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Temple Tax Coin Discovered in Jerusalem

Arutz-7 reports the discovery of a “half-shekel” from the City of David, but there are several questions about the story. On the biblical-studies list, Jack Kilmon writes that this coin, a Tyrian tetradrachm, was similar to a shekel, not a half-shekel. According to the article, only seven other Tyrian shekels or half shekels have been found in excavations in Jerusalem. The coin was found in the excavations of Reich and Shukrun, which were mentioned in a story yesterday as being halted by the Israeli High Court of Justice.

A half-shekel coin from the Second Temple was found in excavations in the City of David, just below and east of Jerusalem’s Old City. The upcoming Purim festival features the half-shekel prominently in its observance.

The ancient silver coin was discovered in an archaeological excavation that is being conducted in the main Second Temple-era drainage channel of Jerusalem. The foreign coin is of the denomination used during the turbulent Second Temple period to pay the Biblical half-shekel head-tax.
This coming Thursday night (Saturday night for Jerusalemites), before reading the Megillah (Scroll) of Esther, Jews worldwide will contribute a sum of money to charity in remembrance of that half-shekel command.

The Arutz-7 report continues and it also has some great photos of the coin.

HT: Joe Lauer

City of David Excavation Halted by Court

From Haaretz:

The High Court of Justice issued a temporary restraining order against the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), ordering a halt to an archaeological dig in the Silwan neighborhood of Jerusalem, after local Arab residents complained that the excavations were being carried out underneath their homes and without their approval. They claimed that according to the law, the IAA is required to notify property owners if they want to dig under their property. After the suit was filed, the police arrested three of the seven plaintiffs. (Meron Rapoport)

This is a reference to the excavations headed by Ronny Reich and Eli Shukrun in the vicinity of the Pool of Siloam. This excavation has been covered before here.

HT: Joe Lauer

Herodian Street from Pool of Siloam to Temple Mount

Tagged Jerusalem

Iron Age Seal Found in Jerusalem: Netanyahu son of Yaush

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has announced the discovery of an Iron Age seal from the excavations in the Western Wall plaza. This is the second of two seals previously reported and it reads “[belonging] to Netanyahu ben Yaush.” Both names are known from the Bible, but this particular person is not mentioned. This seal was found a debris layer dating to the end of the Iron Age (c. 586 B.C.) underneath the “Eastern/Valley Cardo.” The area of the excavations is shown in the photo below. More information about the discovery and a photo of the seal is available in the IAA press release (and repeated by Arutz-7).

Excavations in Western Wall plaza, May 2007

Medeba Map depiction of Jerusalem, 580 A.D.

The following paragraph from the press release seems strange to me, and if it wasn’t the IAA reporting it, I’d not believe it:

In addition to the personal seal, a vast amount of pottery vessels was discovered, among them three jar handles that bear LMLK stamped impressions. An inscription written in ancient Hebrew script is preserved on one these impressions and it reads: למלך חברון ([belonging] to the king of Hebron).

My guess is that this is a standard LMLK seal impression, and it simply gives one of the four place names that are listed on LMLK seals (Hebron, Ziph, Socoh, MMST). The place name is a royal distribution center, and is not a reference to the domain of the king. “To the king” means that it was royal property. “Hebron” is the place of distribution. All of this is well-known (and you can learn more than you ever wanted to know at www.lmlk.com), which makes me wonder if this discovery is something different, or if the press report was written by a secretary.

UPDATE (3/17): The JPost now has an article on the discovery, which essentially covers the same ground, including repetition of the error of the seal “belonging to the king of Hebron.” The article ends with details I don’t recall seeing:

The newly-found remnants of the city’s past will be preserved next to a new Western Wall Heritage Center, slated to be built at the site, and whose planning prompted the salvage dig.
The construction of the building, which is expected to take several years and is being underwritten by the American media mogul Mort Zuckerman, will include an educational center, a video conference room, a VIP lounge and a police station.

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem

Jesus Tomb Hoax: The Trailer

The discovery of the “tomb of Jesus” began with a sensational film which was met by universal condemnation by scholars. One problem, though, is that the statements of scholars on blogs doesn’t have the reach or emotional impact of a big budget movie. Another production company now aims to set the record straight – with dramatic footage and interviews with the same scholars – but with a completely different conclusion: the “tomb of Jesus” is a hoax. The trailer for the movie has just been released.

Tagged Tomb of Jesus

Two JPost Articles on Jerusalem Archaeology

The Jerusalem Post has a couple of recent articles related to Jerusalem and archaeology.
Police stop Islamic work on Temple Mount – The police won’t stop the Muslims from digging up the ground but they’ll stop them from replacing tiles. I wouldn’t call this progress.

Digging too deep? – A report on the political aspects of the excavations in the City of David.

As always, don’t believe everything you read.

Tagged Jerusalem, Temple Mount

Inscription Discovered at Philistine Gath

A seal recently discovered in the City of David reads “Rephaihu (ben) Shalem.” Archaeologist Aren Maier, who directs the on-going excavations at Philistine Gath, reports on an inscription which may be connected to the word “Rephaim,” mentioned in the Bible in various places including 2 Samuel 21:16-22.

UPDATE (3/4): The post above has been greatly altered from the original. This inscription is from Gath, not Jerusalem, and it was incised on a jar, and is not a seal. Thanks to Aren Maier for the correction. My apologies to all for the errors. When word comes of the second seal found in the City of David, I’ll note it on this blog.

Tagged Discoveries