Hebrew University archaeologist discovers Jerusalem city wall from tenth century B.C.E.
A section of an ancient city wall of Jerusalem from the tenth century B.C.E. – possibly built by King Solomon -- has been revealed in archaeological excavations directed by Dr. Eilat Mazar and conducted under the auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem...[it is] 70 meters long and six meters high...located in the area known as the Ophel, between the City of David and the southern wall of the Temple Mount...[including] an inner gatehouse for access into the royal quarter of the city, a royal structure adjacent to the gatehouse, and a corner tower that overlooks a substantial section of the adjacent Kidron valley...
...“The city wall that has been uncovered testifies to a ruling presence. Its strength and form of construction indicate a high level of engineering”, Mazar said. The city wall is at the eastern end of the Ophel area in a high, strategic location atop the western slop of the Kidron valley...[and] was built by King Solomon in Jerusalem in the latter part of the tenth century B.C.E...
“This is the first time that a structure from that time has been found that may correlate with written descriptions of Solomon’s building in Jerusalem,”...
...Pottery shards discovered within the fill of the lowest floor of the royal building near the gatehouse also testify to the dating of the complex to the 10th century B.C.E. Found on the floor were remnants of large storage jars, 1.15 meters in height, that survived destruction by fire and that were found in rooms that apparently served as storage areas on the ground floor of the building. On one of the jars there is a partial inscription in ancient Hebrew indicating it belonged to a high-level government official.
“The jars that were found are the largest ever found in Jerusalem,” said Mazar...
Now, anybody see any Canaanites recently?
Jebusites?
Anyone heard from Ir Amim? That Mizrachi archaeologist?
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4 comments:
Eilat Mazar was a classmate and friend of mine back in my days in the archaeology dept at Hebrew U. We used to argue about how many women as opposed to men would make it as arechaeologists. Well it looks like she got the last laugh BTW a great discovery They should take Abu Mazen And Abu A'la and abu joeschmo for a grand to and show them who ruked Jerusalem 1600 years brfore Muhammad was born
Glad to hear from you and that you too have a blog.
I was in Ir David today for an MOT Hishtalmut. Right about the time of this announcement, we were having a close-up look at the walls Eilat Mazar found and believes to be part of the Palace of King David. Big beautiful white stones, wide walls, much like in the photos from the gate area. My, my - do you think it all fits together??????? What a concept!
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