Showing posts with label Israeli Antiquities Authority. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israeli Antiquities Authority. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Archaeological Proof of David vs. Goliath Battle On Display in Jerusalem - Tazpit Press Service BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

The Khirbet Qeiyafa Archaeological Site. (Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem Spokesperson)

Archaeological Proof of David vs. Goliath Battle On Display in Jerusalem


“And the men of Israel and of Yehuda arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou comest to Gai, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.” I Samuel 17:52 (The Israel Bible™)
By: Anna Rudnitsky
Biblical archaeology was revolutionized several years ago when evidence of the existence of the alleged kingdom of David was brought to light in the form of a fortified Iron Age town excavated in the Elah Valley by Hebrew University Professor Yosef Garfinkel and Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) archaeologist Saar Ganor. The place was described by the Bible as the location of the battle between David and Goliath. The highlights of the findings of the Elah Valley excavations will be presented to the public for the first time at an exhibition scheduled to open at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem on September 5.
“Archaeology cannot find a man and we did not find the remnants linked to King David himself,” Professor Garfinkel told Tazpit Press Service (TPS). “But what we did find is archaeological evidence of the social process of urbanization in Judea.”
According to Prof. Garfinkel, the evidence of urbanization fits in with what is described in the Bible as the establishment of the Kingdom of David, when small agrarian communities were replaced by fortified towns. “The chronology fits the Biblical narrative perfectly. Carbon tests performed on the olive pits found in Khirbet Qeiyafa show that the town was built at the end of the 11th century BCE,” Garfinkel explained to TPS.
Two phenomena particularly attracted the attention Garfinkel and Ganor of when they began excavations at the site of Khirbet Qeiyafa about ten years ago. Numerous iron stones were found and a wall of unusual form, with hollows in two places, enveloped the site.
Experience David's Ancient City
The archaeologists only realized in the second year of their excavations that they had found a fortified town from the Iron Age that perfectly fit the description of the Biblical town of Shaarayim. The name in Hebrew means “two gates,” and the hollows in the modern wall, built on top of the ancient one, were precisely in the same place as the previous existence of two gates, which is quite a rarity for a relatively small town.
The geographical location of the town also fits right in line with the Biblical depiction of Shaarayim, mentioned in the context of the aftermath of the battle between David and Goliath when the Philistines “fell on the way to Shaarayim.” The town is also mentioned in the book of Joshua as being situated near Socho and Azeka, two archaeological sites surrounding Khirbet Qeiyafa.

The southern gate of the Khirbet Qeiyafa archaeological site. (Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem Spokesperson)
The southern gate of the Khirbet Qeiyafa archaeological site. (Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem Spokesperson)

Other remarkable findings at the site include two inscriptions in the Canaanite script that are considered to be the earliest written attestation to date as to the use of the Hebrew language. A pottery shard contains the distinctly identifiable Hebrew words of “king,” “don’t do,” and “judge.”
The Bible Lands Museum exhibition, called “In the Valley of David and Goliath,” will feature the pottery shards as well as a clay model of a shrine found at the site and the huge stones used in the casemate wall around the town. “Although I led the excavations, I myself was amazed to see the different pieces brought together in a way that allows visitors to get a clear picture of how the town looked and that gives them an opportunity to go back in history to the times of the kingdom of David,” Professor Garfinkel said.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Lost Biblical Treasure Trove Discovered by Israeli Fisherman

Lost Biblical Treasure Trove Discovered by Israeli Fisherman


“My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you…” (Proverbs 7:1)
(Photo: USDA NRCS)
(Photo: USDA NRCS)
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has announced the discovery of a treasure-trove of archeological finds. First reported by Arutz7, the find first started with a phone call from Poriya Illit resident Osnat Lester to the IAA. Lester told the IAA “Stored in my warehouse there are crates full of ancient jars that were left behind by a relative, a fisherman, who has passed on. I want to hand over the jars to the state, but it is important for me that my grandchildren will know where they will be kept in the future.”
(Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority)
(Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority)
The IAA immediately sent two archeologists to Lester’s home. After opening and inspecting the contents of the crates, the archeologists were amazed to see several whole ancient jars and other objects from various time periods wrapped in bedsheets and pieces of cloth. Many of the jars were from the Roman and Byzantine era and contained wine, oils, and perfumes. One of the more impressive finds was a tall, intricate vase from the Biblical era dating back 3,000 years ago.
After studying the contents of the crates, IAA archeologists believe that the jars were carried in ancient ships that sank at different points in time. Covering the jars were layers of encrustation, including chalk sediment and sea shells, which indicate the jars remained untouched for many years on the ocean floor.
In related news, Hebrew text recently translated offers greater insight into treasures found inside King Solomon’s temple. The text, “Treatise of the Vessels” or “Massekhet Kelim,” describes how the treasures of the temple were spread throughout the land.
James Davila, a professor at the university of St. Andrews, explained to the Christian Post how the treasures of King Solomon’s temple were “concealed by a number of Levites and prophets” and “hidden in various locations in the Land of Israel and in Babylonia, while others were delivered into the hands of the nagels Shamshiel, Michael, Gabriel and perhaps Sariel.”
The First Temple was built by King Solomon and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II in 587 BCE. One of the most sought after treasures and remnants of the temple is the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the original stone tablets on which the 10 Commandments were written.

Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/lost-biblical-treasure-discovered-israeli-fisherman/#6lGEpRVxTi7eqjv4.99