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Archaeologists Uncover Remains of Farm from Hasmonean Era

 

By MELANIE LIDMANLAST

 

UPDATED: 12/10/2012 19:23

 

"Just in time for Hanukkah, the Israel Antiquities Authority excavation in the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood of Jerusalem uncovered remains of a farm from the Hasmonean period between the 4th century BCE and the 1st century CE.

 

Archaeologists discovered a perfume bottle and a lead weight among the ruins of a working farm."

 

Continued

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Opinion: What killed Herod the Great?

 

By A. Mark Clarfield, Special to The Gazette

 

December 17, 2012 7:30 AM

 

"JERUSALEM — If hockey is Canada’s national sport, archeology is Israel’s. Wherever one walks, one treads on history; wherever one drives, one travels through history. Whenever one talks — well, consider for example a recent phone call I made to my daughter arranging to pick her up: “I’ll take the Valley of the Cross (the reference is obvious), go up Gaza St. (the ancient route from Jerusalem to the coast) and meet you just outside the Western Wall (the only remainder of Jerusalem’s Holy Temple).” If I go hiking near our house, which directly faces the Judean Hills (where John the Baptist hid out in his day), each of my footsteps crunches on pottery shards strewn about rocky terraces built more than 2,000 years ago by the Children of Israel (my forefathers)."

 

Continued

 

H/t: PaleoJudaica

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Canaanite Banquets at Tel Kabri Palace

 

Posted by TANN

 

December 8, 2012

 

"The Tel Kabri palace, built some 3,850 years ago and located today in Israel's north, was first discovered in the 1950s. A vessel found in one of the rooms strengthen hypothesis it was designed for special events.

 

In the center of one of the rooms in the western wing of the large palace, that up to some 3,500 years ago graced the top of Tel Kabri in Israel's north, a large shard of pottery was recently discovered.

 

The vessel had two handles and was glazed white with red ornamentation, but it was the contents of the vessel that interested the researchers. After it was sent to the lab of Prof. Andrew Koh at Brandeis University, it was discovered to contain red wine."

 

Continued

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Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives Cemetery Running Out of Room

 

Published on Sunday December 16, 2012

 

"JERUSALEM—For the past 3,000 years, Jewish families have been bringing their dead to the Mount of Olives cemetery.

 

A maze of hillside tombs, this graveyard is the holiest place for those in the Jewish faith to be laid to rest.

 

Many Jews believe that when the Messiah comes to Earth riding on a white donkey, the dead will rise from their graves and walk to the holy Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City.

 

From the Mount of Olives cemetery, that’s only a few hundred metres.

 

“Everyone in that cemetery is buried with their feet facing the Temple Mount so they come straight up and don’t even have to turn around. No one is going to get confused on the walk,” said Ira Rappaport, 67, who moved from New York to Israel 41 years ago and whose parents are buried in the cemetery.

 

“Some Jews also believe in a mystic interpretation of the scriptures that the dead roll over in the grave to get rid of their sins,” Rappaport said. “But because the land at the Mount of Olives is so pure, you don’t have to worry about that.”"

 

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December 2012, Cover Stories, Daily News

 

Archaeologists Dig Ancient City of Dor

 

Tue, Dec 18, 2012

 

A cultural crossroads, ancient entrepot port of Dor reveals remains from Caananites to Crusaders.

 

"Only partially excavated to date, the ancient port city of Dor on the northern coast of Israel is revealing a virtual potpouri of artifacts and structural remains attributed to at least eight great civilizations that left their indelible mark at its location. Now, archaeologists return to explore remains bearing on the Roman period, including a Roman theater and private homes; a large Hellenistic period complex; a large Israelite structure; sections of a Phoenician settlement; and possibly the remains of the earlier Bronze Age city."

 

Continued

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"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1) December 2012

 

The Dead Sea Scrolls treasure, the most important archaeological discovery of the 20th century, is now available online, initiated by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Google

 

"18 December 2012 – Jerusalem. On the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Israel Antiquities Authority and Google are pleased to launch today the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library website, www.deadseascrolls.org.il. The public is invited to experience, view, examine, and explore this collection of over 5000 images of Dead Sea Scrolls, in a quality never seen before.

 

The library was assembled over the course of two years, in collaboration with Google, using advanced technology first developed by NASA. It includes some 1000 new images of scroll fragments; 3500 scans of negatives from the 1950s; a database documenting about 900 manuscripts, two-thousand years old, comprising thousands of scroll fragments; and interactive content pages. It enables scholars and millions of users worldwide to reveal and decipher details hence invisible to the naked eye. The site displays infra-red and color images at a resolution of 1215 dpi, at a 1:1 scale, equivalent in quality to the original scrolls. Google has provided hosting services and use of Google Maps, image technology and YouTube. The project was made possible by an exceptionally generous grant from the Leon Levy Foundation, and further contribution by the Arcadia Fund, as well as the support of the Yad Hanadiv Foundation."

 

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Frankincense Returns to Israel - Holy Land in Time

 

DECEMBER 23, 2012, 3:49 PM

 

"KIBBUTZ KETURA, ISRAEL – Seven years after I revealed her success in sprouting a 2,000 year-old date palm seed found on Masada, botanist Dr Elaine Solowey of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies has done it again.

 

1,500 years after the last frankincense tree disappeared from the Holy Land, Dr Solowey has managed to grow the first shoots of a tree whose scented white sap was once worth more than gold.

 

At Kibbutz Ketura deep in Israel’s Negev Desert, Dr Solowey is carefully nurturing the fragile sapling in her greenhouse, where she is also growing myrrh and balm of Gilead – probably the “gold” brought by the Three Wise Men to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem.

 

“This is the first frankincense tree to set seed in Israel in 1500 years,” Dr Solowey told me as she presented the tiny sapling for its first public photo-call this week. “It was necessary to bring this variety back to the country because the last people growing these trees near the Dead Sea left and the trees left with them.”

 

Dr Solowey, Director of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture at the Arava Institute, has an international reputation as a plant-whisperer, able to revive ancient species, save plants threatened with extinction and domesticate crops for medical and commercial use."

 

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Temple and Rare Cache of Sacred Vessels from Biblical Times Discovered at Tel Motza

 

(December 2012)

 

Rare evidence of the religious practices and rituals in the early days of the Kingdom of Judah has recently been discovered at Tel Motza, to the west of Jerusalem

 

"The finds, dated to the early monarchic period and including pottery figurines of men and horses, provide rare testimony of a ritual cult in the Jerusalem region at the beginning of the period of the monarchy.

 

They were uncovered during excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority, prior to work by the National Roads Company on the new Highway 1 section.

 

Rare evidence of the religious practices and rituals in the early days of the Kingdom of Judah has recently been discovered at Tel Motza, to the west of Jerusalem. In excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is currently conducting at the Tel Motza archaeological site, prior to work being carried out on the new Highway 1 from Sha'ar HaGai to Jerusalem by the National Roads Company (previously the Public Works Department), a ritual building (a temple) and a cache of sacred vessels some 2,750 years old have been uncovered.

 

According to Anna Eirikh, Dr. Hamoudi Khalaily and Shua Kisilevitz, directors of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, "The ritual building at Tel Motza is an unusual and striking find, in light of the fact that there are hardly any remains of ritual buildings of the period in Judaea at the time of the First Temple. The uniqueness of the structure is even more remarkable because of the vicinity of the site's proximity to the capital city of Jerusalem, which acted as the Kingdom's main sacred center at the time." According to the archaeologists, "Among other finds, the site has yielded pottery figurines of men, one of them bearded, whose significance is still unknown.""

 

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Dead Sea Scrolls Digitally Launched As Never Seen Before By The Public

 

Thursday, December 27, 2012

 

"The Dead Sea Scrolls, arguably the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century, have now been placed online for anyone to freely view them in unprecedented high resolution detail.

 

Launched the middle of December, 2012, the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library is the brainchild of a collaboration between the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and the Google Research and Development Center in Israel. The objective is to eventually place the entire collection of about 930 manuscripts, comprised of thousands of Dead Sea Scroll fragments and representing the complete known archive of the world-reknowned ancient documents. Already, hundreds of images have been placed online for view and study by anyone interested."

 

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"The Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library offers an exceptional encounter with antiquity. Using the world's most advanced imaging technology, the Digital Library preserves thousands of scroll fragments, including the oldest known copies of biblical texts, now accessible to the public for the first time."

 

The Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library

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King Herod Exhibit at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem

 

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Leen Ritmeyer

 

"If you plan to visit Jerusalem in 2013, you should go to the Israel Museum and see what promises to be a fascinating exhibition on King Herod the Great that will run from February till October. CNN put up this video:

 

Restoration work in progress in preparation for the exhibition

 

Herod the Great, ruler of Judea from 37-4 BCE, one of the most fascinating and influential figures in classical history is the spotlight of the Israel Museum’s upcoming archaeological exhibition."

 

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Continued Destruction of the Temple Mount

 

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Leen Ritmeyer

 

"Nadav Shragav wrote an interesting article, called Discarding History, about the continued destruction of the Temple Mount. Not only are archaeological artefacts removed and dumped, but also the walls of the Temple Mount continue to be damaged by the construction work carried out by the Muslim authorities:

 

The Temple Mount is not in our hands • The Muslim wakf continues to damage antiquities and archeological artifacts as authorities remain helpless to prevent it • Entire Jewish, Muslim and Christian histories are being brutally dumped in garbage sites.

 

Zachi Dvira of the Temple Mount Sifting Project was able to stop the removal of the illegally excavated archaeological remains, as this reportshows.

 

In previous posts I have reported on the danger of collapse of the Temple Mount walls, see for example here and here. Although this has been recognised by the Israel Antiquities Authority, nothing has been done to prevent further damage:"

 

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7 January 2013 Last updated at 01:21 GMT

 

Gaza's Archaeological Treasures at Risk from War and Neglect

 

"Years of conflict have exacted a heavy toll on centuries of history in the Gaza Strip. While traces of its rich past remain, the race to preserve what is left beneath the surface of this battle-scarred land is fraught with problems, as Ruqaya Izzidien reports.

 

Settled by civilisations spanning some five millennia, Gaza has been built layer-upon-layer since the Bronze Age.

 

As each era ended, its people left behind remnants of their times - churches, monasteries, palaces and mosques, as well as thousands of precious artefacts.

 

"Underneath Gaza there is a whole other Gaza, but every archaeological site here is found by accident," says Hayam Albetar, an archaeologist at the Hamas-run Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

 

"We found a Byzantine Church when workers were digging to build Salahedin Street and stumbled upon a mosaic."

 

The ministry is the official body in charge of archaeological digs and artefact preservation - but their work has faced many obstacles recently."

 

Continued

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December 2012, Cover Stories, Daily News

 

Royal Israelite Capital Detail Emerges from Jerusalem Dig

 

Mon, Jan 07, 2013

 

The find suggests an ancient royal or public Israelite structure near the area of Jerusalem's ancient First Temple.

 

"When an architectural fragment like this one is found on an archaeological dig in Jerusalem, it could likely mean a very important building existed somewhere nearby -- such as a building fit for a king. An archaeological excavation team under the direction of Israeli archaeologist Eilat Mazar has recently uncovered a large fragment of what is known as a "proto-aeolic capital", or royal Israelite capital, the top-most portion of an architectural column that is designed to support or grace the facade or entrance-way of an important royal or administrative/public building. It was found within a stony fill adjacent to a wall dated to the Iron Age II (1000 - 539 BCE) and is assumed by its location to have been in secondary use in this final resting place. (Succeeding builders often reused or "recycled" architectural elements in the construction of later structures)."

 

Continued

 

http://youtu.be/k-ocP0xQgFk

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Gallery Threatened over Talmud Artwork

 

Rabbinate vows to stop exhibition of works created by French artist, using pages of ancient rabbinic writings. Display 'desecrates Holy Scriptures,' says Chief Rabbi Metzger

 

Kobi Nahshoni

 

Published: 01.03.13, 15:47

 

"Israel's Chief Rabbinate has threatened to stop an art gallery in Tel Aviv from exhibiting works using original Talmud pages "sacrilegiously."

 

Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger said he hoped someone would purchase the artwork for thousands of shekels – so that they would be removed from the gallery.

 

Radio Kol Hai revealed that the gallery, located on Dizengoff Street, displays dozens of such works designed from ancient Talmud pages inserted into glass tubes and glued onto canvas pictures.

 

They works are called "Gmara" and the cheapest one is being sold for NIS 6,000 (about $1,610)."

 

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Top Ten Discoveries in Biblical Archaeology in 2012

 

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Leen Ritmeyer

 

"ARTIFAX magazine and The Book & The Spade radio program have published the Top Ten Discoveries in Biblical Archaeology in 2012.

 

Both organisations are interested in archaeology from the biblical point of view. Many more discoveries were made in 2012, of course, but these are the ten highlights that were picked out by them."

 

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Shilo Find May Show It was Sacked by Philistines

 

Evidence of destruction confirms conjecture that Shilo was destroyed after Even Ha'ezer war.

 

By Gil Ronen

 

First Publish: 1/7/2013, 12:50 PM

 

"A new archeological find at ancient Shilo fits in with the Biblical narrative regarding the war at Even Ha'ezer, and could confirm scholars' conjectures as to how Shilo was destroyed.

 

The First Book of Samuel does not say when and how Shilo, which served as the Israelite capital for 369 years, was destroyed. The latest archeological find at the Shilo site – a broken vase and remains of ashes from a fire – indicate large scale destruction. The remains are from the same period in which the War of Even Ha'ezer against the Philistines was waged."

 

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Archaeological Discovery Sheds Light on the Mystery of Shiloh

 

An uncovered broken clay pitcher embedded in a layer of reddish ashes completes the story of the devastation of Shiloh.

 

By: Aryeh Savir, Tazpit News Agency

 

Published: January 10th, 2013

 

"Recent archaeological findings in Samaria shed light on the incomplete story of the destruction of Shiloh, the ancient capital of Israel.

 

An uncovered broken clay pitcher embedded in a layer of reddish ashes completes the story of the devastation of Shiloh, where the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, was placed during the period of the Judges, and essentially served as Israel’s capital during the early part of the First Israelite commonwealth.

 

Shiloh served as the spiritual center of Israel for 369 years until its destruction. The Bible does not inform us of the story of its ruin, but these archaeological discoveries shed light on the capital’s tragic demise."

 

Continued

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Molecular Exploration of the First-Century Tomb of the Shroud in Akeldama, Jerusalem

 

Article created on Friday, January 11, 2013

 

"The Tomb of the Shroud is a first-century C.E. tomb discovered in Akeldama, Jerusalem, Israel that had been illegally entered and looted. The investigation of this tomb by an interdisciplinary team of researchers began in 2000. More than twenty stone ossuaries for collecting human bones were found, along with textiles from a burial shroud, hair and skeletal remains.

 

The research presented here focuses on genetic analysis of the bioarchaeological remains from the tomb using mitochondrial DNA to examine familial relationships of the individuals within the tomb and molecular screening for the presence of disease. There are three mitochondrial haplotypes shared between a number of the remains analyzed suggesting a possible family tomb. There were two pathogens genetically detected within the collection of osteological samples, these were Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae."

 

Continued

 

See Article in Full @ www.plosone.org

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The Tomb of the Shroud in Jerusalem

 

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Leen Ritmeyer

 

In a previous post, we commented on the finding of a 1st century tomb, containing bones and the remains of a linen shroud, next to the Tomb of Annas which we have been able to identify earlier. The tomb was named “The Tomb of the Shroud”. Akeldama is located at the mouth of the Hinnom Valley:

 

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MFA History of Israel Early history/Archeology

 

Archaeological Archive of Israel Being Scanned and Placed Online

 

16-Jan-2013

 

"Data on all of the activity of the archeological entities in Israel is being computerized and will go online in the coming days. Tens of thousands of documents, photographs, maps and plans of Akko and Jerusalem from 1919-1948 are already available for viewing online.

 

The archaeological archive of Israel, which is administered by the Israel Antiquities Authority and amasses data on all of the activity of the archeological entities in the country, is being computerized and will go online in the coming days. This is being underwritten with joint funding provided by the Landmarks heritage program in the Prime Minister's Office and the Israel Antiquities Authority. The scientific archive has its beginnings in the British Mandatory Department of Antiquities. It was continued by the Israel Department of Antiquities and is managed today by the Israel Antiquities Authority, which invests considerable thought and resources in its operation.

 

The first stage, containing tens of thousands of documents, photographs, maps and plans from the years 1919-1948 from Akko and Jerusalem, is already available for viewing online. Most of this material was written in English."

 

Continued

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Rare Artifact Stolen from Tel Shiloh Archaeological Site

 

The artifact was stolen from the location where it had been found, still lodged in the wall.

 

By: Aryeh Savir, Tazpit News Agency

 

Published: January 17th, 2013

 

"A recently uncovered rare archaeological artifact was stolen this week from the Tel Shiloh archaeological site.

 

Tazpit News Agency reported last week about the artifact, a broken clay pitcher lying in a layer of reddish ashes, that helped complete the story of the devastation of Shiloh, the ancient capital of Israel during the First Israelite commonwealth. The ashes found attest to a devastating fire that raged at the site.

 

The dating of the clay pitcher, 1,050 BCE, correlates with the dating of the events depicted in Samuel I, C. 4. This artifact is one of its kind, and only it can shed light on the biblical mystery it solves."

 

Continued

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The Temple Institute to Move Soon to a New Location

 

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Leen Ritmeyer

 

"It is always worth visiting the Temple Institute when visiting the Old City of Jerusalem.

 

The Temple Institute is dedicated to every aspect of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem, and the central role it fulfilled, and will once again fulfill, in the spiritual wellbeing of both Israel and all the nations of the world. The Institute’s work touches upon the history of the Holy Temple’s past, an understanding of the present day, and the Divine promise of Israel’s future. The Institute’s activities include education, research, and development. The Temple Institute’s ultimate goal is to see Israel rebuild the Holy Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, in accord with the Biblical commandments.

 

The Institute announced that early this year they are moving to a new location, a couple of hundred meters from their present location on Misgav Ladach Street. This new site is located directly above the Herodian Quarter that was excavated by the late Prof. Nahman Avigad and which contains the remains of what was possibly the Palace of Annas the High Priest."

 

Continued

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Archaeologists Excavate Early Bronze Age City of Greater Megiddo

 

Thu, Jan 24, 2013

 

"Excavations at the site of Tel Megiddo, one of Israel's oldest and largest archaeological excavations, have yielded finds that have added greatly to ancient Levantine archaeological history and established standards for exploration of early Bronze Age settlements in present-day Israel for decades. There, one of the Levant's largest Canaanite temple complexes was discovered and systematically uncovered, and current excavations under the auspices of Tel Aviv University and the directorship of Israel Finkelstein and David Ussishkin have recently uncovered much more, including a large Iron IIA (1000 - 925 BCE) building featuring rows of a total of 18 pillars."

 

Continued

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