Livni

23.9 - 2,000 year old mikveh (ritual bath) uncovered in the temple mount

September 23, 2009 JERUSALEM

A mikveh from the end of the Second Temple period was uncovered in excavations in the Western Wall tunnels. The mikveh was discovered inside the western hall of a structure discovered about 66 feet or 20 meters from the Western Wall. According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, the 2,000-year-old ritual bath is among the most magnificent structures from the Second Temple period ever to be uncovered.

The structure currently being excavated by the authority is comprised of three halls and may be the bureau in which the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court at the time of the Second Temple, would convene.

The edifice is built of very delicately dressed ashlar stones and the architectural decoration in it is of the highest quality. From an architectural and artistic standpoint there are similarities between this structure and the three magnificent compounds that King Herod built on the Temple Mount, in the Cave of the Patriarchs and at Allonei Mamre, and from which we can conclude the great significance that this building had in the Second Temple period.

In his book The War of the Jews, Josephus Flavius writes there was a government administrative center that was situated at the foot of the Temple. Among the buildings he points out in this region were the council house and the “Xistus”- the ashlar bureau. According to the Talmud it was in this bureau that the Sanhedrin – the Jewish high court at the time of the Second Temple – would convene. It may be that the superb structure the Israel Antiquities Authority is presently uncovering belonged to one of these two buildings.

According to archaeologist Alexander Onn, director of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “It is interesting to see that in the middle of the first century CE they began making changes in this magnificent structure – at that time it was no longer used as a government administrative building and a large mikveh was installed where 11 steps that descend to the immersion pool. Jerusalem grew in this period and it became necessary to provide for the increased ritual bathing needs of the pilgrims who came to the Temple in large numbers, especially during the three pilgrimage festivals (Shlosha Regalim). Immersing oneself in the mikveh and maintaining ritual purity were an inseparable part of the Jewish way of life in this period, and mikveot were absolutely essential, especially in the region of the Temple.”

Livni

Hebrew University: english/hebrew lecture and press conference about the find of 120 coins from the Bar Kokhba Revolt era in Judean Hills caves (youtube/edu)



http://www.skyscraperlife.com/1004055-post3.html

Livni

14.10 1,700 year old footprints discovered under Lod mosaic

Ancient footprints of the artisans who built a 1,700-year-old mosaic floor in the city of Lod were discovered recently by the Israel Antiquities Authority. required to preserve and display it. It was recently uncovered again, with the aim of opening the site to the public.

The mosaic floor is one of the biggest and most remarkable mosaics discovered in Israel. Spanning 180 square meters, it is composed of colorful and detailed depictions of animals, plants and boats. The impressive mosaic, discovered in 1996, is believed to have decorated the home of a wealthy man during the Roman period. Following the discovery of the mosaic, it was covered back up due to lack of resources the public, after the Antiquities Authority and Lod municipality were able to raise the funds.

While working on detaching the mosaic from the ground, Antiquities Authority workers discovered the footprints and sandal prints on the plaster bedding below. Experts believe the prints belong to the builders of the mosaic, and further speculate that they had used their feet to pack the plaster.
Sandal prints in sizes 34, 37, 42 and 44 were discovered that resemble modern sandals.

"We were very excited," said Jacques Neguer, head of the IAA Art Conservation Branch. "It is fascinating to find 1,700-year-old personal evidence of people who, just like us, worked on this very mosaic. You can really feel the generational continuity."

A recent, highly generous gift from the Leon Levy Foundation and Shelby White - Chairman of the Friends of the of the Israel Antiquities Authority, will enable the IAA to excavate, conserve and establish the Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center on the site.

The mosaic is made up of more than 2 million small stones. Conservation and development work are scheduled to take approximately two years. During that period, and because of the rarity and exceptional quality of the find, a section of the mosaic will be sent on exhibit to the prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. During this time the planning and implementation work will carried out at the site in Lod, at the end of which the mosaic will be returned to its permanent home and the site will be opened to the public.

Livni

8.11.2009 Remains of 3600 year old Minoan Fresco Found at Tel Kabri

Remnants of a Minoan fresco – the first of its kind ever discovered by archaeologists in Israel – were found at the Tel Kabri excavations this past excavation season. Minoan wall paintings are typified by a blue background. The fresco joins other Aegean-style paintings found in the ancient Canaanite palace in the tel. “The city's rulers did not to adopt a Mesopotamian art style like other cities in Canaan,” said Dr. Assaf Yasur Landau of Haifa University, who led the dig.
Tel Kabri, located near Kibbutz Kabri near Nahariya, contains the remains of a Canaanite city from the Middle Bronze Era (2000-1550 BCE). At its center stood the palace of the city's rulers. It was the most important city in the western Galilee in that era. Excavations at the location began in the 1980s under Prof. Aharon Kempinsky and were halted in 1993. In recent years, more digging is being carried out by Prof. Landau and Prof. Eric Cline of George Washington University.
Tel Kabri is unique in that after it was abandoned, no other city was built on top, making it the only such city that can be excavated in its entirety. “The preservation of the city at Tel Kabri permits us to get a full picture of political and social life in the Canaanite era,” said Dr. Landau.




Tel Aviv University - Excavating Kabri

חוקרים מהאוניברסיטה מצאו ציור בן 3,600 שנה בארמון הכנעני בתל כברי, שהראה כי גם אז השאיפה הייתה להידמות למערב
חוקרים מאוניברסיטת חיפה שערכו סדרת חפירות בתל כברי, מצאו בחפירה שנערכה לאחרונה ציור בן 3,600 שנה. מדובר בשרידים של ציור קיר בסגנון מינואי, הראשון מסוגו שנמצא בארץ.
ציור זה מצטרף לציורים אחרים בסגנון אגאי, שכבר נמצאו בעונות קודמות בארמון הכנעני העתיק שבתל.
החוקרים שהתייחסו לתגלית המרעישה, טענו כי זו הוכחה כי הכנענים ביקשו לצייר כמו באירופה, ולא כמו שנהוג היה לדוגמה בסוריה.
"אין ספק שמדובר בהחלטה מודעת של שליטי העיר להשתייך לתרבות הים תיכונית ולא לאמץ סגנון אומנותי סורי ומסופוטמי, כמו שעשו ערים אחרות בכנען. גם הכנענים ישבו בלבנט ורצו להרגיש באירופה", אמר ד"ר אסף יסעור לנדאו מהאוניברסיטה, שהוביל את החפירה.