Discoveries Archives - Page 147 of 157

Report of Queen of Sheba's Palace

Trend News reports the discovery of Queen of Sheba’s palace. I have no independent knowledge of this excavation, so it not impossible that there’s a kernel of truth in the story. But I would note a few things that suggest caution before you include this in your list of “greatest discoveries of the Bible.”

1) The news sources which are currently carrying the story are not ones I’m familiar with. If this was carried by a source like the Associated Press, then it would carry more weight.

2) The story’s claim that Sheba was married to Solomon is based on late tradition, and certainly is not mentioned in the Bible, as the article says. Getting simple facts like these wrong makes me wonder if the rest of the facts are based on such flimsy reporting.

3) There is no evidence that the ark of the covenant went to Ethiopia. The tradition is based in part on the tradition that Sheba was married to Solomon (or at least gave birth to his child).

4) Many scholars believe that Sheba was in modern Yemen.

Archaeologists believe they have found the Queen of Sheba’s palace at Axum, Ethiopia and an altar which held the most precious treasure of ancient Judaism, the Ark of the Covenant, the University of Hamburg said Wednesday, the dpa reported.
Scientists from the German city made the startling find during their spring excavation of the site over the past three months.
The Ethiopian queen was the bride of King Solomon of Israel in the 10th century before the Christian era. The royal match is among the memorable events in the Bible.
Ethiopian tradition claims the Ark, which allegedly contained Moses’ stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written, was smuggled to Ethiopia by their son Menelek and is still in that country.
The University said scientists led by Helmut Ziegert had found remains of a 10th-century-BC palace at Axum-Dungur under the palace of a later Christian king. There was evidence the early palace had been torn down and realigned to the path of the star Sirius.

The story continues here.

HT: Paleojudaica

Tagged Discoveries

Philistine Temple (Found) and Gate (Rebuilt)

A couple of developments in the land of the Philistines are worth noting:

A Philistine temple is being excavated at a site south of the five major Philistine cities. The temple dates to late Iron I (circa 1000 B.C.) and is a few miles south of biblical Gerar (Tel Haror) and northwest of Beersheba. Aren Maier has a brief report of his visit and some of the finds.

The Canaanite gate at Ashkelon has now been completely restored. They claim that it is the “oldest arched gate in the world,” but pushing the date of the Ashkelon gate a little earlier and the date of the Dan gate a little later. Even archaeologists are competitive! The JPost has a picture of the gate with a modern arch which looks like it was designed for schoolkids. Below is a photo before they added the arch.

Ashkelon Middle Bronze Gate (circa 1800 B.C.)

Tagged Discoveries, New Exhibits

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

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

New Seals Found in City of David

I don’t remember seeing this published elsewhere and you might miss it under the title “What Happened to the Clerks and Merchants of the 8th Century BCE?” Ronny Reich and Eli Shukrun have discovered more seals in the City of David, these from the 8th century (the time of kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah). These excavators had previously discovered a collection of seals from the 9th century, and these did not bear inscriptions. But they recently found two stone seals and three bullae (seal impressions), all inscribed with Hebrew names. The best preserved has the name “Rephaihu (ben) Shalem.” The article is brief and includes a photo of the complete seal.

Though they operate without much fanfare, Reich and Shukrun’s excavation in Jerusalem over the last 13 years has produced more interesting results than probably any other dig in Israel, including discovery of the two towers at the Gihon Spring, the reinterpretation of Warren’s Shaft, the discovery of the Pool of Siloam, and many other related architectural features and small finds.

HT: Joe Lauer

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem

Excavations of Magdala and Nazareth

Antonio Lombatti has word of reports of (recent) excavations of Magdala and (not-so-recent) excavations of the area now known as “Nazareth Village.”

Magdala: You can read Lombatti’s intro here (with beautiful photos) or read the report in Italian here. If you’re wondering if you’ve ever visited Magdala, you haven’t. You may have driven by it (or possibly hiked or biked if you’re one of those sort), but the area has been locked and sealed for a long time, and entrance available only to those who know the right people. Hopefully that will all change…

Nazareth: You can read Lombatti’s intro here or go straight to the report (pdf) by Stephen Pfann. If you’re wondering why you were unimpressed with Nazareth when you visited, it’s probably because you didn’t visit Nazareth Village, a modern reconstruction of the 1st century village.

Tagged Discoveries