In this Jerusalem Post report, several correspondents quote Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s spokesman Mark Regev:
Denying the Jewish connection to the Western Wall is to deny reality. If you deny the Jewish connection to the Western Wall you are in fact denying the Jewish connection to Jerusalem and the land of Israel itself. When they deny the Jewish connection, they are unfortunately raising very serious questions as to their true commitment to reconciliation.
Gershon Baskin, the joint CEO of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information, who had sent a letter to the Palestinian leadership in the wake of the Post article, calling the findings of al-Mutawakel Taha “a serious mistake” and “a stain on the Palestinian Authority, makes the following remark:
Any observer, even a non-professional archeologist, can discern that the stones used to construct the Western Wall (the Kotel) are from the era of Solomon’s Temple and the Temple rebuilt by King Herod which was hundreds of years before Islam appeared on the world stage.
Reconstruction model of Herod's Temple Mount showing the Western Wall with the stairway of Robinson's Arch in the foreground
It makes one despair that even some Israelis don’t seem to know that the Western Wall is Herodian and not Solomonic. See yesterday’s post.
The Israeli press is full of reports of a paper prepared by Al-Mutawakel Taha, a senior official with the PA Ministry of Information to “refute” Jewish claim to the Western Wall.
Many studies published by Jewish experts have affirmed that there is no archeological evidence that the Temple Mount was built during the period of King Solomon,” the paper added. “One can only conclude that the Al-Buraq Wall is a Muslim wall and an integral part of the Aqsa Mosque and Haram Al-Sharif. No one has the right to claim ownership over it or change its features or original character. Also, no one has the right to agree with the occupation state’s racist and oppressive measures against history and holy sites.”
He is correct in saying that the Western Wall was not built in the time of Solomon. However, he appears to be ignorant of or chooses to ignore the history of the Temple Mount between Solomon and the Early Muslim period.
The drawing below from our Image Library shows the five stages in the development of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. From top to bottom:
1. The square Temple Mount built by King Hezekiah around the Temple built by King Solomon.
2. The Akra Fortress (red) was built by the Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 168 BC to control the local Jewish population. The fortress was destroyed by the Maccabees in 141 BC.
3. After the destruction of the Akra, the Hasmoneans extended the Temple Mount to the south (blue).
4. King Herod the Great renewed the Temple Mount by enlarging the square Temple Mount to double its size and building a new Temple.
5. During the Umayyad period, the Dome of the Rock was built on the site of the Temple and the El Aqsa mosque on that of the Royal Stoa. Large public buildings were erected to the south and west of the Temple Mount.
The Development of the Temple Mount from Hezekiah to the Early Muslim period
I made the reconstruction drawing of the Herodian Temple Mount below at the end of the 10-year long excavation project led by the late Prof. Benjamin Mazar (1968-’78). The Western Wall, where the Jews pray today, is shown in red. This approx. 60 m. long wall is part of the 485 m. long western retaining wall of the Herodian Temple Mount. Many finds from the Second Temple period, such as Hebrew inscriptions, coins and also the architectural style prove that the present-day walls of the Temple Mount are irrefutably Herodian. To deny this is ignorance in the extreme.
Herod's Temple Mount with the Western Wall shown in red
The discovery of the remains of a bathing pool that may have belonged to a Roman bathhouse has been widely reported. I read about it first in the Jerusalem Post. The original announcement was made by the IAA (Israel Antiquities Authority). Here is a link to the pictures.
The dig is located in 10 Haomer Street in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, which is north of the Burnt House and east of the Broad Wall.
Location of the Roman Bathing Pool
The announcement of the discovery came at a time when I was preparing to add a reconstruction drawing of Aelia Capitolina to our new Image Library. It gave me the opportunity to add the newly discovered bath house to this drawing:
Reconstruction drawing of Aelia Capitolina (the name of Jerusalem in the Roman period) showing the location of the newly discovered bathhouse
The drawing illustrates the comments of Yuval Baruch, who noted:
the importance of the discovery, which sheds light on the study of post-destruction Jerusalem.
“Despite the very extensive archaeological excavations that were carried out in the Jewish Quarter, so far not even one building has been discovered there that belonged to the Roman legion,” he said.
“The absence of such a find led to the conclusion that Aelia Capitolina, the Roman city which was established after the destruction of Jerusalem, was small and limited in area.”
“The new find, together with other discoveries of recent years, shows that the city was considerably larger than what we previously estimated. Information about Aelia Capitolina is extremely valuable and can contribute greatly to research on Jerusalem because it was that city that determined the character and general appearance of ancient Jerusalem and as we know it today. The shape of the city has determined the outline of its walls and the location of the gates to this very day.
In a previous post, we reported on the new plans for the development of the Western Wall plaza. Israel’s cabinet has now decided to allot NIS 85 million ($23 million) for this project.
The project will upgrade physical and transportation infrastructure at the site, provide access to new archeological findings, and run educational programs for soldiers and students.
The PA, of course, objects to the plan. Here is the report as it appears in today’s Jerusalem Post. A similar report appears in Haaretz.
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.
The Annual Meeting of ASOR starts tomorrow in Atlanta. This is the first year in a while that I am unable to attend due to other commitments. There are many interesting lectures, but I would like to have attended the following:
Norma Franklin (Tel Aviv University), “Ivories, Votive Capitals, Stele, and Beyond: The Origin of the Proto-Ionic or Volute Motif and its Evolution”
Kimberly Bauser (Boston College),“Khirbet Qana (Cana of Galilee): In Galilee and in the Gospel of John”
Carl Savage (Drew University), “Bethsaida: The Context for Jesus’ Ministry from the Archaeological Perspective of a Corner of the ‘Evangelical Triangle’”
Yardenna Alexandre (Israel Antiquities Authority), “Pagans and Jews: The Hellenistic and Roman Villages at Cana of Galilee (Karm er-Ras)”
Doron Ben Ami (Israel Antiquities Authority) and Yana Tchekhanovets (Israel Antiquities Authority), “A Roman Mansion Found in the City of David”
Sarah Collins (British Museum), “Recent Results from the Excavations at Sidon, Lebanon”
Steven Collins (Trinity Southwest University), “The Rise and Ruin of a Bronze Age City- State: Insights from the 2009/2010 Excavations at Tall el-Hammam, Jordan
Session on Teaching Archaeology to Undergraduates: Success Stories and Cautionary Tales
Aren M. Maeir (Bar-Ilan University), “The 2010 Season of Excavations at Tell es-Safi/ Gath: Bronze and Iron Age Remains”
Amihai Mazar (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem), “Jerusalem before the 8th Century B.C.E.: An Archaeological Assessment”
National Geographic magazine’s feature article for the December 2010 edition is devoted to “David and Solomon — Kings of Controversy” and asks “Was the Kingdom of David and Solomon a glorious empire—or just a little cow town? It depends on which archaeologist you ask.”
It is difficult to determine if the archaeological remains do indeed belong to David’s Palace, but the location is a logical one. Long before Eilat Mazar’s controversial dig started, I already made a reconstruction drawing of David’s Palace, based on the results of Yigal Shiloh’s excavations in Area G. This drawing is one of the many images in our new Image Library.
In a previous post we reported on the copper mines that have been excavated in Jordan.
On November 23, 2010, the NOVA program on PBS will be on:
Quest for Solomon’s Mines — Archeologists seek the truth about the Bible’s most famous king and his legendary riches.” The Program Description states: Countless treasure-seekers have set off in search of King Solomon’s mines, trekking through burning deserts and scaling the forbidding mountains of Africa and the Levant, inspired by the Bible’s account of splendid temples and palaces adorned in glittering gold and copper. Yet to date, the evidence that has claimed to support the existence of Solomon and other early kings in the Bible has been highly controversial. In fact, so little physical evidence of the kings who ruled Israel and Edom has been found that many contend that they are no more real than King Arthur. In the summer of 2010, NOVA and National Geographic embarked on two cutting-edge field investigations that illuminate the legend of Solomon and reveal the source of the great wealth that powered the first mighty biblical kingdoms. These groundbreaking expeditions expose important new clues buried in the pockmarked desert of Jordan, including ancient remnants of an industrial-scale copper mine and a 3,000-year-old message with the words “slave,” “king,” and “judge.”
According to the Biblical text in 1 Kings, Solomon’s Temple had many bronze vessels, such as the Altar, the two giant columns Yachin and Boaz, the bronze Sea and ten smaller basins. See this image from our new Image Library:
The Image Library of Ritmeyer Archaeological Design contains authoritative reconstruction drawings and models which you will not find on any other website. The photos of ancient sites in the lands of the Bible have also been taken through the informed lens of an archaeological architect. A treasure-trove for teachers, pastors, lecturers and picture editors, it is the result of years of experience digging and researching in Israel and traveling in the surrounding countries.
The Image Library is arranged in different categories and is fully searchable. The different categories are designed to help you find the picture you are looking for easily. All preview illustrations are watermarked, but these won’t appear on the downloads.
For ease of use, each image comes with a descriptive note and, where applicable, full Scripture references. With the explosion of information coming from excavations, we hope that this will become an ever-expanding resource vital for all who wish to incorporate both beauty and authenticity into their portrayal of the Bible background.
After talking about doing this for the past 10 years, we’ve finally done it! Let us know of any images you’d like to see added to the library…
In just a few days time, our Image Library (see introduction in previous post) should be online. Below are two samples to give a foretaste of its contents. All preview illustrations are watermarked, but these won’t appear on the downloads.
This drawing is a development of the plan of this religio-political complex which we supplied for the ESV Study Bible (p. 607). Here is the description that goes with the drawing of Solomon’s Temple-Palace complex in the Image Library:
According to 1 Kings 6 and 7, Solomon built a new Temple and Palace Complex on Mount Moriah. This schematic drawing shows an arrangement of the different buildings, based on parallels with similar complexes excavated elsewhere in the Middle East. The main entrance was through the Hall of Pillars (1 Kings 7.6), which was flanked by the Throne Hall (1 Kings 7.7) on the right, where Solomon judged, and the armoury, called the House of the Forest of Lebanon (1 Kings 7.2-5) on the left. In the centre of this complex is the palace, called Solomon’s House (1 Kings 7.8a), which had a separate wing for his wife, Pharaoh’s Daughter (1 Kings 7.8b). From a large courtyard in front of Solomon’s House, a special Royal Ascent (1 Kings 10.5 KJV) led up to the Temple (1 Kings 6), which lay on higher ground.
This drawing is annotated, but as with many of the other illustrations, a copy without annotations is also available for you to add your own.
2. Altar of Zeus at Pergamum
Located in modern-day Turkey, Pergamum (also known as Pergamon or Pergamos) was the third of the seven churches of Asia to receive a letter from Jesus Christ (Revelation 2.12-17).
The Altar of Zeus stood on a terrace on the west side of the hill of Pergamum. In the 19th century, German excavators recovered many scattered remains of this altar and reconstructed it in the Pergamum Museum in Berlin. The altar consisted of a monumental stairway leading up to a colonnaded court where an altar for burnt offerings was located. A frieze, depicting a mythological battle between Greek gods and giants, runs round the structure. Superimposing a picture of this altar model on the site shows what an impressive building it was. Some scholars have suggested that this monument, which was an important center of pagan religion, constituted the “Throne of Satan” (Revelation 2:13). However, as Christians were mainly persecuted because of their refusal to worship the emperor, this “Throne of Satan” appears rather to refer to the Roman seat of government which was also located in Pergamum.
