Discoveries Archives - Page 98 of 153

Byzantine Basilica Discovered near Kiryat Gat

Archaeologists in Israel revealed an impressive Byzantine church building with beautiful mosaic pavements at Moshav Aluma near Kiryat Gat. The site is in the eastern coastal plain, about 10 miles (16 km) east of Ashkelon and 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Jerusalem.

The director of the Israel Antiquities Authority excavations, Daniel Varga, describes the structure in a press release issued by the IAA:

An impressive basilica building was discovered at the site, 22 meters long and 12 meters wide. The building consists of a central hall with two side aisles divided by marble pillars. At the front of the building is a wide open courtyard (atrium) paved with a white mosaic floor, and with a cistern. Leading off the courtyard is a rectangular transverse hall (narthex) with a fine mosaic floor decorated with colored geometric designs; at its center, opposite the entrance to the main hall, is a twelve-row dedicatory inscription in Greek containing the names Mary and Jesus, and the name of the person who funded the mosaic’s construction.

The press release gives more detail of the mosaic floor:

The main hall (the nave) has a colored mosaic floor adorned with vine tendrils to form forty medallions. The medallions contain depictions of different animals, including: zebra, leopard, turtle, wild boar, various winged birds and botanical and geometric designs. Three medallions contain dedicatory inscriptions in Greek commemorating senior church dignitaries: Demetrios and Herakles. The two were heads of the local regional church. On both sides of the central nave are two narrow halls (side aisles), which also have colored mosaic floors depicting botanical and geometric designs, as well as Christian symbols.

The site will be open to the public on Thursday and Friday (Jan 23–24) before the mosaics are removed for future display in a local museum. The church building itself will be buried. More information is available in the press release. The photos posted below are available via this link. Brief news articles have been published by the Jerusalem Post, Washington Post, and Times of Israel.

Excavation of the Byzantine basilica at Moshav Aluma

An excavation volunteer cleans the mosaic floor

Mosaic floor of the Byzantine basilica
All photos by Yoli Shwartz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority

Tagged Discoveries, Israel's Coast

Hasmonean Building Discovered in City of David

The holiday of Hanukkah is an appropriate time to announce the discovery of a Hasmonean-period building in Jerusalem. The structure is located in the Central Valley just south of the Dung Gate in the former Givati parking lot. The Israel Antiquities Authority describes the find in a press release.

In recent months remains of an impressive building from the Hasmonean period (second century BCE) are being unearthed in excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is directing in the Giv‘ati parking lot, located in the City of David in the Walls Around Jerusalem National Park. The excavations are sponsored by the “Friends of City of David”.
The building stands c. 4 meters high and covers an area of c. 64 sq. m. The building’s broad walls (more than one meter thick) are made of roughly hewn limestone blocks that were arranged as headers and stretchers, a construction method characteristic of the Hasmonean period.
Although numerous pottery vessels were discovered inside the building, it was mainly the coins that surprised the researchers. These indicated the structure was erected in the early second century BCE and continued into the Hasmonean period, during which time significant changes were made inside it.
According to Dr. Doron Ben Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets, the excavation directors on behalf to the Israel Antiquities Authority, “The importance of this discovery is primarily because of the conspicuous paucity of buildings from the Hasmonean city of Jerusalem in archaeological research, despite the many excavations that have been conducted to date. Apart from several remains of the city’s fortifications that were discovered in different parts of Jerusalem, as well as pottery and other small finds, none of the Hasmonean city’s buildings have been uncovered so far, and this discovery bridges a certain gap in Jerusalem’s settlement sequence. The Hasmonean city, which is well-known to us from the historical descriptions that appear in the works of Josephus, has suddenly acquired tangible expression”.

The story is also reported by Arutz-7 and Israel HaYom.

We’ve reported on excavations at this same area many times in the past:

Feb 2012: New Visitor Center Approved for City of David (with 2 photos)
Aug 2010: Cameo Stone Discovered in Jerusalem’s Central Valley
Sept 2009: Petition Against City of David Excavations Rejected
Aug 2009: Roman Building Excavated in City of David
Jan 2009: Roman Figurine Discovered in Jerusalem
Dec 2008: 264 Gold Coins Found in City of David
Nov 2008: Beautiful Earring Found in Jerusalem
Aug 2008: City of David Excavation Report (with photo)
Dec 2007: Palace of Queen Helena Found? (with aerial photo)

Hasmonean period building uncovered in Jerusalem

Hasmonean building in Jerusalem.
Photo by Assaf Peretz, courtesy Israel Antiquities Authority.

Jerusalem from the southwest Click photograph for higher-resolution version.

UPDATE (12/4): Eric Welch has sent this photo taken at the excavations during the summer.

Excavations in Givati parking lot. The three chambers in the foreground correspond with the chambers on the right side of the top photo.

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Jerusalem

Chalcolithic Temple Discovered at Eshtaol

A report from the IAA describes a range of finds at a salvage dig being conducted on Highway 38 (aka “the Diagonal Route”) north of Beth Shemesh. The finds include a house from the Neolithic period with nine flint and limestone axes, some used for cultic purposes. Archaeologists also identified a Chalcolithic temple at the site.

In the archaeological excavation conducted at Eshta’ol an important and rare find from the end of the Chalcolithic period (second half of the fifth millennium BCE) was discovered in the adjacent area. During the course of the excavation six thousand year old buildings were exposed and a stone column (called a standing stone or mazzevā) was discovered alongside one of them. The standing stone is 1.30 meters high and weighs several hundred kilos. According to the excavation directors, “The standing stone was smoothed and worked on all six of its sides, and was erected with one of its sides facing east. This unique find alludes to the presence of a cultic temple at the site”. The archaeologists said, “In the past numerous manifestations have been found of the cultic practice that existed in the Chalcolithic period; however, from the research we know of only a few temples at ‘En Gedi and at Teleilat Ghassul in Transjordan.”

The site will be open to the public on Wednesday, November 27, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. The article does not state whether the site will be preserved, but given its location along the route of the highway expansion, it seems unlikely. The full story is here and high-resolution photos are available here. The story is also reported in Arutz-7 and The Times of Israel, both of which provide details for registering for the site visit.

Eshtaol is mentioned in the Bible in connection with the birth and burial of Samson (Judges 13:25; 16:31). Men from the tribe of Dan were sent from Eshtaol and Zorah to spy out the northern territory for settlement (Judges 18:2, 8, 11). The discoveries made are from earlier periods and are not at the ancient site of Eshtaol. For a brief discussion of the location of ancient Eshtaol, see our post here.

Eshtaol excavation
Photo by Yoli Shwarz, courtesy Israel Antiquities Authority

Tagged Discoveries, Shephelah

Weekend Roundup

The recent discovery of a large wine cellar at Tel Kabri is described in the New York Times.

Ran Shapira at Haaretz reports on the latest finds at Gezer.

Guy Steibel is commemorating the 50th anniversary of Yigael Yadin’s excavations of Masada with a tour for journalists. He reveals that the one big thing they haven’t found yet is a latrine.

The Jewish Press has more about the stone altar discovered at Shiloh, including a better photo.

Miriam Feinberg Vamosh has a feature article in Haaretz on women and their work in the ancient world.

Thanksgiving and Hanukkah are rarely celebrated at the same time. This article on the Chabad website explains when it last happened and when it may occur next (in 2070).

Oxford University Press has published The Ancient Near East: A Very Short Introduction by Amanda Podany. At 168 pages (and $9), this will be more appealing to some than the longer (and more costly) introductions.

The official trailer for Noah is out. I’m told by those who have seen more than the trailer that the movie is not faithful to the biblical story.

HT: Charles Savelle, Mark Hoffman, Joseph Lauer, Jack Sasson

Two women grinding in courtyard in front of home, mat04156

Two women grinding, 1930s
Photo from Traditional Life and Customs

Tagged Discoveries, Holidays, Israel's Coast, Resources, Samaria, Shephelah

Stone Altar Discovered at Shiloh

Arutz-7 reports on the recent discovery of a stone altar at Shiloh that they are dating to the Iron Age.

An ongoing archaeological dig in the ancient Jewish village of Shilo in Samaria (Shomron) has turned up a stone altar dating back thousands of years.
The altar is believed to date back to the period from roughly 1,200 BCE to 600 CE known as the Iron Age.
More specifically, archaeologists dating it to what some Israeli researchers call the “Israelite era” – the period of time after the nation of Israel entered the land of Israel, and before the destruction of the First Temple.
The altar is 60 centimeters by 60 centimeters, with a height of 40 centimeters, and was found on the southern edge of the site of ancient Shilo.
It had been used in the construction of a Byzantine-era structure, however, markings on the stone indicated its use in religious ceremonies prior to its use as building material.

The dates above are incorrect; the Iron Age dates to 1200-600 BC/BCE. It appears that there is little evidence to date the altar. The broad range given suggests that this is a typological date, based on a comparison of this altar with other ancient altars.

The full story is here. The Hebrew version includes a photo. Another altar from the same time period was discovered one mile west of Shiloh, as described in an abstract of an article in PEQ.

HT: Joseph Lauer

Tagged Discoveries, Samaria

Byzantine Basilica Discovered near Kiryat Gat

Top Stories of 2013

Hasmonean Building Discovered in City of David

Chalcolithic Temple Discovered at Eshtaol

Weekend Roundup

Stone Altar Discovered at Shiloh