gschwind said that he has been living and excavating in Syria for six years, each day discovering many secrets from the history of mankind.

Gschwind is working at the ancient city of al-Rafina in Hama. Hama is at the site of Biblical Hamath  (2 Kings 14:25; 2 Chronicles 8:4).

My limited visits to Syria have convinced me that the statement by Gschwind is correct. Of course, the same could be said of Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, et al.

The Assyrian Empire ruled the ancient near east from the battle of Qarqar (853 B.C.) till the battle of Carchemish (605 B.C.) when they were defeated by the Babylonians. Nineveh had fallen seven years earlier. This was the time of the Divided Kingdom period in Israelite history, and Assyria had contact with a numerous biblical kings. Ahab, for example, fought against the Assyrians at Qarqar. Qarqar is north of Hammath. Both are on the Orontes River.

The tell of Qarqar in northern Syria. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

HT: Biblical Paths

Archaeologist Gabriel Barkai discusses digging on the Temple Mount

Israel National News has posted a video featuring Dr. Gabriel Barkai.

In wake of the claims that Israel is excavating under the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount and undermining Muslim mosques in order to cause them to collapse, archaeologist Dr. Gabriel Barkai told IsraelNN TV the opposite is true.

He charged that it is the Arabs who have acted against the status quo and have “brutally” excavated land that contains many ancient artifacts from Jewish history.

Dr. Barkai spoke about the “Sifting Project,” in which countless archaeological finds are being discovered in the rubble dug up by the Muslims. He also discussed his most famous discovery: small silver plaques containing the Priestly Benediction from the Book of Numbers, which he found in 1979.

These plaques contain the oldest surviving Biblically-related inscription discovered to date, dating back to 600 B.C.E.

Some of the comments made by Dr. Barkai are controversial, but I think readers who are interested in the archaeology of Jerusalem will find this 10-minute video beneficial.

The link takes you to the report and the video with all of the associated ads.

HT: Joseph I. Lauer

The Tel Dor Excavation Project

About two months ago we wrote about Tel Dor here. The day before that we noted the discovery of the miniature carving of Alexander the Great here.

Alexander Carving from Tel Dor

Paula Waiman, a PhD student at the University of Haifa, left a comment on the post about the Alexander carving. Her advisor is Dr. Ayelet Gilboa, co-director of the Tel Dor Excavation. I suggested to her that we move up her comment so it would be easier for readers to see.

The exquisite gemstone of Alexander the great that captured your attention, as seen in you website, is only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, of one of the largest, long lasting and high profile archaeological projects in Israel. If you care about the archaeology of biblical times (Israelites, Phoenicians and Sea People), the Classical periods, and the cultural heritage of Israel and the Mediterranean; and if you are interested in forging a bond between Israel and the international community – please take a moment to look at the attached file [see Tel Dor website for full info]. Like almost cultural projects around the globe, we need your help to endure.

We would be grateful if you could pass this message to any other interested parties.

Tel Dor website: dor.huji.ac.il
Tel Dor has also a facebook wall. You are welcome to visit us.

Prof. Sarah Stroup, University of Washington, has posted some nice photos of the excavation here.

Looking for Libnah

A new blog, called The Tel Burna Excavation Project, has been launched to report on the preliminary survey of Tel Burna. The tel is located in the Shephelah of Israel among such sites as es-Safi/Gath, Zayit, Goded, Mareshah, Azekah and Lachish.

The Shephelah. Map: Tel Burna Excavation Project.

In the case of Tel Burna, with no excavation material available, the problem is even more difficult. despite this, several scholars have suggested identifying the site with Biblical Libnah (although one should note that nearby Tel Zayit is a very likely candidate as well – as Ron Tappy, the excavator there, has recently published).

Libnah was a Canaanite town that was conquered by Joshua who allotted it to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 10:29-30; 15:42). The city was chosen as one of the Levitical cities (Joshua 21:13), which points to its role as a border site. According to 2 Kings 8:22 (and 2 Chronicles 21:10), the city of Libnah was involved in the rebellion against Jehoram the king of Judah (in 9th century BCE) and later, a woman from Libnah married King Josiah in the 7th century BCE (Kings 23:31-32;2 Kings 24:17-18; Jeremiah 22:11).

In any case, even if the site is not Libnah, it is clear for the survey results (which will be mentioned in an upcoming post) that the site was a very important site in the Iron Age, along the border between Judah and the Philistines.

HT: Luke Chandler’s Blog; Aren Maeir.

Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem

The Al-Aqsa (or Al-Aksa) Mosque is one of the two important buildings erected by Moslems on the platform built by Herod the Great. A Brief Guide to the Dome of the Rock and Al-Haram Al-Sharif, published in 1965, says the Al-Aksa Mosque was built in A.D. 693 or A.D. 705. The other significant building on the platform is called The Dome of the Rock or the Mosque of Omar. It is built over the rock where, according to tradition, Abraham offered Isaac (Genesis 22), and where the Temple of Solomon once stood (1 Kings 6).

This building has often been in the news. In 1951 King Abdullah of Jordan was assassinated in the Mosque. In 1969 an Australian tourist set fire to the building. Just a couple of days ago we saw news reports of disturbances in the Mosque. The Guardian of London headline reports,

Palestinians clash with Israeli troops at al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Demonstrations at holy shrine erupt into violence as youths fight battles with riot police.

The Western Wall tunnel

Most first time visitors to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, whether in 1967 or 2009, probably think they are looking at a wall seen by Jesus and other first century characters prior to AD 70. In a sense they are. That is, they are seeing the same wall, but not at the first century level.

The Western Wall is the western side of the temple platform enclosure built by Herod the Great. Jesus drove money changers out of the temple precinct (hieron) (John 2:13-17). In their discussion with Jesus the Jews called attention to the length of time the temple (naos) had been under construction (John 2:19-21).

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. (John 2:19-21 NAU)

The photo below shows the largest visible stone in the western side of the Temple precinct. According to the Western Wall Tunnel web site, this stone is the largest one in the tunnel. It is 41 feet long, 11.5 feet high, and 15 feet deep. The web site says that this stone is 20 feet above the street level of the first century.

The largest visible stone in the Western Wall tunnel. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The Tunnel was dug in the years following 1967, but an exit was not cut on the north end until 1996.

Israel plans major excavation at Western Wall

Israel National News reports, in an article by Samuel Sokol, plans to conduct a archaeological dig under the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Israel is planning a major archaeological dig under the Western Wall (Kotel) plaza, opposite the Temple Mount, officials announced Thursday. The excavations will create an archaeological park directly underneath the area where worshippers currently stand while praying at the Kotel.

The current prayer area will remain open, supported by pillars, while a new area will be added underneath, at the level at which worshippers at the ancient Temple stood in the past.

The complete article may be read here, and another here from The Jerusalem Post.

This drawing shows the planned part underneath the present pavement at the Western Wall.

Proposed Western Wall archaeological park. Photo: Antiquities Authority.

Here is the way this area looks at the present time.

The Western Wall platform. View to north toward Wilson's Arch. Photo by F. Jenkins.

HT: Joseph Lauer

Nabataean site in the Negev valdalized

Ynet News reports that Avdat, a Nabataean site in the Negev, has been severely damaged by vandals. In August, 2008, I had Avdat on my list of places to visit. We made it to the site, but it was within 30 minutes of closing time and the guard would not allow us to go to the top. I regret that we missed seeing everything — even more now.

The Nabataean site of Avdat in the Negev. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Raviv Shapira, director of the southern district of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority told Ynet that the sight of the destruction was awful: “We came in the morning and found the place in shambles,” described Shapira, “They broke the staircase, destroyed the walls, and painted on them. The worst is that the two most ancient churches in Israel were destroyed, and 13-foot columns were shattered with hammers along with artifacts and the authentic marble alter, which is the most important (artefact) in the city.”

The Nabataeans founded Avdat around the 3rd century BC, along the “Perfume Road” which stretched between the Jordanian city of Petra and Gaza. The place was named after the Nabataean king, Avdat, who was also buried at the site. According to Shapira, Avdat was the most important historic city on the “Perfume Road” after Petra between the 1st century BC and the 7th century AD, and was inhabited by Nabataeans, Romans and Byzantines.

We typically refer to the “Perfume Road” as the “Spice Road.” Read the full story here (including a video).

HT: Joseph I. Lauer