Byzantine Church Found on Israel’s Highway 1

Thursday, June 11, 2015 |  Aviel Schneider  ISRAEL TODAY

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Topics:

Archeology

A Byzantine church dating to the 5th century AD was discovered this month along Highway 1 connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The site is situated near the Arab village of Abu Ghosh and the Messianic moshav of Yad Hashmonah.

According to archaeologists, the church was part of a rest stop on the route between Jerusalem and the coastal region. During the excavations, a chapel featuring a white mosaic and a small baptismal in the shape of a cross (pictured) was found. Red plaster chips scattered around the floor indicated frescoed walls.

Nearby living quarters and storage facilities contained ceramic tiles, beautifully-preserved oil lamps and other objects belonging to the church.

Annette Nagar, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority, noted that this was the third church that had been discovered along this ancient route, the other two being located in Kiryat Ye’arim and Emmaus.

The church was discovered quite by accident during a major construction project to expand the highly-trafficked Highway 1. It again goes to show that no matter where you dig in Israel, you are certain to come face-to-face with history.

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Archaeologist Says He's Found King David's Citadel

Archaeologist Says He's Found 

King David's Citadel

CBNNews.com

Tuesday, May 06, 2014

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JERUSALEM, Israel -- An Israeli archaeologist says he found the legendary citadel captured by King David. The conquest allowed David to establish Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is wrapped up in the discovery. Archaeologist Eli Shukron found the citadel in east Jerusalem in a predominately Arab neighborhood.

The Elad Foundation, an organization that strives to prevent the city from being divided, financed the discovery. Arabs want that land as the capital for a future Palestinian state.

The site also rekindles the debate about using the Bible as a field guide to identify ancient ruins.

"For many people the Bible is a dusty book sitting on a shelf in some room in your home. But here we actually see stories of the Bible matching the archaeology in its place," Doron Spielman, vice president of City of David Foundation, said. "We can open up the pages of the Bible and literally they come alive for us from the very stones in this location."

The excavation cost $10 million and is now open to tourists.