History through Biblical Archaeology

My Family in Prehistoric Times

Israel is the holy land for many religions and cultures.  Before the monotheistic religions were established, Neanderthals and Homo sapiens coexisted in the Carmel Mountains near Haifa for approximately 30,000 years.  Agriculture was first developed here, and the Jordan Valley was the site of the first domesticated olive, wheat, peas, goats, sheep and cattle.  

Now, Israel is the most sacred place in the world for a plenitude of modern religions.  The Baha’i gardens in Haifa are the second most sacred spot for the Baha’i people.  The first most sacred site is a little farther up the Israeli coast in the city of Aco.  The Moslems believe that Mohamed rose to heaven in Jerusalem on the exact spot where the Second Jewish Temple once stood.  In 691 CE at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik built the famous mosque “The Dome of the Rock” to mark and sanctify that spot.  Jesus was born in Bethlehem (a small town south of Jerusalem).  In the old city in Jerusalem, “the Stations of the Cross” mark and commemorate Jesus’s death for pilgrims to follow. 

The Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall

According to the Bible, King Solomon, built the first Jewish temple in 957 BCE on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  This served as “the place” for Jewish sacrifice and religion.  The original ark holding Moses’ commandments was there.  At this point in history, there were no small synagogues, rabbis, or Torah scrolls.  There was just this temple and a lot of priests and regulations.  Unfortunately, the Babylonians destroyed this temple in 586 BCE. 

The Remains of the 40m High Walls

Many years later the temple was rebuilt.  There were revolts, sackings, and wars, but the temple managed (barely) to withstand everything.  In about 20 BCE Herod renovated the Second Temple.  He flattened the top of the mountain, added a commercial area, 40-meter high walls surrounding the flattened mountain peak, and a magnificent temple constructed out of white marble imported from Italy.  The stones were carved in a hyperbolic shape so that the temple appeared to shine and glow.  This temple was the center of the Jewish religion and the Jewish courts and government.  Luckily, Caesar funded the temple renovations, so the Jewish economy didn’t collapse after the construction of this marvellous edifice.  Then, in about 66 CE, the Jews revolted.  Perhaps predictably, the Roman legions squashed the revolt and destroyed the Temple. 

Meanwhile, a group of fanatically religious men called “The Essenes” disagreed with the Second Temple’s renovations and retreated into the desert.  They were convinced that the world was about to end and that if they abstained from worldly comforts, they would survive the collapse.  Then, when everyone else was destroyed, they could return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temples according to their own specifications.  As you may have guessed, the world didn’t end, but the Essenes were killed by a Roman legion.  The Essenes had the presence of mind to bury their sacred scrolls in sandy caves, thus creating the “Dead Sea Scrolls”—the oldest surviving biblical documents in the world.  Thank you religious fanatics for preserving the treasured documents. 

Archeological Remains of a Roman Siege Camp

When the Roman legions were sweeping across Judea, Jewish refugees congregated on the flat top of Masada.  King Herod had built his summer palace there 80 years previously, but during the Jewish revolt Jews sought refuge in the ruins of Herod’s palace.  The Jews were surrounded and trapped on top of Masada and defeat was immanent.  Instead of becoming slaves or being killed, the 960 Jews decided to die.  They systematically killed themselves rather than face slavery.  However, there is no archaeological evidence for a mass suicide.  Archaeologists have only found the remains of 30 graves.  Nevertheless, Masada has become a symbol of modern Israel.  This legend of bravery and suicide is taken mainly from Flavius Josephus’ diary, but he was known to elaborate and embellish details.

The Walls of Masada Looking on the Dead Sea

My mother posed several unanswerable questions about the Jewish revolts of 66 CE that intrigued me too.  Did the majority of the Jewish population revolt?  Or were there some communities who were happy with the status quo?  Why did they revolt—the Jews had the freedom to worship how and when they wanted to.  Also, how was the uprising organized?  They couldn’t contact all their friends via Facebook…

Women Praying at the Wailing Wall

After the destruction of the temple, the Jews were scattered across the world in what is known as the Diaspora.  This is why my ancestors lived in Eastern Europe.  After the diaspora, the biblical stories were consolidated into the “Torah” (basically the Old Testament).  Judaism developed into its modern format: spiritual communities were led by rabbis, animal sacrifice was outlawed, and Jews began to pray in the direction of Western Wall of the Temple Mount.  The surviving western wall of the temple complex is now the holiest place on Earth for religious Jews and because it is the closest place to the exact location of the destroyed temples arcs.  This holiest of holy places for religious Jews is also site of “The Dome of the Rock”.