Notice: This is the official website of the All Empires History Community (Reg. 10 Feb 2002)

  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Register Register  Login Login

Archaeology news updates

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 4041424344 79>
Author
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Archaeology news updates
    Posted: 05-May-2012 at 14:28

"Castle of the Slave"

Jordan's Mysterious Judean Monument


"...The structure is known locally as Qasr al-Abd, or "Castle of the Slave (or Servant)." The monumental, Hellenistic-style ruin was the centerpiece of a grand second-century B.C.E. estate built by the Jewish Tobiad family, but it has long been a mystery why the Tobiads built this impressive structure. Was it a temple? A hunting lodge? A pleasure palace? A tomb?

Qasr al-Abd has a unique architectural plan. The ground floor is divided into small interior rooms that would have received little or no natural light. In contrast, the upper floor, which is only partially preserved, had an open roof and was surrounded by continuous rows of narrow pilasters that allowed plenty of light and fresh air to fill the upper rooms. Take a look at the "Castle of the Slave" in Bible History Daily, or get a full view in the Bas Library (see below).

The May/June issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes an extensive study of the "Castle of the Slave" by archaeologist and architect Stephen Rosenberg, who suggests that the ruin was built as the burial monument of the Tobiads, modeled after the mausoleum at Halicarnassus. According to Rosenberg, Qasr al-Abd has many features characteristic of a monumental, Hellenistic-style mausoleum...." 

Castle of the Slave
http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/was-qasr-al-abd-modeled-after-the-mausoleum-at-halicarnassus/?mqsc=E3113900
Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05-May-2012 at 14:30

Phoenician Tombs Discovered in Southeastern Cyprus


"...Renovations to the Larnaca sewer system exposed two Phoenician-period tombs in southeastern Cyprus last weekend. Dated between the 6th and 4th centuries B.C.E., the tombs may be associated with the nearby 4th century B.C.E. catacombs. The catacombs themselves are located near the foundation of the historic Agia Faneromeni Church. Larnaca’s rich history began as the Bronze Age city Kition, the etymological root for Kittim, a Biblical name for Cyprus. Larnaca’s Mayor Andreas Louroutziatis has been enthusiastic about promoting the city’s ancient heritage, and there has been talk of creating a new underground museum to coincide with renovations to the catacombs and church...."

Phoenician Tombs Discovered in Southeastern Cyprus

http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/phoenician-tombs-discovered-in-southeastern-cyprus/

Back to Top
Nick1986 View Drop Down
Emperor
Emperor
Avatar
Mighty Slayer of Trolls

Joined: 22-Mar-2011
Location: England
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 7940
  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05-May-2012 at 19:09
Me Grimlock not nice Dino! Me bash brains!
Back to Top
Ollios View Drop Down
Chieftain
Chieftain
Avatar

Joined: 22-Feb-2011
Location: Diyar-ı Rum
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1130
  Quote Ollios Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06-May-2012 at 02:56
Istanbul is getting older. A few years old, we believe that it was just a greek colony. However, human skeletons which are 8000 years old, found a few years ago. Now new footprints found. They are 500 years older than skeletons

http://video.ntvmsnbc.com/tatilde-osmanli-ruzgari.html#8500-yillik-ayak-izleri.html (Turkish)


 
Ellerin Kabe'si var,
Benim Kabem İnsandır
Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-May-2012 at 13:18
"...An ancient hero stone with inscriptions has been unearthed at Karattampatti near Thuraiyur, about 35 km from here.The hero stone was discovered from a field at a village during a field study taken up by a research team led by Subash Chandira Bose, advisor for the archaeological wing of the Centre for Cultural Studies, Coimbatore, following a tip-off given by Durairaj, a local resident.

Mr.Bose, in a press release, said the bas-relief hero stone measuring 30 centimetres in width and 92 centimetres in height has been carved within a rectangular vertical frame with excellent craftsmanship. It depicts a warrior holding a sword in his left arm.The inscription belongs to the 31 regnal year of Paranthaga Chola-I (AD 938), also known as Madurai Kondan, he said.

The inscription on the stone says that the people of Viriyur had donated a non-taxable land to the daughter of hero known as Nagan who sacrificed his life to bring back a herd cows taken away by a group.The inscription also refers to a few names of places such as Miamaa Nadu, Valluvappadi, Viriyur, Oottrathur Nadu, Paadaavur and Ainjurinimangal.The field study was carried out by a research team comprising Iravindran, Ramkumar, Balakrishnan, Stapathi Palanisamy, with the help of Devaraj and Palaniyandi and a few school students, the release said...." http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/article3360060.ece

ETCHED IN HISTORY: The hero stone that was unearthed at Karattampatti near Thuraiyur. Photo: Special Arrangement
ETCHED IN HISTORY: The hero stone that was unearthed at Karattampatti near Thuraiyur. Photo: Special Arrangement

Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-May-2012 at 13:21

Ancient Egyptian Mummy Suffered Rare and Painful Disease


"...Around 2,900 years ago, an ancient Egyptian man, likely in his 20s, passed away after suffering from a rare, cancerlike disease that may also have left him with a type of diabetes...." http://www.livescience.com/19944-egyptian-mummy-rare-disease.html

Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-May-2012 at 13:31

Israeli researcher: Mikvehs show that Galilee cave dwellers were likely kohanim

The caves in which the purification baths were found were 'caves of refuge,' where Jews who lived in the area sought shelter under Roman rule.


"...A fifth mikveh has been found in the caves on the Galilee's Cliffs of Arbel, indicating that the people who lived there under Roman rule were most likely kohanim, Jews of the priestly class, said Yinon Shivtiel, one of the researchers who found the ritual bath.

"The discovery of mikvehs in archaeological excavations is always a sign of Jewish life," said Shivtiel, a lecturer at the Zefat Academic College and Ohalo College who will be presenting his findings at a conference at Tel-Hai College next week. "The Mishna reinforces the importance and necessity for this facility, devoting an entire tractate to the mikveh and the laws of immersion."..."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-researcher-mikvehs-show-that-galilee-cave-dwellers-were-likely-kohanim-1.426773



Edited by Don Quixote - 07-May-2012 at 13:32
Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-May-2012 at 13:35

Human Genes Provide Clues to Rise and Spread of Agriculture in Prehistoric Europe


"..."After comparing our data to modern human populations in Europe", said study colleague and report author Pontus Skoglund of Uppsala University, "we found that the Stone Age hunter-gatherers were outside the genetic variation of modern populations but most similar to Finnish individuals, and that the farmer we analyzed closely matched Mediterranean populations.......The Stone Age farmer's genetic profile matched that of people currently living in the vicinity of the Mediterranean, on Cyprus, for example."  Says Götherström, "The fact that the hunter-gatherers are most similar to Finns, Orcadians and other extreme-northern populations suggests that they were indeed the last major part of the Mesolithic meta-population that populated large parts of Europe before the early farmers appeared. And the fact that the farmer is most similar to southeastern Europeans makes sense too, as that is from where the spread of agriculture north and eastward started."

According to widely accepted interpretations of the archaeological record, agriculture is thought to have developed in the Middle East about 11,000 years ago. By about 5,000 years ago, it had spread to most of Continental Europe. But how it spread and how it affected people living in Stone Age Europe are questions that have been debated for many years. Was agriculture an idea that spread across Europe or a technique that a group of migrants took with them to different regions of the continent?

"The results suggest that agriculture spread across Europe in concert with a migration of people," said Skoglund. "If farming had spread solely as a cultural process, we would not expect to see a farmer in the north with such genetic affinity to southern populations."..." http://popular-archaeology.com/issue/march-2012/article/human-genes-provide-clues-to-rise-and-spread-of-agriculture-in-prehistoric-europe

New study chronicles the rise of agriculture in Europe

Analysis of Stone Age remains shows that farming moved north across the continent

"..."When you put these findings in archaeological context, a picture begins to emerge of Stone Age farmers migrating from south to north across Europe," said Skoglund. "And the result of this migration, 5,000 years later, looks like a mixture of these two groups in the modern population."...

...this new study should help scientists understand the impact of that agricultural revolution on human diversity.Skoglund and his colleagues performed their analysis with the ancient remains of three hunter-gatherers who were associated with the Pitted Ware Culture and excavated from the island of Gotland, Sweden, along with those of a farmer, who was associated with the Funnel Beaker Culture and excavated from Gökhem parish, Sweden.

"We know that the hunter-gatherer remains were buried in flat-bed grave sites, in stark contrast to the megalithic sites that the farmers built," said Mattias Jakobsson, a senior author of the Science report, also from Uppsala University. "The farmer we analyzed was buried under such a megalith, and that's just one difference that helps distinguish the two cultures."

Ancient hunter-gatherers had a distinct genetic signature that was similar to that of today's northern Europeans, while the farmer's genetic signature closely resembles that of southern Europeans, according to the researchers. Interestingly, these ancient genomes don't share many similarities with modern-day Swedes, despite their discovery and excavations in Sweden...."http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-04/aaft-nsc042012.php



Edited by Don Quixote - 07-May-2012 at 13:39
Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-May-2012 at 13:42
Archaeologists Make Exciting Discovery Near Monticello
"...Monticello archaeologists have discovered two previously unknown archaeological sites that contain nineteenth century artifacts, including remains of slave homes—some from Jefferson’s time.The sites were discovered in April at Tufton, historically significant as one of Thomas Jefferson’s four quarter farms located about a mile and a quarter east of Monticello.

A preliminary assessment of the artifacts indicates the earlier of the two sites was occupied in the first few decades of the nineteenth century, most likely by enslaved field laborers who worked on the Tufton farm.Archaeologists recovered significant Jefferson-era artifacts including: a padlock, which matches one found on Mulberry Row, a glass bead, a slate pencil, a metal coat button, along with scores of datable ceramic sherds in refined English earthenwares and some Chinese porcelain.

The second site contains artifacts that date from the mid through late-nineteenth century and contains above-ground remains of at least two houses: a stone foundation and a brick chimney stack. This indicates that after Jefferson’s death and the sale of his slaves to pay his debts, the site was occupied by slaves belonging to Tufton’s subsequent owners, the Macons, who acquired the tract in 1833. The earlier site also contains artifacts from the Macon period...."http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Archaeologists_Make_Discovery_Near_Monticello_149226435.html

Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-May-2012 at 13:45

Ancient graves found near Paulatuk, N.W.T.


"...Some ancient graves, dating between 400 and 1,000 years old, have been discovered at Tuktut Nogait National Park near Paulatuk, N.W.T.At least four skeletons have been found above ground and covered with flat stones.John Muffa Kudlak, who lives in the area, said Inuvialuit people have known about the graves for a long time.

“I have heard stories from the elders in the past what they were way before their parents,” said Kudlak.A research project in Tuktut Nogait National Park is planned for this summer. The park’s management board met with members of the Paulatuk Hunters and Trappers Committee about including the graves in the research.They said elders do not want the graves to be disturbed...."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2012/04/25/north-paulatuk-park-graves.html

Graves dating between 400 and 1,000 years old, of at least four individuals, have been found aboveground and covered with flat stones at Tuktut Nogait National Park near Paulatuk, N.W.T.
Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-May-2012 at 20:08

Hebrew seal bearing the name 'Matanyahu' uncovered in Jerusalem


"...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 Israel Antiquities Authority 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…"). The rest of the inscription is erased.

From the very start of the excavations in this area the archaeologists decided that all of the soil removed from there would be meticulously sifted (including wet-sifting and thorough sorting of the material remnants left in the sieve). This scientific measure is being done in cooperation with thousands of pupils in the Tzurim Valley National Park. It was during the sieving process that the tiny seal was discovered.

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 - from the end of the eighth century BCE until the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE. To find a seal from the First Temple period at the foot of the Temple Mount walls is rare and very exciting. This is a tangible greeting of sorts from a man named Matanyahu who lived here more than 2,700 years ago. 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."..." http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early+History+-+Archaeology/Hebrew_seal_Matanyahu_uncovered_Jerusalem_1-May-2012.htm


1 May 2012

In archaeological work in the 2,000 year-old drainage channel between the City of David and the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden, remains were discovered of the building closest to the First Temple exposed so far in archaeological excavations.

  
Hebrew seal bearing the name Matanyahu
Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08-May-2012 at 02:52

Pottery jug found dating back to pre-Islamic era


"...A rare pottery jug that dates back to the pre-Islamic era was found recently in the Al Ahsa municipality. This was the first time that a relic of such historic importance was located in the Al Ahsa municipality...." http://www.eturbonews.com/29033/pottery-jug-found-dating-back-pre-islamic-era
Pottery jug found dating back to pre-Islamic era
Photo from scta.gov.sa


Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08-May-2012 at 02:56

Sewerage work uncovers ancient tombs


"...ANCIENT tombs hailing from the Phoenician period between the 4th and 6th century BCE were discovered on Sunday on Faneromeni Avenue in Larnaca during work on the town’s sewage system.According to archaeologists, the graves may be an extension of the ancient tomb known as the catacomb which dates back to the 4th century BCE and can be found under the old church of Panayia Faneromeni.  

Larnaca mayor Andreas Louroutziatis said work on the sewerage system will stop temporarily at the site until a decision is taken in collaboration with the antiquities department on whether excavations should continue to find any new possible archaeological discoveries. 

“The discovery of Phoenician tombs is yet another indication that Larnaca is a city filled with history. It is an area continuously inhabited for four thousand years, and the discovery of ancient tombs and sarcophagi proves this to be true,” he said.   Larnaca town and especially the Faneromeni area was a vast cemetery in antiquity, with scattered tombs known as ‘Larnaces’, which is how the city of Zeno took its name, he added.  ..." http://www.cyprus-mail.com/sewerage-works/sewerage-work-uncovers-ancient-tombs/20120501




Edited by Don Quixote - 08-May-2012 at 02:57
Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08-May-2012 at 03:03

Ancient migration: Coming to America

For decades, scientists thought that the Clovis hunters were the first to cross the Arctic to America. They were wrong — and now they need a better theory


"...But findings over the past few years — and a re-examination of old ones, such as the mastodon rib — have shown conclusively that humans reached the Americas well before the Clovis people. That has sparked a surge of interest in the field, and opened it up to fresh ideas and approaches. Geneticists and archaeologists are collaborating to piece together who came first, when they arrived, whether they travelled by boat or by foot and how they fanned out across the New World....
...Judging from the limited genetic diversity of modern Native Americans, Ripan Malhi, a geneticist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and others have argued that the founding population was small, perhaps just a few thousand hardy settlers. In a study of mitochondrial DNA from modern Native American and Asian populations, Malhi and his colleagues also found hints that the first American colonists paused on their way out of Asia6, waiting out the peak of the last ice age on the exposed Bering land bridge for perhaps 5,000 years — long enough to become genetically distinct from other Asian populations. When the glaciers blocking their path into North America began to melt around 16,500 years ago, the Beringians made their way south over land or sea, passing those genetic differences on to their descendants in America...." http://www.nature.com/news/ancient-migration-coming-to-america-1.10562
Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08-May-2012 at 13:32
Oldest Astronomical Instrument Discovered in China

"...Chinese scientists have proposed that an object collected 35 years ago from a tomb of the Western Han Dynasty in Fuyang city and called “lacquerware of unknown names” could be a gnomon with template...." http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/article00292.html

An artwork shows the gnomon with template and a pair of overlapping lacquered disks
Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08-May-2012 at 13:35

Students find rare Roman temple on practice dig


"...Lecturers at Bonn University had set up a mock archaeological dig at a building site on campus to teach hopeful historians digging techniques. What they did not expect to find were the 2,000-year-old foundations of a building, nestled into the dense, clayish mud.

While the initial discovery was made in March, it was only in the past fortnight that the team realised the foundations were from a temple from the Roman era, the floor of which was scattered with broken pottery dating as far back as 800 BC.

The building, which could have been part of a wealthy country estate, was 6.75 metres wide and 7.5 metres long. It was probably made from wood or clay, but roof tiles and iron nails that matched other second century Roman buildings were fished out of the rubble.

Only one similar temple – a room surrounded by an enclosed walkway – has been found in that part of North Rhine-Westphalia...."http://www.thelocal.de/national/20120504-42341.html
Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08-May-2012 at 13:39

New UF study shows early North Americans lived with extinct giant beasts


"...Researchers analyzed samples from 24 human bones and 48 animal fossils in the Florida Museum’s collections and determined the specimens were all from the late Pleistocene Epoch about 13,000 years ago. While rare earth element analysis method is not as precise as radiocarbon dating, Purdy said the significance of human skeletons found in Vero Beach is unquestionable in terms of their presence in the Western Hemisphere.

“It is important to note that they [the authors] did not provide an absolute or chronometric date, rather the geochemistry shows that the trace elemental geochemistry is the same, thus the bones must be of the same age,” said Kenneth Tankersley, an assistant professor in the University of Cincinnati anthropology and geology departments.

Native fauna during the last ice age ranged from extinct jaguars and saber-toothed cats to shrews, mice and squirrels still present in Florida. Researchers speculate humans would have been wanderers much like the animals because there was less fresh water than in later years, Purdy said.

“Humans would have been following the animals for a food supply, but that’s about all we know,” Purdy said. “We know what some of their tools looked like and we know they were hunting the extinct animals but we know practically nothing about their family life, such as how these ancient people raised their children and grieved for their dead.”..." http://news.ufl.edu/2012/05/03/giant-beasts/

Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08-May-2012 at 13:53

Archaeologists uncover medieval defences on grounds of historic castle


"...Archaeologists have made a surprising discovery on the grounds of an Aberdeenshire castle.

Experts excavating at Fyvie Castle, near Turriff, expected to uncover a 400-year-old garden.

Instead they have discovered what they believe to be an 800-year-old defence system which they believe will help them learn more about the castle's history.

Archaeologist Alison Cameron said: "Initially when I was digging down one of these post holes I found a huge piece of 13th century pottery which I knew hadn't been moved around a lot, so I was thinking there was probably some structure underneath...."http://news.stv.tv/scotland/98218-archaeologists-uncover-medieval-defences-on-grounds-of-historic-castle/

Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08-May-2012 at 13:56

Archaeologists find early Stone Age houses in Prague

"...The Czech Archaeological Society (ČSP) has announced the discovery of the remains of houses dating back more than 7,500 years in the Prague district of Bubeneč, along with a burial site there that is about half as old.

“We have managed to unearth impressions of wooden supporting structures of so-called long houses, typical of the Neolithic period,” said ČSP director and researcher Radek Balý, as cited by the Czech state news agency ČTK. Long houses are typical of the Linear Pottery culture in much of Europe at the time...."http://www.ceskapozice.cz/en/news/society/archaeologists-find-early-stone-age-houses-prague

Back to Top
Don Quixote View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 29-Dec-2010
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4734
  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08-May-2012 at 14:01

First Evidence of a Cult in Judah at Time of King David


"...ScienceDaily (May 8, 2012) — Prof. Yosef Garfinkel, the Yigal Yadin Professor of Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, announced May 8 the discovery of objects that for the first time shed light on how a cult was organized in Judah at the time of King David. During recent archaeological excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa, a fortified city in Judah adjacent to the Valley of Elah, Garfinkel and colleagues uncovered rich assemblages of pottery, stone and metal tools, and many art and cult objects. These include three large rooms that served as cultic shrines, which in their architecture and finds correspond to the biblical description of a cult at the time of King David....
...This discovery is extraordinary as it is the first time that shrines from the time of early biblical kings were uncovered. Because these shrines pre-date the construction of Solomon's temple in Jerusalem by 30 to 40 years, they provide the first physical evidence of a cult in the time of King David, with significant implications for the fields of archaeology, history, biblical and religion studies....

...The biblical tradition presents the people of Israel as conducting a cult different from all other nations of the ancient Near East by being monotheistic and an-iconic (banning human or animal figures). However, it is not clear when these practices were formulated, if indeed during the time of the monarchy (10-6th centuries BC), or only later, in the Persian or Hellenistic eras.

The absence of cultic images of humans or animals in the three shrines provides evidence that the inhabitants of the place practiced a different cult than that of the Canaanites or the Philistines, observing a ban on graven images.

The findings at Khirbet Qeiyafa also indicate that an elaborate architectural style had developed as early as the time of King David. Such construction is typical of royal activities, thus indicating that state formation, the establishment of an elite, social level and urbanism in the region existed in the days of the early kings of Israel. These finds strengthen the historicity of the biblical tradition and its architectural description of the Palace and Temple of Solomon...." http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508103803.htm

Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 4041424344 79>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.56a [Free Express Edition]
Copyright ©2001-2009 Web Wiz

This page was generated in 0.094 seconds.