An Observation on Israelis and Archaeology

Ariel David of Haaretz reported on a new find, one that appears here and deals with An Israelite Residency at Mahanaim in Transjordan?

It deals with  "the site of Tall adh-Dhahab al-Gharbi in the valley of the az-Zarqa River, the biblical Jabbok, in Jordan. We discuss a group of incised ashlar blocks found there, probably dating to the first half of the 8th century BCE. We suggest that the blocks originated from an official building, a residency or a gate complex, not yet excavated, and propose thematic similarities with visual imagery from Kuntillet ʿAjrud. We then show that this site can be securely identified with biblical Mahanaim and point to several biblical verses that may hint at the existence of a North Israelite residency there."

Credit: Pola et. al./Ruhama Bonfil / The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

And he needed to add two, let's call them 'hesitations'.

The first:

To be clear, no one is proclaiming that evidence has been found confirming the historicity of this or other biblical narratives linked to this region. Rather, the evidence of a strong administrative Israelite presence in Transjordan helps us understand why key foundational biblical stories were set in this area, say the study's authors, Prof. Israel Finkelstein of Haifa University and Prof. Tallay Ornan of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

And the second:

A word of caution must be sounded again: identifying the names of biblical places like Mahanaim or Penuel doesn't necessarily say anything about the historicity of biblical stories that take place there. It simply means that – based on the geography, the modern names of the sites, the biblical descriptions and the archaeological or historical evidence – scholars think that these are the real locations that the authors and readers of the Bible would have had in mind as a setting for their stories.

I am almost tempted to write "God forbid that anything that could seemingly confirm the Biblical narrative would be accepted as as close to the scientific truth as possible.

^

Even Seen the Hebrew Letter Samekh from the 12th Century BCE?

Coming out of a team of archaeologists led by Professor Yosef Garfinkel at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology and Professor Michael Hasel at Southern Adventist University in Tennessee, we now have a view of extensive ruins of a Bronze Age-era Canaanite temple dating to the 12th century BCE uncovered in National Park Tel Lachish. (Their academic article is here; I am working from the press release).

The layout of the temple is similar to other Canaanite temples in northern Israel, among them Shchem/Nablus, Megiddo and Hazor.  The front of the compound is marked by two columns and two towers leading to a large hall.  The inner sanctum has four supporting columns and several unhewn “standing stones”.

Credit: D. Rosenberg

In addition to archaeological remains, a trove of artifacts including, bronze cauldrons, 

Credit: T. Rogovski

Hathor-inspired jewellery, 

Credit: T. Rogovski

daggers and axe-heads adorned with bird images, scarabs, and a gold-plated bottle inscribed with the name Ramses II.

Credit: C. Amit/IAA

Of particular interest was a pottery sherd engraved with ancient Canaanite script.  There, the letter “samek” appears, marked by an elongated vertical line crossed by three perpendicular shorter lines.  

Credit: T. Rogovski

This makes it the oldest known example of the letter and a unique specimen for the study of ancient alphabets. 

We can only hope more will be revealed of the Biblical narrative as it comes out of the ground.

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Hiking History

The Israel Antiquities Authority wants us to know that during the Hanukkah Holiday and Christmas Holiday Festivities engravings of a Seven-Branched Menorah and a Cross were Discovered by Hikers in an Ancient Water Cistern in the Judean Shephelah

From the press release: 

Last weekend touring enthusiasts Mickey Barkal, Sefi Givoni and Ido Meroz, who are members of the Israel Caving Club, went out to visit hidden caves in the Judean Shephelah. According to hiker Ido Meroz, “We heard there are interesting caves in the region. We began to peer into them, and that’s how we came to this cave, which is extremely impressive with rock-carved niches and engravings on the wall. Just before we were about to return we suddenly noticed an engraving that at first glance seemed to be a menorah. When we realized this is an ancient depiction of a menorah, we became very excited. Its appearance was quite distinct. We left the cave and reported the discovery..”.

The menorah engraved on the wall of the cave has a base with three feet, and it evidently portrays the menorah that stood in the Temple during the Second Temple period. 

A cross was engraved near the menorah. 

Another engraving was found on the side of the cave which seems to resemble a type of key that is characteristic of antiquity, as well as other engravings that were noted, some of which have not yet been identified. 

According to Sa'ar Ganor, the District Archaeologist of Ashkelon in the Israel Antiquities Authority, “There are buildings and hiding refuges from the time of the Bar Kokhba uprising (second century CE) at the site and buildings that date to the Byzantine period. It is rare to find a wall engraving of a menorah, and this exciting discovery, which was symbolically revealed during the Hanukkah holiday, substantiates the scientific research regarding the Jewish nature of the settlement during the Second Temple period”.  Ganor added, “The menorah was probably etched in the cistern after the water installation was hewn in the bedrock – maybe by inhabitants of the Jewish settlement that was situated there during the Second Temple period and the time of Bar Kokhba – and the cross was etched later on during the Byzantine period, most likely in the fourth century CE.

The menorah is a distinctly Jewish symbol of the Second Temple period. To date, only two engravings of menorahs are known in the region of the Judean Shephelah: one on oil press at Bet Loya where the same style menorah is depicted, and the other in a burial complex in the vicinity of Bet Guvrin. Other menorahs are portrayed on clay lamps from Beit Natif.   

And there was no crescent symbol.

^

Palestinian Talibans vs. the Biblical Narrative

Are you incensed when you read about Orthodox Jews suspected of painting grafitti on churches and mosques?

Are you angry when you learn that in some cases even arson is involved?

Read this (h/t=RH) and let me know how you feel:-

Biblical Jewish fortress vandalized once again

Fortress built in 800 BCE vandalized in Sebastia National Park, a Jewish and Christian heritage site; culprits smashed a 2,000-year-old marble pillar buttressing the palace in the ancient capital of Israel.

The incident is the second time vandalism has occurred within three months at the archeological site against antiquities directly connected with Israeli heritage...This is not the first time that biblical treasures have been vandalized. Indeed, graffiti was sprayed at the site denouncing Judaism and Christianity, while Christian monuments were defiled, antiquities were robbed, and seats in a Roman amphitheater were damaged.

There was this three months ago, too:

The Parks Division of the Civil Administration in conjunction with the District Coordinator's office and the Samaria brigade removed the Palestinian flagpole at Sebastia upon which a PLO flag had illegally been hung this morning. The Sebastia site, considered to be the site of the ancient city of Samaria, is situated in area C under Israeli civil and military control and therefore the flag constitutes trespassing and illegal use of land.  This is the third time the flag was removed and now the flagpole has been removed as well.

Background here, including this bit:

The PA’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities brochure avoids any mention of Israel or a Jewish connection to the site. It notes that Sebastia was “an important administrative and political regional capital during the Iron Age II and III” and was “a major urban center during the Hellenistic period,” but makes no reference to the Israelite Kingdom or the Hasmoneans. A Palestinian description of Sebastia in a bid to have it listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site goes to even greater lengths to omit references to the city’s Jewish history, referring to it as the former “capital of the northern kingdom during the Iron Age II,” and alluding to Jewish figures such as Omri and John Hyrcanus without explanation.

And this.  And this.

^

A Woman of Independent Archaeological Stature

From the Israel Antiquities Authority:

A Rare 2,500 Year Old Seal Bearing the Name “Elihana bat Gael” was Discovered in Excavations of the Israel Antiquities Authority at the City of David, in the Jerusalem Walls National Park

Two seals bearing Hebrew names were uncovered in a large building dating to the First Temple period in excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is carrying out in the Giv‘ati parking lot at the City of David, in the Jerusalem Walls National Park. 

After nine years of excavating...archaeologists at the site succeeded in reaching the strata of ancient Jerusalem dating to the First Temple period where a surprise awaited them: they found the two seals inside a structure built of magnificent ashlars. The researchers believe that the well-constructed building was used as an administrative center.

...On the rare woman’s seal, which is made of semi-precious stone, appears the mirror-writing of “to Elihana bat Gael”, inscribed in ancient Hebrew letters. The female owner of the ring is mentioned here together with the name of her father.

According to Dr. Hagai Misgav of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, “Seals that belonged to women represent just a very small proportion of all the seals that have been discovered to date. This is because of the generally inferior economic status of women, apart from extraordinary instances such as this. Indeed, the name Elihana does not appear in the Bible, and there is no other information regarding the identity of the woman, but the fact that she possessed a seal demonstrates her high social status”. Dr. Misgav adds, “...It seems that Elihana maintained her right to property and financial independence even after her marriage and therefore her father’s name was retained; however, we do not have sufficient information about the law in Judah during this period”. The name Eliha is known from a contemporary Ammonite seal and is the feminine form of the name Eli, known from the Bible. The script appearing on the seal is remarkably similar to the script on Ammonite seals, and this might indicate the foreign origin of the artisan who carved the seal and possibly the foreign origin of Elihana, who apparently came from east of the Jordan River”.  

__________________

Important Update:

...The script of both of these seals is the standard Old Hebrew script. The script of both seals is nicely done, certainly the work of a trained seal maker (for an important reference in Second Temple Jewish Literature to a seal-maker, see especially Ben Sira 38:27). I have seen some suggestions by some scholars that the script of the ‘Elyhnḥ Seal might be Ammonite. This is definitely not the case. The script of both of these seals is Old Hebrew. Note in particular the stance of the bet (on both seals), reflective of the standard recumbent stance of the Old Hebrew, rather than Ammonite. Regarding the date, I would contend that a date in the late 8th century or early 7th century BCE is the best palaeographic date. Regarding language, it can be said that the language of both of these seals is Old Hebrew, and, of course, the presence of the (Judean) Yahwistic theophoric on the Ben Shebnyahu Seal argues for this as well. Finally, I should also like to emphasize that the reason it was quite rare for women to have seals was not because, as some have apparently suggested, because of the “generally inferior economic status of women.” Rather, I would contend that it was because ancient Near Eastern societies (including that of the Iron Age Levant) were patriarchal. For this reason, men were normally responsible for most of the agreements that would require the sealing of documents...

In sum, these two seals are Old Hebrew. They are both well done, the work of a well-trained seal maker. The palaeographic date that I would assign to them is that of the chronological horizon that spans from the late 8th century to the early 7th century BCE. The Yahwistic theophorics are predictable, but still important. The fact that one of these seals is that of a woman demonstrates that she was a very prominent woman indeed, someone who must have engaged in business and legal activities that necessitated her owning a seal. This is most impressive and certainly the most important component of these new finds.

Christopher A. Rollston, George Washington University

^

More Biblical Narrative Confirmation

So, the Biblical narrative is fact-based?  Here is Yigal Bloch:-

Judeans in Sippar and Susa during the First Century of the Babylonian Exile: 

Assimilation and Perseverance under Neo-Babylonian and Achaemenid Rule

And from the abstract:-

The present study discusses the attestations of persons of Judean origin in Neo-Babylonian cuneiform tablets (of the period between 550 and 490 bce) as possible evidence of some aspects of the social history of the community of Judeans exiled to Babylonia by Nebuchadnezzar II. 

and Judah was carried away captive to Babylon (I Chronicles 9:1)

And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia (II Chronicles 36:20)

By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept, When we 

remembered Zion (Psalms 137:1)

...a group of merchants in the city of Sippar (belonging mostly to a single family) uses, in part, distinctly Judean personal names in the first generation of the exile, but abandons them completely in favor of Babylonian theophoric names in the next generation. In another instance, a group of individuals active mostly in Susa and probably belonging to the families of royal officials...displays the use of Yahwistic personal names even though the fathers of those individuals bore Babylonian theophoric names. It is suggested that the persistence of Yahwistic – hence distinctly Judean – names among royal officials or their direct offspring, even after the previous generation bore Babylonian names, reflects a considerable measure of tolerance toward ethnically foreign elements in the royal administration...

^

Part of a Horned Altar Found at Tel Shiloh

I was informed of this find two weeks ago.

But was asked to wait.

An ongoing archaeological dig in the ancient Jewish village of Shilo in Samaria (Shomron) has turned up [part] a stone altar dating back thousands of years.
The altar is believed to date back to the period from roughly 1,200 BCE to 600 CE known as the Iron Age...The altar is 60 centimeters by 60 centimeters, with a height of 40 centimeters, and was found on the southern edge of the site of ancient Shilo.

It was found in the area of Weli Yatim, I think, in secondary use.

In this Hebrew story, there's a better picture.

Another story.

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A Drought? Like in a Famine?

From the NYTimes:-

More than 3,200 years ago, life was abuzz in and around what is now this modern-day Israeli metropolis [Tel Aviv] ... To the north lay the mighty Hittite empire; to the south, Egypt was thriving under the reign of the great Pharaoh Ramses II. Cyprus was a copper emporium. Greece basked in the opulence of its elite Mycenaean culture, and Ugarit was a bustling port city on the Syrian coast. In the land of Canaan, city states like Hazor and Megiddo flourished under Egyptian hegemony...Yet within 150 years, according to experts, the old world lay in ruins.
Experts...now believe that by studying grains of fossilized pollen they have uncovered the cause.
In a study published Monday in Tel Aviv: Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, researchers say it was drought that led to the collapse in the ancient southern Levant.

Drought?

I originally thought the Ten Plagues.

But on second reading, I lean (sorry for the pun) to the content at Genesis 41:25 -32:

25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh: 'The dream of Pharaoh is one; what God is about to do He hath declared unto Pharaoh. 26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. 27 And the seven lean and ill-favoured kine that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind; they shall be seven years of famine. 28 That is the thing which I spoke unto Pharaoh: what God is about to do He hath shown unto Pharaoh. 29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt. 30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; 31 and the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine which followeth; for it shall be very grievous. 32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

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More Biblical Narrative Confirmation

Culled from here: 

Assyrian Period Fortifications Unearthed in Ashdod 18 ft. high fortifications dating back to the 8th century BCE were discovered in the harbor of the ancient Philistine city. 

...[a] more recent dig [at Tel Ashdod Yam] has brought to light the remains of an 8th century BCE fortification system – a mud brick wall comprised of internal and external dykes circling a wharf. The dig has also unearthed ruins of buildings from the Hellenistic period (late 4th to early 2nd centuries BCE), as well
as coins and weights.

...[the]  team was surprised by the degree of preservation of these structures, from some 2,750 years ago. They’reonly now beginning to come to terms with the magnitude of what they’ve discovered...Assyrian texts do describe a Philistine rebellion against Assyrian rule at the end of that period. Dr. Fantalkin believes the fortifications he discovered are related, one way or another, to the events on record.
...Following the Philistine rebellion, the Assyrians sent down an army in 712 BCE, and the rebelling king fled to Egypt,” he continued. “The Assyrians demanded the Egyption extradite him, which they did. The entire affair is mentioned both in the Bible and in Assyrian sources.  (For Gaza will be abandoned And Ashkelon a desolation; Ashdod will be driven out at noon And Ekron will be uprooted. Zephaniah 2:4) The rebellion was put down forcefully by the Assyrians and the city of Ashdod was destroyed.”

^

Bolstering the Biblical Narrative Authenticity

A new discovery:

2700 Year-Old Inscription Found

Archaeological excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the area of the Gihon Spring in the City of David...have unearthed...a ceramic bowl with a partially preserved inscription in ancient Hebrew. While not complete, the inscription presents us with the name of a seventh century BCE figure, which resembles other names known to us from both the Biblical and archaeological record

...The most similar name to our inscription is Zechariah the son of Benaiah, the father of the Prophet Jahaziel. The name Zechariah the son of Benaiah appears in 2 Chronicles 20:14 where it states that Jahaziel, son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, prophesized before the Biblical King Jehoshaphat before the nation went off to war against the ancient kingdoms of Ammon and Moab...archaeologists have posited that the bowl may have contained an offering, likely given by the individual whose name was inscribed on the bowl, or alternatively given to him. 

The first letter of the ceramic bowl’s partially preserved inscription in ancient Hebrew script is broken and is therefore difficult to read, but appears to be the letter ר. The next three letters יהו constitute the theophoric suffix (the component in which the name of the deity appears as part of the first name, such as Yirme-yahu and Eli-yahu, etc). These letters are followed by בנ (the son of) after which appears the patronymic name composed of the three letters בנה. According to archaeologists Uziel and Zanton, “If we consider the possibility that we are dealing with an unvowelized or ‘defective’ spelling of the name בניה (Benaiah), then what we have before us is the name "...ריהו בן בניה" 

More of what was found in the area:

We dig best for digging is a must.

^

The Missile and the Open Bible

From Genesis as photographed at the scene in Kiryat Malachi where three Jews were killed by a Hamas rocket:

The Chumash is open to Genesis 41

10 ...in the ward of the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker. 11 And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. 12 And there was with us there a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. 13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was: I was restored unto mine office, and he was hanged.' 14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. And he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph: 'I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it; and I have heard say of thee, that when thou hearest a dream thou canst interpret it.' 16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying: 'It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.' 17 And Pharaoh spoke unto Joseph: 'In my dream, behold, I stood upon the brink of the river...

The Bible always puts things in perspective.

By the way, this week's Haftarah portion was from Malachi 1:

1 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. 2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say: 'Wherein hast Thou loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD; yet I loved Jacob; 3 But Esau I hated, and made his mountains a desolation, and gave his heritage to the jackals of the wilderness...

------

But as for modern-day perspective, this from an Israeli, former head head of the Mossad:

Analysts said there is no clear end to the conflict in sight, since Israel neither wants to re-engage in Gaza nor to eliminate Hamas and leave the territory to the chaos of more militant factions.
      

“Ultimately,” said Efraim Halevy, a former chief of Israel’s intelligence service, “both sides want Hamas to remain in control, strange as it sounds.”

 

Very unuseful idiot.

 

^ 

Being "Cute" About "Al-Quds"

Can you answer this question?

What We Do and Do Not Know about Pre-Hellenistic al-Quds

That is the title of an article in this book,

The Politics of Israel’s Past: The Bible, Archaeology and Nation-Building Edited by Emanuel Pfoh, Keith W. Whitelam
c. 300 pp., £30 / $47.50 / €37.50

From the blurb:

...historical images—presented as simply given, self-evident and even indisputable—are employed in political readings of the past and used as a legitimizing tool. For that reason, the authors of this volume...undertake a deconstruction of modern biblical discourses on the Bible’s production and the history of ancient Israel...to the modern political uses of biblical narratives as legitimizing land ownership and nationalisms. Among the topics treated are the appearance of Judaism and its connection to the production of biblical literature, the politics of archaeological practice in Israel, the role of archaeology in the production of nationalist narratives of the past, the relationship between genetic studies and Jewish nationalism, and the prospects for writing critical histories of ancient Palestine beyond biblical images and religious and political aspirations.

Some of the titles of articles:  Some Reflections on the Politics of Ancient History, Archaeological Practice and Nation-Building in Israel/Palestine, Emanuel Pfoh; What We Do and Do Not Know about Pre-Hellenistic al-Quds, Thomas L. Thompson; The Faithful Remnant and Religious Identity. The Literary Trope of Return: A Reply to Firas Sawah, Thomas L. Thompson; History as an Argument for Land Possession,
Niels Peter Lemche; Israeli Archaeology in the Old City of Jerusalem, Gideon Sulimany; Shaping the History of Palestine: Nationalism and Exclusivity, Keith W. Whitelam.

Getting back to "al-Quds" in Hellenistic times.

First of all, Thompson has been

...heavily criticized...by certain Israeli circles who objected to his earlier study casting doubt on the historicity of the Jewish origin narratives. He then worked on Palestinian place names under UNESCO, but the project was closed amidst accusations of anti-semitism because of Thompson's critique of Israeli practices of de-arabicizing Palestinian place names...

One of his opinions is that the

concept of a benei Israel ... is a reflection of no sociopolitical entity of the historical state of Israel of the Assyrian period....

 More.


Secondly, the Hellenistic Period is

...conventionally said to extend from the accession of Alexander the Great to the throne of Macedon in 336 B.C. to the death of Cleopatra VII of Egypt in 30 B.C. Its beginning is marked by Alexander's successful invasion of the Persian Empire and its end by the redivision of the Near and Middle East between Rome and the new Iranian-ruled kingdom of Parthia. 

"Al-Quds" in pre-Hellenistic times?

Well, it is claimed that around 400 BCE, that is, the Persian period, not to be mixed up with the Persian conquest of Jerusalem in 614 CE, there was an

"Increased Arab presence, especially in the southern parts of...Palestine in the later Persian period. It should be remembered that Arabs in Palestine were nothing new... Nevertheless, the great influx of Arabs into Transjordan and southern Palestine belongs rather to the so-called Hellenistic period. When the Persian Empire collapsed, the Nabateans of Transjordan and other Arab tribes had the opportunity to expand, and the Nabateans did so, replacing the Edomites." (according to Gosta W. Ahlstrom, The History of Ancient Palestine, p. 904, Sheffield Academic Press, 1993)

You notice the publication house?  Sheffield Press?  And who will be publishing this book we are discussing?   Sheffield Press.

Now, I am not academically embued to be able to debate the issue of Arabs in "Palestine" before 400 BCE (when there was not real "Palestine").  However, what about "al-Quds"?  Was there such a city?

Al-Quds, of course, means "the holy", "the sacred".  Which people, which nation, which religion, considered Jerusalem holy and sacred?  Islam, founded in the 620s CE?

I am aware of this view:

"Ultimately if the entire world  truly strives for peace in the city of al-Quds, Muslims must retake the upper hand and regain its rule, as they alone would provide continuously the guarantee of freedom of worship and safety for the citizens of the City and they will re-implement Umar's Covenant for a third time. Only then will al-Quds be, as it is meant to be, a City of Peace."

- from Mohammed Abdul Hameed Al-Khateeb. Al-Quds. The Place of Jerusalem in Classical Judaic and Islamic Traditions. London: Ta Ha Publishers 1998 – cf. Appendix, no. 5.

a radicalized fundamentalist approach.

But anachronistically creating an Islamic holy city, not even mentioned in the Koran?

And from whence came its holiness? It's name is the Arabic for Ha-Kodesh, "the holy" in Hebrew, as in Joel 4:17 - וְהָיְתָה יְרוּשָׁלִַם קֹדֶשׁ.

From the...Jews, who consecrated the city in their national, religious and cultural consciousness - and in the knowledge and consciousness of the rest of the world - at least by 1000 BCE.


^

The Bethlehem Bulla

News of a great new archaeological find, but first, the picture:

Details:-

The first ancient artifact constituting tangible evidence of the existence of the city of Bethlehem, which is mentioned in the Bible, was recently discovered in Jerusalem.

A bulla measuring c. 1.5 cm was found during the sifting of soil removed from archaeological excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is carrying out in the City of David...A bulla is a piece of clay that was used for sealing a document or object. The bulla was impressed with the seal of the person who sent the document or object, and its integrity was evidence the document or object was not opened by anyone unauthorized to do so.

Three lines of ancient Hebrew script appear on the bulla:

Bishvʽat

בשבעת

Bat Lechem

בת לים

[Lemel]ekh

[למל]ך

...“it seems that in the seventh year of the reign of a king (it is unclear if the king referred to here is Hezekiah, Manasseh or Josiah), a shipment was dispatched from Bethlehem to the king in Jerusalem. [Eli] Shukron emphasizes,” this is the first time the name Bethlehem appears outside the Bible, in an inscription from the First Temple period, which proves that Bethlehem was indeed a city in the Kingdom of Judah, and possibly also in earlier periods”.

Oh, and Bethlehem is where Ruth and Boaz met and begot eventually David, King Of Israel.  And the Shavu'ot holiday is Sunday when the Book of Ruth is read.

Another problem for Palestinian inventivity promoters and Israeli minimalist archaeologists.

____________

P.S.

From George Atthas, Dean of Research, Moore Theological College, Sydney, Australia:-

Once again, however, it seems that we have an Israeli archaeologist jumping to inordinate conclusions that simply do not reflect the actual evidence, all so that they can make a sensational political statement about Israel or Judah in antiquity. There are a number of issues with Shukron’s proposal:

The first register (line) of the bulla is quite fragmentary, with the beginning and end of the line no longer extant. If Shukron’s reading of the third register as למלך (‘for the king’) is correct, then there is ample room for at least one or two letters before the initial extant ב (b). If this is the case, then it opens up the possibility that the first register does not  relate to the number seven (Heb: שבעת), but could instead be a name, perhaps beginning with אב (Ab—).  After the ש (sh) in the first register, Shukron reads ע. However, given the shape of the other letters, which seem to resemble Hebrew letters of the seventh to sixth centuries BC, one would expect this ע to be represented by a plain circle—the standard shape for this letter in that period time. But this does not appear to be the case here. On the contrary, the shape of this letter seems to resemble a narrow floating figure ’7′. This shape is much closer to the relevant forms of letters נ ,ו, or פ, (w, n, p). though in each case, the letter would still be an unusual shape. Now it simply could be that the photograph is masking the true shape of the letter. This type of photographic distortion certainly occurs, as I found out first hand when I discovered an extra letter on the Tel Dan Inscription that simply did not show properly in photographs. So, we’ll reserve final judgement on this until we have the testimony of other skilled epigraphers who have the chance to inspect the bulla personally. But, going by the current photograph, Shukron’s reading here doesn’t seem to match what’s there.  In the second register, Shukron reconstructs the first letter, which is mostly broken off, as ב (b). This is certainly possible, but not necessary. In fact, it looks to me as though ר (r) is a slightly better fit for this fragmentary letter. Nonetheless, let’s give Shukron the benefit of the doubt here. The next two letters are not problematic. They unambiguously read תל (tl). However, Shukron claims the next letter is ח (ḥ). However, there is one big problem with this: normally the letter ḥeth has two vertical strokes, one on each side of the three horizontal ‘rungs’, producing a kind of ladder shape. But there is clearly no vertical stroke on the left side of this letter.

What we are left with is, rather, the classic ‘brush’ shape of the letter ה (he). This means that the bulla simply cannot be referring to Bethlehem (בת לחם), for that would require the letter ח, not ה. But we clearly here have a ה. Add to this the fact that the word division in this seal (as is the case with most others) is not actually apparent, and the connection to Bethlehem becomes even more stretched. So what has happened here? Has there been an absolute bungle of epigraphic analysis here? Did Shukron and the IAA totally miss the fact that this letter is he, not ḥeth? Or are they trying to make the bulla read what they want it to say and hope that the non-epigraphy-skilled public just go along with it? Whatever the reason behind it, this just simply does not refer to Bethlehem—unless the published photograph is not just distorting something, but actually fibbing. What the bulla does refer to is unknown—we’ll have to do some more thinking on that. But I am not a little astonished at the reading offered by Shukron.

Given that the second register almost certainly does not refer to Bethlehem, it’s just possible that the second register is a patronymic for a woman. If, as Shukron suggests, the first letter is ב (b), then it could read [...]בת לה (bt lh…): daughter of Lah[...]. Seals of prominent women are not unknown, but it would suggest that the owner was most likely royalty—either a wife or daughter of the king. This reading is a distinct possibility, but ultimately cannot be verified.  The third and final register has but one extant letter: כ (k). This could certainly be part of the word למלך (‘for the king’), as Shukron suggests. It seems he is being led here by the other fiscal bullae we have discovered, in which the word למלך is clearly there. If this is the case, then as is the norm, this bulla may well represent a stamp indicating the origin of some commodity sent to the king of Judah in the seventh or sixth century BC. However, as I’ve suggested above, there is just as much chance that this is a personal seal mentioning someone’s name. If this is the case, then perhaps the extant end of the first register reads בן (‘son of’). But that’s more of a guess than a hard-and-fast observation.

It seems we need to wait for some more reliable and unsensational epigraphic analysis to be done on this bulla. Unless I’m very much mistaken(1), it seems fairly clear from the published photo that this bulla does NOT refer to Bethlehem. I lean towards seeing this as the seal of a prominent woman, though ultimately I can’t even be sure of that. Could a decent epigrapher please go and have a look at this seal, or could a generous benefactor pay to fly me over to inspect it?

Links to other reports about this bulla can be found below. You can see from some of the links how quickly news of this find is being disseminated as ‘proof’ for Bethlehem. The thing is, we don’t need this bulla as evidence for Bethlehem’s existence. It’s all rather unnecessarily sensationalist.

(1) I have been known to be wrong before. I remember it well, actually. It was a Wednesday.

And more from an academic list:-

 1. Yesterday, Zachi Dvira (Zweig) forwarded some information about
the bulla and the work of the Temple Mount Sifting Project members.
Zachi and Dr. Gabriel Barkay (the "Gaby" below) direct the Project.
    Zachi wrote: "This bulla was found a few months ago at the sifting
site by Rachel Nahum, which the sifting site office manager. It was
found during the time we were working on Gibeon LMLK bulla essay. Gaby
saw this bulla and identified it immediately as a fiscal bulla
mentioning the town Bethlehem. We’ve been giving sifting services to
Eli’s Shukrun excavations for over a year, but recently we have
significantly increased the number of staff members working this
material and it will take place for some time. We expect many more
unique finds from this material to show up in the future."
    The IAA release quotes Eli Shukron stating, in part, "The bulla we
found belongs to the group of “fiscal” bullae – administrative bullae
used to seal tax shipments remitted to the taxation system of the
Kingdom of Judah in the late eighth and seventh centuries BCE."
    Those interested in fiscal bulla should see Dr. Barkay's report,
"A Fiscal Bulla from the Slopes of the Temple Mount – Evidence for the
Taxation System of the Judean Kingdom," at
http://templemount.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/finds-from-the-first-and-second-temple-period-city-dumps-at-the-eastern-slopes-of-the-temple-mount/
and his essay at http://www.echad.info/articles/fiscal_bulla.pdf [pp.
151-77 in Hebrew, and two English pages].

    2. The expanded AP news report, at PhysOrg and other sites,
states: "Shmuel Achituv, an expert in ancient scripts at Israel's
Ben-Gurion University who did not participate in the dig, said the
discovery was the oldest reference to Bethlehem ever found outside of
the Bible. Apart from the seal, the other mentions of Bethlehem,
Achituv said, 'are only in the Bible.'" In addition, the article
stated, "Hebrew words often do not have vowels, which are understood
from the context, making several interpretations of the same word
plausible. Some of the letters are crumbled, or were wiped away. Three
experts interviewed by the AP, one involved in the text and two
independents, concurred the seal says Bethlehem. There are only some
40 other existing seals of this kind from the first Jewish Temple
period, said Achituv, making this a significant find, both because
such seals are rare, and because this is the first to mention
Bethlehem." See "Ancient Bethlehem seal unearthed in Jerusalem" at
http://phys.org/news/2012-05-ancient-bethlehem-unearthed-jerusalem.html
    There's also a video of Eli Shukron speaking about the bulla in
English, including at
http://www.3news.co.nz/Ancient-Bethlehem-seal-unearthed-in-Jerusalem/tabid/1216/articleID/255380/Default.aspx
    And see four pictures at
http://news.yahoo.com/ancient-bethlehem-seal-unearthed-jerusalem-092659029.html

    3. In my earlier "Is Bethlehem on the bulla?" e-mail I mentioned
that "Some scholars have already indicated that they take issue with
Eli Shukron's reading of the bulla's text (Bishv'at Bat Lechem
[Lemel]ekh = in the seventh / bet lehem / lm[lk]) but see, instead, a
person's name or other wording."
    Since then, one scholar has posted the details of his disagreement
and another has withdrawn his reservations about the "bet lehem"
reading but with important caveats.

    A. Today, May 24, Dr. George Athas posted "A New Seal that DOES
NOT refer to Bethlehem" at his site, at
http://withmeagrepowers.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/a-new-seal-that-does-not-refer-to-bethlehem/
    In it, besides making a political judgment, he explains in detail
how he would read the lines differently and states his belief that the
letter in the second line read as a het is actually a heh, negating a
reading of of "lh(.)m" (=  "lechem"). In a comment, Dr. Peter van der
Veen agreed in part with Dr. Athas but took issue with the heh reading
("I do think that it is a het as the left vertical line can be
detected but it is rather damaged."). Dr. Athas explained why he was
not convinced and concluded that, "In any case, this is why we need
another pair of skilled eyes to inspect this bulla. I simply don’t
trust photos enough to make definitive judgements."
    (Interestingly, on May 23, a reader ("Sarah", not an epigrapher)
of Duane Smith's "A 'Fiscal Bulla' From Bethlehem" posting wrote,
"looks like a he not a cheth in 'Bethlehem'." See
http://www.telecomtally.com/blog/2012/05/a_fiscal_bulla_from_bethlehem.html)
    However (and more on that below based on Dr. Ahituv's
observations), when you look closely at a greatly enlarged photo of
the bulla, such as the IAA's high-resolution picture at ZIP file
http://www.antiquities.org.il/images/press/iaa_2205.zip, do you see
what could be an almost completely effaced left stroke of a het?
    (Unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, and subject to
stereoscopic microscope analysis, it seems to be there when observed
at very great enlargement.)
    Or do you see a heh? (The shading at the left between the
horizontal lines and to the left above the top line would disqualify
the heh.)
    Ha'aretz also has a not-quite-as-large picture (that is further
enlargeable when clicked upon with the mouse cursor) at
http://www.haaretz.com/polopoly_fs/1.432168.1337787270!/image/121356148.jpg

    B. Dr. Victor Avigdor Hurowitz of Ben-Gurion University initially
expressed reservations about the reading of the bulla in the IAA's
press release.
    However, in an e-mail and a posting at his Facebook page he wrote
the following about an hour ago: "Retraction about Beytlehem bulla.
Friends, I must retract the statements I made a few days ago about the
newly found bulla mentioning [b]yt lh(.)m בית לחם. Why? It turns out
that my objections were based on a mistaken press release of the bulla
issued by the IAA. They offered a transcription and transliteration
which were erroneous. My colleague Shmuel Ahituv, an epigrapher, saw
the bulla itself and he informs me that the signs on the right which
the IAA transcribed as ב are in fact on close examination of the
object remnants of a yod. Also, the letter transcribed as ח is indeed
such. On the photo it looks like a ה because the down stroke on the
left seems to be absent. Ahituv tells me that traces are still
visible. In other words, the text reads [ב]ית לחם This is obviously
Bethlehem and I have no objections to the identification. In summary,
if Ahituv's transcription and decipherment are correct this bulla is
an attestation of this place in an extra-Biblical, Iron Age source.
But if the IAA has correctly transcribed the text, my objections
stand. So I retract my objection but will not accept blame."

^

More Biblical Narrative Confirmation

Again, the Biblical narrative seems to be confirmed as Professor Israel Finkelstein, probably pressured following the dramatic revelations from Khirbet Quieyfa, released the following information today:

Tel Aviv University researchers discover rare trove: 3,000-year-old jewelry at Megiddo

Details:-

Researchers from Tel Aviv University have recently discovered a collection of gold and silver jewellery, dated from around 1100 B.C., hidden in a vessel at the archaeological site of Tel Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel. One piece — a gold earring decorated with molded ibexes, or wild goats — is "without parallel," they believe.

According to Prof. Israel Finkelstein, the vessel was found in 2010, but remained uncleaned while awaiting a molecular analysis of its content [what a wasted 2 years]. When they were finally able to wash out the dirt, pieces of jewellery, including a ring, earrings, and beads, flooded from the vessel...The researchers believe that the collection, which was discovered in the remains of a private home in the northern part of Megiddo, belongs to a time period called “Iron I,” and that at least some of the pieces could have originated in nearby Egypt...When the researchers removed the ceramic jug from the excavation site, they had no idea there was jewellery hidden within. The jewellery was well preserved and wrapped in textiles, but the circumstances surrounding it are mysterious. According to Prof. Finkelstein, it is likely that the jug was not the jewellery's normal storage place. "It's clear that people tried to hide the collection, and for some reason they were unable to come back to pick it up." The owners could have perished or been forced to flee, he says. Prof. Ussishkin believes that it was the jewellery collection of the Canaanite woman who lived in the house.

The assortment of jewellery is also out of the ordinary, notes Arie. Though the collection includes a number of lunette (moon-shaped) earrings of common Canaanite origin,

 researchers found an abundance of gold items in the collection and a number of beads made from carnelian, which was frequently used in the making of Egyptian jewellery in the same period. This points to a strong Egyptian connection, whether in influence or origin...

We Jews invented our nationalism, our chronology, our historical and cultural and religious narrative?

Tel Megiddo was an important Canaanite city-state until the early 10th century B.C.E. and a pivotal center of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th and 8th centuries B.C.E...The layer in which the jewellery was found has already been dated to the 11th century B.C., just after the end of Egyptian rule in the 12th century B.C., Arie says. Either the jewellery was left behind in the Egyptian withdrawal or the people who owned the jewellery were influenced by Egyptian culture.

More:

The Bible lists the king of Megiddo among the Canaanite rulers defeated by Joshua in his conquest of the land (Josh. 12:21). According to I Kings (9:15), King Solomon built Megiddo together with Hazor and Gezer. At that time the city had become the center of a royal province of the United Monarchy. The Egyptian Pharaoh Shishak took Megiddo in the second half of the 10th century. His conquest of the city is affirmed both in his inscriptions at the Temple at Karnak and in a stele erected at the site. In the 9th and 8th centuries B.C.E., the rulers of the Northern Kingdom refitted the fortress even more elaborately than before. The palaces, water systems and fortifications of Israelite Megiddo are among the most elaborate Iron Age architectural remains unearthed in the Levant. In 732 B.C.E., the Assyrian King Tiglath-pileser III took the region from the Northern Kingdom. In the following years Megiddo served as the capital of an Assyrian province. With the fall of the Assyrian empire the great religious reformer, King Josiah of Judah, was called to Megiddo to report to Pharaoh Necho of Egypt, who was on his way to assist the crumbling Assyrian army in its last-ditch efforts against the Babylonians. Josiah was slaughtered by Necho (II Kings 23:29). Recollection of this event, along with the memories of the great battles fought here, were probably the bases for the idea in the Book of Revelations (16:16) that Armageddon (the mound of Megiddo) would at the end of days be the site of the last battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil.

^

A Seal Attests to the Biblical Narrative

The Biblical narrative - and the ancient Jewish presence in the Land of Israel - are, again, confirmed:

The remains of a building dating to the end of the First Temple period were discovered below the base of the ancient drainage channel that is currently being exposed in IAA excavations beneath Robinson’s Arch in the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden, adjacent to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. This building is the closest structure to the First Temple found to date in archaeological excavations.

In the excavations, underwritten by the Ir David Foundation, a personal Hebrew seal from the end of the First Temple period was discovered on the floor of the ancient building.

The seal is made of a semi-precious stone and is engraved with the name of its owner: “Lematanyahu Ben Ho…” ("למתניהו בן הו..." meaning: “Belonging to Matanyahu Ben Ho…”)...People used personal seals in the First Temple period for the purpose of signing letters and they were set in a signet ring. The seals served to identify their owner, just as they identify officials today.

According to Eli Shukron, excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “the name Matanyahu, like the name Netanyahu, means giving to God. These names are mentioned several times in the Bible. They are typical of the names in the Kingdom of Judah in latter part of the First Temple period...We also found pottery sherds characteristic of the period on the floor in the ancient building beneath the base of the drainage channel, as well as stone collapse and evidence of a fire”.

^