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Posted on 08/26/2004 9:04:41 AM PDT by blam
Aug. 25, 2004 23:03 | Updated Aug. 26, 2004 11:02
Second Temple village uncovered
ETGAR LEFKOVITS
Israeli archeologists have uncovered a 5,000-year-old Canaanite city and a 2,000-year-old Jewish village from the Second Temple period alongside each other in the Modi'in area.
The adjacent ancient sites, which were known to exist but previously lay untouched, lie on a barren, wind-whipped hilltop spanning 120 dunams near the present-day Israeli town of Shoham.
The area of the sites was to be converted into an industrial zone, but the finds – which include the remnants of ancient streets in each city, being excavated now by archeologists from the Antiquities Authority – will be exhibited in an archeological park.
The rural Jewish town uncovered at the site existed from about 100 BCE to 135 CE, until the Bar Kochba revolt, said archeologist Dr. David Amit. Several hundred people are estimated to have lived there, perhaps the extended members of five to eight families. Excavations at the ancient village have uncovered a 2,000-year-old street, Jewish coins from the time of the rebellion, and wine presses, as well as a mikve (Jewish spiritual bath). The mikve, which is still visible, was turned into a regular water well by pagans who lived at the 50-dunam village for several generations after the Jews vacated the area.
Adjacent to the Jewish village lies a 5,000-year-old Canaanite city from the Early Bronze Age, dating to approximately 3,000 BCE. The 70-80 dunam city, which was divided into a smaller upper and a larger lower level and was surrounded by a wall and watch towers, existed for up to 400 years, said Tel Aviv University archeologist Sarit Paz, who is heading the excavations at the site.
The well-planned city, which dates back to the time between Noah and Abraham, is thought to have been home to several hundred people. The builders of the nearby Jewish village used some of the original stones from the Canaanite city in building their own town, Paz said.
The impressive remnants of a 5,000-year-old street, an assortment of pottery and cutting vessels, flint Canaanite blades, stone beads, and a variety of colored juglets, have been uncovered by Paz and her team.
The Antiquities Authority says that the quality and extent of the finds uncovered during the three-month excavation at both sites is "unprecedented."
Have to get the old maps out that my son sent and see if they show any of this. Very interesting. Thanks for posting. Put me on your ping list for any of this stuff?
great info - i'm off to Jerusalem in a few months and will put this on my agenda with my able guide.
If your staying there for awhile and like this kind of stuff, head up to Tel Dan for a day.
It's a tip I got while I was there in '99 and was NOT disappointed.
Along with a Garden-of Eden like park and wildlife refuge, it's got some fantastic digs from the time of King David - old city wall and gate, temple and altar remains............
How big is a dunam?
How long before a mosque is constructed on the site?
Or how long before the Arabs begin making noise about how it was really a Palestinian village that was taken over by Jews, etc.?
A dunam is about a quarter acre.
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Bump!
A 20 acre city. Ballpark figures.
ping
Amazing. If you find any pictures, please post them.
The change from BC/AD to BCE/CE still grinds my gears.
Were there "white nationalists" screaming bloody murder about the expulsion of the Canaanites 3276 years ago? (And I bet their "aryan minds" could "comprehend infinity" and everything. But they didn't know the Living G-d.
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