Göbekli Tepe (“Potbelly Hill”) is a Neolithic site located about 9 mi. [15 km.] north of Sanliurfa in south–central Turkey. This 22-acre [9 ha.] site was functional from roughly 9,600 BC to 8,200 BC and is being excavated by Klaus Schmidt (now deceased) of the German Archaeological Institute and the Archaeological Museum of Sanliurfa.
It was a religious center constructed by and used by foragers (not farmers!). The excavated portions consist mainly of rings of well-carved standing limestone pillars—the tallest 18 ft. [5.5 m.] high. Images of gazelles, snakes, foxes, scorpions, and boars are carved on them in low bas-relief.
How these pillars were carved, transported, and erected—in 9,600 BC!—is very mysterious. Schmidt believes that it was a worship center for foragers, for he has not found any walls, houses, hearths, or signs of agriculture.
Experts suggest that markings on a stone pillar at the 12,000-year-old Göbeklitepe archaeological site in Türkiye probably represent the oldest solar calendar in history, having been established as a memorial to a catastrophic comet strike.
According to a recent study from the University of Edinburgh, the markings at the location might be a record of an astronomical event that marked a significant turning point in human civilization.
Southeast Türkiye’s Göbeklitepe is well-known for its array of enormous, T-shaped stone pillars adorned with animal and abstract symbol carvings. According to recent analysis, some of these carvings might have functioned as a kind of calendar that tracked important celestial events and marked the positions of the sun, moon, and stars.
Led by Dr. Carl Rasmussen – October 4–14, 2024. You are invited to join this “once in a lifetime” trip. Study the New and Old Testaments in one of the most important lands of the Bible!
On this 11-day trip to Türkiye we will Explore Biblical Anatolia and Southeastern Türkiye, from Ankara to Haran.
We invite you to join us as we Explore Biblical Anatolia and Southeastern Turkey—from the Ankara area (the homeland of the Hittites) to Haran (the homeland of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). Along the way, we will visit the UNESCO “World Heritage Sites” of Hattusha (capital of the Hittites), Goreme National Park (Cappadocia where early Christianity flourished), and Gobekli Tepe (unique neolithic remains). Included will be stops at Tarsus (home of Saul/Paul), Antioch (Acts 11), and Seleucia Pieria (Saul, Barnabas, and John Mark set sail from here to begin the First Journey). The museums that we will visit exhibit some of the most outstanding mosaics from the Roman world.
Tarsus — Street from the time of the Apostle Paul
I will be giving mini-lectures along the way both on the bus and on the sites, drawing from my studies and from the 30+ trips that we have led to Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean. We will relate what we see to the Old and New Testaments and the Early Christian Church. Thus, this is not a mere tour, but a hands-on experience as we study the Bible and its cultural and geographical setting! We will enjoy excellent accommodations and meals. We will be visiting some of our favorite sites in Turkey. Please email me to receive a descriptive brochure! I can be contacted at 2FootStepsTours+BL@gmail.com
Antioch on the Orontes — from which Paul began all of his journies
You will be amazed at what you will be learning along the way and the weather in October is good—not too hot and not too cold.
Beehive Houses at Haran — Homeland of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
Tour Dates and Cost: October 4-14, 2024. Cost: $3,990 per person in Double Occupancy; add $460 Single Room supplement; Includes airfare from New York to Istanbul and return from Istanbul to New York—and the internal flights from Istanbul to Ankara and from Urfa to Istanbul. We are now accepting Registrations and Deposits for this trip. If you wish to reserve a space, contact me.
In April of 2024, we had a chance to visit Tell Tayinat in south central Türkiye. Tell Tayinat is a name that is probably not too familiar. It is located bout 12 miles east of Antioch on the Orontes.
This important site was excavated by Robert Braidwood of the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute from 1935 to 1938. Timothy Harrison of the University of Toronto is the director of the international excavations that began in 2003.
I wanted to visit Tell Tayinat because it was an important center during the Early Bronze Age and during the Iron II Period. It is especially interesting because of two tripartite temples that seem to have affinities with the Tabernacle and Solomonic Temple as described in the Bible. In addition, a bit-hilani palace was discovered here—similar in design to Solomon’s Palace in Jerusalem and a palace found at Megiddo (in Israel). In addition, numerous reliefs, statues, cuneiform tablets, etc. have come to light during the excavations! Tell Tayinat may have been Kunula, the capital of the Neo-Hittite Kingdom of Patina (ca. 950–725 B.C.).
View looking northwest at Tell Tayinat which is located on 0.5 mi. [800 m.] from Alalakh. The picture was taken from Alalakh and Tell Tayinat is on the right side of the image (above the white car).
Since on a previous visit, all the excavated areas were covered with plastic to help preserve the remains during the harsh winters, I did not expect to see much on the top of the mound. Much to my surprise, and excitement, there on the top of the mound was one of the two tri-partite temples completely exposed and intelligable!
A view looking southeast at the reconstructed foundations of Temple 2, one of the two tri-partite temples discovered at Tell Tayinat.
The temple dates to the Iron II period (10th-6th centuries B.C.). These temples are often compared to the tri-partite Solomon Temple in Jerusalem. A picture of this temple immediately after it was reconstructed can be found Here.
Using biblical terminology to describe this temple, left of center is a squarish inner room that could be comparable to the “Holy of Holies.” In the center of the image, with a doorway leading in and a doorway leading to the “Holy of Holies,” is a rectangular room, comparable to the “Holy Place” that in the Solomonic Temple contained the incense altar, the table for Showbread, and the menoroth. Beyond that, to the right of center, was the porch of the temple.and beyond that would have been the courtyard.
In the “Holy of Holies,” note the raised platform in the far left corner that is covered with cloth to protect it from the elements. Could this be where a statue of a deity was placed? On the near side of the platform, a large cuneiform document called a Succession Treaty of Esarhaddon was found—broken, but with most of the pieces still in place. The tablet measures 16 x 10 inches. It has since been reconstructed! Esarhaddon ruled Assyria from 691 to 669 B.C.
Compare the deposit of the biblical Covenant Document (aka “Treaty”) between Yahweh and his people in the Sacred Room (devir) of the Tabernacle/Temple and in/beside the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 40:20; Deuteronomy 31:26; 1 Kings 8:9).
Ex. 40:20 ¶ He took the Testimony and placed it in the ark, attached the poles to the ark and put the atonement cover over it.
Deut. 31:26 “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God. There it will remain as a witness against you.
1 Kings 8:9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
For a discussion about this temple see Victor Hurowitz, “Solomon’s Temple in Context,” Biblival Archaeology Review, March/April 2011, Volume 37, Issue 2.
And for the Esarhaddon Succession Treaty see Here for comments and pictures.
On a recent trip to Turkey, we spent some time visiting Seleucia Pieria, the port of Antioch, from which Barnabas, Saul (aka Paul), and John Mark departed on Paul’s First Missionary Journey (Acts 13:4).
Besides viewing the port from ground level we decided to travel up into the hills to the east of the port to get a “birds eye” view of it from the area of a Doric Temple—probably several hundred years old by the time of Paul. The view from there was stunning.
View looking down on to the harbor area of Seleucia Pieria. On the right (north) side of the image is part of the city of Seleucia—unexcavated. On the left (south) side, where brown is visible, is where the ancient harbor was located. It is now silted up.
Seleucia Pieria was a major port that connected Syria with Rome. The capital of Syria was first here but it was eventually moved to Antioch on the Orontes—a huge city. Seleucia, 18 miles west of Antioch, then served as its port.
Since it was past lunchtime, our guide Nazim arranged for us to have a meal at a non-touristic place near the Doric Temple, owned by a local family.
Our main course was a variety of Gözlemes that were prepared on a traditional oven.
Gözlemes were prepared on a traditional oven (Saç).
While the Gözlemes were being prepared the women were also preparing flatbread for themselves on a Tandir (below). I had never seen one of these operate.
Our hostess preparing a spice flatbread in a Tandir.
The flatbread, with topping, was placed over what looks like a small pillow (above).
The bread was then “plastered” firmly to the inside of the Tandir (above).
The bread then “baked” inside the Tandir, sticking to the walls of the oven—without falling into fire below.
The bread was then removed and we were treated to a tasty local dish—the name of which I do not know. Yummy!
Here in the United States, there is much excitement about the total solar eclipse that will take place on April 8, 2024. But did you know that the solar eclipse of June 15, 763 B.C. holds the key to the chronology of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible)?
Have you ever thought about how a Study Bible can, such as, date the rule of Solomon from 970 B.C. to 930 B.C.? Or supply the dates of the rule of any other biblical king? This is a complicated topic because the Bible itself does not give such dates—typically we find “relative” dates such as “in the fourth year of his reign, King Solomon began to build the temple” (1 Kings 6:1). But when exactly is the “fourth year . . .”? Some scholars have suggested 966 B.C. But how do they know that?
It is because scholars, such as Edwin R. Thiele, have been able to link the relative chronology given in the Bible to known dates from Assyrian records (Babylonian and Egyptian sources are used as well). But how do they know the dates of Assyrian rulers and events?
A collection of limmu stelae from Asshur in the Museum of the Ancient Orient in Istanbul.
Well, I am glad you asked! It is because the Assyrians named their years after various officials, including the king. Such a person was called a limmu (don’t ask, just trust me). The Assyrians would then, in other documents, date an event (such as an invasion, a battle, the building of a temple, etc.) by the name of the limmu in which it occurred. It is fortunate that there are actually lists of limmus that can be joined to give a complete sequence from roughly 891 B.C. to 648 B.C.
But what we end up with is a sequence of limmus—giving us relative dates (“this limmu before that limmu,” etc.). How is it possible to turn this long sequence of relative dates to “absolute” dates? Well, some astronomical phenomena are tied to various limmus!
One item of unusual importance is a notice of an eclipse of the sun that took place in the month of Simanu, in the eponymy (limmu) of Bur-Sagale [name of a person]. Astronomical computation has fixed this as June 15, 763. With the year of the eponymy [limmu] of Bur–Sagale fixed at 763 B.C., the year of every other name of the complete canon can likewise be fixed. The Assyrian lists extant today provide a reliable record of the annual limmu officials from 891 to 648 B.C.; and for this period they provide reliable dates in Assyrian history. (Thiele pp. 41–42)
With this information, correlations with the Biblical text can be made, and Relative Biblical dates can be converted to what we now know as B.C. dates.
Thus, the solar eclipse on June 15, 763 B.C. has played a huge role in helping determine Biblical Chronology!
Disclaimer: this post is intended to express appreciation for all the time that scholars have put into trying to determine an accurate Biblical Chronology—it is far from a complete discussion of the many challenges met in trying to solve such a problem.
Thiele, E. R. The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings. Revised edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1965.
I thought I would share something that I have found useful, and that some of you might find useful as well—especially those who have studied ancient languages. Many of us are not naturally “gifted” in learning languages and if we don’t use what we have learned we become “rusty” in using them—if we use them at all. A Daily Dose of Hebrew is designed to help solve this problem.
Last Fall, I came across the website called a Daily Dose of Hebrew. While there, I signed up to receive a Daily Dose of Hebrew email. Each weekday the instructor, Adam Howell, translates a verse from the Hebrew Bible—parsing the verbs and offering other grammatical insights. One of the things that I like is that each Dose is only 2.5 minutes long! I have time to listen to that each morning and I have found that each “dose” helps refresh my mind as to things that I have learned in the past and it motivates me to spend a bit more time using my Hebrew Bible.
Right now Howell is going through Deuteronomy 19. Here is a sample from this past week:
In addition, Howell sends out a 7-minute video each weekend that focuses on the use of Masoretic accent marks. I had only a passing knowledge of these and have found these “sessions” useful.
If you are interested, you can give it a try by signing up at a Daily Dose of Hebrew.
Additional information from one of the Daily Dose team, Mark Futato, is listed below:
I have been teaching Hebrew to seminarians since 1988. I have always enjoyed watching students fall in love with Hebrew and the Hebrew Scriptures. Some of these students are still using the Hebrew they learned, but many are not for a variety of reasons. Daily Dose of Hebrew is designed to help you, whether rusty or not, to enjoy and benefit from the study of the Old Testament in Hebrew.
This site has three main functions:
1. The “Daily Dose” page, to which you can subscribe via email. Five days per week, subscribers are sent a link to a 2-minute video in which I talk through the grammar and theology of a single verse of the Hebrew Bible.
2. The “Learn Hebrew” page, from which you can learn Hebrew from scratch or review the basics of Hebrew grammar. These lessons are a condensation and simplification of the forty lessons in Mark Futato’s Beginning Biblical Hebrew.
3. The “Resources” page, where you will find additional electronic, online, and hardcopy resources to help you learn and use Hebrew.
Probably the most well-known structure in Jerusalem is the “Dome of the Rock.”
The Dome of the Rock was completed about A.D. 691 during the Moslem Umayyad Dynasty which was headquartered in Damascus. However recently, it has been suggested that it was built during the rule of Muawiya, sometime between AD 661 and 680 (see below). It was intended to portray the glories of Islam and to divert pilgrim traffic to Jerusalem — from Mecca and Medina.
Many believe that the Holy of Holies of both Solomon’s and later Herod’s Temples was located on top of the raised bedrock – which is now covered by the Dome.
Recently, David Padfield visited the interior of the structure and was able to take photos there. He has kindly permitted me to post some of these beautiful pictures—some of which I share here.
The “Foundation Stone” over which the structure was built has many events associated with it in Jewish, Muslim, and Christian traditions: The binding of Isaac, the place of the Holy of Holies in the Solomonic and Herodian Temples; maybe a Roman Temple, the place from which Muhammed made his night journey to the “Distant Place,” a Church Altar, etc.
View looking northeast across the top of the Foundation Stone.
The line of carvings left (west) of the center of the image are the foundations of steps that were carved out during the Crusader Era (ca. 1099-1187). At that time, the “Dome of the Rock” was used as a church and the steps ascended to the high altar that was constructed on the top of the rock. Ritmeyer, “The Quest,” suggests that much of the quarrying of the rock took place during this period.
The base of the circular Dome is visible in the upper portion of the image. It is supported by four large piers (2 are visible) with three columns between each of them. The piers are covered with marble slabs. A wooden fence surrounds, partially visible in the lower portion of the image, surrounds and protects the rock.
View looking down on the sacred stone, often called “The Foundation Stone. North is at the bottom, west to the right, south on the top, and east to the left.
The photo was taken from the Dome sometime between 1900 and 1920 and is part of the Matson Collection. Notice that around the periphery, there is grating between the columns. This grating was put in place during the time that the Crusaders(!) controlled Jerusalem (1099-1187, 1229-1244). It is now in the Islamic Museum located in the southwest corner of the Haram.
If Leen Ritmeyer’s reconstructions are correct, then this rock was where the Holy of Holies was located during the First and Second Temple Periods. The back of the Holy of Holies was on the west (right) where the rock scarp is clearly delineated.
View looking up at the interior of the Dome that is over the Foundation Stone. JMO (p. 95) wrote: “Damage to the dome meant that the mosaics of the drum needed restoration at least six times, but experts agree that the original designs were retained. All the other mosaics needed only light repairs.”
The patterns of the mosaics include stylize vegetation, and jewellery. Many of the mosaic cubes are actually gold set at various angles to enhance the beauty of the scene.
Three Arabic inscriptions are visible. One is in a thin strip at the base of the Dome just above the gold-decorated base. Above the windows- the middle inscription is visible and closer to the central point of the dome the inner inscription is visible. Obviously, Arabic calligraphy is an art form.
Notice the windows that let light into the structure. The marble-clad arches above the columns that support the dome are visible in the photo.
IMHO — a dizzying display of color, textures, and building materials.
The inscription attributes the construction of the building to the Abbasid caliph al-Mamun, but the date on the inscription indicates that it was constructed earlier by the Umayyad calif Abd al-Malik (ca. A.D. 691-692). However, recent researchers have suggested that the building was constructed even earlier(!)—by the first Umayyad caliph Muawiyad (r. 661-680) (Artifax (Autumn 2023) citing an article in National Geographic, September, 2023)!
View looking north at the Entrance to the “Well of the Souls” (aka “The Cave”) that is located under the pointed archway in the center of the image. The woman in blue, with a khaki vest, is a “Guard of al-Aqsa Mosque.” Sixteen stairs lead down into the cave. Behind the glass in the center, the Foundation Stone is visible.
On the left (west) side of the image, the 5-6 foot wooden screen that protects the rock is visible. On the far left is a tall “cabinet” with a pointed dome—only the top of it is visible. Inside of it Muslims believe is some hair from the prophet Muhammad and a stone that contains his footprint.
The cave chamber itself is about 20 feet square, and the height of the ceiling varies between 5 to 8 feet. There is a shaft about 1.5 ft. in diameter that penetrates the 5 ft. 7 in. thickness of the rock above. The prayer “niches” in the chamber that are dedicated to Dawud (David), Suleiman (Solomon), Ibrahim (Abraham), and Khidr-Elijah.
For additional information on the cave, see conveniently — Well of Souls. (2023, November 8) in Wikipedia.
View looking south at the prayer niche (mihrab) that is dedicated to Suleiman (Solomon) in the “Well of Souls.” It is located to the east of the staircase (partially visible on the right) that leads down into the cavern. The Mihrab points the faithful in the direction of Mecca as they pray.
The Mihrab is composed of a trefoil arch that is supported by miniature marble twisted-rope columns (Wikipedia). It may be the oldest mihrab in the world — dating to the 9th or maybe even the 7th century—from when the Dome was originally constructed. Note also, the patterns on the carpet that mark off where the faithful pray.
View looking north at the eastern, main, ambulatory. There are three concentric circular “rows” of columns that encircle the Foundation Stone. This is the main ambulatory that runs without obstruction around the whole of the octagonal-shaped building. The inner ambulatory (not visible) is left of the left columns between the rock and those columns, and the outer, to the right of the columns on the right. Since there are only women in the photo, is this a place where they typically gather for study—see the group on the left?
Just beyond the women on the left is a column, and to the left of that is the Foundation Stone (not visible). If Leen Ritmeyer’s placement of the Holy of Holies on the Foundation Stone is correct, then this would be the area where the “Holy Place” would have been—the place where the incense altar, the candelabra, and the table with showbread were located.
To see additional images and commentary on both the Interior and Exterior of the Dome of the Rock See Here.
Photo from the top of the Dome looking down: The photo is from the Matson Collections, Public Domain, titled “The rock of the Dome of the Rock Corrected” downloaded from Wikipedia. Dome of the Rock. (2023, October 26). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_Rock
Much information in this blog is fromThe Quest, by Leen Ritmeyer who discusses in-depth the whole of the Temple Mount (Haram esh-Sharif). Ritmeyer, Leen. The Quest: Revealing the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Jerusalem: Carta, 2006. See also Ritmeyer, Leen and Kathleen. Jerusalem — The Temple Mount — A Carta Guide Book. Jerusalem: Carta, 2015.
JMO = Murphy-O’Connor, Jerome. The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide From Earliest Times to 1700. Revised and expanded Fifth ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Many of the readers of this blog have been to Jerusalem and have visited the Haram esh-Sharif (aka The Temple Mount). In recent years it has been difficult to gain access to the interior of the el-Aqsa Mosque that is located on the south edge of the Haram area—let alone take good photos of the interior.
The el-Aqsa Mosque — looking south at the entrance. This is the main mosque in Jerusalem.
Last year a friend of mine, David Padfield, gained permission to enter the structure and to take photos of the interior. He has graciously allowed me to post a selection of those images on http://www.HolylandPhotos.org.
The el-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam – after Mecca and Medina. Its name means “the distant place,” and it is believed that Mohammed made a “night journey” to this place.
Caliph Walid (A.D. 709–715) built the first mosque. It is built over a large number of subterranean arches, not on bedrock, and thus has been destroyed by earthquakes and rebuilt many times (the most recent in 1927). During the Crusader Period (A.D. 1099-1187) it served briefly as the palace for the Crusader kings of Jerusalem, but then became the headquarters of the Knights Templar until the Crusaders were expelled from Jerusalem—when it was returned to its original function as a mosque.
View looking south inside the al-Aqsa Mosque down the “nave” toward the area where the mihrab and minbar are located.
On the left (east) the three eastern aisles are visible among the columns. On the right (west) one of the three aisles is visible between the row of columns and the row of brick pillars. The marble columns were donated by Mussolini. On the floor, notice all of the marked-out spaces on the carpet where individuals pray facing Mecca. The ceiling was a gift of King Farouk of Egypt during the last reconstruction (1938-1942).
View looking south inside the el-Aqsa Mosque at the southern wall of the structure.
In the center of the image is the semi-circular Mihrab that directs the attention of the worshipers towards Mecca. To the right of that, is the Minbar, the “pulpit” from which “sermons” are given. Above the Mihrab are beautiful windows of a variety of colors. The base of the central dome is visible just above the center of the image.
A detailed view of the southern wall of the el-Aqsa.
Note especially the semi-circular Mihrab that points the attention of the worshipers towards Mecca. To the right of that is the Minbar, the “pulpit” from which “sermons” are given. In 1187, when Salah edh-Dhin restored the building he donated a beautifully carved Minbar. This minbar was destroyed by a fire set by an unbalanced Australian in 1969 and was replaced by the current structure. The wood carvings on this minbar are also very beautiful!
View looking up at the central Dome that is located at the south end of the Mosque, over the area where the Mihrab and Minbar are located. Note the Arabic inscriptions above the windows of the Dome.View looking east along the southern wall of the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Notice the marble paneling on the walls, the marble columns, the arches, and the colorful windows. In the foreground is where the central “nave” of the mosque is located, and the Mihrab and Minbar are located on the right side of the image (not visible in this photo). On the left (east) the three eastern aisles are visible among the columns. On the right (west) one of the three aisles is visible between the row of columns and the row of brick pillars. The marble columns were donated by Mussolini.
A Palestinian reading the Koran in the al-Aqsa Mosque
Although travel to Israel is not possible right now, we are offering two comprehensive Bible Study Tours — one to Turkey followed by one to Greece in the spring of 2024. You are invited to join us on one or both of these “once in a lifetime” trips. As many of you already know, there is nothing like studying the Bible in the lands of the Bible!
On our Bible Study Tour in Turkey (April 25–May 9, 2024), we will begin in Istanbul, visiting the Hagia Sophia and the world-class Archaeology Museum. From Istanbul, we will fly to Antioch-on-the-Orontes River, the third-largest city in Paul’s day, where believers were first called “Christians” and Paul began all three missionary journeys. We will visit Seleucia, the port where the first journey set sail (Acts 13:4), Tarsus (the home of Paul), Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch—places not usually visited by tours but all of which are of biblical importance. After stopping for two nights in the Mediterranian city of Antalya we will travel to Colossae, and then begin our exploration of all of the Seven Churches of Revelation—with many stops (email me for the complete itinerary).
On our Bible Study Tour of Greece (May 8–16, 2024), we will begin in Thessaloniki in northern Greece. We will begin touring with a day trip to Philippi, where the “Good News” was first preached in Europe. As we motor towards Athens we will be stopping along the way at Berea, Vergina, Meteora, and Delphi—with overnights near Meteora and Delphi. In Athens, we will visit the Acropolis, the Areopagus (“Mars Hill”), and the new Acropolis Museum. We will take a day trip to Corinth and Cenchrea. Email Dr. Rasmussen for an Itinerary and Details (2Foot.Steps.Tours+TGB@gmail.com).
Dhahr Mirzbaneh is a site located about 16 mi. northeast of Jerusalem. The hillsides in the area are covered with tombs from the Middle Bronze I Age (2200-2000 B.C.).
Cut Away of MB I Tombs During Construction of the “Alon Road”
View looking northwest. When the “Alon Road” was being constructed in the 1970’s, the construction workers cut through the hillside of Dhahr Mirzbaneh exposing a side, “cut-away,” view of a number of Middle Bronze I (2200-2000 B.C.) tombs. Some scholars place the migration of Abram from Ur to the Land of Canaan during this period.
A perfect “cut-away” view of such a tomb is visible on the left side of the image. The shaded semi-circular area is a tomb chamber, and to its left the “cut-away” outline of a vertical shaft (partially filled with rubble) is visible.
On the right side of the image more exposed tomb chambers are visible.
Detail of MB I (2200–2000 BC) Tomb
View of a MB I (2200-2000 B.C.) tomb which was sliced in half by road building activity.
A typical MB I tomb consisted of a vertical shaft, 4 to 9 ft. [1.2 to 3 m.] deep, cut into the rock. At the bottom of the shaft one or more chambers radiated from it. Usually only one person was placed in each chamber.
To the left of the leg of the man, the shaded arched outline of a burial chamber is clearly visible – it had an arched top and a flat horizontal floor. To the left of the chamber, partly shaded, is the outline of the vertical shaft, which led down from the surface to the burial chamber. This shaft is partly filled with rubble.
Ein Samiya Cup from MB I (2200-2000 B.C.)
View of the silver cup/goblet that was found in one of the MB I (2200–2000 B.C.) at Ein Samiya (Dhahr Mirzbaneh). It is a very unique find in that the grave goods found in these tombs are usually few and simple (beads, knives, etc.).
The silver goblet is carved with a mythological scene from possibly the epic of Enuma Elish. The human figure is actually bounded on each side by dragons/snakes. The one on the left of the cup is clearly visible. Y. Yadin suggested that the scene depicts the victory of Marduk over Tiamat. Note the dress of the human. The goblet was probably made in Syria and was an heirloom.
The goblet is on display in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
To view more images of Dhahr Mirzbaneh, and a map, Click Here.
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