Category: History

Excavating the City of David – Where Jerusalem’s History Began

Recently we returned from a trip to Australia – hence the absence of blogs – and I was excited to receive this long-awaited book in the post.

Ronny Reich, Excavating the City of David – Where Jerusalem’s History Began

Ronny Reich has excavated in several locations in Jerusalem for over 40 years, starting in 1969 as surveyor on Prof. Nahman Avigad’s team in the Jewish Quarter (a position he held till 1978 when I took over this post, after he had left for the Israel Dept. of Antiquities and Museums) and in the City of David, together with his colleague Eli Shukron, since 1995.

This book is a fascinating account of the history of the City of David. The first part of the book recounts the activities of the many excavators who worked in this area and in the second part, Reich reconstructs the history of the City of David based on the results of all of the archaeological excavations.

The story of the early exploration begins with a description of the visit on April 17, 1838 by Edward Robinson to the Gihon Spring, the ever-flowing water source that determined the location of the City of David. This is followed by the account of Charles Warren’s daring walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel, which Reich prefers to call the Siloam Tunnel. Reich then examines the explorations of many other excavators, such as Schick, Bliss and Dickie, Weill, Macalister and Duncan, Kenyon, Shiloh and others. Each investigator added a little to our understanding of the history of this site and Reich’s useful analysis of these findings makes it easier to fit them into an overall picture of the development of the City of David.

His own and Shukron’s explorations added much to our understanding of the waterworks in this location, especially how the different components, such as the Siloam Tunnel and the different channels worked together. His explanation of the construction of the Siloam Tunnel and how Channel I was used as a “spirit level” to make sure that the water of the Gihon Spring flowed smoothly to the Siloam Pool makes for exciting reading.

The excavations round the Gihon Spring revealed that the spring and its approach from the city were strongly fortified in the Jebusite period. Two massive walls created a safe approach to a Rock-cut Pool from which water could be drawn.

This book was written, according to Reich, “First and foremost … for lay readers who love the history of Jerusalem”. I found Reich’s discussion of the historical interpretations of the different finds honest and frank. He acknowledges, however, that he is a skeptic and minimalist where the Biblical text is concerned and has difficulty reconciling the text and the archaeological remains. He discusses these problems in a special boxed section called “Biblical traditions: David, Solomon and the United Monarchy”, which is well worth reading and may help in an accurate examination of the Biblical text.

The book is illustrated with many beautiful photographs, but I would like to have seen more interpretative drawings showing how certain features fit together. The text is easy to read, but a final edit should have weeded out mistakes in spelling and syntax.

The book was published by the Israel Exploration Society in Jerusalem, it has 384 pages and 207 illustration (most of them in color), Hard Cover, and measures 10 x 7.5 inches. 
   ISBN: 9789652210821

Price: $49.95


 

 

2nd International Temple Mount Awareness Day

In the Book of Exodus we read about the construction of the Tabernacle. On the first day of the first month (called ‘Rosh Chodesh Nisan’ in Hebrew) of the second year after coming out from Egypt, the Tabernacle was put up (Exodus 40.1) and on the same day God’s glory filled the Tabernacle (Exodus 40.34).

The entrance to the open Court of the Tabernacle was via a curtain of fine linen interwoven with blue, purple and scarlet and supported by four pillars (Exodus 27.16). © Leen Ritmeyer

Tomorrow, on the 5th of April, the Jews celebrate Rosh Chodesh Nisan (which is also the beginning of the Sacred New Year) and the Temple Institute of Jerusalem is organising the 2nd International Temple Mount Awareness Day with a program that will be live broadcast from 2.00 – 8.00 pm Israel time. Click on the picture below to see a video that gives a brief description of what they are planning:

2nd International Temple Mount Awareness Day. © Temple Institute

Participating are:

  • Yitchak Zweig – archaeologist, founder and director of Temple Mount Sifting Project
  • Dovid Louis – researcher into the original music of the Holy Temple
  • Reuven Prager – expert on the restoration of Levitical garments
  • Baruch Ben-Yosef – legal scholar on Temple Mount issues
  • Yisrael Medad – Temple Mount activist

 

Jordanians finance restoration work in the Dome of the Rock

See the report here.

Reading about the on-going renovations in the Dome of the Rock made us turn to the magisterial work of the recently deceased Oleg Grabar on Early Islamic Jerusalem: “The Shape of the Holy.” Within its pages, you can appreciate, much more than on a site-visit, the brilliance of the mosaics of the Dome of the Rock, photographed from scaffolding at all the right angles.

Dome of the Rock, NNW panel of the upper drum. Photo: Saïd Nuseibeh

Grabar reminds us that “the 1280 square meters (or 12,800 square feet) of mosaics in the Dome of the Rock make it the largest repository of medieval wall mosaics before the Norman church in Monreale” (in Palermo, Sicily).

He points out that: “It is important to recall that, in addition to its continuing forceful presence, the Dome of the Rock was the first monument sponsored by a Muslim ruler that was conceived as a work of art, a monument deliberately transcending its function by the quality of its forms and expression.”

It is fascinating to read about the purpose of the construction of this monument that is such a feature in the advertising of Jerusalem by both Jews, Muslims and Christians. Muqaddasi, a native of the city in the 10th century wrote:

“is it not evident how the caliph Abd al-Malik, noting the greatness of the dome of the Qumamah (refuse, a vulgar pun on qiyamah or resurrection, the Arabic term for the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem) and its magnificence, was moved, lest it should dazzle the minds of the Muslims, and hence erected above the Rock the Dome which is seen there?”

Jewish Book Week in London

Beginning next Saturday, February 26th and lasting for 9 days, the JBW2011 has a sparkling programme. There are two talks that I would love to attend:

• Jerusalem, the Biography, by Simon Sebag Montefiore (the great-great nephew of the founder of modern Jerusalem), giving a taster of his new book.

Blackwell’s review of the book reads as follows:

Jerusalem lies at the centre of the world, the capital of three faiths, the prize of many conquerors, the jewel of many empires, and the eye of the storm of today’s battle of civilisations.

But the city lacks a biography. It lacks a secret history. Simon Sebag Montefiore’s epic account is seen through kings, conquerors, emperors and soldiers; Muslims, Jews, Christians, Macedonians, Romans and Greeks; Palestinians and Israelis; from King David via Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, Herod, Caesar, Cleopatra, Jesus and Saladin, to Churchill, King Hussein, Anwar Sadat and Ariel Sharon. Their individual stories combine to form the biography of a city – a gritty, dramatic, violent tale of power, empire, love, vanity, luxury and death, bringing three thousand years of history vividly to life.

In the course of its history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. It has been Arab, Persian, Jewish, Roman, Greek, Babylonian, Turkish, Mameluke, British, Byzantine, Crusader, Ottoman; Napoleon almost took it but marched past, Kaiser William visited, the Allied forces fought for it in the First World War. The extraordinarily rich history of this small city in the Judean hills forms nothing less than a history of the world.

The epic story of Jerusalem told through the lives of the men and women who created, ruled and inhabited it.

and:

• Fifty Year Reflections of a Jewish Historian, by Martin Gilbert

Martin Gilbert

The JBW website describes his much anticipated lecture as follows:

With consummate skill, patience and brilliance in equal measure, Martin Gilbert has recounted most of the major events of the 20th century. His work encompasses both world wars; the definitive set of Churchill biographies; chronicles of the Jewish people; and accounts of their adversaries and saviours. He has also created 12 pioneering historical atlases on everything from Russian history to the Arab-Israel conflict. We are delighted that Martin Gilbert will share with us some of his most historic discoveries over a lifetime of outstanding scholarship, culminating in his latest work: In Ishmael’s House: A History of Jews.

The full programme is here

Our youngest son Joel will be filming the event.

Jesus’ Baptismal Site to open to the public

According to this Jerusalem Post report, the site where Jesus was baptised will be opened to the public in 10 days’ time, on January 18, 2011. See also Todd Bolen’s report here.

When we tried to visit the site last year, following the signs for Qasr el-Yahud, we found that the road was blocked by a military fence and gate.

Leen at the road sign for the Baptismal Site
Military fence on the road to Bethabara

There was a sign which we ignored because we didn’t understand what “photgraphy” was!

View of Bethabara from the fence

It will be wonderful to visit this site, which has been off-limits for 42 years. The site where Jesus was baptised is called Bethabara in John 1.28. The Hebrew name Bethabara means the “Place of Crossing”. Not only was it a suitable place where travellers crossed the River Jordan opposite Jericho, but the name also indicates that it was the place where the Israelites crossed over into the Promised Land after the death of Moses.

This drawing from our Image Library shows the location of the Camp of Israel in the Plains of Moab opposite Jericho (Numbers 33.48,49). Here, the scene is set for the crossing of the Israelites into the Promised Land. The place where they crossed the River Jordan is called Bethabara, where later Jesus was baptised (John 1.28).

The crossing of the Jordan is described in Joshua 3.15,16 (quotes from ESV):

“as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks othroughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.”

The Ark Passes over the Jordan, by J. James Tissot (1836-1902)

Bethabara played an important role in the life of Jesus, as he returned there many times after his baptism. He went there, for example, after his rejection in Jerusalem during Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, “He went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.” (John 10.40). “Beyond Jordan” is, of course, also the place where the Camp of Israel was located just before they entered the Promised Land! Undoubtedly this site had a strong impact on the mind of Jesus as he would have been very familiar with the Biblical events that took place there.

After Jesus was baptised, he was tempted in the wilderness nearby. He used the words of Deuteronomy to counter the temptations of the devil. Moses wrote the Book of Deuteronomy while Israel was encamped “beyond Jordan” (Deut. 31.9).

According to the Madaba map, Bethabara is on the west side of the Jordan (see white arrow)

After the crossing, Joshua commanded to take out 12 stones and place them in the next camping place, Gilgal: “these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever” (Joshua 4.7). As John was baptising here, he probably referred to these 12 stones when he said: “God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” (Matthew 3.9).

Bethabara features again in the book of Judges. To complete his victory over the Midianites, Gideon:

“sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan. And they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb.” (Judges 7.24,25).

This victory is reflected in a psalm when David longed for the victory over Israel’s future enemies “Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb”, looking forward to a time when their adversaries would be confounded forever (Psalm 83.11,18).

And there are still further references in Scripture to Bethabara: During the rebellion of Absalom, King David crossed here and returned later via the same crossing place:

“So the king came back to the Jordan, and Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king and to bring the king over the Jordan. ” (2 Samuel 19.15).

Bethabara is also the place where Elijah and Elisha went after leaving Jericho. There “Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2.11).

Giovanni Battista's (1683-1754) painting of Elijah ascending in a whirlwind

A visit to this site will be a valuable addition to any tour of the Land. Needless to say, such a visit would be greatly enriched if it is with “Bible in hand”, in order to reflect on all the significant events that took place here. Hopefully I will be able to see the place from the other side, when I visit Tall el-Hammam in Jordan.

Building Solomon’s Temple

An exhibition “Building Solomon’s Temple” will be held from January 17 – May 27, 2011, in The Library and Museum of Freemasonry, Freemasons’ Hall, 60 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ, UK. Hopefully the snow will have disappeared by then.

For more than 200 years, the concept of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem had been central to organised freemasonry and had influenced its symbolism, architecture and ceremonies. Biblical scholars and early freemasons had only been able to use the few biblical references to construct their images of the Temple on paper and later on ceramics, textiles and glass. Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt reawakened interest in the Middle East.

The formation of an English lodge in Jerusalem was the result of the opening up of the area to archaeology and tourism from the middle of the nineteenth century in which many freemasons were involved. Freemasons such as the American Rob Morris and Sir Charles Warren journeyed to Jerusalem on archaeological excavations and wrote about their visits. The recovery of archaeological remains and the development of tourism enabled them to bring back tangible fragments to furnish English lodge rooms and reinforce the imaginary Masonic temple.

During his work in Jerusalem, Charles Warren discovered an underground hall near Wilson’s Arch, which he called the “Masonic Hall”. In his book Recovery of Jerusalem, p.87, Warren writes:

This chamber acquired the name of the Masonic Hall from some circumstances connected with its discovery.

This is a reconstruction drawing of the Masonic Hall that was discovered by Charles Warren. The remains on which the drawing is based form part of a complex system of vaults lying to the west of Wilson's Arch beneath the present-day Street of the Chain.

It is not difficult to imagine what these circumstances were. The above-mentioned Dr. Robert Morris was Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, who, on the 13th of May, 1868, during a freemason’s convention in Jerusalem directed a Secret Monitor Ceremony in the Cave of Zedekiah, popularly known as King Solomon’s Quarries, deep under the walls of the old city of Jerusalem. This ceremony took place at the time when Warren had just discovered this underground hall. Being a freemason himself, Warren called this building the Masonic Hall in honor of the ceremony.

The building has been identified as the Council Chamber, mentioned by Josephus in his description of the First Wall (War 5.142-144). It was one of the buildings where the Sanhedrin met.

Epigraphy and Daily Life – Conference in Memory of Hanan Eshel

From the Agade list:

“See, I will bring a scroll recounting what befell me” (Ps 40:8)

The Second International Conference of the Jeselsohn Epigraphic Center
of Jewish History, Epigraphy and Daily Life – From the Bible to the Talmud,
is dedicated to the memory of Professor Hanan Eshel, who sadly died on 8 April of this year at the age of 52, and will take place on Sunday, 2 January, 2011, The Nanotechnology Building (no. 206), Bar-Ilan University. Here is the program:

09:15 – 09:45 Reception
09:45 – 10:30 Greetings

Chair: Dr. Esther Eshel, Acting Head of the Jeselsohn Center,
Bar-Ilan University

Prof. Moshe Kaveh, President, Bar-Ilan University
Prof. Eliezer Tauber, Dean of the Faculty of Jewish Studies, Bar-Ilan University

Prof. Avraham Faust, Chair, The Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of
Israel Studies and Archeology, Bar-Ilan University

10:30 – 12:00 Session 1: The First Temple Period
Chair: Dr. Ze’ev Meshel, Tel-Aviv University

Prof. Shmuel Ahituv, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
The Kuntillet Ajrud Inscriptions: Language and Religion

Prof. Amihai Mazar, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Comments on 10-9th Centuries BCE Inscriptions from the Land of Israel
and their Research

Prof. Aaron Demsky, Bar-Ilan University
Researching Literacy in Ancient Israel – Recent Approaches

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch

13:00 – 14:30 Session 2: The Second Temple Period
Chair: Prof. Amos Kloner, Bar-Ilan University

Prof. Lester L. Grabbe (University of Hull, UK)
Scribes, Writing, and Epigraphy in the Second Temple Period

Dr. Ada Yardeni, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Unprovenanced Aramaic Ostraca from Idumea

Prof. Uriel Rappaport, University of Haifa
Historical Aspects of the Jewish Coin Inscriptions

14:30 – 15:00 Coffee Break

15:00 – 16:30 Session 3: The Mishnaic and Talmudic Periods
Chair: Prof. Albert Baumgarten, Bar-Ilan University

Dr. Uzi Leibner, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Inscriptions from the Synagogue of Khirbet Wadi Hamam

Dr. David Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority
Jewish Stamps for Bread, Wine and Olive Oil

Prof. Gideon Bohak, Tel-Aviv University
Amulets in the Daily Lives of Jews in Antiquity

16:30 – 17:15 Coffee Break

17:15 – 18:15 Special Session in Memory of Hanan Eshel
Chair: Dr. David Jeselsohn, Founder of the Jeselsohn Epigraphic Center
of Jewish History

Prof. Lawrence H. Schiffman, New York University
Hanan Eshel’s Contribution to the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls

The Palace of Darius at Susa

For Francophiles and Susaphiles, a lecture will be given by Jean Perrot, one of world’s greatest archeologists, who headed the French teams working in Iran from 1968 to 1978. Now, at 90 years of age, the author of “Le Palais de Darius à Suse” will give a lecture to launch his book.

Venue: Zoroastrian Cultural Centre, 2 bis Ave Montespan. 75116 Paris. (Niveau 177 Ave Victor Hugo), Métro : Rue de la pompe – Victor Hugo – Trocadéro.

Time: 15 December 2010, 19.30 pm.

Cost: €8.00 or €5.00 for members and students.

Reserve your place beforehand at: infoassoccz@gmail.com

HT: Jack Sasson

More on Solomon’s Mines

This report was in the San Diego news a couple of days ago:

Thomas Levy, a UCSD professor of anthropology and Judaic studies, has
pioneered three highly sophisticated digging excavations in an area
called Khirbat en-Nahas, located in southern Jordan, attracting the
attention of NOVA/National Geographic Television, which sent a crew to
Jordan with him last fall.

Levy, also the associate director of the Center of Interdisciplinary
Science for Art, Architecture and Archaeology (CISA3), wasn’t looking
for King Solomon’s mines at first. He was actually researching the
role of ancient technology on the evolution of society. But what he
found in Jordan was groundbreaking — thousands of tons of slag, a
by-product of smelting ore, and different types of blowpipes. Using
the process of radiocarbon dating, his team discovered there was
industrial-scale metal production of copper precisely in 10th century
BC.
“It would have been like the Pittsburg of Palestine,” said Levy.

There are two sides to the King Solomon debate, he said. First, there
are those who “minimize the historicity of the Old Testament, saying
there was no Solomon because during the 10th century there were no
societies capable of creating a kingdom, only petty nomads.” On the
other side, there are those who maximize the content of the Old
Testament, he said.

“We don’t have proof that we have found Solomon’s mines, but what we
have proof of is that there were kingdoms in the 10th century,” said
Levy. “I think he existed.”

You can see a preview of the movie here:

HT: Jack Sasson

Update: The “Quest for Solomon’s Mines” is being streamed (53 minutes) at PBS, but in the UK you can’t see it, for a message says: “We’re sorry, but this video is not available in your region due to rights restrictions.” Sad …

Iran from the air

Received this from Jack Sasson [agade]:

The full length documentary “Baadeh Sabaah ” [Lover’s Wind, Vent des Amoureux, 1970]  by the late French filmmaker, Albert La Morisse [1922-1970], has been posted online in Persian and English. It runs 70.57 minutes.

The documentary was  mostly shot from a helicopter and captures a sweeping aerial view of Iran in 1969-1970, including some magnificent footage from Persepolis and Susa among other historical sites of various periods.  The narrative is told by the wind.  The film was shot in 35mm and there are a few minor glitches as expected – not unusual.  Content is breathtakingly captivating.

Morisse died in a helicopter crash over Karaj Dam near Tehran while shooting extra footage for the documentary.  The 6:59 minutes of the surviving footage is also posted.  The film was completed by Albert’s wife Claude La Morisse in 1978.  It has never been shown in Iran.

The Lover's Wind

Watching this evocative movie is a great way to see the spectacular archaeological remains of Iran. Persepolis appears 16 minutes into the movie.