Category: Excavations

Ancient street found in Jerusalem

A few days ago an ancient street was found in Jerusalem in an archaeological excavation inside the Jaffa Gate, next to the remains of the Hippicus Tower. This exciting find has been reported by many commentators. This CBN news item, however, shows an interesting video of the excavated street. The excavators have pointed out that this street was shown on the Madaba map:

This map also guided the late Prof. Nahman Avigad to find the Byzantine Cardo in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. Using this map as a basis and taking all the Byzantine remains found in Jerusalem into consideration, I was able to make a reconstruction drawing of the city during that time. This then is a view of Jerusalem during the Byzantine period, showing the street complex and the many the Christian churches that were built at that time. Many Christians lived in Jerusalem, which was also visited throughout the year by Christian pilgrims.

Confirmed: David was king in Jerusalem

It has been reported that “Professor Gershon Galil of the department of biblical studies at the University of Haifa has deciphered an inscription dating from the 10th century BCE (the period of King David’s reign), and has shown that this is a Hebrew inscription. The discovery makes this the earliest known Hebrew writing. The significance of this breakthrough relates to the fact that at least some of the biblical scriptures were composed hundreds of years before the dates presented today in research.”

Prof. Galil also notes that the inscription was discovered in a provincial town in Judea. He explains that if there were scribes in the periphery, it can be assumed that those inhabiting the central region and Jerusalem were even more proficient writers. “It can now be maintained that it was highly reasonable that during the 10th century BCE, during the reign of King David, there were scribes in Israel who were able to write literary texts and complex historiographies such as the books of Judges and Samuel.” He adds that the complexity of the text discovered in Khirbet Qeiyafa, along with the impressive fortifications revealed at the site, refute the claims denying the existence of the Kingdom of Israel at that time.

This conformation of the authenticity of the Bible and the existence of David’s kingdom with Jerusalem as its capital does not come as a surprise to Bible students. Some archaeologists have tried to rewrite the history of Israel from the ground up, i.e. based on archaeological evidence only. They now have to rethink their flawed theories, thanks to a humble potsherd.

Source: Joe Lauer

Leprosy in Jerusalem

In 1994 my archaeologist-wife Kathleen and I wrote an article in Biblical Archaeology Review (Nov/Dec 1994) called “Akeldama – Potter’s Field or Priestly Cemetery?” Akaldama is mentioned in the Bible as a burial place for strangers, bought with the money given to Judas to betray Jesus (Acts 1.19). Akeldama means Field of Blood, for Judas, while trying to hang himself, fell down and his body burst open.

We then suggested that a small, but beautifully decorated tomb in the area below St. Onuphrius Monastery might have belonged to Annas the High Priest, who condemned Jesus to death, for the Temple Mount could be viewed from this tomb and the architectural decoration of the tomb has been copied from the Temple Mount. There are other decorated tombs in this area. Instead of a burial place for strangers, this area was most likely the cemetery of priestly families.

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Entrance to the Tomb of Annas the High Priest

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Reconstruction of the Tomb of Annas (© Ritmeyer Archaeological Design)

In June 2000, another tomb was accidentally found, which contained bones and remains of a linen shroud. The tomb is located next to the tomb which we had identified as Tomb of Annas. Carbon-14 dating showed that the shroud dated from the first half of the first century AD. It has been reported that a new analysis has now showed that the man to whom the shroud belonged suffered from leprosy. Leprosy is mentioned in the Bible, but this is the first time that archaeological evidence has proved that it actually existed. Joe Lauer pointed me to an article in the Daily Mail, which has several photographs of the tomb.

It is interesting to note that this shroud doesn’t look at all like the Turin Shroud. The shroud in Jerusalem was made up of several wrappings and there was a separate wrapping for the head. This would, of course, be in harmony with the burial of Jesus, whose body was buried with a separate head cloth (John 20.27).

New excavations planned below the Western Wall Plaza

According to this report, new excavations are planned below the Western Wall Plaza. The present level would be supported by pillars and an additional underground area would be available for worship/visiting. Here is an artist’s impression:
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This is not a new idea, for already in 1967 plans were drawn up to excavate below this area. The plan called for an excavated area below ground level, but also retaining the level of the plaza as it was then:
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It would be fascinating to see more of the Western Wall in this area and also to see Barclay’s Gate to its full height. This drawing shows the visible remains of Barclay’s Gate above ground today and the original size of the gate:
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(This drawing was published in The Quest, p.26)

New Discoveries Related to Temple Mount

Todd Bolen’s blog post gives an excellent overview of discoveries related to the Temple Mount. Worth reading!

“Hall of Ages” near the Temple Mount rehabilitated

Despite the fact that this building has been known for several decades, only now has it been possible to restore it using modern techniques:
“Although the new hall was originally discovered decades ago, it lay untouched for years due to fears that the ancient stones were not stable enough for excavation. A new technique was found to support the walls from crumbling, enabling workers to remove the rubble.”
Artifacts from both the First and the Second Temple periods were found. The name given to this building, “Hall of Ages” (or “Hall of Eras”), is a bit ridiculous, as remains of these periods have been found in many other sites in Jerusalem.
Within a few months it will be opened to the public. I look forward to discovering where this building is actually located. I guess it is part of the old Makhkama building shown on the plans of Charles Warren. If so, it should be located near the Masonic Hall, mentioned in my previous post, and Wilson’s Arch.
For full story, see the Jerusalem Post’s article here.
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Photo: Channel 2

Source: Joe Lauer

A 2,000 year old Mikveh exposed in the Western Wall tunnels

While I was abroad, the IAA reported that a 2,000 year old mikveh has been found near the Temple Mount:

“The miqve was discovered inside the western hall of a splendid structure that is located just c. 20 meters from the Western Wall. Parts of the building were discovered in the past and the Israel Antiquities Authority is currently exposing another one of the three halls inside it. It is one of the most magnificent structures from the Second Temple period ever to be uncovered.”

This “magnificent structure” is the Council-chamber, also known as the Masonic Hall, which was first discovered by Charles Warren in the 1860’s. It is located near the Western Wall and the bridge over Wilson’s Arch was later partly built over it. This drawing shows the location of the Council-chamber, the Xystus and the Hasmonean Palace in relation to the Temple Mount:

Xystus

The confusing part in the rest of this report is the following sentence:

“In his book The War of the Jews, Josephus Flavius writes there was a government administrative center that was situated at the foot of the Temple. Among the buildings he points out in this region were the council house and the “Xistus”- the ashlar bureau. According to the Talmud it was in this bureau that the Sanhedrin – the Jewish high court at the time of the Second Temple – would convene. It may be that the superb structure the Israel Antiquities Authority is presently uncovering belonged to one of these two buildings.”

Josephus actually writes the following about the northern part of the First Wall in The War of the Jews 5.144:
“Beginning on the north at the tower called Hippicus, it [the city wall] extended to the Xystus, and then joining the council-chamber terminated at the western portico of the temple.”

The Xystus was not a building, but a paved open space for assembly, used for public speeches. In Greek, xystus means smooth, polished flag-stones. Previously, the Gymnasium was located there. In The War of the Jews 2.344, Berenice stood watching on the roof of the Hasmonean Palace, while King Agrippa made a speech to the people which he had summoned to the Xystus below. If they were inside a building, Berenice could never have watched this event. It is therefore a mistake to confuse the Xystus with the “ashlar bureau”, better known as the Chamber of Hewn Stone (Lishkat haGazit in Hebrew) of the Mishnah.

The Council-chamber (Bouleh in Greek) was located between the Xystus and the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. It was a public building and has nothing to do with the Chamber of Hewn Stone, which was located on the Temple Mount. It is described in Mishnah Middot 5.4 as one of the chambers of the Temple Court: “Those [chambers] on the south were the Wood Chamber, the Golah Chamber and the Chamber of Hewn Stone.” “The Chamber of Hewn Stone – there used the Great Sanhedrin of Israel to sit and judge the priesthood.” See also my previous post on The Sanhedrin and the Temple Mount.

The archaeologist Alexander Onn correctly calls the Council-chamber a government administrative building. The mikveh with its 11 steps was built later into the building, testifying to the growth and development of Jerusalem later on in the Herodian period.

The Council-Chamber was a beautifully designed building with pilasters cut into the interior walls, resting on a plinth which was located about 1 meter (3 feet) above the original floor. The newly discovered mikveh is located in the western hall of this building, well below the original floor level. Below is my reconstruction drawing, showing the location of the mikveh:
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Jerusalem unveils road used by pilgrims during Second Temple

In my previous post I reported inaccurately that the newly revealed street was located east of the Siloam Pool, while, in fact, it is the main Herodian street to the west. Sections of this street had been excavated previously by Bliss and Dickie, Hamilton and Kathleen Kenyon.
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Photo: Vladimir Neichin

Tunnel east of Siloam Pool extended

The tunnel east of the Siloam Pool (not the stepped Siloam Reservoir) has been extended to the north. Inside the tunnel a beautifully preserved Herodian street has been found. This Jerusalem Post report has a silent video showing the beautifully carved steps. This side street runs parallel to the main street west of the Siloam Pool and continues further to the north. It apparently linked up with the main Tyropoeon Valley Street further up the valley. Further north, the same street can be seen near the Temple Mount, below Robinson’s Arch.

We reported in an earlier post that this main Herodian street has a huge drain below its pavers, which may have been used by some Jews trying to escape the Roman destruction. Those that escaped were unaware of the unfortunate lot that befell most of them, namely having their bowels cut open by Roman soldiers, who were in search for golden coins.

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Plan and photograph of the street in the tunnel which is now being extended to the north

Temple facade shown on Bar-Kokhba coins

A large cache of rare coins has been found by archaeologists in the Judean Hills. “Leaders of the Jewish resistance imprinted and dated coins for each year of the rebellion with, for example, images of the exterior of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and poetry for reclaiming Jerusalem as a means for spreading the rebellion via currency.”

Of special interest is the coin shown in the Jerusalem Post report, which dates from the third year of the Maccabean revolt. The Temple coins show a facade with four columns, a foundation course, a central entrance and a wavey line on top, perhaps representing the entablature. It was clearly an indication that the Jewish rebels against the Roman domination wanted to rebuild the Temple, once their freedom was regained. I once used a similar coin to reconstruct the facade of the Temple for an Israeli scholar and later used the information to design a reconstruction model of the Temple.

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A Bar-Kokhba coin of year 3 showing the facade of the Temple

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The reconstruction drawing of the Temple facade is based on the coin’s image

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A reconstruction model showing the facade of Herod’s Temple