Showing posts with label Eilat Mazar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eilat Mazar. Show all posts

Saturday, May 13, 2017

The Bible Confirmed: The War that Catapulted Archaeology in Jerusalem - CBN News Chris Mitchell


The Bible Confirmed: The War that Catapulted Archaeology in Jerusalem

05-10-2017
CBN News Chris Mitchell

JERUSALEM, Israel – In the past 50 years, archaeologists have uncovered some of history's most significant finds in and around Jerusalem. Those discoveries became possible when Israelis unified their ancient capital in June of 1967.
When 10-year-old Eilat Mazar first heard that Israel recaptured the Old City, she felt as if part of her family had come home.
"Even as a child, I mean very young, I could sense that this was a huge event," Mazar told CBN's Chris Mitchell. "It's like you get something back. People related to it like returning a lost son. That's what we were expecting, for now it's happening."

Gabi Barkay, who was 23 at the time, said he felt like his apartment added a room.
In Our Hands: The Battle for Jerusalem. Get Tickets

"It was [as] if I visit the backroom in the apartment in which I live that I was prohibited from entering for years and suddenly it opens," Barkay explained. "Just imagine, it's my house, it is my city and suddenly I can see it with my own eyes and touch it."

Now both Mazar and Barkay are among Israel's leading archaeologists. We talked with Barkay at the Temple Mount Sifting Project, where teenage volunteers were working.
"It was a revolution, and you were part of that revolution," he said. "I started my career then."  

We sat down with Mazar at Hebrew University overlooking the city.

Eilat Mazar Sits Down with Chris Mitchell, Photo, CBN News
"After the '67 war, what did it mean for archaeology?" Mitchell asked her.

"I would say that it's a turning point," Mazar said.
Both Barkay and Mazar described how the Six-Day War redefined archaeology in Jerusalem.
"In a couple of years after the Six-Day War, the results of Jerusalem archaeology accumulated to be much more than whatever was done 150 years beforehand," Barkay said.
From 1948 to 1967, Jerusalem was a city divided by minefields, barbed wire and barricades, but suddenly after the Six-Day War and years of neglect, the doors of ancient Jerusalem opened to archaeologists, who longed to uncover its ancient past.
Mazar's grandfather, Benjamin, worked on the first excavations at the southwestern wall of the Temple Mount.
"My grandfather excavated 10 continuous years without stopping," she said. "This was a fantastic project … they revealed fantastic remains of ancient Jerusalem from all periods."
"It caused a boom of archaeology. There were suddenly budgets for archaeology.  There was a public interest in archaeology of Jerusalem," Barkay said. "People come and visit the archaeological sites of Jerusalem."

Gaby Barkay Talks with Chris Mitchell, Photo, CBN News
Since 1967, Mazar and Barkay have made some of Israel's greatest finds.
"We showed and reveal[ed] King David's palace. We showed now more of King Solomon's construction; (the) city just as the Bible describes," Mazar continued. "He built a city wall around the Temple, around his own palace."

"We discovered the earliest biblical manuscripts ever discovered, predating the Dead Sea Scrolls by many centuries," Barkay said. "These are two tiny scrolls of silver. We have the priestly blessing, 'the Lord bless you and keep you' in both of them."

"Did many of these discoveries after the Six-Day War, did they confirm the biblical record of Jerusalem?" Mitchell asked Barkay.

"In general, the answer is yes," he said. "The research that emerged from the results of the excavation fits well the historical data embedded in the Old Testament."

Perhaps Mazar's greatest find brought the Bible to life.
"From the biblical times, finding the seal impression from King Hezekiah himself – this is unparalleled, unheard of – to come as close as you can imagine to a biblical figure, not to mention such a king as King Hezekiah. So to find his seal impression, it's almost touching him," said Mazar.
"Is there any connection between what you've discovered and the time when Jesus was here in Jerusalem?" Mitchell asked.

Excavating in Jerusalem, Photo, CBN News

"Yes for sure; yes, for sure," Barkay said. "For example, in the Book of Acts and in the Gospel of John there is a mentioning of the eastern porch of the Temple Mount, which is pre-Herodian, which appears under the name of the porch of Solomon – and over there lies a capital which originates from the porch of Solomon. We have the floors upon which the coins were rolling when Jesus turned upside down the tables of the money changers. We have those very floors. We have those very coins."
"The biblical stories and the New Testament stories, by the way, it goes together because just prove quite accurately the development of Jerusalem the way Jerusalem is described is quite accurate," Mazar said.
Today, 50 years after the war, Jerusalem is an open city. Visitors can come to see the excavations below the City of David, at the pool of Siloam where Jesus healed the blind man or the massive dig next to the walls of the Old City.
Click here to get tickets for "In Our Hands: The Battle for Jerusalem"

"People can come and see for themselves and this is the best you can ask for," Mazar said. "Come and see."
And for these lovers of history, the city has captured their hearts.
"I come in the morning and sleep with Jerusalem. I come and excavate in Jerusalem, it's 100 percent on my mind, besides my family, we are very family people," Mazar said.
"It is a wonderful city," Barkay said. "There is no other place on earth that can compete with Jerusalem." 
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Friday, April 22, 2016

The Menorah Treasure Discovered in the Heart of Jerusalem - By Ariella Mendlowitz BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

Israeli archaeologist Eilat Mazar shows an ancient medallion dated to the late Byzantine period (early seventh century CE) with a shofar (ram's horn) and a Torah scroll icon during a press conference in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, 09 September 2013. The treasure was found in Jerusalem excavations in the City of David's summit at the Temple Mount's southern wall by members of the Hebrew University Institute of Archaeology. (Photo: Flash90)
Israeli archaeologist Eilat Mazar shows an ancient medallion dated to the late Byzantine period (early seventh century CE) with a shofar (ram’s horn) and a Torah scroll icon during a press conference in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, 09 September 2013. The treasure was found in Jerusalem excavations in the City of David’s summit at the Temple Mount’s southern wall by members of the Hebrew University Institute of Archaeology. (Photo: Flash90)

The Menorah Treasure Discovered in the Heart of Jerusalem

“He built the upper gate of the house of the LORD, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.” II Chronicles 27:3 (The Israel Bible™)
Ophel, Hebrew for “a high place” (to climb to), is a biblical term, used since the times of the First Temple, given to part of a settlement that is elevated relative to its surroundings. The Ophel in Jerusalem refers to an area approximately 50 meters south from the Temple Mount on the border with the City of David, the site of ancient Jerusalem’s capital of the pre-Babylonian exile era.
General Sir Charles Warren initiated the first excavations in the Ophel area in 1867, but it wasn’t until 1968 under Benjamin Mazar that remains from the First Temple period (from 957 to 586 BCE), such as water cisterns, tombs and parts of Robinson’s arch, were unearthed. Carrying on her father’s legacy, Dr. Eilat Mazar first tackled the site in 1986 and returned three years ago to continue.
Dr. Mazar’s persistence was well rewarded. Just five days into the summer dig, the team of Hebrew University archaeologists was astonished to uncover a trove of archaeological goodies: 36 gold coins, as well as several pieces gold and silver jewelry. But the prize find was the now-famous Menorah Treasure, a 10-centimeter golden medallion with three sacred Jewish motifs etched into it: a menorah, a shofar (ram’s horn), and a Torah scroll.
The Menorah Treasure medallion, discovered by Dr. Eilat Mazar and her team of archaeologists in 2013 (Photo: Video screenshot - Dr. Eilat Mazar / Hebrew University / YouTube)
The Menorah Treasure medallion, discovered by Dr. Eilat Mazar and her team of archaeologists in 2013 (Photo: Video screenshot – Dr. Eilat Mazar / Hebrew University / YouTube)
The gold cache was discovered in a Byzantine structure which archaeologists say was constructed in the sixth century CE. Dr. Mazar believes the trove was carefully hidden by a group of Jews during the Persian conquest of Jerusalem in 614 CE. The collection itself is only the third of its kind ever discovered in Jerusalem.
According to the Hebrew University report, the medallion was “hanging from a gold chain” and is “most likely an ornament for a Torah scroll.” If indeed it is meant to adorn a Torah scroll, “it is the earliest Torah scroll ornament found in archaeological excavations to date.
Further, Dr. Mazar noted, “The most likely explanation is that the Ophel cache was earmarked as a contribution toward the building of a new synagogue, at a location that is near the Temple Mount.” Despite the honorable intentions, however, the mission was clearly unsuccessful. “The treasure was abandoned, and its owners could never return to collect it,” Dr. Mazar said.
The discovery of a symbol embossed with a seven-branched menorah from the seventh century was very much unexpected. Said Dr. Mazar: “We have been making significant finds from the First Temple Period in this area, a much earlier time in Jerusalem’s history, so discovering a golden menorah from the seventh century CE at the foot of the Temple Mount was a complete surprise.”
Menorah of old replica necklace, from the City of David. Buy Now!
The original menorah itself was first constructed by the Israelites, at God’s instruction, for use in the Tabernacle services as they sojourned in the desert.
And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, shall be of one piece with it. And there shall be six branches going out of the sides thereof: three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candle-stick out of the other side thereof.” (Exodus 25:31-32)
Over time, the candelabra has become the national symbol of Israel, appearing on Israeli currency, the Presidential seal, on the tags of IDF soldiers and law enforcement personnel, and on the seal of the Mossad (the national intelligence agency). Reflecting the historical presence of Jews in the area, the menorah represents the strength and resilience of the Jewish people throughout their arduous history.
The medallion and the cache of treasures discovered with it are now housed at the famous Israel Museum in downtown Jerusalem.
The City of David, the site of dozens of exciting archaeological finds including the Ophel excavations, has recreated the menorah medallion so that everyone can share its beauty and the powerful message it carries. Explaining the reason for the replication, Avishai Shraga, City of David store manager, told Breaking Israel News, “The medallion is a symbol for the Jews never to give up, despite the hardships we have faced throughout every generation.”

Thursday, December 3, 2015

In Unique Discovery, Archaeologists Find King Hezekiah's Seal - ARI RABINOVITCH/REUTERS CHARISMA NEWS

A projected image of a clay imprint, known as a bulla, which was unearthed from excavations near Jerusalem's Old City, and later discovered to be from the seal of the biblical King Hezekiah, is displayed during a news conference at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
A projected image of a clay imprint, known as a bulla, which was unearthed from excavations near Jerusalem's Old City, and later discovered to be from the seal of the biblical King Hezekiah, is displayed during a news conference at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. (Reuters)

In Unique Discovery, Archaeologists Find King Hezekiah's Seal


Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

Israeli archaeologists have discovered a mark from the seal of biblical King Hezekiah, who helped build Jerusalem into an ancient metropolis.
The circular inscription, on a piece of clay less than a centimeter (0.4 inches) long, may very well have been made by the king himself, said Eilat Mazar of Jerusalem's Hebrew University who directed the excavation where it was uncovered.
Hezekiah ruled around 700 BC and was described in the Bible as a daring monarch—"There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him" (2 Kin. 18:5)—who was dedicated to eliminating idolatry in his kingdom.
"This is the first time that a seal impression of an Israelite or Judean king has ever come to light in a scientific archaeological excavation," Mazar said.
The clay imprint, known as a bulla, was found at a dig at the foot of the southern part of the wall that surrounds Jerusalem's Old City, an area rich in relics from the period of the first of two ancient Jewish temples.
It had been buried in a refuse dump dated to the time of Hezekiah and was probably tossed from an adjacent royal building, Mazar said. It contains ancient Hebrew script and the symbol of a two-winged sun.
The bulla was initially cataloged and put in a closet, along with 33 others, after a first inspection that failed to establish its true identity.
Only five years later, when a team member scrutinized it under a magnifying glass and discerned dots in between some of the letters, did the meaning become clear.
The dots help separate the words: "Belonging to Hezekiah (son of) Ahaz king of Judah."
Mazar said the back side of the clay imprint of the seal had markings of thin cords that were used to tie a papyrus document.
"It's always a question, what are the real facts behind the biblical stories," Mazar said. "Here we have a chance to get as close as possible to the person himself, to the king himself." 
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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Fit for a King: Find Testifies to David's Royalty

Ancient Royal Seals from 
time of King David, Jerusalem

Fit for a King: Find Testifies to David's Royalty
By Erin Zimmerman
CBN News


JERUSALEM, Israel -- When Eilat Mazar realized she'd discover an ancient structure near Jerusalem, she turned to the Bible to help explain what she'd found. She learned that this new discovery supports the biblical accounts of King David and his son Solomon.

Second Samuel 5:11 says the Phoenician king Kiram "sent messengers to David and cedar trees, and carpenters and masons, and they built David a house."

"So it's a palace/fortress well built for good reasons, which is probably the palace that Hiram built for king David," Mazar speculated.

"We know its date, which is around 1000. That is around the time of King David. The Phoenician style of construction is quite emphasized. The Phoenicians are great builders as we learn from our excavations in Phoenician sites," she said.

Inside, the team found more evidence of royalty, from ancient seals used by court officials, to a variety of carved ivory utensils -- too expensive for a regular home, but perfect for a palace.

Mazar explained the "major part of the structure is still hidden and needs to be excavated." She believes "what we have in hand is less than a quarter."

A New Discovery

Across the street from the City of David, Mazar is directing another dig. She told CBN News just outside the Temple Mount she found more royal ruins. This time from David's son Solomon.

Dig across street from City of David, Jerusalem

In 2010, excavations revealed a giant wall more than 220 feet long and almost 20 feet high. Mazar said this is the city wall described in 1 Kings 3, which says that Solomon built "the wall all around Jerusalem." It connected David's old city with Solomon's new temple.

"And we can really say that the biblical description of King Solomon building the wall of Jerusalem around suits so well what we see (in the ruins).This is the only place that a fortification line is needed. It's surrounding that area; it connects to the Temple Mount. It's everything that fits the biblical story," Mazar argued.

Critics were quick to dispute Mazar's conclusion, but she had carbon dating on her side. Pottery shards found at the ground floor dated to the 10th century B.C. when Solomon was king.

"Sometime in the late 10th century, early 9th century, the king of Jerusalem built a most highly skilled fortification that indicated it's a strong regime, centralized, with great abilities. But then, we have this biblical story that tells about King Solomon doing the same thing. So, he did, and then like, 50 years later, some other king did the same thing?"

She suggests this is enough evidence for crtics to stop "fighting against the Bible." Mazar claims, "The reality is that a sophisticated fortification was built by King Solomon." And what has been discovered is "only part of it," a very big part.

Inside the wall were more clues pointing to King Solomon. 1 Kings 4:7 says that he had "12 governors who provided food for the king and his household." And inside the gate Mazar's team found evidence of their work: jar handles with seals inscribed "to the king" and large clay jars for storing grain.

Mazar believes they came from the royal bakery.

"On one of the vessels, there is an inscription, an incision in ancient Hebrew saying "lazar ha'o" to the minister that was in charge of the "o." That's probably the ophim, in Hebrew, which is bakery," she said.

But Mazar's hunt for the house or David isn't over yet. Next on her agenda is another royal palace. This time she'll be looking for the house of King Solomon."

"Whatever I'll be able to add and contribute to the excavation of Jerusalem, this is my huge privilege. There is only one Jerusalem in the world. But it's not like I'll start or end anything. We are only at the beginning of it and it's going to be generations to come," Mazar predicted.

 

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Did David, Solomon Exist? Dig Refutes Naysayers

CBNNEWS.com, Friday, June 07, 2013
Did David, Solomon Exist? Dig Refutes Naysayers


JERUSALEM, Israel -- Did characters like David and Solomon really exists? Many historians today are divided over this question. But CBN News met with two archaeologists who are digging up parts of David's life, and what they've found supports the biblical accounts down to the smallest details.

David is the most famous king in Israel's history, but some say he wasn't the great ruler described in the Bible. One Israeli archaelogists said, "David and Solomon did not rule over a big territory. It was a small chiefdom, very poor."

"This is a great chief. If you want to call King David a chief or King Solomon a chief, and this is a huge tribe," archeologist Eilat Mazar said.

Others say David never existed at all. Even a professor of biblical studies insisted that he is not the only scholar "who suspects that the figure of Kind David is about as historical as King Arthur."

What Does the Bible Say?

But archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel believes otherwise and has set out to prove the validity of the biblical accounts and its most famous historical figures.

"These guys said, 'We didn't have any archaeological memories, so David and Solomon are mythological figures," Garfinkel said. Yet one by one, those "archaeological memories" are being uncovered and all over Israel excavators are confirming the biblical story of Israel's greatest king.

The Bible records David's story in great detail from his days as a shepherd boy to his death in the royal palace in Jerusalem. Today, you can walk in the same places where David walked and they still have the same names as they did 3,000 years ago.

There's Bethlehem, the place where he was born and where he was anointed the king of Israel at just 15 years old. Then there is Ein Gedi, the desert oasis where David hid from King Saul in caves. And Hebron is where he spent seven years as the King of Judah.

For centuries the Bible was the only written evidence that David even existed. There was no archaeological record of his reign until about 150 years ago.

New Evidence Unearthed

In 1868, a stone tablet was discovered in Jordan. It was written by a Moabite king named Mesha, an enemy of Israel.

The stone dates to around 840 BC, less than 200 years after David and it provides the first known reference to the "House of David" outside the Bible.

"And 'House of David,' it means 'dynasty of David.' So we know that there was a guy called David, and he had a dynasty," Garfinkel said. "Okay, so now this is absolutely clear that David is not a mythological figure. So the mythological paradigm collapsed in one moment."

More than a hundred years later the same phrase, "House of David," turned up on another stone, this time in northern Israel.

It was written about 200 years after David's rule -- again, by one of Israel's enemies, Hazel, the king of Damascus. "He said, I killed 70 kings. I killed a king from Israel and a king from the House of David," Garfinkel explained.

One of David's greatest victories took place in the valley of Elah. This is where the young shepherd boy killed the giant Goliath, and it's one of the few places where you can still catch a glimpse of the Israel that David knew.

Nearby are the ruins of the Philistine city of Gath, the hometown of Goliath and the remains of the brook where David found the stone that killed him.

And high above the valley is a fortress that's thousands of years old to the local Bedouin. This place is still known as "Khirbet Daoud" or "David's Ruin." It's the only iron age city in Israel that's perfectly preserved and almost frozen in time.

"For us as archaeologists, this is one of the richest sites in Israel. This is like a biblical Pompeii," Garfinkel said.

The Hebrew name is "Khirbet Qeiyafa" or "Fortress of Elah." Garfinkel first uncovered the city in 2007. He recovered some burnt olive pits from the site and sent them to Oxford University for carbon-dating. The results surprised even Garfinkel himself. "It turns out that this beautiful city and all the finds is from about 1020 to 980 BC, and this is exactly the time of King David," he said.

In David's day, the Valley of Elah served as a neutral zone between the Israelites and the Philistines. In Qeiyafa, which was right on the frontlines, excavators discovered a large cache of weapons.

"We are shedding some light on the story of David and Goliath. We are in the same location, in the same time the city is heavily fortified. We have all these weapons, so I'm telling you that this indeed was an area of conflict between two political units," Garfinkel said.

In the Bible, this fortress is mentioned with a diferent name, Sha'Araym, "The city of two gates." In 1 Samuel 17, Sha'Araym is the place where the Philistines fled after David killed Goliath.

"Sha'Arayim means in Hebrew "two gates." In KQ, we have two gates. So if you take the biblical tradition, the location, the chronology, the meaning of the name -- all these aspects fit Qeiyafa perfectly," Garfinkel said.

A Philistine or Jewish City?

Just 10 days after Qeiyafa was discovered, critics argued it was a Philistine city, not a Jewish one, so Garfinkel went to work proving them wrong.

"What is the ethnic component of the city? I think that the city is Judean based on four arguments," Garfinkel said.

His first argument is the city's design.

"It has a big casement city wall and houses abutting the city wall," he said. "This is known from four other sites, so now we have five sites. All these five cities are in Judah. None of them is in Philistia. This is really typical Judean urban planning."

His second argument is the animal bones found in the city, all of them strictly kosher.

"We have sheep, goat, cattle, but we have no pigs and no dogs. On the Philistine side, they consume pigs and also dogs. Up to 20 percent of the animal bones at Philistine sites are pigs. But here nothing," Garfinkel said.

And he argues that the pottery shard, also known as a ostracon, is the earliest example of Hebrew writing ever unearthed. On it are written commandments to worship the Lord and to help widows, orphans, and slaves.

"It started with the word al-ta'as, which means "Don't do." And "ta'as," to do, is only in Hebrew. It's not Canaanite and not Philistine," Garfinkel explained.

Garfinkel also argues that the absence of idols, which would have been in abundance, points to a Jewish city. "If you go to Canaanite temples of the Late Bronze, you will find a lot of human and animal figures, but not in KQ. So the people here really obeyed the biblical taboo on graven images," he said.

The esteemed archeaologist points out that in the absence of idols there were religious shrines. And the models predate Solomon's temple by about 40 years. Yet they match the Bible's description of the temple down to the triple framed doors. They're the first phyisical evidence of Jewish worship in the time of King David.
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Garfinkel humbly admits that "it was not [his] mission to prove the historical authenticity of the biblical tradition." He claims he "had no idea" of what he would find. It is proof beyond his imagination that the Bible is more accurate than many critics would like to admit.

Yet, as he pointed to his collection of evidence he told CBN News, "These are the animal bones, these are the radiocarbon dating, this is the inscription, these are the fortifications, and then you have the biblical tradition. And what do you know -- they just happen to fit nicely with each other."