Posted on 11/30/2007 1:28:22 PM PST by NYer
JERUSALEM (AP) — A wall mentioned in the Bible's Book of Nehemiah and long sought by archaeologists apparently has been found, an Israeli archaeologist says.
A team of archaeologists discovered the wall in Jerusalem's ancient City of David during a rescue attempt on a tower that was in danger of collapse, said Eilat Mazar, head of the Institute of Archaeology at the Shalem Center, a Jerusalem-based research and educational institute, and leader of the dig.
Artifacts including pottery shards and arrowheads found under the tower suggested that both the tower and the nearby wall are from the 5th century B.C., the time of Nehemiah, Mazar said this week. Scholars previously thought the wall dated to the Hasmonean period from about 142 B.C. to 37 B.C.
The findings suggest that the structure was actually part of the same city wall the Bible says Nehemiah rebuilt, Mazar said. The Book of Nehemiah gives a detailed description of construction of the walls, destroyed earlier by the Babylonians.
"We were amazed," she said, noting that the discovery was made at a time when many scholars argued that the wall did not exist.
"This was a great surprise. It was something we didn't plan," Mazar said.
The first phase of the dig, completed in 2005, uncovered what Mazar believes to be the remains of King David's palace, built by King Hiram of Tyre, and also mentioned in the Bible.
Ephraim Stern, professor emeritus of archaeology at Hebrew University and chairman of the state of Israel archaeological council, offered support for Mazar's claim.
"The material she showed me is from the Persian period," the period of Nehemiah, he said. "I can sign on the date of the material she found."
However, another scholar disputed the significance of the discovery.
Israel Finkelstein, professor of archaeology at Tel Aviv University, called the discovery "an interesting find," but said the pottery and other artifacts do not indicate that the wall was built in the time of Nehemiah. Because the debris was not connected to a floor or other structural part of the wall, the wall could have been built later, Finkelstein said.
"The wall could have been built, theoretically, in the Ottoman period," he said. "It's not later than the pottery — that's all we know."
Ping!
I love the story of Nehemiah.
Israel Finkelstein is well known for his effort to disprove most things that validate the Bible.
So how long until the muslims either claim it as their own or want to blow it up?
This will become one of their (muslims) MOST sacred sites, along with all the other 10,345,897 MOST sacred sites. ;-)
It’s interesting from a historical perspective, but I’m not sure it means anything more than that.
I am curious what the itty bitty little pottery jars were used for. They barely look big enough to be a salt shaker.
alas...
Nehemiah’s Wall Found in Jerusalem
The Trumpet | November 9, 2007 | Stephen Flurry
Posted on 11/12/2007 8:52:20 AM EST by Between the Lines
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1924514/posts
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Thanks NYer. |
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