BiblePlaces Blog - Page 514 of 554

Bible Lands Poster Collection

This is probably your last chance to get the best posters of biblical sites in the Holy Land that I know of. Each poster in the set of 8 has 16-20 spectacular photographs by Richard Cleave. BibleLandPosters.com has the “last in existence” for $72 including shipping. I have my own photos, but you can’t print them this cheap, so I bought the poster set and recommend it to others. If you don’t want to plaster your house with these, they could be ideal for a church or school classroom or hallway. Before you order, you can see exactly what you’re getting.

Tagged Resources

Archaeologists Talk about Temple Mount Destruction

A couple of Jerusalem archaeologists have audio interviews/conference calls online. A 34-minute conference call with Gabriel Barkay is at www.onejerusalem.org. Eilat Mazar is interviewed by Arutz-7 (direct link here; doesn’t seem to work in Firefox; 15 min. long).

On another subject, Ehud Netzer talks about his discovery of Herod’s tomb here (audio version here).

Tagged Jerusalem, Temple Mount

First Century Drain Found in Jerusalem

Haaretz reports:

A 70-meter-long segment of Jerusalem’s central drain dating from the Second Temple period was discovered Sunday by the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The segment is located between the Temple Mount and the Pool of Siloam. It apparently was part of a long drain that spanned from the Western Wall to the Kidron River, near the Dead Sea.
The drain stretched underneath the Old City’s main street, and cleared rainwater from the areas now known as the Jewish Quarter and the western section of City of David, as well as the Temple Mount, before the city’s destruction at the hands of the Romans in 70 C.E.
The excavation, conducted by the Antiquities Authority in conjunction with City of David Foundation, also found shards and coins from the period. The drain is made of massive slabs of stone, and is about three meters high and one meter wide.
The archeologists professors Roni Reich of the University of Haifa and Eli Shukrun from the Antiquities Authority, who are in charge of the excavation, say that the land that accumulated during 2000 years of landslides required them to dig 10 meters deep in order to reach ancient Jerusalem’s main street.
“According to Josephus, the historian who recorded the siege, occupation and destruction of Jerusalem, people found refuge in the drain until they managed to escape through the city’s southern gate,” they said.
The northern segment of the drain, which is yet to be dug up, is believed to reach the Western Wall area, where another major drain was previously found. The archeologists assume that they are both part of the same drain.

Drains have been found in Jerusalem before, including other segments of this same drain. But if the word “drain” doesn’t excite you, it may be because you missed the size of what they found. The drain they uncovered was 70 meters (220 ft) long, 3 meters (10 ft) high and 1 meter (3 ft) wide.

The article doesn’t state exactly where the drain is located, but Reich and Shukrun have excavated in two areas in recent years that are possibilities. I think location B, depicted on the aerial photo, is more likely. Earlier excavations and photos of this area were included in the February issue of the BiblePlaces Newsletter (not online, but see Leen Ritmeyer’s blog for a photo from it).

UPDATE: The AP article includes a photograph of the channel (HT: Joseph Lauer). Very impressive. The masonry on that drain is better than the masonry of most people’s houses in Jerusalem today.

UPDATE (9/10): Some of the artifacts found in the excavation are displayed in this photograph.

UPDATE (9/11): The Israel Antiquities Authority has issued a press release.

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem

Loan Siloam Inscription: Don't Believe It

I read this story yesterday in the Washington Times and ignored it, because I thought it was in error.

I’ve since seen it mentioned in blogs online as if the story was credible. Jay Bushinsky of the Washington Times begins his report:

An ancient inscription memorializing Jerusalem’s salvation from Assyrian invaders 2,700 years ago is to be returned to the Holy Land from Turkey for study and public display. Israel has been trying for about 20 years to recover the artifact, which marks one of the most important turning points in Hebrew history.

I think this story is bogus for the following reasons:

1. No one else is reporting this. I hardly think that the Washington Times knows something that no one else does. You can check online news sources easily by searching for “Siloam Inscription” at Google News (here is that link).

2. A story like this would be broken by the Israel Museum or a major government agency, and not only are they not mentioning it, the WT story does not cite them. The story is long, but the length is deceptive as only the first sentence mentions the return.

3. About a month ago, various news outlets reported some discussion of the matter. The essence of the story was that a Turkish official agreed to consider some sort of loan. In the Middle East, such “consideration” is a far cry from a decision. And a decision is very different than action. In other words, this isn’t “news” until the inscription is sitting in Jerusalem.

What I think happened is that this reporter read some of those stories too quickly and wrote an article based on a misunderstanding.

By the way, if you want to take a picture of the inscription, don’t wait until it comes to Jerusalem.

The Israeli authorities won’t allow it, I’m certain. You’ll do better to go visit it in Istanbul, where you can take pictures. Which is far better anyway, because there are so many great artifacts on display that won’t be coming to Jerusalem on loan. There would be a certain irony as well if the Siloam Inscription came to Jerusalem the next couple of years, as hundreds of the best archaeological finds in Israel are locked up out of sight of visitors.

Tagged Analysis, New Exhibits

Buy Land in Israel

In the category of “why-didn’t-I-think-of-that,” the “Israel Land Development Corporation” is now offering plots of land in Israel for sale online. Without leaving the comfort of your own home or having to sign closing papers, you can own some of the Holy Land “forever.” The details are here, but before you punch in your credit card details to pay $118 for that one square foot of dirt, know that I personally have a special going on right now. For only $99, I will send you a better map than they are offering, and a much more beautiful certificate. Just mail me a check and there will be lots of warm fuzzy feelings of “joy and pride.” If you don’t feel them, I will.

Tagged Not an April Fool's Joke

An Archaeologist Describes Temple Mount Destruction

Joseph Lauer sent along a list of recent articles describing the on-going destruction of antiquities on the Temple Mount. That list is below. The one I want to highlight is the report by Zachi Zweig on the BAR website. Those interested in the more technical aspects of what exactly is being found/destroyed will appreciate the detailed information, photos, and the link to a video Zweig took.

For those who don’t know, Zweig is the one who initiated the rescue dig of the Temple Mount debris dumped in the late 1990s (under the direction of G. Barkay). These are sad days for those who love Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.