Ritmeyer Archaeological Design » Excavations

Fiscal bulla found in Jerusalem

Leen Ritmeyer — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:25:50 +0000

A few days ago, the Temple Mount Sifting Project published an article about a fiscal bulla (a lump of clay that bears the imprint of an inscribed seal) that was found in an excavation on the eastern slope of Mount Moriah:

The bulla carries an Ancient Hebrew inscription: “[g]b’n/lmlk“, i.e. “Gibeon, for the King”. The bulla originates from the eastern slope of the Temple Mount, descending into the Kidron Valley. The bulla belongs to a group of bullae which were called by N. Avigad “Fiscal Bullae”. Presently we know more than 50 bullae of this type. They comprise two groups, one with names of cities in the kingdom of Judah, and the other with names of royal officials.

The Gibeon bulla, showing the inscription on the left and the back of the bulla on the right. Photo: Zev Radovan

The inscription of the bulla, reconstruction by Gabriel Barkay.

These ‘lmlk’ (for the king) bullae sealed tax commodities sent to the King of Judah and date from the time of King Hezekiah. About 50 of these fiscal bullae are known, but this is the first one that came from an archaeological rescue excavation. Gabriel Barkay has published an extensive article (in Hebrew) in which he discusses the entire phenomenon of the fiscal bullae.

The bullae include names of 19 different cities of Judah, and dates of the reign of one of the Judean kings, usually in hieratic numerals, as well as the particle “lmlk“, “for the king”. The components of the inscriptions are discussed, as well as the geographical history of the bullae, and its comparison to the list of Judean cities in Joshua 15: 20-63. The fiscal bullae represent a taxation system from the different Judean cities, based on yearly taxes, which probably replaced the previous one, reflected in the royal Judean jars and their seal impressions, from the time of King Hezekiah.

Not all of the cities, however, are mentioned in Joshua 15. Two cities belonged to Simeon, Eltolad and Bethul, and Gath was a Philistine city during most of the Biblical period. Here is the list of the 19 cities and where they are mentioned first:

Eltolad (Josh. 15.30, 19.4; Tolad 1 Chron. 4.29)

Lachish (Josh. 15.39)

Nezib (Josh. 15.43)

Arab (Josh. 15:52)

Keilah (Josh. 15.44)

Gebim (Isa. 10.31)

Maon (Josh. 15.55)

Jagur (Josh. 15.21)

Gath (Josh. 11.22)

Bethul (Josh. 19.4, Chesil Josh. 15.30, Bethuel 1 Chron. 4.30)

Aphekah (Josh. 15.53)

Gibeah (Josh. 15.57)

Adullam (Josh. 15.35)

Zaanannaim (Zenan Josh. 15.37)

Socoh (Josh. 15.35)

Gibeon (Josh. 9.3)

Zarah (Hazor Josh. 15.25)

Adoraim (2 Chron. 11.9)

Ziph (Josh. 15.55) – Judah

These originally were all Canaanite cities that were conquered by Joshua and were still part of the Kingdom of Judah during the reign of King Hezekiah.

The city of Gibeon, viewed from the south. Photo: Leen Ritmeyer

Gibeon did belong to a group of four Canaanite cities that made a covenant with Joshua by disguising themselves. After having been found out by Joshua, he made them hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of God (Joshua 9).

Mysterious carvings found in City of David excavations

Leen Ritmeyer — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:46:03 +0000

In today’s Haaretz it is reported that mysterious 2,800 year old V-shaped carvings were found in the City of David.

Mysterious stone carvings made thousands of years ago and recently uncovered in an excavation underneath Jerusalem have archaeologists stumped.

Israeli diggers who uncovered a complex of rooms carved into the bedrock in the oldest section of the city recently found the markings: Three "V'' shapes cut next to each other into the limestone floor of one of the rooms, about 2 inches (5 centimeters) deep and 50 centimeters long. Photo: AP

The archaeologists in charge of the dig know so little that they have been unable even to posit a theory about their nature, said Eli Shukron, one of the two directors of the dig.

“The markings are very strange, and very intriguing. I’ve never seen anything like them,” Shukron said.

It is possible, the dig’s archaeologists say, that when the markings were made at least 2,800 years ago the shapes might have accommodated some kind of wooden structure that stood inside them, or they might have served some other purpose on their own. They might have had a ritual function or one that was entirely mundane. Archaeologists faced by a curious artifact can usually at least venture a guess about its nature, but in this case no one, including outside experts consulted by Shukron and the dig’s co-director, archaeologists with decades of experience between them, has any idea.

Dating the Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem

Leen Ritmeyer — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:16:32 +0000

The announcement of the new theory on when the Western Wall was built (see here and here) was not as dramatic as expected. The discovery of coins, the latest of which were struck by the Roman procurator Valeruis Gratus in 17-18 AD, in a mikveh that went out of use when the Western Wall was built over it, suggests that the building of the Temple Mount walls took decades. This is the full report released by the Israel Antiquities Authority.

A picture of the two coins that were found in the mikveh. The coins date from the time of the Roman procurator Valeruis Gratus (17-18 AD). Photo: Vladimir Neichin/IAA

This picture shows that the Western Wall was built over the remains of a mikveh. Photo by Vladimir Neichin/IAA

Photo of the excavation of the mikveh by Vladimir Neichin/IAA

This late date is not surprising, as at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, usually dated to 30 AD, it was said that this Temple complex had been in building already for 46 years (John 2.20).

At the northern end of the Western Wall is a piece of bedrock that wasn’t even removed before the Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

A huge block of bedrock that was never quarried is visible at the end of the Western Tunnel. The Western wall is visible on the right and on the left is the street that was paved around the protruding piece of rock. Photo: © Leen Ritmeyer

This doesn’t mean to say that the Western wall is not Herodian. The whole building concept was designed by Herod the Great and completed after his death.

The Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem

Leen Ritmeyer — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:53:41 +0000

The Spokesperson of the Israel Antiquities Authority “circulated an invitation to journalists to attend a press conference tomorrow (Wednesday, November 23, 2011) at which “A find will be presented that challenges the conventional viewpoint in archaeology regarding the construction of the Western Wall of the Temple Mount.”

Although it sounds mysterious, Ronny Reich, whom I met very recently in Jerusalem, said that he has new information about the construction date of Robinson’s Arch. It will be interesting to see what he has to say.

HT: Joe Lauer

A view of the southwest corner of Herod's Temple Mount. In the foreground is Robinson's Arch with its monumental stairway that led up from the main street in the Tyropoeon Valley and entered the Royal Stoa through a gateway. On the left of Robinson's Arch is Barclay's Gate with Wilson's Arch at far left. The Temple towered high above the Temple Mount. © Leen Ritmeyer

Walking through the Herodian sewer in Jerusalem

Leen Ritmeyer — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:15:05 +0000

In the previous post we mentioned the opening of the Herodian sewer in Jerusalem. One can now walk underground from the Siloam Pool to the Temple Mount. Last week, we were one of the first groups to walk through this drain/sewer, that collected the rain water that fell on the street and drained the sewage from the adjacent buildings. Here is a photographic record of the tour:

From the Siloam Pool one first walks on the Herodian street itself, while later on one walks through the sewer that was built below the street. Photo: © Leen Ritmeyer

At the entrance to the underground sewer is a reconstruction painting that shows what the Herodian street would have looked like. The drain ran below this street.

This picture shows the excellent preservation of the drain. It also brings to mind that here many Jewish people, who were trying to flee the city in 70 AD, were killed by the Roman soldiers. Photo: © Leen Ritmeyer

The sewer passes by the southwest corner of the Temple Mount. Here we see the lowest courses that were built on the bedrock. The bosses of the ashlars were left unfinished as they were never intended to be seen above ground. Photo: © Leen Ritmeyer

Just below Robinson's Arch a fallen arch stone, that must have crashed down during the construction of Robinson's Arch, is wedged in between the two side walls of the drain. The clearing of the sewer is still continuing. Photo: © Leen Ritmeyer

This part of the drain was already discovered by Warren and his team in the 1860's. The fallen arch stone in this painting is the same one you see in the picture above.

This painting shows Sergeant Birtles, who worked with Warren in the 1860's, going down from below Robinson's Arch into the drain in between the fallen Herodian stones. The modern exit follows the same route.

Warren's drawing showing the relationship between Robinson's Arch and the drain below.

At the end of the tour one exits onto the Herodian street below Robinson's Arch. Photo: © Leen Ritmeyer

Want to walk through a sewer in Jerusalem?

Leen Ritmeyer — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:42:44 +0000

Don’t fear, the sewer is dry! One can now walk underground through the full length of the 2,000 year old Herodian drainage channel that ran below the street from the Siloam Pool to Robinson’s Arch near the Temple Mount. The route of the street is indicated on the drawing below:

The Jerusalem shown in this reconstruction drawing shows the culmination of King Herod the Great's extravagant plan for the city. He found it a city, struggling under the Hasmonean dynasty to regain her original boundaries of the First Temple period - he left it a sophisticated metropolis. © Leen Ritmeyer

Tom Powers has an excellent description using recent photographs and my map of this drainage system that I used in a previous blog post to explain its construction during the Hasmonean period and the Herodian bypass that was made after the construction of the southwest corner of the Herodian Temple Mount cut the earlier drain.

In an earlier post I wrote:

It will be exciting to walk again through this tunnel, but while doing so, one should also remember that in 70 AD many Jerusalemites tried to escape through this same tunnel, but were cruelly killed by the Romans when they were discovered.

Lectures at the Palestine Exploration Fund, London

Leen Ritmeyer — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:20:15 +0000

If you’re in London during the next few months, you may find the following lectures interesting:

The Palestine Exploration Fund: Forthcoming Lectures

06 October 2011

The Petra Effect: Archaeology and Psychical Research at George Horsfield and Agnes Conway’s Excavations

10 November 2011

War, Politics and Trade in the Roman Red Sea

08 December 2011

The Society of Biblical Archaeology 1870-1919

Have Archaeologists Discovered High Priest’s Bell?

Leen Ritmeyer — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:48:05 +0000

Archaeologists have discovered a rare gold bell during an excavation in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem.

by Elad Benari

Archaeologists have discovered a rare gold bell with a small loop at its end. The finding was made during an archaeological excavation in the City of David National Park (near the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem) by the Israel Antiquities Authority in cooperation with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Ir David Foundation.

Rare ancient bell. © IsraelNationalNews

The directors of the excavation on behalf of the Antiquities Authority, archaeologists Eli Shukron and Professor Ronny Reich of Haifa University, said after the finding, “The bell looked as if it was sewn on the garment worn by a man of high authority in Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period.

“The bell was exposed in the city’s main drainage channel of that period, between the layers of dirt that had been piled on the floor of the channel,” they continued. “This drainage channel was built and hewn west to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount and drained the rainfall in the different parts of the city, through the City of David and the Shiloah Pool to the Kidron valley.”

The excavation area, above the drain, is located in the main street of Jerusalem which rose from the Shiloah Pool in the City of David. In this street an interchange was built through which people entered the Temple Mount. The remains of this interchange are what is known today as Robinson’s Arch. Archaeologists believe that the eminent man walked the streets of Jerusalem in the area of Robinson’s Arch and lost the golden bell which fell off his outfit into the drain beneath the street.

Jewish sources say that the high priests who served in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem used to hang golden bells on the edges of their coats. The book of Exodus (Shemot), for example, contains a description of the coat of Aaron the high priest in which it is said that coat contains, “bells of gold.”

While it is unknown if the bell belonged to one of the high priests, archaeologists have not ruled out the possibility.

The holy garments of the High Priest are described in Exodus 28 and 39. A golden plate with an inscription "Holy to Yahweh" was fixed to a white head covering. A colourful vest, called the ephod, had the breastplate of judgment with 12 precious stones attached to it. On the shoulders were two onyx stones with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel engraved on them. Under the ephod was a robe of blue and a long white undergarment. Attached to the hem of the blue robe were bells and pomegranates. © Leen Ritmeyer

Summer days and nights in Jerusalem

Leen Ritmeyer — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 11:59:57 +0000

A press release from TravelVideo.tv lists the evocative tours taking place in and around the City of David this summer. These include:

The Archeological Experience at the Emek Tzurim National Park: Discovering the Past Hidden in the Dust: A unique exploration of the Temple Mount’s glorious past, travelers will be able to sift through rubble that originated in ancient buildings atop the Temple Mount while learning about the artifacts from on-site archeologists and guides.

Tour of the biblical City of David: A tour bringing travelers through Jerusalem’s biblical sites and places where the city’s the most stirring, remarkable artifacts were unearthed. Tour guides will lead travelers through an impressive underground world in Warren’s Shaft, the city’s ancient water system, as well as an illuminated walk in the waters of the Gihon Spring that flows through Hezekiah’s Tunnel.

In the footsteps of the Pilgrims – New Discoveries and Revelations from the Second Temple Period: A tour leading travelers in the footsteps of the architects of the city and incorporating recent archeological discoveries as well as the Shiloah Pool and the Herodian Road.

Enchanted Jerusalem-the New Nighttime Experience at the City of David: The new evening tour of the City of David begins at the Hatzofeh lookout point emphasizing the unique, low position of the biblical City of David in comparison with Jerusalem’s Old City walls. The tour will conclude with an innovative light show projected onto various antiquities, telling the story of the City of David through movement and sound.

Twilight at the City of David: A magical three-hour tour in a special nighttime ambiance allowing travelers to view the city through a course of excavations including David’s Palace and Hezekiah’s Tunnel. The tour concludes with harp music under the ancient olive trees in the King’s Garden.

Following the Water to Jerusalem – Hasmonean Aqueduct Tour: A flashlight tour highlighting the two 2,000-year-old aqueducts constructed to bring water from the Pools of Solomon to the Temple Mount and Upper City. Travelers will also witness the incredible views of ancient Jerusalem and the sophisticated water system built by King Herod on 150 BCE.

Kidron Monuments Tour: A tour of the massive, elaborate monuments in the Kidron Valley around the Old City’s original municipal border between the City of David and the Mount of Olives.

The full story is at http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/

The Water Gate of Jerusalem

Leen Ritmeyer — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:17:26 +0000

The inauguration of a complex dating from the First and Second Temple periods on the Ophel has been widely reported, see for example here and here. In a previous post we mentioned that “The site was first excavated in the 1970′s under the direction of the late Prof. Benjamin Mazar and in the 1980′s and onward, Eilat Mazar has further excavated the site. The site has remains from the Israelite, Herodian (dismantled), Roman, Byzantine and Ummayad periods.”

The site is well known to me as I supervised the excavations of a large Herodian mansion in this area in 1975. My wife Kathleen also excavated in the same area. Moshe Feuer took over the supervision later on. Below the Herodian mansion, he discovered a substantial Iron Age structure that was tentatively identified by Prof. Benjamin Mazar as “The House of Millo”, mentioned in 2 Kings 12.20.

Leen (left) discussing the excavation results with Prof. Benjamin Mazar (with red hat) and Meir Ben-Dov, 1975.

Reporting on the inauguration, Todd Bolen asked the following question:

“I’d be curious to know if there are any other archaeologists who agree with Mazar’s identification of the structure she excavated as a gate. Some years ago it seemed that even those most sympathetic to her views did not follow her on this, but perhaps that has changed. I note that the press release does not state that this is a gate but that “Mazar suggests” that it is a gate.”

I will try to answer this question. While studying Warren’s plans of this area, it became clear to me that the excavated remains were connected with a large tower-like structure, dubbed by him “The Tower that lieth out” (Nehemiah 3.26). I tried to excavate this area which is located on the other side of the road, but was stopped by the religious authorities who claimed that a Medieval Jewish cemetery was located there, which subsequently proved to be correct.

Some 10 years later, under the direction of Prof. Benjamin Mazar and his granddaughter Eilat, the excavations were expanded to the east where a large structure of the First Temple period was found. When Eilat investigated the previously excavated area, she asked me to make the plans.

While working on the plans, I imposed symmetry on the remains and at that moment I thought that the structure excavated by Moshe Feuer could have been a gateway.

Moshe Feuer standing behind prof. Benjamin Mazar. Leen and his dog Simba in the foreground, 1975.

Working with Professor Benjamin Mazar was always a great pleasure as he often bounced off ideas during the many “brainstorming” sessions we had. I showed my preliminary ideas about the gate to Eilat, indicating the location where to excavate in order to prove that it was a gate. Instead of investigating the possibility, she invited the media the next day to announce that she had discovered the Water Gate! See Jerusalem Post report of April 22, 1986.

The Jerusalem Post reports that “Mazar believes the area is described in the Torah in the verse about King Solomon’s Temple: “… and the temple servants living on Ophel repaired to a point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower” (Nehemiah 3:26). It may have been called the Water Gate because of the plethora of mikvaot in the area.”

This is a very uninformed statement, as Nehemiah 3 does not mention any temple, let alone Solomon’s Temple and the Book of Nehemiah is not part of the Torah (the five Books of Moses). The connection between the “Water Gate” and the mikvaot is untenable as the “gate” belongs to the First Temple period and the mikvaot to the Second Temple period. The earliest mikvaot date to the first century BC.

Excavating a Herodian (Second Temple period) mikveh in the Ophel area, 1975. Photo: Leen Ritmeyer

I no longer believe that the building in question is a gate, as the chambers do not resemble those of Iron Age gateways. The only complete chamber was stacked full with large storage jars which is also untypical of gateways. It would appear now that the building was a storage facility connected to a large domestic or public building.

Reading Nehemiah 3.26, it is clear that the “Water Gate” and “the tower that lieth out” are separate points along the wall. The Water Gate must therefore be located south of the tower (somewhere near the Gihon Spring). According to Warren’s excavations, this outlying tower consists of two elements, a large tower and a smaller L-shaped wall (called by Warren the “Extra Tower”). The latter was built apparently to strengthen the larger tower.

The archaeological remains in the Ophel area, showing the "Outlying Tower", the "Extra Tower", the water channel and the "gate". Drawing: Leen Ritmeyer.

As there are some structures in this area, which, according to Eilat, belong to the 10th century BC. and if the outlying tower, which has not been excavated, belongs to this period, then the L-shaped “Extra Tower” structure must be later.

As a water channel from the First Temple period Bethesda Pool enters the “outlying tower” from the northeast, I would suggest that the “Water Gate” building served as a water distribution point, possibly during the time of King Hezekiah after he conducted the water of the Gihon Spring to the Siloam Pool. This would have left the Ophel area without a water supply and therefore a new water distribution point (where the storage jars could have been used) may have been created here to meet the needs of the local population.