The ancient urban total of Maresha (located side past times side to Beth Guvrin) contains some of the richest archaeological finds inwards State of Israel from the Hellenistic Period (ca. 3-2nd centuries BCE), a fourth dimension when the urban total was a major crossroads as well as commercial center. Discoveries at Maresha request keep illuminated how the region’s various cultures as well as ethnic groups interacted. The urban total was conquered inwards 107 BCE, past times the Maccabean King John Hyrcanus I.
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One of 7 newly discovered rooms inwards a subterranean complex inwards the Hellenistic-era urban total of Maresha, near Beit Guvrin [Credit: Asaf Stern] |
Maresha was kickoff excavated inwards 1900 past times Bliss as well as Macalister on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund. In 1988 Dr. Amos Kloner of the State of Israel Antiquities Authority as well as Bar Ilan University returned to the site, working at that topographic point until 2000. Since 2000, the Maresha expedition has been headed past times Dr. Ian Stern, along alongside Bernie Alpert, of Archaeological Seminars Institute (ASI) as well as Hebrew Union College (HUC) inwards coordination alongside the State of Israel Antiquities Authority as well as the State of Israel Nature as well as Parks Authority.
Maresha is straightaway a national commons as well as a UNESCO footing heritage site, best known for the thousands of subterranean caves as well as chambers that underlie the remains of the ancient Hellenistic city. This wondrous, mysterious, cloak-and-dagger urban total is a favorite finish for household unit of measurement outings, tourist visits as well as schoolhouse trips. Hundreds of thousands of people request keep excavated the caves alongside ASI’s “Dig for a Day” program. Many of the discoveries request keep been astonishing.
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The clay impression of a human face upward used to seal 2,000-year-old documents was discovered inwards August 2018 at the Maresha excavations equally purpose of a trove of 1,020 sealings [Credit: Asaf Stern] |
Last month, piece excavating inwards i of the subterranean complexes, the ASI-HUC squad of archaeologists uncovered an opening inwards the side wall of i of the caves. This is e'er an exciting “Indiana Jones” moment; the squad would live entering unknown, as well as hopefully, untouched territory. These rooms had non been touched for to a greater extent than or less ii millenniums.
Initial exploration revealed 7 rooms containing both broken as well as consummate pottery vessels strewn over the surface. Most of these vessels were dated to the Hellenistic period—familiar cloth to the ASI-HUC squad from the previous decades of digging at Maresha. But it was before long evident these rooms had been disturbed inwards antiquity. Walls had been breached or broken as well as trenches had been dug.
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The clay impression of a human face upward used to seal 2,000-year-old documents was discovered inwards August 2018 at the Maresha excavations equally purpose of a trove of 1,020 sealings [Credit: Asaf Stern] |
Among the many Hellenistic menstruum vessels were ii stone oil lamps as well as a casserole dish from the Roman period. These afterward remains stood out since the urban total had been abandoned ca. 107 BCE as well as afterward remains are rare. Since a position out of subterranean complexes inwards the portion had been utilized during the Bar Kochba revolt (132-135 CE), this led us to believe that these rooms perchance served equally a refuge for the Jewish population inwards the surface area during that rebellion.
One modest room had been overlooked during our initial survey. Upon a provide visit, Asaf Stern, the ASI-HUC champaign photographer, entered the room for a closer hold back alongside proper lighting. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 infinitesimal afterward he scrambled out trembling alongside excitement. On the floor, amid a grouping of large broken storage jars, lay to a greater extent than than 1000 clay bullae, or sealings (bullae is plural for bulla). These unfired bullae sealed the knots of twine binding papyrus scrolls—hundreds of them--that did non live on their 2000 years inwards the caves’ moist atmosphere.
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The outlines of papyrus is flora on the dorsum of i of the 1,020 uncovered clay sealings flora at 7 newly discovered rooms of a subterranean complex inwards the ancient Hellenistic-era urban total of Maresha, near Beit Guvrin [Credit: Asaf Stern] |
The imprint of the string as well as the impression of the papyrus is nonetheless visible on many of the bullae. If a seal was broken the recipient of a document would request keep known that the contents had already been read. The unfired sealings are extremely frail as well as each was carefully collected as well as brought to the labs of the State of Israel Antiquities Authority inwards Jerusalem.
One of the world’s leading experts on such bullae, Dr. Donald Ariel of the State of Israel Antiquities Authority, examined a batch of 300. The images on the sealings include Greek deities such equally Athena, Apollo, as well as Aphrodite equally good equally cornucopia, erotica, animals, as well as more. His initial impression is that the bullae stand upward for a really large mortal archive.
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Smashed pottery as well as dozens of clay sealings flora inwards i of the 7 newly discovered rooms of a subterranean complex inwards the ancient Hellenistic-era urban total of Maresha, most Beit Guvrin [Credit: Asaf Stern] |
These bullae tin straightaway live added to the wealth of finds as well as the hundreds of inscriptions inwards Greek as well as Aramaic, discovered at Maresha, which request keep already riveted the attending of scholars throughout the world. Maresha is our richest source for agreement the multicultural footing of Hellenistic Israel. This latest sublime uncovering volition request keep several years to catalogue as well as analyze.
Source: Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion [September 05, 2018] Sumber http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com