12-15-2007, 05:31 PM
Cloudwalker Wrote:
This was posted in the Middle East Times.
Jerusalem artifacts point to first Jewish templeAFP
October 21, 2007
JERUSALEM -- Archaeologists have uncovered artifacts under Jerusalem's contested Al Aqsa mosque compound that may shed light on the first Jewish temple, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Sunday.
"An apparently sealed archaeological level dating to the first temple period was exposed in the area, close to the southeastern corner of the raised platform surrounding the Dome of the Rock," it said in a statement.
The finds include ceramic table ware, animal bones, and pottery shards from the 8th to 6th centuries BC, when Jewish kingdoms reigned over much of the area of modern-day Israel and the Palestinian territories.
The finds could "aid scholars in reconstructing the dimensions and boundaries of the Temple Mount during the first temple period," the statement added.
Much remains from the time of the second temple, which was razed in AD 70, including the Western Wall, Judaism's most revered site, but almost nothing remains from the first temple period, considered the peak of Jewish history.
The area of the excavations, which Jews refer to as the Temple Mount and Muslims refer to as the Haram Al Sharif, is the most sacred site of Judaism and the third holiest in Islam.
Because of its religious importance, the site in the Old City of Jerusalem has been a frequent flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Jerusalem artifacts point to first Jewish templeAFP
October 21, 2007
JERUSALEM -- Archaeologists have uncovered artifacts under Jerusalem's contested Al Aqsa mosque compound that may shed light on the first Jewish temple, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Sunday.
"An apparently sealed archaeological level dating to the first temple period was exposed in the area, close to the southeastern corner of the raised platform surrounding the Dome of the Rock," it said in a statement.
The finds include ceramic table ware, animal bones, and pottery shards from the 8th to 6th centuries BC, when Jewish kingdoms reigned over much of the area of modern-day Israel and the Palestinian territories.
The finds could "aid scholars in reconstructing the dimensions and boundaries of the Temple Mount during the first temple period," the statement added.
Much remains from the time of the second temple, which was razed in AD 70, including the Western Wall, Judaism's most revered site, but almost nothing remains from the first temple period, considered the peak of Jewish history.
The area of the excavations, which Jews refer to as the Temple Mount and Muslims refer to as the Haram Al Sharif, is the most sacred site of Judaism and the third holiest in Islam.
Because of its religious importance, the site in the Old City of Jerusalem has been a frequent flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Mableloretta Wrote:
I love this stuff! Thank you, cloudwalker.
Some might say that those who believe the Word of God don't need archeaological proof of what the Word tells us. That's true, but it's thrilling when an unbelieving world gets to gaze upon the "proof". It's especially good for Israel, when so many despute their claim on the land.
I'm surprised the Arabs have let them excavate there. There are so many places in the Middle East where Arab authorities won't let scientists dig. What are they afraid of?
Some might say that those who believe the Word of God don't need archeaological proof of what the Word tells us. That's true, but it's thrilling when an unbelieving world gets to gaze upon the "proof". It's especially good for Israel, when so many despute their claim on the land.
I'm surprised the Arabs have let them excavate there. There are so many places in the Middle East where Arab authorities won't let scientists dig. What are they afraid of?
Cloudwalker Wrote:
For one thing, they are afraid that it will be proved that the Temple was there in the first place. Something they have been denying all along.