Excavations Archives - Page 57 of 97

Excavations below Jerusalem’s Church of the Redeemer

This may be the most interesting archaeological excavation in the Old City of Jerusalem in the last few years. The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is located next door to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. From DW:

Two-thousand years of biblical history lay buried 14 meters beneath the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem. German archeologist Dieter Vieweger led the excavation of the site.
A Herodian quarry, the remains of Golgotha, buildings from the period of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, mosaics from the Church of Saint Maria Latina: At the end of 2012, the Archaeological Park was opened under the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem, giving visitors the chance to take a tour of these locations and understand the city’s colorful past. German archeologist Dieter Vieweger spent three years building the park together with a team of students and experts.
[…]
The archaeological park makes 2,000 years of history in Jerusalem visible – from Herod to the Crusaders to today. As a biblical archeologist, which chapter in history do you find most interesting?
For me, of course, the oldest layers are the most interesting – those buried 14 meters (46 feet) under the Church of the Redeemer. That’s where we found a stone quarry built by Herod the Great. You can actually walk around it and see how thick the stones were carved out, sawn and broken. The quarry was used to expand the city to the east of the site at Herod’s instruction. But not all of the stone was taken from the ground where the Church of the Redeemer now stands. This area was later called Golgotha, the location where Jesus was crucified. In this section of the archeological park, visitors come very close to Christian and Jewish history.

The full article is here. The site is now open to the public, but it closes early in the afternoon. In a post last year, Tom Powers wrote about his tour of the site before it opened.

Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, early 1900s
Photo from The American Colony and Eric Matson Collection

Tagged Excavations, Jerusalem

Recent Excavation Reports

Horbat Hazzan and Horbat Avraq – A building from the late Iron Age was excavated along with several winepresses, columbaria, and a limekiln.

Jerusalem, Shuafat Ridge – Several miles north of ancient Jerusalem, archaeologists completed excavation of a farmhouse from the 8th-7th centuries BC.

Jerusalem, Qiryat Moriyya – Part of the low-level aqueduct that brought water to Jerusalem from Solomon’s Pools was exposed in Arnona.

Mount Tabor – An excavation near the Gate of the Winds revealed a portion of the Ayyubid fortification, built in 1212-1213 by the nephew of Saladin when the mountain was being contested by the Muslims and Crusaders.

Jaffa – Excavations of two areas in the modern flea market revealed a large pool “as well as pottery, glass vessels and coins dating to the Persian, Hellenistic, Late Roman, Byzantine, Early Islamic and
Crusader periods.”

Columbarium from area near Horbat Hazzan.
Photo by IAA.

Tagged Excavations

Antiquities Theft at Shiloh

Arutz-7 reports on the theft of a vessel from Shiloh discovered a week ago.

An ancient vase that provided evidence that Shilo was sacked by Philistines has been stolen from the Shilo site. Avital Sela, who manages the site, told Arutz Sheva that once the vase was discovered to have been stolen, a complaint was filed with police. Sela explained that the vase, which was dated precisely to the year in which the destruction of Shilo was assumed to have taken place, "connected all of the Biblical pieces into one puzzle."

The full story is here.

Tagged Excavations, Samaria

Gezer Excavation 2013

I picked up a brochure for this summer’s excavation at Gezer and was impressed with their season’s goals. In a brief look online at the BAS website and the official website, I did not see the specifics given in the brochure.

The 2013 season will focus on excavating

a Late Bronze Age Pillared Building probably destroyed by the Egyptian pharaoh Merneptah,

the Iron Age I occupation (1200-1000 BCE),

the 10th century BCE administrative quarter next to the Solomonic Gate Complex, and

a 9th century destruction possibly due to the Arameans.

If you’re thinking about digging this summer, this is certainly a good excavation to consider. The 9th-century destruction is that of Hazael mentioned in 2 Kings 12:17 and discovered at the nearby Philistine city of Gath.

The best way to get up to speed on the results of the first six seasons of excavations is the recent article in Near Eastern Archaeology, by Steven Ortiz and Sam Wolff, “Guarding the Border to Jerusalem: The Iron Age City of Gezer” (on JSTOR, or subscribe here).

Gezer casemate wall excavations, tb070506121

Excavations of casemate wall of Gezer.
Photo from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands.

Tagged Excavations, Shephelah

Recent Excavations in Jaffa and Acco

Jaffa, Yehuda Ha-Yamit Street: Stratum III dates to the 1st-2nd centuries (the time of Simon the Tanner) and includes remains of a large building, glass vessels, and a coin minted in Jerusalem from the time of Emperor Tiberius (AD 17-25). Finds from the modern period include a bullet from a German Mauser rifle, a British uniform button, and an Austrian, blue-coated iron bowl. The lengthy report includes 30 figures.

Jaffa, Shimon Ben Shetah Street: This excavation on the northeast side of town revealed 13 tombs, including “one sarcophagus, two built tombs, four uncovered cist tombs and six covered cist tombs.”

Restrictions by the Ministry of Religious Affairs prevented excavation of all the tombs.

Acco, Ha-Haroshet Street: Excavations between the tell and the Old City uncovered four strata from the Hellenistic to the Byzantine periods. The Hellenistic finds were “very rich,” and included amphorae from Rhodes, Cos, and Cnidus. Unfortunately they have published only one tiny photo of a glass vessel.

Acco, the Post Office: Expansion of the city post office prompted this salvage excavation which identified a Hellenistic strata (III), four phases of the Roman period strata (II), and Crusader and Ottoman remains (I). Among the small finds were a loom weight, a lead weight, a bone disk, 12 coins, 72 glass fragments, and 6 stamped amphora handles.

Metallic finds from the Acco post office excavation, including (1) a lead weight (?) from the Early Roman period; (2) a copper weight in the shape of a cube; (3-5) pyramidal arrowheads probably from the Crusader period; (6) a nail; (7-8) and tacks. Photo by IAA.

Tagged Excavations, Israel's Coast

Wednesday Roundup

The rain in Israel has turned to snow. Jerusalem is all but closed. A meter of snow fell on Mount Hermon overnight. The Sea of Galilee is up 6 inches. Haaretz is calling this the biggest storm in a decade with Israel’s main highway closed for 9 hours. Wind gusts in Haifa reached up to 75 miles per hour.

BBC reports that Gaza’s archaeological treasures are at risk from war and neglect.

Ferrell Jenkins explains the significance of Gaza.

Artifax and The Book & The Spade Radio program have posted their Top Ten 2012 Discoveries.

They are similar to our (unnumbered) list. Leen Ritmeyer picks his top two.

The conclusion from the 2012 excavations south of the Temple Mount (aka “Ophel”) is posted in an 11-minute video, concluding with a tour by archaeologist Eilat Mazar.

Thirty Days in the Land with Jesus: A Holy Land Devotional, by Charles H. Dyer, is for sale on Kindle for $1.99 this week. The 248-page book was released in 2012.

HT: Charles Savelle

Iron Age tower in Ophel Excavations
Photo from Pictorial Library of Bible Lands

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Resources, Weekend Roundup