Israel Archaeological News - General

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Atiqot - Publications of the Israel Antiquities Authority

 

"Atiqot is the refereed journal of the Israel Antiquities Authority. It is published four times a year. The contents of the printed version is uploaded to the e-journal website. No changes are made to articles post-publication"

 

Website

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Modern Revival of Lost Biblical Commandment Paving the Way for the Third Jewish Temple

 

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz 

 

September 8, 2015 , 2:48 pm

"Biblical commandments not practiced for thousands of years are slowly returning to life. One such commandment, known as the Machatsit HaShekel, or half-shekel, is making a comeback thanks to a simple Jewish tailor in Jerusalem.

 

The half-shekel, one of the more obscure commandments found in the Bible, played an important role in Jewish history. Every year, each Jewish male over the age of 20 was obligated to give a compulsory donation of half of a shekel (Exodus 30:15). Regardless of status or wealth, the same amount was given by each man. Since it is forbidden by Torah law to actually count Jews, counting the coins took place of a national census. The half-shekels that were collected were used as a form of tax to support the Jewish Temple."

 

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Exotic Shofars

 

(Download 5.8MB PDF)

 

Link

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MIDDLE EAST

 

Clashes Damage Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and Jordan Warns Israel

 

By DIAA HADID

 

SEPT. 15, 2015

 

RAMALLAH, West Bank — "Palestinian youths and the Israeli police clashed again Tuesday at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, and King Abdullah II of Jordan issued a rare warning to Israel that the fighting could weaken relations between the two countries.

 

Concerns are growing that the clashes over Jewish visits to the contested holy site, which began on the eve of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, could set off wider violence."

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From ASOR Blog:

Can you pass this Sea of Galilee quiz?

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Is the Large Mausoleum Recently Uncovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Residents of the Modi‘in Region Really the Tomb of the Maccabees?

 

The Israel Antiquities Authority is calling on the public to donate, volunteer and be part of the journey in discovering one of the most fascinating stories in Israeli archaeology

 

September 2015

 

"In recent weeks the Israel Antiquities Authority, together with local residents and young people, has been conducting an unusual archaeological excavation in search of the real location of the Tomb of the Maccabees. 

 

According to historical sources, the Maccabees – Matityahu the Hasmonean and his five sons, from the ancient city of Modi'in, led the uprising against Greek rule and were responsible for cleansing the impurity from the Second Temple. 

 

The aim of the archaeological excavation was to determine if there is any substance to the legends and stories that have sprung up around the Horbat Ha-Gardi site, located a short distance from the city of Modi‘in, and whose name is associated with the Tomb of the Maccabees."

 

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Preliminary Report of the 2015 Jezreel Expedition Field Season

 

By Norma Franklin

The Zinman Institute of Archaeology

University of Haifa

 

By Jennie Ebeling

Associate Professor of Archaeology

University of Evansville

September 2015

 

"For four weeks in May-June 2015, the Jezreel Expedition team returned to Tel ‘Ein Jezreel, the lower tel located just north of Tel Jezreel and above the Spring of Jezreel (Figure 1), for a third season of excavation. Located in the fertile Jezreel Valley approximately midway between Megiddo and Bet Shean, “greater Jezreel” was occupied from late prehistory through modern times ..."

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Special Media Release: Rare 3,000-Year-Old Seal Discovered within Earth Discarded from Temple Mount

 

24/09/2015

 

Seal, dating to period of the Biblical kings David & Solomon discovered at Temple Mount Sifting Project

 

JERUSALEM, September 21, 2015 — "A rare 3,000 year-old seal dating to the period of the Biblical kings David and Solomon of the 10th century BCE was recently discovered at the Temple Mount Sifting Project in Jerusalem."

 

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A Rare 1,500 Year Old Mosaic was Discovered that Depicts Ancient Streets and Buildings in Egypt

 

September 2015

 

"A 1,500 year old mosaic, depicting a map with streets and buildings, was exposed about two years ago in archaeological excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority conducted together with school children and employees from the Qiryat Gat Industrial Park. The excavation of the mosaic was generously underwritten by the Y.S. Gat Company–Qiryat Gat Industrial Park Management Company. This extraordinary mosaic served as the floor of a church dating to the Byzantine period. It was removed from the site for the purpose of conservation and was recently returned to its permanent location in the industrial park. The mosaic will be revealed to the public for the first time at the “Factories from Within” festival to be held October 1, during the Sukkot holiday."

 

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Three Related Articles:
 

The So-Called “Elusive” Location of the Temple in Jerusalem

 

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Leen Ritmeyer

 

"Rick Gladstone wrote an article in yesterday’s New York Times, called “Historical Certainty Proves Elusive at Jerusalem’s Holiest Place”, in which he asserts that neither the location of  the First and Second Temples can be determined:"

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Where on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount Were the Jewish Temples Located?

 

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Leen Ritmeyer

 

"The article in the New York Times by Rick Gladstone to which we referred to in yesterday’s post received so much criticism that the newspaper had to issue a public correction:"

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Letter to the Editor of The New York Times from Dr. Jodi Magness

 

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Leen Ritmeyer

 

"The many protests against the anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian article about the Temple Mount by the New York Times’ reporter Rick Gladstone, which we wrote about in a previous post, has had an effect. First of all, they published a correction and now The New York Times has published Jodi Magness’s letter in The Opinion Pages. You can read it here:"

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More Canaanite Evidence Found by NOBTS Dig Team

 

by Gary D. Myers, posted Tuesday, October 13, 2015 (5 days ago)

 

KARMEI YOSEF, Israel (BP) — "Added evidence that an ancient water system at Tel Gezer in Israel could be the product of Middle Bronze Age Canaanites living between the time of Abraham and the Israelite conquest was uncovered by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary's archaeology team during a challenging dig season this summer.

 

The Bible provides a tantalizing parallel to the Gezer system in the accounts of King David. In 2 Samuel 5:6-9, David's men utilized a "water shaft" to invade and conquer the fortress of Zion/Jerusalem. This rock-hewn system has been located in Jerusalem's "City of David" area. Visitors can walk the entire length of that Canaanite system."

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Ancient Temple Mount ‘Warning’ Stone is ‘Closest Thing We Have to the Temple’

 

Carved in bold Greek letters, 2,000-year-old Herodian inscription marked off the section of Jerusalem’s most sacred site where gentiles couldn’t go — and shows they were welcome elsewhere in holy area

 

BY ILAN BEN ZION 

 

October 22, 2015, 3:22 pm 

 

"The unassuming slab of limestone doesn’t look like much. It’s crudely fractured and chipped on the sides, pockmarked with age, and is perched not too prominently on a shelf at the Israel Museum. But its smoothly hewn face and crisply etched Greek letters still bearing faint traces of red paint belie monumental significance."

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Ancient Winery Discovered in Central Israel Region During Storm

 

By DANIEL K. EISENBUD 

 

10/26/2015 16:20

 

Large 1,500-year-old winepress unearthed in area once known for wine production.

 

"A large, well-preserved 1,500-year-old winery has been exposed during a violent storm in the Sharon Plain region, located between the Mediterranean Sea and Samarian Hills, the Antiquities Authority announced Monday.

 

According to IAA archeologist Alla Nagorski, the discovery was made off the Eyal Interchange several weeks ago when flooding and hail disrupted an excavation at the site, where natural gas lines are scheduled to be embedded."

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Friday, October 30, 2015

 

Mount Halak on the Southern Border of Canaan/Judah

 

by Chris McKinny

 

"Many visitors to Israel have visited the Nahal Zin and hiked into Ein Avdat. While witnessing the canyon's spectacular views and wildlife, visitors will probably be informed that Nahal Zin was the southern border of the promised land (and thereby Canaan and the tribe of Judah) based on a connection between the large, continuous canyon (Arabic - Wadi el-Marra) and the southern boundary descriptions in the Bible (Num. 34:4; Josh. 15:3)."

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A Boy’s Discovery Rebuts Temple Mount Revisionism

 

Palestinians deny Jewish roots at the holy site, but a newly unearthed artifact confirms historical truths.

 

By JEROLD S. AUERBACH

 

Oct. 25, 2015 4:49 p.m. ET

 

"A 10-year-old Russian boy, Matvei Tcepliaev, recently made an extraordinary discovery in Jerusalem. Working as a volunteer in the Temple Mount Sifting Project, he found a 3,000-year-old seal—engraved limestone about the size of a thimble, with a hole at one end so it could be hung from a string—from the time of King David."

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A City of David’s Kingdom? New Carbon-14 Results From Khirbet Qeiyafa

 

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Luke Chandler

 

"A new article has been published on new radiocarbon dating from Khirbet Qeiyafa, an Iron Age site overlooking the Elah Valley. It happens to be in the same location, as described in 1 Samuel 17, where David slew Goliath. Discoveries from recent excavations have introduced a wealth of fresh data into study of early Israelite/Judahite society.

 

If you have ever wondered how Carbon-14 dating works or how precise it truly is, you will find this article illuminating. If you are interested in biblical studies or the debate over the development of the early Israelite/Judahite kingdoms, this is relevant reading." 

 

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A Solution to One of the Greatest Questions in the History of Jerusalem

 

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Leen Ritmeyer

 

"Joe Lauer sent me this infomation:

 

‪Today, Monday, November 2, 2015, the IAA circulated English and Hebrew invitations to the media to attend a press conference tomorrow (Tuesday, November 3, 2015), in the Givati parking lot at the City of David, in the Jerusalem Walls National Park, where “A Solution to One of the Greatest Questions in the History of Jerusalem” will be presented.

 

The Hebrew invitation states that the presentation will be made at 10:00 AM."

 

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Was One of Jerusalem’s Greatest Archaeological Mysteries Solved?

 

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Leen Ritmeyer

 

Today the Israel Antiquities Authority announced:

 

"A fascinating discovery recently uncovered in archaeological excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting in the Givati parking lot at the City of David, in the Jerusalem Walls National Park, has apparently led to solving one of Jerusalem’s greatest archaeological mysteries: the question of the location of the Greek (Seleucid) Acra–the famous stronghold built by Antiochus IV in order to control Jerusalem and monitor activity in the Temple which was eventually liberated by the Hasmoneans from Greek rule."

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also @

 

Ancient Mystery Solved: Hellenistic Citadel that Restricted Jewish Rule in Hasmonean Jerusalem

 

Greek Fortress, Key to Ancient Jerusalem, Uncovered, Researchers Say

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Tuesday, November 03, 2015

 

Cornuke’s Theory on the Temple Location Analyzed by Gordon Franz

 

"The precise location of the Jewish temple is debated by scholars. Some believe that the holy of holies was located over the “rock” (es-Sakhra) under the Dome of the Rock. Others believe that the altar sat on this rock. A few have held that the holy of holies was situated about 100 yards to the north under the “Dome of the Tablets.” But no scholars doubt that the temple stood somewhere on the Temple Mount."

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Prehistoric "Stonehenge" Monument in Golan Heights Fuels Mystery

 

Reuters

 

By By Ari Rabinovitch | Reuters – Wed 11 Nov, 2015

 

GOLAN HEIGHTS (Reuters) - "Driving past it, one of the most mysterious structures in the Middle East is easy to miss. The prehistoric stone monument went unnoticed for centuries in a bare expanse of field on the Golan Heights.

 

After Israel captured the territory from Syria in a 1967 war, archaeologists studying an aerial survey spotted a pattern of stone circles not visible from the ground. Subsequent excavations revealed it was one of the oldest and largest structures in the region."

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The Mysterious Akra in Jerusalem

 

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Leen Ritmeyer

 

"I have been asked by a few readers  to clarify my position on the location of the Akra, that hated symbol of alien Hellenistic rule whose occupiers became in the words of the writer of the First Book of Maccabees: “a great trouble … an ambush for the sanctuary, an evil adversary for Israel at all times” (1. 35 – 38). This was because they attacked the Jewish worshippers that went up from the city to the Temple."

 

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BC Theologian Co-leading Project on the Legacy of Ancient Judaism

 

By KATHLEEN SULLIVAN | CHRONICLE STAFF

 

Published: Nov. 12, 2015

 

"Bible and Second Temple Judaism scholar Yonder Gillihan – an associate professor of theology at Boston College – is a founding member of the Maccabees Project, a new multi-disciplinary collaboration of international and Boston-area scholars dedicated to research and public education on ancient Judaism and its legacy. Gillihan co-directs the Maccabees Project Dialogues, a series of public lectures and seminars that debuts later this month.  

 

Headquartered at the Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies at Boston University, the Maccabees Project (MP) was formed to improve access to all evidence and research on Judea and Judean culture in the “Maccabean century” (c. 170-63 B.C.E.), create opportunities for scholars from different disciplines to share knowledge and test ideas, and spread new knowledge to the public."

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If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, is it a clue to the rise of Jewish Galilee?

 

An elegant 2,200-year-old Hellenistic bronze incense shovel found this summer could help determine how and when Judeans settled the hills near the Kinneret

 

BY ILAN BEN ZION November 13, 2015, 12:54 pm

 

"The tapered head, flattened bill and graceful curve of the neck are unquestionably that of a duck. The bird’s head decorates a small, 2,200-year-old bronze incense shovel found during this summer’s dig at a Hellenistic-era site near the Sea of Galilee, and its ancient owners may be the key to an investigation into how and when ancient Judeans populated the Galilee."

 

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1,500-Year-Old Wine Presses Found in Southern City Netivot

 

Presses were used to mass-produce wine, which was bottled in clay vessels known as 'Gaza jugs' • Archeologists date site based on cross etched into seashells used to adorn the fermenting vats • Youth from Netivot, Ashkelon volunteered on the dig. 

 

Newsletter Friday November 13, 2015

 

"Two wine presses that date back some 1,500 years have been discovered in the city of Netivot in the northern Negev Desert.

 

As part of standard preparations for the construction of a new residential neighborhood, the Israel Antiquities Authority conducted digs outside the city. Youth from Netivot and Ashkelon were encouraged to volunteer on the project along with future Israel Defense Forces recruits who are spending a year performing community service before they enlist in the army's Nahal Brigade."

 

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