Society and Religion

Findings strengthen identification of Herod’s grave

Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 |

Analysis of newly revealed items found at the site of the mausoleum of King Herod at Herodium (Herodion in Greek) have provided Hebrew University of Jerusalem archaeological researchers with further assurances that this was indeed the site of the famed ruler’s 1st century B.C.E. grave.

Herod was the Roma n-appointed king of Judea from 37 to 4 B.C.E., who was renowned for his many monumental building projects, including the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the palace at Masada, the harbor and city of Caesarea, as well as the palatial complex at Herodium, 15 kilometers south of Jerusalem.
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First Temple era tunnel unearthed in the City of David, Jerusalem

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 |

A water tunnel dating back to the 10th Century BCE has been discovered at the City of David that could be the “tsinnor” mentioned in the account of King David’s conquest of Jerusalem (II Samuel 5:8).

The opening of the tunnel, which was discovered during ongoing excavations at the site earlier this year, is just wide enough to allow one person to pass through, but, due to debris that has yet to be moved, only the first 50 meters of the tunnel are accessible. The walls of the tunnel are composed partly of unworked stones, while other parts use the bedrock.
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Rare First Temple period seal found in Jerusalem

Friday, October 31st, 2008 |

A rare Hebrew seal from the First Temple period, discovered in archaeological excavations in the Western Wall plaza, west of the Temple Mount, will be presented to the public today.

An image of a warrior shooting an arrow is depicted on the seal, which belonged to a Hebrew person by the name of Hagab. The owner of the seal probably held a military position, possibly that of army commander of the Kingdom of Judah .
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Unique biblical discovery at City of David excavation site

Monday, August 18th, 2008 |

A 2,600 year old clay seal impression, or bulla, bearing the name Gedaliah ben Pashur has recently been uncovered completely intact during archeological excavations in Jerusalem ’s ancient City of David , located just below the walls of the Old City near the Dung Gate. The name appears in the Book of Jeremiah (38:1) together with that of Yehuchal ben Shelemayahu, whose name was found on an identical clay bulla in the same area in 2005. The two men were ministers in the court of King Zedekiah, the last king to rule in Jerusalem before the destruction of the First Temple .

According to Dr. Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University who is leading the dig, this is the first time in the annals of Israeli archeology that two clay bullae with two Biblical names that appear in the same verse in the Bible have been unearthed in the same location.
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Hebrew Univ archaeological excavations uncover Roman temple in Zippori

Monday, August 11th, 2008 |

Ruins of a Roman temple from the second century CE have recently been unearthed in the Zippori National Park . Above the temple are foundations of a church from the Byzantine period. The excavations, which were undertaken by the Noam Shudofsky Zippori Expedition led by of Prof. Zeev Weiss of the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, shed light on the multi-cultural society of ancient Zippori.

The discovery indicated that Zippori, the Jewish capital of the Galilee during the Roma n period, had a significant pagan population which built a temple in the heart of the city center. The central location of the temple which is positioned within a walled courtyard and its architectural relation to the surrounding buildings enhance our knowledge regarding the planning of Zippori in the Roman era.
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Large olive press discovered in northern Israel

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 |

A unique and impressive complex for producing oil that dates to the Byzantine period, which is also one of the largest uncovered in the country so far, was discovered recently during trial excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority in Moshav Ahihud, in the Western Galilee. The excavations are being carried out as part of a development plan to enlarge the village.
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Baha’i shrines in Israel added to UNESCO World Heritage List

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008 |

The two most sacred sites for the Baha’i religion - the resting places of the founders of their religion - both located in Israel, have been recognized by UNESCO as being part of the cultural heritage of humanity and join 850 sites in Israel and around the world. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, meeting in Quebec City in July for its 32nd session, has determined that two Baha’i shrines in Israel possess “outstanding universal value” and decided to add them to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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