Ancient Papyrus Again Proves Israel's Biblical History - Tsvi Sadan ISRAEL TODAY

Ancient Papyrus Again Proves Israel's Biblical History

Thursday, October 27, 2016 |  Tsvi Sadan  ISRAEL TODAY

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Bible scholar and Israel Prize winner Shmuel Ahituv on Wednesday revealed a rare papyrus fragment in which Jerusalem is mentioned. The papyrus was obtained in an undisclosed manner through the theft prevention division of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). The ancient parchment has been dated to the 7th century BCE, which makes it one of only three papyri documents from that era.

The document from the First Temple period, of which only two lines of ancient Hebrew script have survived, is a dispatch regarding a gift of wine "to Jerusalem." The text itself reads: “[hand]maid of the king, from Na'arata, wineskins, wine, to Jerusalem.” The city of Na'arata, or Naarah is mentioned in Joshua 16:7. The gift of wine was sent either to King Manasseh, King Amon or King Josiah - who reigned during this period.

Prof. Ahituv emphasized that "not only is this papyrus the most ancient external biblical source that mentions Jerusalem in Hebrew script, but also, until now, no papyrus documents from the First Temple period have been found in the Land of Israel except one from Murabat creek." The papyrus also draws attention to high-ranking women in the Judean administration.

Eitan Klein from the IAA theft prevention division said that "this document is a rare testimony to orderly administration in the Kingdom of Judea. The document highlights the centrality of Jerusalem as the economic capital of the kingdom in the first half of the 7th century BCE."

IAA head Israel Hason said that this papyrus points to the possibility that "more findings of great importance to our heritage are waiting to be discovered in the Judean desert. World heritage artifacts are being robbed daily … Israel should allocate the resources for a historic operation of methodic excavation in all the caves of the Judean desert."

Minister of Culture and Education Miri Regev said that the discovery of the papyrus "upon which the name of our capital Jerusalem is in full display is yet further testimony that Jerusalem was and will forever be the capital of the Jewish people … even if UNESCO ratifies its unfortunate decision ten times over."

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3,500-Year-Old Metal Treasures Found on Israeli Beach By Power Plant Employee - Michael Bachner BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

The ancient metal artifacts were retrieved from the sea and turned over to the Israel Antiquities Authority. (Diego Barkan, Israel Antiquities Authority.)

3,500-Year-Old Metal Treasures Found on Israeli Beach By Power Plant Employee

 By Michael Bachner August 23, 2016  BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Psalms 2:9 (The Israel Bible™)

Many archaeological artifacts, some dating back 3,500 years, were discovered in the sea near an Israeli power plant by an employee over the span of decades. Family members of the employee, the late Marcel Mazliah, have now presented the ancient finds to Israeli officials, who say they were surprised by what they found.

“The finds include a toggle pin and the head of a knife from the Middle Bronze Age, more than 3,500 years ago,” said Ayala Lester, a curator with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). “Other items include two mortars, two pestles, and fragments of candlesticks, all dating back to the time of the Fatimid Caliphate around the eleventh century CE.”

The artifacts also included grenade-like ceramic pieces commonly found in Israel during the Crusader, Ayyubid, and Mamluk periods.

A hand grenade hundreds of years old found at sea. (Amir Gorzalczany, Israel Antiquities Authority.)

The objects, most of which are decorated, are believed to have fallen overboard from a metal merchant’s ship in the Early Islamic period.

“The items were apparently manufactured in Syria and brought to Israel,” Lester speculated. “They are evidence of the metal trade that had taken place during that period.”

The discovery of the nature of the items started when members of the Mazliah family from the city of Givatayim, near Tel Aviv, contacted an IAA representative following the death of Marcel, who had numerous metal artifacts in his possession.

The family invited the official to examine the artifacts and explained that Marcel had been employed at the Hadera power station since its establishment and had retrieved the items from the sea while working there.

Toggle pin. (Amir Gorzalczany, Israel Antiquities Authority.)

The IAA said in a statement that it would present the Mazliah family with a certificate of appreciation in the coming days. The IAA has also invited them to tour its laboratories, where the finds are to undergo treatment and conservation.

Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev also praised the family for handing over the artifacts. She called on all Israelis to display good citizenship and to return treasures and antiquities that have historic and archaeological value.

Incredible sunken treasure trove found on Israel’s seabed - ISRAEL VIDEO NETWORK

Incredible sunken treasure trove found on Israel’s seabed

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Two divers found an ancient treasure lurking in the harbor at Caesarea National Park, and after they informed the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) they returned with archaeologists to dive down and recover the ancient statues and coins from the depths.

Published: May 17, 2016

Divers Find Sunken Treasure Off Israel's Coast

Wednesday, February 18, 2015 |  Israel Today Staff

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A group of recreational divers this month discovered the largest cache of gold coins ever found in Israel while diving in the ancient sunken harbor of Caesarea.

The group of divers immediately notified the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), which sent an underwater team to recover the treasure.

“They discovered the gold and have a heart of gold that loves the country and its history,” said the IAA’s director of the Marine Archaeology, Kobi Sharvit, of the recreational divers. Of course, Israel severely punishes anyone who pockets an archeological find with up to five years in jail.

But this particular find was surely tempting, with its nearly 2,000 gold coins dating back to the 11th century, when the land was ruled by the Fatimid dynasty based in Cairo. Experts believe the coins either belonged to a large merchant ship or were collected taxes en route to the capital in Cairo when the transport ship sunk.

Another IAA official noted that the coins were in near perfect condition, and required no special cleaning or other conservation efforts.

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