Grid 20 – The “Snake Tower”

While Rebekah has been digging to her heart’s content in the Grid 16 step trench, I have been mostly working in Grid 20, which we affectionately refer to as the “Snake Tower.”  As you can imagine, this name has a purpose.  It’s not that it looks like a snake or has some meaningful historical origin, but in recent times a snake or two was spotted when it was being surveyed for excavation, and as with nicknames, it caught on.

Here is a view from down the rampart slope, looking up.

So how does this grid and it’s architecture factor into the history of Ashkelon?  The majority of what you see in the photo is Islamic era construction, some of it possibly Crusader.  This is much later than most of the history we have focused on in this blog related to Ashkelon (apart from historical overviews).  The grids we were in last year were from much earlier time periods (me in Grid 51 Persian layers, Rebekah in Grid 38 Philistine layers).  Grid 20, our “Snake Tower” location, was initiated this year to investigate the latter years of Ashkelon’s fortifications and how they were modified over time during the different Islamic periods (11-12th century A.D.) and the Crusader periods following.

Photo of earlier construction at the base of the tower, explained below.

It is interesting in the photo above, that we actually do tie back to earlier times.  This does not quite not make it back to the Persian period, but the current thought by experts is that you do see some Hellenistic (Greek) wall construction in this photo.  In the center, notice the larger blocks with white lime mortar, extending up to where the current ground level is at the edge of the trench.   The block composition and mortar style is similar to structures found some years ago in Grid 47, where the odeon (small Roman theater) was built on top of previous Hellenistic construction.  Something interesting to think about as we expose this wall and lower layers is how the original digging for the foundations for the larger and taller Islamic wall would have exposed and reused foundational elements of the Hellenistic walls.  This would have happened some 1,000 years after the Greeks were fortifying the site.  As we are digging the site today, it is some 1,000 years after the Muslims and Crusaders were occupying the site.  I wonder if, when the Muslims or Crusaders were digging their foundations, they took a moment to ponder whose wall they were coming down on and thought about it in any way as we do today, asking the questions of “who built this,” and how or why.  Of course, they may have been building as fast as possible to prevent the next invasion.  If in that mode, it does not leave much time for historical reflections.

This is another view of the site, from the top of the ramparts, complete with excavation shades.

Typical excavation tools and setup here

Below is a photo of a wall foundation.  What is interesting here, as with the front of the Snake Tower, is the reuse of ancient columns in medieval architecture.  In the Snake Tower itself, the use of columns looks aesthetic, but would serve as a strengthening component when used at 90 degree angles to the layout of the tower.  However, in the photo below, you can see where columns were used in parallel orientation with a wall foundation, which would actually make the wall less stable, particularity when the mortar begins to chip away.  The wall just behind this, still standing, also has some column use parallel with the wall.  Admittedly, it has been standing for over 1,000 years…so I suppose we owe the design engineers some credit.

Wall Foundation

Why do you want this view?

Sunrise from the “Snake Tower”

In the parting shot for this post, it is apparent why this location was a perfect spot for ancient occupation.  Ashkelon’s ancient ring of sand dunes, with the gaps filled to create the earthen ramparts which still exist and shape the site today, provided an excellent vantage point over the surrounding land.  Philistine or Greek, Islamic Fatimid or Crusader, ancient defenses were all about vantage point.  All directions were visible from Ashkelon’s ramparts, but north and east could particularly be viewed for some distance.  Take away the modern buildings and introduce ancient cropland and barren patches, and you have the view which would have existed for centuries–just change the names of the occupants or the invaders.  But, even though their names changed, through all the transitions, the city name always seemed to stick.  Much like the “Snake Tower” for Grid 20.

Southern Gateways of the Levant, Part 2 — Historical Philistia

Philistia is a rich land, but, in its early history, its population was sporadic at best.  Beginning around the Neolithic period (~8000-4500 BC), very few documented occupations are known, a trend which continued through the Chalcolithic period (~4500-3500 BC).  Most known populations were living on the “fringes” of what is now considered prime land, including the Negev and Judaean Wilderness; though, by the Late Bronze age, the Levant was thoroughly peopled. Egypt often passed through the Philistine gateway to penetrate the Southern Levant, using what is known as the international trunk route, or International Coastal Highway (in time, this would also be called the Way of the Land of the Philistines).  Then, around 1200 BC, Aegean tribes invaded the Nile Delta.  Ramses III repelled them on some level, and the interlopers settled instead in Egypt’s most valuable coastal towns south of Byblos: Gaza and Ashkelon.  These people were known as the Philistines, and adroitly adapted to their new home and opportunities.

Examples of Aegean Influence and Imports in Philistine Pottery (Left to Right): Philistine Monochrome, Cypriot Milk Jar, Another Cypriot Milk Jar, Monochrome Bell Jar Rim and Handle

Products from Philistia eventually appeared all over the known world, as the textile industry flourished with flax and wool work.  Philistia’s access to the Mediterranean also brought harvests of the murex, the mollusk responsible for the highly desired Tyrian purple.  Archaeologists today still unearth the signature Philistine loom weights, as well as other tools for making cloth—tools, dyes, and ceramics all used for spinning and weaving, indicating the textile industry was booming (Ashkelon 1, 204-205).  However, Philistia’s greatest source of wealth and trade were still its roads and coasts.

Ancient Murex Shell found in Iron Age Ashkelon

But, just as the Egyptians lost this region, so would the Philistines.  Assyria seized upon this land of opportunity and stripped it from her former masters.  Then Babylon reared its mighty head.  The juggernaut of antiquity swept through Philistia and wrought havoc, taking advantage of the very roads that had delivered such prosperity.

Ashkelon alone would take almost a century to recover from Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction. Eventually, Philistia prospered again under the Persian Empire until Alexander’s arrival, when he besieged Gaza on his way to Egypt.  After his death until the rise of the Roman Empire, Philistia was again an embattled land as armies crossed and recrossed her while the Seleucids and Ptolemies vied for superiority.  Rome, tired of the squabbling, eventually turned control of Philistia and all Palestine over to the Herodian Dynasty.  Kingdoms would continue to play a territorial tug-of-war after Rome passed away.  The Muslims would seize Philistia during their zealous expansions and the Crusaders, in turn, rolled into Philistia to retake it from the heathen.  From Ottomans to Britain, the State of Israel to Hamas, Philistia has hardly had a moment’s peace since her earliest days in antiquity.

Crusader-Era Wall at Ashkelon

Good resources for historical Philistia can be found in Amihai Mazar’s book Archaeology of the Land of the Bible: 10, 000-586 B.C.E. and details of Philistine material culture are described within Ashkelon excavation reports such as Ashkelon 1 (Cited above, subsection- “Case Study of Indoor Surfaces: A Philistine House.”).  All Ashkelon excavation reports (and other interesting info on Ashkelon) are available online here.

Southern Gateways of the Levant, Part 1 — Geography of Philistia

So, we have been somewhat quiet because we have been busy.  Grad school has not allowed much time for blogging 🙂  However, this semester (and the vagabonding tour) has provided great opportunities to explore the historical geography related to ancient Israel and the Biblical text.  Over this semester, we have visited several “gateways” to the land.  We hope to have a series of multi part posts, detailing a few of these gateways.  Our first one is the Southern Gateways of the Levant, beginning with Philistia.

The Philistia Gateway is part of the bottleneck of routes into and out of Egypt.  It is arguably the most important of all the routes of the Southern Levant—and mostly because the empires of the ancient world made it so in their desire to conquer the oldest and most prestigious empire of antiquity.

Philistia in Israel’s Coastal Plain region is a veritable variety show of rock and soil types. Much of the coastal plain proper is made up of dunes, both young dunes that create a rather inconvenient barrier along the sea, and ancient dunes that have solidified into kurkar. On the east, along the hotly contested boundary between ancient Philistia and Judah, the region is bounded by the rugged Cenomanian limestone (sometimes referred to as “Jerusalem Stone“), that makes up the hills of Judah and the smoother Eocene limestone lowlands of the Shephelah. Between these formations runs the Senonian chalk trough, which helped block much of Philistia’s intrusions into the Judaean Hills. This chalk addition also creates an erosion paradise in the coastal plain, as the terra rosa and rendinza soils of the Cenomanian and Sinonian rocks mix with the earthy Eocene brown forest soil.

Ancient kurkar dune beneath Tel Ashkelon

Thus, the line of Philistia is made up rich alluvial soil, pure along its eastern border, and then mixed with the sandy dunes, coating the grains of kurkar to create brown-red sands. The result of this unique combination of soil types creates a region highly conducive to agriculture, where roots could grow deep and strong in the loose, fertile ground. Produce such as cereals abound, as well as vineyards—indeed, Philistia and especially Ashkelon were renowned across the world of antiquity for their famous wine. However, food crops were not the only yield of Philistia. The coastal geology also invited flax, and the broad, open plains could also be used for animal husbandry. Such tradable products as dairy, wool, meat, wine, and linen meant the citizens of Philistia were able to enjoy the material wealth of the ancient world.

The Shephelah is still important for agriculture today

None of this luxury would be possible, though, without rain. Regular precipitation is crucial to farmlands, and Philistia’s proximity to the Mediterranean guaranteed a much more dependable rainfall than the territories further east and south. Its temperate climate also contributed to the land’s health, where plants and animals would not be subjected to the same deadly cold the northern and mountainous regions could experience. Once again, the nearby sea would protect gardens in the summer as the humidity maintained crucial moisture in the otherwise dry air.

Further south in Philistia, where it intercepts with the desert, the light loess soil provided her with further opportunity. Loess, a pale and dusty soil made of loam and silt carried by the wind from the Sinai, is good, but only with enough moisture—and both the Philistines and later Nabateans seemed to know how to add just the right amount of the necessary water. Ashkelon’s wine often came from the desert vineyards irrigated using technology long forgotten, and beautiful mosaics show donkeys and camels carrying the curiously shaped pithoi (storage jars) to the city.

Some agriculture carried out in the transition between Negev and Coastal Plain of Philistia

Philistia’s geology also shaped its geography. The broad, coastal plains and low hills, as well as the broad, open valleys (emeks) belonging to Eocene formations were ideal for travel. Sources of fresh water were not difficult to find, further encouraging passage. From earliest known times, the international trunk route wove its twin ways along Philistia’s coastline on the west and through the Shephelah to the east on its way from Egypt to Syria and beyond. Her value was not measured solely for her inland charms, though. Here and there, her coastal dunes gave way and great port cities, such as Gaza and Ashkelon, which rose up to welcome travellers by sea, even despite the Southern Mediterranean’s straight-line coast. Her five greatest cities, the famous Pentapolis (Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, Gath, Gaza), each served as a gateway in its own right. Gaza opened the doors of the Southern Levant to her long-time master, Egypt. Ashkelon opened Palestine to seafarers from all over the Mediterranean—Phoenicia, Egypt, and the Aegean—and exchanged riches with them. Ashdod intercepted caravans journeying from Damascus as they descended on Egypt. Across the plain, Ekron and Gath stood guard over the inland branch of the coastal highway, as well as east-west roads leading across the hill country to the Trans-Jordan and the King’s Highway. It is this combination of sea access and inland routes that brought Philistia together with her southwestern partner, the Negev, and seduced many an empire to vie for control of her riches and her access to Egypt and the world beyond.

Coastal Plain of Philistia

A few good general resources on the geology and geography of Philistia, and ancient Israel in general, are James Monson’s “Geobasics in the Land of the Bible” (more geological detail) and “Regions on the Run, Introductory Map Studies in the Land of the Bible,” (more on geography, regions, and trade routes).  Also, visiting the land is quite helpful as well.  And of course, any Biblical text referring to the lands of Philistia, where geographical details can be gleaned.

Temple Mount: Past and Present

One of the lessons we have learned during our stay here is that Israel is an incredibly beautiful land, but it’s also an incredibly complex land. Politics and religion are deeply intertwined. If you want to garner an emotional response, just ask someone how they feel about the Palestinian State or the Temple Mount.

On the topic of Palestine: We’re reserving that for our icebreaker the next time we want to make everyone uncomfortable at a party.

But, a few weeks ago, we mentioned a bit of the history of the Temple Mount, and we thought we’d go a bit more in depth about its past.

The Modern-Day Temple Mount

We’re first introduced to the Temple Mount as we know it in II Chronicles 3:1, when Solomon builds his incredible temple where his father David had purchased Ornan’s threshing floor. This served two purposes: it reinforced the sacredness of the site where the destroying angel appeared to David, and his actions that stopped the plague. It also bolstered Jerusalem’s defenses—the City of David was heavily fortified, but weak to the north due to the rise of Mt. Moriah above it. An enemy could easily come down the slope against the city. The Temple Mount served as an added fortification, made all the stronger by the Divine Presence within. However, we know that same Divine Presence soon fled the temple, and it was destroyed and rebuilt, only to be rebuilt then destroyed again in 70 AD. Today, you can still see the huge stones Herod the Great used to build the Temple Mount (some as long as 49 feet), which make credible Josephus’s description of a temple of epic proportions.

One of the Temple Mount stones. This one is around 24 feet long. The longest known measures 49 feet.

Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem, and successfully triggered another revolt when he built a temple to himself and Jupiter on the ruined Temple Mount.  Later, in the 4^th century AD, the Jews were allowed to again rebuild their temple. The great earthquake in 363 halted those efforts. But this did not stop them from performing sacrifices on all that was left—the great foundation stone upon which tradition says Abraham sacrificed Isaac.

The foundation stone, beneath the Dome of the Rock

During the Byzantine era, the Neo-Persian Empire retook Palestine and granted the Jews freedom to rebuild their temple. Then that was scrapped when they handed control of Jerusalem over to the Christians who, in the nature of good sports, kindly tore down the new construction and made it a garbage dump. Which is how it remained until the Muslim period. As soon as Caliph Omar captured Jerusalem in 637 AD, he made a beeline for the Temple Mount with his advisor. This converted rabbi had him build a monument over what he believed to the be the Temple’s Holy of Holies, and later where Mohammed ascended to Heaven to speak to God.  This also happened to be the same bedrock on which Jews had sacrificed before.  In 691 AD, the general structure of the Dome of the Rock was built over the sacred foundation stone, all based on the Byzantine architecture of the nearby Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  The Golden Dome as we know it now was renovated in the early 90s to include the gold-plated roof tiles, donated by Jordan’s King Hussein, who personally funded the project by selling one of his grand palaces in Britain.

Dome of the Rock

The Quran and attending traditions say the Temple Mount was the “Farthest Mosque” to which Muhammad traveled in one night as part of a miracle. To further commemorate this event, the Al-Aqsa mosque was added to the Mount in 705, after which man vied with nature to rebuild each time one of several earthquakes would take it down, until 1033. In 1099, the Crusaders took Jerusalem and converted the Al-Aqsa into a church (naturally), and then the Ottoman Turks reconverted it into a mosque (naturally) when the Crusaders were driven out. It is said to be an architectural carbon copy of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque

Control of the Temple Mount more or less remained in the hands of the Muslims, with access being restricted or granted depending on who was in charge, whether Britain, Jordan, or Israel. After the 6-Day War in 1967, Israel granted control of the Temple Mount as a waqf, or sacred donation to Islam, to help establish better relations with the Arab community. Today, orthodox Jews do not ascend the Temple Mount, because the location of the Holy of Holies is unknown—and thus, the whole Mount is holy. For other visitors, modesty is strictly enforced, and religious symbols or texts (crosses, Bibles, Stars of David) are strictly forbidden. If you don’t want to go all the way up, you can visit the Western Wall or just sit on the southern steps and imagine throngs of the faithful going up to honor their religious obligations.

Shanah Tovah!

Since we started school here in Jerusalem, our September has been punctuated by near-weekly holidays. Many of these appear in the Old Testament, and it’s interesting to see them celebrated still.

We started our semester at the beginning of September with Rosh haShanah, the Feast of the Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25). The holiday begins with a series of shofar (ram’s horn trumpet) blasts. Not only does this mark the beginning of a new year, but it is also when Jewish tradition says God rises up as a judge and determines each person’s fate and fortune for the year. You will often find four main foods on a traditional Rosh haShanah table: apples and honey to dip the apples in (for a sweet year), pomegranates (for abundance), and a fish head (for staying…ahead).

The end of Rosh haShanah begins the 10 Days of Repentance, in which you try to atone for the sins you have committed by meditating, apologizing, and donating to charity. Then comes Yom Kippur (Leviticus 23:26-32), when God will decide if you have atoned properly enough to make it into the Book of Life for another year. For a 25-hour period, healthy adults must abstain from any form of work and observe a complete fast, including water.

Once Yom Kippur ends (mid-September, this year), the 7 days of Sukkot begin. To show how serious you are about pleasing God, the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-43) is entered into with festive zeal. Some folks will live in these pavilions, which are usually now made of tarp and PVC (with palm branches on top). Most will just eat in them, though. Restaurants will even build sukkots for their observing patrons. Prayers are said while waving the Four Species—palm, myrtle, and willow branches, and a citron (like a big lemon). The seventh day is when God writes your name in the book or not, so this is your last chance to be sorry.

The Western Wall was busy, but hungry visitors could eat in the large sukka in the plaza. You could also see a variety of sukkot on college campuses, restaurants, and balconies.

Simchat Torah is the 8^th day of Sukkot, in which the Torah is brought out and everyone celebrates. The last bit of Deuteronomy is read in the yearly reading cycle, immediately followed by Genesis 1 to start the cycle over again. Much dancing is involved—both with one another and with the Torah itself.

Other holidays include Hanukkah in late November or early December, an 8-day celebration of the Maccabean victory, and God’s hand in helping the cleansing of the Temple. Then there’s Purim in February or March, to celebrate Esther’s successful campaign to save her people. This is a time to enjoy food and give gifts. Some traditions also say you should drink enough alcohol that you can’t tell the difference between cursing Haman and blessing Mordecai; others, just till you fall asleep.

Passover (Pesach) in late March or April is the classic celebration of Israel’s deliverance from captivity, in which all leavening is purged from the home for 7 days (Leviticus 23:4-8). On the first night, everyone has unleavened bread, bitter herbs, and four cups of wine. Prayers follow. So does the counting of Omar—49 days are counted before…

Grain ready for harvest (photo courtesy of Steve Klein)

…Shavuot! In May or June, the Feast of First Fruits (Leviticus 23:9-14) celebrates the end of the grain harvest, which began on Passover, and is the day that observers would have brought their tithe to the Temple. As the language transitioned from Hebrew to Greek in the first century, this day became known as Pentecost. A day of first fruits, indeed.

Jerusalem, Western Wall and the Temple Mount

We have been in Jerusalem a little over a week now.  The first half of this time was spent using Jerusalem as a base for exploring areas of the Shephelah and slightly beyond.  The past few days we have been in the Old City, exploring all its “nooks and crannies” (and wow, are there a lot of them).

Western Wall and the Temple Mount

This shot was taken a few nights ago of the Western Wall and Dome of the Rock together.  This view is interesting in having two iconic holy sites, one for Judaism (the wall), and one for Islam (the dome), so close together.  The contents of the dome also have significance for both of them, as well.

First, the construction of the wall is interesting in that it is part of a retaining wall holding up the base of the Temple Mount.  This retaining wall is from the “Second Temple,” as it is commonly called, reconstructed by Herod the Great (around 19 B.C., possibly finished at a later time).  The actual upper surface of the Temple Mount is not to be accessed by observant Jews, as somewhere on this upper surface, the actual temple would have resided.  This temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.  Not knowing the exact location of the temple and it holy places may cause one to tread upon the sacred ground only the High Priest could access.  At a minimum, there are also purification practices which must take place before entering the temple area.  Modern secular Jews can ascend to the Temple Mount freely, if they desire.

Given these conditions, this is why the wall has become the active sacred worship site for modern observant Jews.

Western Wall

Next, the Temple Mount and Islam.

Up on the temple mount, there are quite a few items central to modern Islam.  First, what is said to be the most photographed icon of Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock.

Dome of the Rock

Contained within this dome lies a section of ancient chiseled bedrock, commonly called the “Foundation Stone.”  This stone actually has significant traditional meaning to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  For Judaism, some believe this is the actual location of the Most Holy Place of the destroyed temple.  For Christianity, if this is the temple location, is bears significance because of the visits Jesus paid to the temple grounds.  For many in Islam, it is from this spot that Muhammad ascended into heaven.  The qualifiers of “some” and “many” are used here.  If you do any reading on these traditions, you will see that there is debate among members of all these religions as to exactly where and how all of these events transpired for their respective traditions.  Also, there are many (many) more traditions associated with these spots, these are just the most well known.

To refocus on Islam and the Temple Mount – today when you visit or read about the Temple Mount, it is usually the Islamic history and culture that is noticed and pondered.  The Temple Mount is actually under control of an Islamic Waqf (an Islamic Trust), while Israeli police provide security for the site.  Because of this, along with the presence, design, and artistry of the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam comes to the forefront when visiting the Temple Mount.  The Al-Aqsa Mosque is located across from the Dome of the Rock.  It is one of the world’s oldest mosques and is considered the third holiest site of Islam.  It has a capacity for over 5,000 worshipers and has held its historical significance in Islam since the late 7th century A.D.

Al-Aqsa Mosque

These icons are some of the foremost to the world’s major religions.  They provide an interesting backdrop to these cultures that can at times be so different, yet share the same icons, and find themselves at such a close proximity.

A Day in Bet She’an

The ancient city of Bet She’an (Beit Shean, Beth Shean, Beth Shan, Bethshean, etc.) first appears in the Biblical narrative during the period of conquest, when the city was given to Manasseh as part of her territory. The tell is beautifully strategic, located at the junction of the Jezreel and Jordan Valleys and commanding a fantastic view of the surrounding countryside. However, Manasseh allowed this fortress city to slip through her fingers due to the iron chariots of the Canaanite inhabitants.

Bet She’an at the Junction of the Jezreel and Jordan Valleys, Taken from Gilboa

What Manasseh gave up, the Philistines were happy to take. In I Samuel 29, the Philistines gear up at Aphek for another row with the Israelites. This is where they rather irritably sent David, their supposed ally, away. The battle against Israel was brutal, and, in I Samuel 31, the royal family falls at Mt. Gilboa. In triumph, the Philistines hang the headless bodies of Saul, Jonathan, and the rest on the fortress walls at Beth Shan. The men of Jabesh Gilead recalled Saul’s kindness and removed the bodies in the night—a valiant deed, as they covered miles of open territory and scaled the side of a fortified and guarded city. David would go on to take Beth Shean and Solomon would place the city under the administration of Baana.

Israelite Fortress at the Summit of Bet She’an

Time passed, and Beth Shean eventually came under the control of Alexander the Great, who settled his garrison of Scythians here, thus changing its name to Scythopolis. The city would later be caught in the crossfire between the Ptolemies and Seleucids, and Josephus gives the account that High Priest Jonathan was kidnapped there and later murdered—one of the events leading to the Maccabean Revolt. In 63 BC, Pompey gathered Beth Shean under his wings as a city of the Decapolis. It was beautified, with theaters, amphitheaters, a cardo, bathhouses, and a rather nice public toilet.

At Look at Scythopolis from the Tell

Beth Shean was never really abandoned over the millennia, though the site of many a bloody conflict, even through the 21^st century. Today, the tell can still be seen for miles around, just south of the Spring of Harod.

Bet She’an over Ancient Scythopolis

Arbel, Tiberus, Hazor, Nazareth, Jezreel Valley, Tel Jezreel, Bet Shean, Qumran, En Gedi (Photo Summary for the past week, last Tuesday – this Wednesday)

We have been covering a lot of ground over the past week, mostly in northern Israel, but some in the south as well.

Here are some photo highlights.

Mt. Arbel, in Northern Israel-
This is one of the interesting features on the northwestern shores of the Sea of Galilee.  It pairs with Mt. Nitia to form a pass which has been used over the ages to pass from areas west of Galilee (such as Nazareth) to the sea and locations north of the sea, such as Capernaum.  The first photo is from the top of Arbel, looking down on the Sea of Galilee and the second photo looks from Arbel across the pass to Mt. Nitia.  You can see the trail going around Arbel disappearing around the side of the mountain where the cliff drops off to the pass in the valley floor.

From Mt. Arbel, overlooking the Sea of Galilee

Looking from Mt. Arbel across the pass to Mt. Nitia

Tiberias Mosque, in the city of Tiberius on the west central shores of the Sea of Galilee –
While not ancient, this beautiful old Mosque stands tucked away in one of the shopping centers of Tiberias, one block from the sea-front promenade.  It is the Al-Amari mosque, built in the 1730s. Tradition holds that its construction was funded by the local Jewish population, who was thankful for the sheik’s protection.  Had we not stumbled through a corridor looking for a shortcut, we would have never known it was there.

Al-Amari mosque, in Tiberias.

Tel Hazor, ancient mound north of the Galilee region-
This tel is packed with many good layers of ancient history and is mentioned numerous times in Old Testament accounts.  This first photo is of current excavations going on there.  Wish the excavation crew had been there so we could ask them about the walls in the photo (we were there in the afternoon, while most dig sites are active in the morning).  The second photo is looking out of the Solomonic gates at Hazor.  These gates date to the 10th century B.C. and are similar to those found at Megiddo and Gezer.

Excavations at Hazor

Solomonic Gates at Hazor

Nazareth, Central Northern Israel, on the northern edge of the Jezreel valley-
We briefly popped into the city of Nazareth.  Most people visit Nazareth and its large churches built over “Holy sites;” however, we were looking for excavations unearthed just a few years ago with
construction of a new building.  The excavations are pictured below and show 1st century architecture (contemporary with the time of Jesus).

First-Century Dwelling at Nazareth

Jezreel Valley-
View of the Jezreel Valley from the El-Muhraqa (Carmelite) monastery. The Jezreel Valley is the defining feature which cuts at a southwest angle across the northern portion of Israel.  Many accounts of ancient history play out in this valley as it creates a focal point of travel, trade routes, and military movement throughout ancient (and modern) history.

View of the Jezreel valley a few miles from the coast

Bet She’an, at the southeast end of the Jezreel Valley, bordering the Jordan River valley-
With extensive occupation from Canaanite to Byzantine times, and times in-between (Egyptian influence, Philistine, Israelites, Greek/Hellenstic, Romans) this is an impressive ancient site with vast remains at the bottom of the tel, mostly from the Greeks and Romans. From Roman baths, to colonnaded streets, to a theater with seating for 7,000, this ancient city has it all.  This photo is from the tel (Canaanite/Israelite portion) looking down on the Greek/Roman/Byzantine remains.

View from the tel at Bet She’an, looking down at mostly Hellenistic and Roman ruins

Tel Jezreel-
On the southern edge of the Jezrell Valley, just up the valley from Bet She’an, is the ancient tel of Jezreel.  Unlike many of the popular sites, this tel is not in a controlled access national park, it’s just
a roadside stop.  We walked around on the top of this site (now a cow pasture) looking at what ruins were there.  Here is a photo of some of the ruins on the tel (not sure what they are or what time period they are from).  After the fact, we found out that there were current excavations going on this year, concerning Iron Age areas of the tel. We certainly didn’t come across recent excavations where we were walking around.  Many, including those who have excavated here in the past, associate this tel with the Iron Age settlement associated with Jezreel of the Biblical account, connected to Ahab, Jezebel, and Jehu, all of the Divided Kingdom period of Israel’s history.

Ruins at Tel Jezreel

Qumran, on the top of the western edge of the Dead Sea-
After this we wrapped up our travels in the northern part of the country and move south (directionally and elevation), down to the Dead Sea.  Our first stop was Qumran, where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  Below is the typical cave photo you see from the Qumran National Park.

Qumran Cave

Ein Gedi, moving down the western Dead Sea coast-
Our next stop the following day was the springs of Ein Gedi.  This is often associated with the Wilderness of Engedi, where Saul and David had interaction in 1 Samuel 23 & 24.  It is also mentioned at later times in other sources, such as Josephus, when he talks about the siege at Masada, mentioning other villages that were plundered about the same time.  The terrain here is rugged and the springs and waterfalls bring an oasis to the desert.  The first photo is from the top of the largest waterfall in the series of waterfalls in the national park of Ein Gedi (this is a lot higher than it looks in the photo, note the Dead Sea in the distance….it’s hazy, but you can see it).  The water is flowing just under the first photo and the second photo is the view from the bottom of the falls.  It was about a 45-minute hike up to the top, not bad, except that it was up the side of the ravine and it was about 90 degrees (at 8 a.m.).  By the time we were done with our 4-hour hike around the park, it was about 100
degrees (12:30 p.m.).

View of the Wadi David at En Gedi, looking toward the Dead Sea (standing just above the “David Falls”)

View of the waterfall from the bottom

It was a busy week, to say the least 🙂

Jaffa: From Egyptian Basket Cases to Napoleon’s Backfired Plan

It’s difficult to throw a rock in Israel and not hit a site that is deeply steeped in history. Such is the city of Jaffa (Joppa), which dates back to the Neolithic Period around 7500 BC. Jaffa is first mentioned in an Egyptian tale now known as The Taking of Joppa from around 1440 BC. This letter describes how Thutmose III’s general, Djehuty infiltrated the city by hiding his soldiers in baskets and passing said baskets off as gifts to the governor. Jaffa again makes Egyptian headlines in the Amarna letters, written between 1388 and 1332 BC. Ramses II even had a fort here in the 13^th century.

Jaffa, with Andromeda’s Rock

Around the 13^th century, Israel appeared on the scene. Joshua 19:46 tells us that the tribe of Dan placed its borders against Japho. But, in the 12^th century, the Sea People (remember our friends the Philistines?) leave a great destruction layer in the city’s stratigraphy. It is around this time and place the Aegean myth arises of Perseus’ rescue of Andromeda from the clutches of the spiteful gods. Tradition has it that he swept her off her feet at the port of Jaffa. Later on, Huram, king of Tyre, would send Solomon cedars of Lebanon through the Jaffa port for the building of the temple. However, the port city never returned to Israelite control. The invading Assyrians placed Jaffa under the protection of Ashkelon, until it came under Phoenician control in the Persian Empire. During the Assyrian occupation, an opinionated prophet named Jonah took a notion to escape an omniscient God by using Jaffa as a jumping off point in a trip to Tarshish.

Downtown Jaffa

Jaffa spent the better part of the Hellenistic period in a tug of war between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid empire. After a bit of destruction by the Maccabees, it would find itself in the hands of Herod, then Cleopatra, then Herod again. By the New Testament period, things had settled down a bit. Peter was called to Joppa to return the faithful Tabitha to life. While he was there, in the house of Simon the tanner, Cornelius sent for him from Caesarea Maritima.

Market at Jaffa by Gustav Bauernfeind, 1887

Jaffa clung to history for years to come, surviving captures, recaptures, and destructions to prevent captures and recaptures (the Crusaders and Arabs tended towards that habit). Napoleon even took a crack at it 1799, until the bubonic plague ended that endeavor. It wasn’t until the 1950s that everyone got their act together and unified Jaffa and Tel Aviv into the Tel Aviv-Yafo that we know and love today.

Jaffa in the Evening

Project #2: Vagabonding in Israel for 40 Days (or So)

Picture of the Temple Mount from a south view. You may have to click to see the larger image, but from left to right you can see the Temple Mount, with the Old City walls below it, the Kidron Valley, and then the Mount of Olives (green clump of trees on the right). This shot was from June 14th, on a field trip/break day from the dig.

So you may remember from our first post from back in June, as we ramped up the blog again, we had a few “projects” coming up.  Digging in Ashkelon was #1, vagabonding in Israel for about a month is #2.

How did this project develop?  Project #1 is part of a larger endeavor, which will keep us here in Israel until December (more on that later, Project #3).  Project #2 is the in-between time of projects 1&3, about 40 days.

We faced the question of what to do with those 40 days.  Round-trip plane tickets home?  Sounds logical, but as we looked at that price, the question became, “Could we stay in-country for that or less, and visit the major sites in Israel relevant to the Biblical text?” This would be the ancient cities and tells (ancient mounds), not just popular tourist sites, although some of them are.  A little number crunching indicated that it would be close, assuming we used small hotels, hostels, and perhaps even a Bedouin tent :), and in general, lived life on the cheap.

While we dearly love our families, and desire greatly to see you all soon, you know the adventurous spirits we are. Project # 2 it is.

So, while the sun sets on the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon, the sun rises on explorative vagabonding in Israel.

Sunset on the ancient seaport beach of Ashkelon.

Hopefully, we will be able to keep you more up to date with Project #2, as our schedule will be a little more flexible and not quite so intense.