Israel unearths Bible-related artifacts (2019.10.22)

A rare and exciting discovery: the discovery in the City of David of a large herbaceous Hebrew translation of a bull (something like a clay envelope) and a 2,600 year old seal with a Hebrew name. The artifacts were found inside the public building, which was destroyed during the destruction of the first Temple and discovered during archaeological excavations at the Givati parking lot in Jerusalem's David National Park. The excavation was carried out by archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University. According to Professor Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University and Dr. Yiftah Shalev of the Israel Lands Administration, who was in charge of the excavation, these particular artifacts were found inside a public building. It was destroyed in the sixth century B.C. - probably during the Babylonian oppression of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Large fragments of stone, charred wooden beams and many burnt fragments were found in the building, all signs that they survived. Among other things, the importance of the building can be seen in its size, the fine square stones used to build it and the quality of the architectural elements found in the layers of destruction - for example, the remnants of polished plaster floors, which in the research of Dr. Anat Mendel Geberovich of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Center for Ancient Jerusalem Studies, have collapsed and caved in beneath the floors. Mail and shingles about the size of a centimeter were destroyed.

Artifacts dating from the middle of the sixth century B.C. to the sixth century B.C. "(Attributed to Nathan Melech, the king's servant; transliteration") (LeNathan) -Melech Eved HaMelech). The name Nathan-Melech appears in the Bible in the second book of Kings 23:11, where he is described as an officer of the Josiah dynasty who was involved in the religious reformation being implemented by the king: "And Andy took the horse which the king of the LORD had given to the sun, and brought it at the entrance of the temple of the LORD, in the room of Nathan-Melech, the officer of the servant; He burned the chariot of the sun with fire. The phrase "the king's servant" (Eved HaMelech) appears frequently in the Bible to describe a high-ranking official near the king. This title appears on other stamps and seal impressions found in the past. This seal is the first archaeological evidence for the name Biblical Nathan-Melech. Dr. Mendel-Geberovich points out that the fact that this official is mentioned only by his name shows that he was well known and that it was not necessary to add his family lineage.

According to Mendel Geberovich, "Although it is impossible to be completely certain that the Nathan Merrick mentioned in the Bible was actually the owner of the stamps, it is impossible to ignore some of the details that bind them together. "The shingles are small pieces of clay embossed by a personal seal and used in ancient times to sign letters. Although their sealed parchment did not survive the fires that destroyed ancient Jerusalem, the cauldrons made of ceramic material were preserved, leaving evidence of their counterparts and the evidence behind them.

The stamp seal was also found in the same place, made of blue onyx stone with the inscription "(Belonging to) Ikar son of Matanyahu" (LeIkar Ben Matanyahu). According to Dr. Mendel-Geberovich, "the name Matanyahu appears both in the Bible and on other stamps that have been unearthed. However, this is the first time the name "Ikar" has been invoked, a name that is still unknown today. "She believes that although Ikar is a literal meaning of farmer, it probably refers to a private person with that name, rather than a description of him. Occupancy. It is unclear who this person is. Private stamps were used to sign documents, usually set in a ring of seals carried by their owners. In ancient times, these stamps recorded the identity, lineage and status of their owners. According to Professor Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University and Dr. Iftah Shalev of the Israel Government Authority, "Since many of the famous shingles and stamps did not come from organized archaeological excavations, rather than from the antiquities market, it is very exciting to find these two artifacts in a clear archaeological context. They join the sherds and stamps written in the ancient Hebrew script that has been found in various types of excavations in the city of David up to the present day. These artifacts attest to the highly developed administrative system of the Kingdom of Judah and add considerable information to our understanding of Jerusalem and the economic status of its administration.

#Artifacts #Great Herschel #Bur #Ikar son of Matayahu #Middle 6th century BC to 6th century BC #Israel #Jerusalem #Bible #People #History #Study