Chanukah Archaeology at Tel Shiloh

New finds at Tel Shiloh (in Hebrew).  And now in English.

Remember Emek Shaveh's wars and campaigns against Israel's archaeology administration beyond the Green Line, but not only?  We have news for them (below, keep scrolling).

Remember this?

Mizrachi also cites the Tel Shiloh and Sussiya archeological sites in the West Bank as problematic because they are run by settlers instead of a neutral body of experts.
“These sites have been handled very badly by settlers who use them to justify their settlements there and have ignored many layers of archeological evidence to focus on the Bible regarding their finds,” he says.
“We regularly criticize the way their finds are being presented because it’s always linked to the settlement. Now, I’m not saying that there is no Jewish history at these sites – we do believe Jewish history is there – but we are saying you cannot only focus on this period and ignore the whole story.”

These things and also these unnerve them to insanity. 

And these events:

Searching for the Lost Oil Lamp

Chana's Prayer

Dance Festival

Well, now the news.

See that spot?

Well, that was formerly a Hellenistic period non-Jewish dwelling area.  It's preserved.  Tel Shiloh people don't destroy or hide things.  The pottery and other artifacts attest to its identity.

And in the 2nd century BCE, during the time of the rule of Antiochus IV, it was razed by a conquering force.  It was a violent act.  And it was done by the Hasmoneans during the revolt against an oppressive rule.

Yes.

The Chanukah story.

The archaeology excavation was supervised by the Civil Administration's Archaeology Unit headed by Hanina Hizami and conducted by Reut Livyatan Ben-Aryeh.

The Hebrew Yedioth Ahronot item with a lamp and a coin from the period of Antiochus III:

There is evidence of a fire, smashed jugs and ballista stones.  Other evidence included a fish bowl and handles of wine containers:

The site then became the residence of Jews. The proof for that are mikvaot, coins of the Hasmonean dynasty, the Herodian dynasty as well as from the period of the Great Revolt against Rome, 67-70CE.

Archaeology - from then to today.

And there's this at Susiya, too.

^