City of David

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Map from 1888 from Meyer's Konversationslexikon
The City of David in the model of the Israel Museum

The City of David (Hebrew: עיר דוד, Ir David; Arabic:مدينة داوود) is the oldest populated part of Jerusalem and the most important archaeological site of the biblical Jerusalem.

location

The City of David lies on a narrow ridge south of the Jerusalem Temple Mount outside of today's city walls. It is bounded in the north by the Ophel and the Gihon spring , in the south by the pond of Siloam and the Hinnom valley . To the west was the Tyropöontal ( Käsemachertal ), which offered natural protection for defense. Today it is almost leveled by the rubble of the centuries. The Kidron Valley forms the natural border in the east .

history

Archaeological exploration of the area began in the 19th century. The area includes several sites of archaeological interest, most notably the Pond of Siloam , the Gihon Spring and the Hezekiah Tunnel . These are located in an archaeological park and are open to the public. Visitors can wade through the Hezekiah tunnel, through which the water from the old spring still flows.

The earliest excavations were made by Charles Warren in 1867. Since then, numerous excavations have been carried out and are still being carried out today.

Copper Age (4500-3500 BC)

Finds from the Copper Age are pottery shards that were excavated in the crevices of the natural rock by Macalister and Duncan . A number of artificial treatments in the rock were discovered. These included smoothing and gullies cut into the rock, but also several small basins that are believed to have been used for grinding olives or grain or for collecting rainwater.

Early Bronze Age (3500-2350 BC)

Only a few pottery shards from this period have been found.

Middle Bronze Age (2000–1550 BC)

During the Middle Bronze Age , Jerusalem is mentioned several times in Egyptian texts of the 19th and 18th centuries BC. And mentioned in the biblical story of Melchizedek ( Gen 14.18-21  EU ). At this time the city is big and powerful enough to build a "massive" city wall to protect its water supply from the Gihon spring.

Late Bronze Age (1550–1200 BC)

Pottery and bronze arrowheads have been found from the Late Bronze Age .

In 2010 a fragment of a clay tablet from the 14th century BC was found. Excavated. It is the oldest written document from Jerusalem. The dating was based on the old Akkadian cuneiform script . The quality of the writing suggests a royal inscription, possibly a letter from a Jerusalem king to the Pharaoh in Egypt. Against this thesis speaks that the fragment contains neither names, titles nor place names. In addition, the clay tablet cannot be assigned to a specific layer, as it was only discovered when the spoil was sieved.

Iron Age I (1200–1000 BC)

City wall of the Jebusite city

A city ​​wall of the Jebusite city was uncovered from the early Iron Age (12th century BC) . This dating is undisputed. It is disputed whether the conquest by King David's troops only took place over the city walls, or whether, as described in the Bible, it also took place through the old water system at the Gihon spring. It is believed that the Israelites used the intact Jebusite walls and extended them north under King Solomon to include the Temple Mount.

Iron Age II A (1000–925 BC)

Large stone structure of the 10th century BC Chr.

The 10th and 9th centuries BC BC, i.e. the time of the biblical kings David and Solomon, was the subject of an intensive scientific debate and ongoing archaeological research.

In 2005 a large stone structure was discovered. It is dated back to the 10th century BC. Dated. Given that assumption, it would be an indication that Jerusalem was the capital of a centralized empire. But it could also be that the structure is largely attributable to the later Hasmonean period . Further knowledge is expected from the excavation.

Inscription on the lintel in Shebna's tomb

On the slope on the other side of the Kidron Valley in and below the Arab village of Silwan there are rock graves carved from the limestone from the Israelite period from the 9th to 7th centuries BC. These are large, well-worked graves that only the most senior members of society such as ministers, nobles and dignitaries of the Kingdom of Judah could afford. Although only three inscriptions are partially preserved, paleography is certain that one of the tombs is the tomb of the biblical Shebna , the administrator and treasurer of King Hezekiah .

Iron Age II C (700-586 BC)

This is the time of the biblical kings Hezekiah to Joschiah and the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar II. King Hezekiah secured the water supply for the city in the event of a siege by having the Hezekiah tunnel named after him cut through the rock.

Babylonian and Persian Period (586–322 BC)

Two neo-Babylonian style bulls were found. One shows a priest standing next to an altar to the gods Marduk and Nabu . A stone, polished black scarab seal depicting a "Babylonian cultic scene" with two bearded men standing on either side of an altar is dedicated to the Babylonian moon god Sin . The scarab was probably made in Babylonia . Under the altar there is a field for a personal name with the name Shelomit engraved in Hebrew .

Hasmonean and Herod times (167 BC-70 AD)

The most important archaeological excavations of this period include the pond of Siloam, the Jerusalem pilgrimage route , the palace of Queen Helena of Adiabene and a water channel, as well as the Theodotos inscription .

Byzantine and early Islamic period (324-1099 AD)

A mansion from the Byzantine period is called the House of Eusebius .

Modern times

In the middle of the 19th century, the Scot James Graham (1853–1857) took photographs that show the ridge of the City of David without buildings. It is terraced and apparently planted with olive trees.

Modern development on the ridge began in 1873–1874, when the Meyuchas family, a Jewish rabbis and merchant family who had lived in Jerusalem since their expulsion from Spain , settled on the ridge outside the city walls. In the final phase of the League of Nations mandate for Palestine , the neighboring Palestinian village of Silwan expanded onto the ridge of the City of David.

After the Palestine War of 1948, the entire area on the eastern side of the Green Line fell under Jordanian control. Until 1967 Palestinian families settled on the ridge of the City of David . From 1968 to 1977 the Israel Exploration Society carried out the first excavations at the Ophel, led by Benjamin Mazar and Eilat Mazar .

The right to determine both the excavations and the development of the City of David is disputed among Israelis and Palestinians. There is a proposal that most of the Kidron Valley, where Palestinians live, should be converted into an archaeological park called the King's Garden .

In January 2020 archaeologists found parts of an approx. 2000 year old marketplace. As announced by the Israel Antiquities Authority, a measuring table for liquids and several measuring weights have been excavated. From this, the researchers conclude that they found Jerusalem's central market square near today's pilgrimage route in ancient times. This was at an entrance to the Jewish temple.

Web links

Commons : City of David  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Rick Sherrod: Archeology and the City of David. In: The Good News: A Magazine of Understanding. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012 ; accessed on May 20, 2018 (English).
  2. ↑ A complete list of the excavations of the Ottoman period archive link ( Memento of July 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (English), the British Mandate period archive link ( Memento of July 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (English), the Jordanian period archive link ( Memento dated July 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (English) and the early Israeli period archive link ( Memento dated July 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (English) are available on the website of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
  3. ^ A b R. A. Macalister, J. G. Duncan: Excavations on the hill of Ophel, Jerusalem, 1923–1925. London 1926 (English)
  4. ^ Mazar, Eilat: Excavations at the Summit of the City of David, Preliminary Report of Seasons 2005-2007. Shoham, Jerusalem and New York 2009, p. 21 (English)
  5. ^ Eilat Mazar: Excavations at the Summit of the City of David, Preliminary Report of Seasons 2005-2007. Shoham, Jerusalem and New York 2009, p. 23
  6. ^ Eilat Mazar: Excavations at the Summit of the City of David, Preliminary Report of Seasons 2005-2007. Shoham, Jerusalem and New York 2009 (English)
  7. ^ Hartman: Oldest written document ever found in J'lem. In: Jerusalem Post, July 12, 2010.
  8. ↑ 1 Kings 11.27  EU and 1 Chr 11.8  EU
  9. ↑ 2 Sam 5.8  EU
  10. ↑ 1 Kings 9.15  EU
  11. ^ Rachel Ginsberg: The world of archeology is rocked by evidence of King David's palace unearthed in Jerusalem . Aish.com. June 29, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  12. ↑ DER SPIEGEL 46/2016 reports on page 121 under the title Holy Hamlet that, according to research by Klaus Bieberstein, the settlement was barely one hectare in size at David's time and was inhabited by barely 200 people .
  13. ^ Israel Finkelstein , Ze'ev Herzog, Lily Singer-Avitz and David Ussishkin: Has King David's Palace in Jerusalem Been Found? Journal of the Institute of Archeology of Tel Aviv University, 34 (2), 2007, 142-164
  14. ↑ Jerusalem: an archaeological biography, Hershel Shanks , Random House, 1995, p. 80.
  15. ^ Nahman Avigad, Hillel Geva: Jewish Quarter Excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem: The finds from areas A, W and X-2: final report Volume 2 of Jewish Quarter Excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem: Conducted by Nahman Avigad, 1969 -1982. Israel Exploration Society, 2000.
  16. ^ Eilat Mazar: Excavations at the Summit of the City of David, Preliminary Report of Seasons 2005-2007. Shoham, Jerusalem and New York 2009, pp. 77-78.
  17. ^ Mazar, Eilat: Excavations at the Summit of the City of David, Preliminary Report of Seasons 2005-2007 . Shoham, Jerusalem and New York, 2009, p. 78 f.
  18. ^ RA Macalister, JG Duncan: Excavations on the hill of Ophel, Jerusalem, 1923–1925 being the joint expedition of the Palestine Exploration Fund and the 'Daily Telegraph'. London 1926.
  19. ↑ Photos on this in: James Graham, Michael Diness: Picturing Jerusalem. Ed. Nissan N. Perez. Israel Museum, 2007, p. 31
  20. ^ Yemin Moshe: The Story of a Jerusalem Neighborhood. Eliezer David Jaffe, Praeger, 1988, p. 51
  21. ^ Excavations on the South of the Temple mount. The Ophel od Biblical Jerusalem. In: Qedem. Monographs of the Institute of Archeology , The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, No. 29, 1989 ISSN  0333-5844
  22. ↑ Ahdaf Soueif writes on Ir David's settling of Silwan in the Guardian
  23. ^ Abe Selig: Gan Hamelech residents wary of Barkat's redevelopment plan. In: The Jerusalem Post , February 16, 2010.
  24. ↑ Found biblical marketplace in Jerusalem. Israelnetz.de , January 3, 2020, accessed on January 11, 2020 .

Coordinates: 31 ° 46 ′ 17.6 "  N , 35 ° 14 ′ 6.4"  E