The Biblical Archaeologist - Vol.57, N.3

69 Pages·1994·26.83 MB·English

by  American Schools of Oriental Research

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BiblicaAl rchaeologist
Perspectivoenst heA ncienWt orldfr omM esopotamtioat heM editerranean Volum5e7 Numbe3r
A Publicatioonft heA mericaSnc hoolos fO rientaRl esearch Septembe1r9 94
122 The AnchorC hurcha t the Summito f Mt. Berenice,T iberias
YizharH irschfeld
Whatr uinsl ay at the top of Mt.B ereniceh, igha boveO ld Tiberiasn:o t the
? . fabledp alaceo f the first-centurQy ueen,o f course!I nsteada, large,s ixth-
.
centurBy yzantinceh urchI.n t hei nners anctuaroyf thec hurchit selfa, mys-
''V
.. teriousc ults tonei n reusef romt he EarlyB ronzeA ge!D estroyedb y an
earthquakien 749C Et,h e churchw as rebuiltd uringt he earlyI slamicp eri-
od: thef irstc hurcho f theA bbasidp eriode verf oundi n Israel.
134
A Wall Painting of a Saint's Face in the Church of Mt. Berenice
Roni Ben-Arieh
A smallf ragmenot f a frescob earingt heb eautifullyp aintedf aceo f a Christ-
ian saintr esteda longsidet he marbles labt hato ncel ay undert he Anchor
page 122
Church'as ltarW. ast hef acei ntegratl o the church'sd ecorationo r a special
deposit?W how as the artista ndw ho was the saint?
138 The Iron 1 WesternD efense System at Tell El-'Umeiri,J ordan
Douglas R. Clark
Fromm oatt o ramparat ndc asematew allt o collareds torejarT,e lle l-Jmeiri,
southo f Ammani n centraJl ordano, ffersa n astonishinglyc ompletea nd
tantalizinglyea rlyI ronA ge defenses ystem.A fterf ours easonso f excava-
~'iI tions,t her ichnesos f thisc omplexc ontinuetso emerges, uggestingc hallenges
to prevailingv iews of the emergenceo f the region'sI ronA ge societies.
150
The Oldest Datable Chambers on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem
Shimon Gibsona nd David M. Jacobson
Whow ould pass up the opportunityto ventureb eneatht heI Faramal -
SharTinf JerusalemR? eligiouss ensitivitiehs avel ong discouragedin vesti-
page 138 gationo f theH aramY. et,f ora briefp eriodi n thes econdh alfo f the nine-
teenthc enturya handfulo f Europeane xplorersv isitedm anyo f the under-
groundc hamberso f theI HaramG.i bsona ndJ acobsonh avee xcavatedin
the archiveso f theP alestineE xplorationF und( PEF)in Londont o recover
cruciadl ataa boutt he earliests tructureo f the TempleM ount
161 The WaterS upply of the DesertF ortressesi n the JordanV alley
GiinterG arbrechta nd YehudaP eleg
Isolatedo n rockyp eaksi n the midsto f thea ridz one,d esertf ortresseds e-
mandeds peciale ffortst o ensuret heirs upplyo f water.I ngenuousH as-
moneana nd Herodiane ngineersc onstructedci sternsw, eirs,a nd conduits
fort he fortsa ndp alacesi n and aroundt heJ ordanV alley.
171 Notes, News, and Reviews
Umm el-JimaAl, ila,a ndM iqner eport.
page 161
On the cover: Remainos f a Byzantinae nd Abbasidp eriodc hurcho verlook
Tiberiafsr omt he summito f Mt.B ereniceE. stablishedb y Justiniant,h e Byzantine
churchw as incorporateidn to ancientT iberias'fso rtificationsy stem.F romi ts spec-
tacularl ocation,t he largeb asilicas ervedt he emperor'sp romotiono f the imperi-
al religionT. her estorationo f the churchi n the Abbasidp eriods urpriseda rchae-
ologists,a s did the depositt hey discoveredb eneatht he altar:a massiveh alf-ton
"anchor"st one!
Fromth eE ditor
Biblical
Archaeologist
Sun bleachedh aira nd mistakena ssumptionso ften returnt ogetherf rom the Perspectivoenst heA ncienWt orlfdr om
Mesopotamtoiat h eM editerranean
summera rchaeologicasl eason in the Middle East.W hile the common sense
consistentlyt o wear a hat will shield one froma dvertizingt he evidenceo f field- Editor David C. Hopkins
work on one's head, nothing will protecta n archaeologistf romb eing proved Art Director Robert D. Mench, Top Design
Book Review Editor James C. Moyer
wrong in the field. The surprises of human creativitya nd archaeological EditorialA ssistant Mary Petrina Boyd
preservationa re everywhere, of course:w itness this issue's articleso n the
Editorial Committee
remarkable" anchor"C hurcha nd the ingenious desert water systems of the JefferyA . Blakely Douglas A. Knight
Hasmoneans.B ut more than that,o ur limited data base affordsb ut a tiny key- Elizabeth Bloch-Smith Mary Joan Leith
hole through which we peer at the past, and from a great distance at that. Betsy M. Bryan Gloria London
The models we employ to constructc oherencei n our data base and the angle J.P.D essel Jodi Magness
of our vision are crucial,a nd fragile.R esearchersd o cling tenaciouslyt o cher- ERronneasltd S S. .F Hreernidchels GGeareataldn oL P. Malautmtinbgol y
ished views, but ultimately archaeologyi s self-correcting,a nd fieldwork RichardS . Hess Paul Zimansky
leads the way. Kenneth G. Hoglund
The spectaculare arly IronA ge finds at the MadabaP lainsP roject'sT elle l- Subscriptions Annuals ubscriptionr atesa re
cUmeirif ocus attentiono n a classic illustrationo f the potentialm is-direction $35f ori ndividualsa nd $45f or institutionsT. here
inherenti n researchersa' ngle of vision: biblicala rchaeology'sf ascination ipsh ay sspiceaclilaylca hnanluleanlr gaetdeo, o fr $ u2n8ef omrp thlooyseedo v.B eirb 6l5ic, al
with the "settlementp eriod."U nder the influence of debate about the Bible's Archaeologiiss at lsoa vailablea s parto f theb enefits
"historicity,"ex cavatorsh eaded first for the great named tells of the biblical of some ASORm embershipc ategoriesP. ostage
record:A i, Bethel,J ericho,H azor,a nd other prominentb iblicals ites. But forC anadiana nd otheri nternationaald dressesi s
these famous tells, it turned out, did not offer any compelling story to place aAnS aOdRdMi tieomnabl$e r5s. hPiapy/m Suebnstcss rhiboeurSl de brvei sceens,tP t.oO .
next to the biblicalh istoriographyA. mong those sites that disappointed in Box 15399,A tlanta,G A 30333-0399(p h:4 04-727-
this respectw as Hesban, the tell upon which the incipientM adabaP lains 2345;B itnet:S CHOLARS@EMORYUVII)S. A/
Projectc oncentratedi ts attentiona t the height of the debate about conquest Mastercardo rdersc an be phoned in.
of Canaan.S ix seasons produced remainsf rom the IronA ge through Backi ssues Backi ssuesc an be obtainedb y call-
ing SPC ustomerS ervicesa t 800-437-669o2r writ-
Mamelukep eriods, but no evidence for any occupationo f the site before the ing SP CustomerS ervices,P .O.B ox 6996,A l-
twelfth century BCEL. ittlew as learned about the settlementp eriod and Hes- pharetta,G A 30239-6996.
ban's role in the conquest (Numbers2 1) could not be affirmed. Postmaster Send addressc hangest o Biblical
Witha differents et of researcho bjectives,t he MadabaP lainsp rojectt urned ArchaeologiAstS, ORM embership/SubscribSere r-
vices,P .O.B ox1 5399A, tlantaG, A 30333-0399.
to unheraldedT elle l-cUmeiria nd, behold (as the Hebrew Bible often puts it), Second-classp ostage paid at Atlanta,G A and
the best preservede arly IronA ge highland site known throughouta ll of Pal- additionalo ffices.
estine. The early IronA ge remainss o far encompassa completea nd coherent Copyright@ 1994b y the AmericanS choolso f
OrientalR esearch.
fortifications ystem, topped by a casematew all whose rooms are filled with
collaredp ithoi--over fortya nd counting.T he influenceo f this excavationo n Correspondence All editoriacl orrespondence
shouldb e addressedt o BiblicaAl rchaeologi4s5t,0 0
the question of the emergenceo f Israel,A mmon, and the other peoples of the MassachusettsA venueN W, WashingtonD, C
IronA ge will be as profounda s it was unanticipated.L ike the data of surface 20016-5690(p h:2 02-885-8699fa; x:2 02-885-8605).
surveys that have revolutionizedr econstructionso f this period, the forth- Booksf orr eviews houldb e sent to Dr.J amesC .
Moyer,D epartmenot f ReligiousS tudies,S outh-
coming impact of cUmeiri'se xcavationc ontains a hint of biblicali rony.F rom west MissouriS tateU niversity,9 01 South
the least expected (given certaina ssumptions)a nd from that which goes NationalB, ox1 67,S pringfieldM, O6 5804-0095.
unnoticed by the majorc hroniclers( ancienth istory writers),c ome the great- Advertising Correspondencesh ould be ad-
est, most crucialc ontributorst o our portraito f the past, at least the slice of it dressedt o SarahF osterS, cholarsP ress,P .O.B ox
15399,A tlantaG, A 30333-0399(p h:4 04-727-2325;
that we glimpse through our archaeologicalk ey hole. fax:[phone]A). ds for the sale of antiquities
My son and I both returnedf romJ ordant his summerw ith bleachedh air;I will not be accepted.
carried the greater load of mistaken assumptions. I was wrong, for example,
BiblicalA rchaeologis(tI SSN 0006-0895)i s published
about Brian's urge to collect: he sherded his way through the entire season. The quarterly (March,J une, September,D ecember)
pieces that returned home, however, were qualitatively improved, or he kept by Scholars Press, 819 Houston Mill Road NE,
Atlanta, GA 30329, for the American Schools of
them to fill in a few of the many gaps in his collection, or because he discov- Oriental Research( ASOR),3 301 North Charles
ered a new category of artifact. Its a good prospect for all of our research. Street,B altimore,M D 21218. Printed by Cadmus
JournalS ervices, BaltimoreM D.
o
~A1P4AC HtopQk OFi 0%~
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The Anchor Church at the Summit
of Mt. Berenice, Tiberias
By Yizhar Hirschfeld
T ree surprisesa waitedu s when Thep innacle-likne atureo f the site, It appearst hats imilarc onsiderations
we begane xcavatinga t the sum- soaringu p sheerf romt heS eao f Galilee, motivatedt he ancientsI. n the lighto f
L1 mit of Mt.B ereniceh, igh above providest hev isitorw ith a breath-taking the excavationsi,t is certaint hatt he
Old TiberiasT. he firsts urprisel ay in view of thel akea nd the sitesa roundi t, builderso f the site'sB yzantinec hurch
what was not found at the site:n o evi- perhapst he finesta nd mosti nteresting selectedt hel ocationn, ot onlyb ecausei t
dence at all was uncoveredo f Queen panoramai n the region.T hec ity of
Berenice'ps alace,w hiche veryoneh ad Tiberialsi es in the palmo f yourh and
expectedt o findo n thep eakw hichb ears beneathy ou. Acrosst he lake,l ooming Right. The anchor stone as it was found
hern ame.T hes econds urprisew as one behindK ibbutzE inG ev,a ret her emains in the apse of the church. Behind it is what
thate xcitedt he imaginationa: mysteri- of the ancientc ityo f Susita( Hippios)i,n remainso f the altar;v iew to the east. Photos
ous cults toned iscoveredi n the inner its day them osti mportanot n thee astern and illustrationcso urtesyo f the authora ndt he
sanctuaryo f a Byzantinec hurch.T he shore.T ot he north,o ne canm akeo ut IsraeAl ntiquitieAs uthority.
thirds urprisea, nd the mosti mportant the sites of the
of all,w as thatt he Byzantinec hurch ancientf ishing
was rebuilto n a grands caled uringt he villages of Ca- SCity Plano f AncientT iberias
earlyI slamicp eriod.T hiss urveyi s de- pernaum,H ep-
Tombs
voted to the findso f Mt.B erenicea nd tapegon( Tabgha)
oura ttemptt o assesst heirs ignificance.' and Migdal-
Modern
TarichaeaeB. e-
Tiberias
Locationo f the Site yond themi n the
Mt.B erenicer isest o a heighto f 200m e- distancea ret he I1
ters( 650f eet)a bovet he Seao f Galilee two highestp eaks \ 1 4 Synagogue
--
(LakeK inneret)b, etweenT iberiaas nd in thec ountry:
HammatT iberiajsu sts outho f it. The Mt.H ermont o
hilli s in the formo f a pyramid,w ith its then orth,a nd Mt. S - ByzantinWe all6 th cent.
basep arallelt o the shorelineo f the lake. Meront o the -
Thee asterns ide of the hill is character- northwestT. ot he
ized by wild cliffsa nd caves.T hew est- south,o ne'sa t- - I aIReservoir N
erns ide,b y contrasts, lopesg ently,a nd tentioni s drawn
is, in effect,a directc ontinuationo f the to theJ ordanV al- I SoHouse of Study
Poriahr idgew hichl oomsa bovei t. ley,a ndb eyondi t Church --- Basilica
N
Thes itei s reachedf romt he northb y to them outho f Marketplace
an all-vehicleg ravelr oad,b uilte spe- theY armukR iver Bath
ciallyf ort he excavationsb y theJ ewish and them oun- \ Theater
NationalF und.T her oadw inds up from tainso f Gilead.
(cid:127)iberias' southernn eighborhoodto the Thes pectacu- IMt.B erenice 1
saddleb etweenM t.B erenicea nd the larv iew fromt he
* % Gate
Poriahr idge.T hisr oadn evere xistedi n summito f Mt.
!
the past:t he ancienta scentt o the top of Berenicew as one
HammatT iberias
the hill was fromt he east,b y way of a of the consid-
patht hats lopedu p the clifff acef rom erationsi n select-
the cityb elow.I n the Byzantinep eriod, ing the sitef or Hot Spring
the pathe nteredt he cityt hrougha gate, archaeological
of whichr emainsw ereu nearthedin the excavationa nd
0 250m -
currente xcavations, then climbed the eventuald evel- S\ --, ,,
Poriah ridge, and continued west to the opmenta s a 1"+
harborso f the Mediterranean. tourista ttraction.
122 BiblicalA rchaeologis5t7 :3 (1994)
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Plan of the remains on top of Mt. Berenice. Philippi-Baniaso f today--it is proba- on the summito f Mt.B erenicem et with
ble thatt he queenv isitedt he palacei n littleo ppositiona, nd even gave the
Tiberiasa, nd perhapse ven madei t the placei ts presentn ame.
dominatedt he Seao f Galileeb, uti n par- royalw interr esidence( seeS churer1 973: Thisw as the situationu ntilt he cur-
ticulara s a way of makingt heirp res- 472-483f ort heb esth istoricaslu mmary). rente xcavationsb egan.T hef irsts eason
encef elt,s incet he churchw as visible Of the severalr easonst hatl ed re- of diggingi n October1, 990,t urnedu p
frome verywherea roundt he lake. searchertso suggestM t.B erenicea s the no findsw hatevern, ot even potsherds,
siteo f the palace,t he most important fromt he firstc enturyC EA. s the excava-
The Riddleo f the Palace was its name.I n Arabict, he hill-tops ite tionsp rogressedi,t becamec leart hat
Beforet he currente xcavationsm, ost is knowna s 'QasrB inte l-Maliq't he nothingo n the site predatedt he sixth
scholars( thisw ritera mongt hem)w ere Palaceo f the King'sD aughterT. herea re centuryCE!
agreedt hatt he peaka boveT iberiaws as manyp lacesi n the regionw hichc arry Where,t hereforei,s the palace?J ose-
the site of the palaceo f HerodA ntipas, royaln amest hath ave no connection phus is knownf orh is meticulousness,
who foundedt he cityi n 20 CEA. ccord- with the placei tself,l ike' QasrB int andt hec ompletea ccuracyo f his descrip-
ing to theJ ewishh istorianJ, osephus Farbun'( theP alaceo f Pharaoh's tionsh asb eenb orneo ut in one dig after
Flavius,t hisw as a splendidp alace,c ov- Daughter)in Petrao, r Solomon'sP ools anotherT. herei s no doubtt hatH erod
eredw ith gold, and richlyd ecoratedI. n on the roadt o Hebron.I n this case, Antipas'p alacee xisted;t he questioni s
JosephusL' ife (ch.12-13)t,h e palacei s however,s cholarsc ouldn ot resistt he where?
describeda s having" hadt he figureso f temptationo f linkingt he nameo f the It is reasonableto assumet hatt he
livingc reatureisn it,"a nd as having sitew ith Josephuss' toryo f the beautiful palacew as locatedo n the lakeshore,
"someo f the roofsg ilt with gold."I n QueenB erenicae,s suggestedfi rstb y somewherew ithina ncientT iberiasT. he
61 CET, iberiaws ith its palacew ere an- the Germans cholarG otlibS chumacher kingw ould logicallyh ave chosent he
nexedt o the kingdomo f AgrippaI Ia nd (1887:85-90P).e rhapst,o o,t hel ocation-- mostb eautifual ndc onvenienstp oto n the
his sisterB erenicew, ho ruledo vert he on a high hilltop,o verlookingt he Seao f shoret o buildh is residenceA. lthough
regiono f Mt.L ebanont, he Bashana, nd Galilee-remindedt he scholarso f Mas- thisi s merelyc onjecturei,t is not with-
the northernp arto f IsraelA. lthough ada and its palaces.I n any event,t he out some basis.I n CaesareaM aritima,
theirr oyalc apitalw as at Caesarea suggestedi dentificationof the palace builtb y Herodt heG reatf, athero f Herod
124 BiblicalA rchaeologis5t7 :3 (1994)
Antipasr, emainso f ther oyalp alacew ere of a greaterc omplexh, oweverT. hem ain was theg reatB yzantineE mperoJr ustin-
foundo n a promontoryth atp rotruded constructionp rojecwt as the erectiono f ian (527-565)w ho was responsiblefo r
intot he sea (Levinea nd Netzer1 986: a massivew all whichs urroundedth e buildingt he walls of Tiberiast,h usa dd-
149-177S. eea lsoH oluma ndH ohlfelder cityo f Tiberiasa,n dc limbedM t.B erenice ing it to the long list of buildingp rojects
1988:86-87)I.f o urs uppositionis correct, as fara s the top of its westernp eak. in the Holy Land--churchesm, onaster-
remainso f a palacem ay yet be foundi n Thew all was most impressivef, aced ies, and so on---alreadyto his credit.
Tiberiasa;n d the large-scalea rchaeolog- with dresseds tones,a nd backedb y a Why was Justiniane speciallym oti-
icale xcavationsb eingp lanneda long solid coreo f bouldersc ementedt ogeth- vatedt o buildt he walls of TiberiasT? he
the southerna pproachr oado f the town er with densem ortarT. hew all was 2.5 answer,i t would seem,l ies with the
mightu ncovera t leastt heb acko f the meters( 8.3f eet)w ide, and stoodt o an churchd iscoveredo n thee asternp eako f
complexT. hisi s admittedlyin ther ealm estimatedh eighto f 15 meters( 49f eet). the site.A n examinationo f Justinian's
of wishfult hinkingt:h e riddleo f the Thef oundationso f two of the towers buildingp rojectsin Israels hows his
palacer emainsu nsolved,a nd its solu- wereu ncoveredo n the top of the west- preoccupationw ith Christianitiyn gen-
tion,a s is usuali n archaeologyw,i ll prob- ernp eako f Mt.B erenicee, achs ide mea- eral,a nd with pilgrimaget o the Holy
ablyb e stumbledu pon unexpectedly. suring7 .5m eters( 24.4f eet).S entry- Land---thena t its height-in particular.
accesst o the rampartsw as by meanso f In this way Justinianh opedt o unifyh is
The AnchorC hurch stepsb uilta gainstt he wall, some of empire;a nd froma Christianp erspec-
Thes ummito f Mt.B ereniceis capped whichw eref oundi n the excavations. tive,t heb uildingo f a largea nd splen-
by two smallp eaks:a n easterno ne and Thee ntirew all was 2.8k ilometers( 1.75 did churcho n a peako verlookingt he
a higherw, esterno ne. Thec entralf ind miles)l onga ndc limbeds traighut p from Seao f Galilee-and withinT iberiast,h e
of the excavationw as madeo n the east- the lakeshoret o the summito f the hill.
ernp eak:a largeB yzantinec hurchb, uilt Ther emainsf ounda t the summita re
in the sixthc enturyC Et,h e remainso f evidenceo f a complex,e xpensive,a nd The sixth century wall of Tiberiaws as
whichh aveb eenc ompletelyu ncovered, impressivelye xecutedp roject. builtb y EmperoJru stinianto incorporatteh e
includingi ts floors,o peningsa nd interi- Accordingt o the courth istorianP, ro- churcho f Mt.B erenicein the confineso f the
or spaces.T hes tructurew as only part copiuso f Caesarea(B uildings5 .9.21)i,t cityo f Tiberiasl,o okings outhwest.
"jab,
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MIL. A4 .4 6 f
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i,'E NI l~B ss~~ E~~r ~ B
most "Jewish"to wn in the countrya t grimst hats treamedto the Seao f Galilee complexi ncludedl ivingq uartersa, p-
the time!-was by way of beinga decla- in thisp eriodw ould have seen the parentlyo f a smallm onasticc ommuni-
rationo f victoryb y the imperiarl eligion. churchf roma fari, ts tiledr ooft opped ty,w hose taski t was to caref ort he
(OnJ ustinian'ps ropagandain the sixth by the customaryg ildedc ross. churchc, onducti ts rites,a nd servet he
centuryC Es,e e Scott[ 1985:99-109].) In the courseo f the excavationsw, e pilgrimst hatv isitedi t. Remainso f an
In thisr espectt, he caseo f Mt.G eriz- were ablet o appreciateth e impressive oil-pressw ere foundn extt o the outer
im shouldb e mentioned( Magen1 990: plano f the churchT. hisw as a large wall,i ndicatingt hatt he monksw ere
333-342).T heB yzantineem perorZ enon, basilicaw, ith walls of well-cutb asalt involvedi n olive cultivationa nd the
and afterh imJ ustinianb, uilta church stone.T hel engtho f the churchf rom manufacturoe f its oil, whichw as their
and a monasteryo n top of the moun- west to eastw as 48 meters( 157f eet), traditionaol ccupationt hroughoutt he
taint hatd ominatedt he cityo f Neapolis and its breadthf romn ortht o south2 8 countrya t the time( Hirschfeld1 992:
(todayN ablus,i n thec entero f Samaria), meters( 92f eet).T hec hurchw as made 106-111)T. heg reatw all was designed
the capitalo f the SamaritansT. hee rec- up of a prayerh all,a nd a forecour(ta tri- to protectt hisc ommunity.
tiono f Christiane dificesa bovet he main um) containinga largec isternw ith a
Jewisha nd Samaritance ntersh ad the ceilings upportedb y fours tonea rches.
samep urpose:d eclaringt he triumpho f Thec isternw, ith a capacityo f 300c ubic The components of the the Byzantine
Christianityo veri ts Jewisha nd Samari- meters( about4 00c ubicy ards),c ollect- churcho n the easternh illo f Mt.B erenice
tanr ivals.T hec aseo f Tiberiaws as even ed winterr ainwaterfo rt he use of the appeari n thist op plan:1 atrium2; cistern;
morei mportanta, s the hordeso f pil- permanenct ommunityT. hec hurch 3 prayerh all;4 presbytery5; altar;6 apses.
I .i,
,
7
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A
(cid:127)- ........
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O-(cid:127)...?xx :-',:.-
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0 20m
126 BiblicalA rchaeologis5t7 :3 (1994)
,,4
!law-
Oll?
..........
..........
Above. Aerial view of the church at the
end of the excavation, looking east.
I-
Right. The northern aisle of the church;
view to the east
The prayer hall of the church was
built in the common form of the Byzan- ; ~IIC~
FI
tine period. Three entrancesl ed from the
atrium to the interioro f the church:a i: ~*
wide central doorway and two narrow a
side ones. Opposite them, in the eastern
wall of the church, were three apses, of
which the centralo ne was the largesta nd f
most important. Two lines of columns II
supported the wooden ceiling beams. ;;h
The floor of the aisles was decorated
t
with beautifulc olored mosaics depicting
birds and fruit (like grapes and pome-
::
granates),w hile the nave was covered
by fine marble tiles in the opus sectile
3 ~"
style.2
BiblicalA rchaeologis5t7 :3 (1994) 127
gk 0
AV
stW v vx? ok ?k ilk, Sm AIlrp.
to
Ik4 lalw4o00w ,0 o'f*t' .- lot POI*NsoAw&,ow4
Ao JP ap4 1V
*p sa-r1W ds1' *?b. ?'O rd?r 'W4vWl ', , ow 49"w oag0olfa6 pl.t $0o6*6 4 1 0ft 0*,&Ravi ,i tsgb'%P. I &a' MAi sI.-1 111f N&l&A a 4 gIN p tIBR OPWISd X
46 4640 VaRdr1ir -WISIN
-mMAA Nw ow- 001 **kaid loss 1&
oil agias,s i" 31, %, 6 &'4a s ot ft 40 sign
Itf o JOv lip -! jj.?* 4p 41k.
V1414-'W*a?L?.Ait - .tr c--J aPo"v,' t0'E'w #f iTt T9AfS&m0itA A&as*44 r 0ViN(j--1igo ox,f tb&or A.4fp .to1 tp"- S?p00,* '# ? 1aW -An,p1O i m ' t?Wfk . fR t'A" 'e -.." t o . W `f" t_p A4*"-f1 Wof? .P,%o ?' Wq f0fW.m4 ? I0 * 1sLlpoIw0O fp%9tIoadSS .is1p0 l mtA %0*i m r mA A.N 4 * O0 a- R4 4* W7*a m*Aft P404,w i#s 4jpmm O-4awb:l kVWt - si% ?a ?5' tj A14lNeivai Ali ft
Lw ow mumw ar, sq#4 .f%'b . . "bow '11A?*k?W N.w ' 4 Aa * % laA M*84wAwa y, No0rA&.
Details from the mosaic of the Byzantine evidenceo f the potsherdsf oundt here), Num [1977:97-101I]t)i . s deart hatt hisi s
church. and everythingp ointst o thisb einge s- a stonei n the shapeo f an anchorb, ut is
peciallyv eneratedi,m partingit s holi- not an actuala nchori tself.
ness to thec hurcha s a whole.W hatw as Thea nchori n earlyC hristianitwy as a
The AnchorS tone then atureo f thes tone,a ndw hy was it symbolo f securitya nd hope (cf.P aul's
In fronto f the centrala pse was the pres- consideredh oly? Epistlet o the Hebrews1 9:6)a nd found
byteryt, he sacredp arto f the church Theg enerals hapeo f thes tone,a nd artistiecx pressionin variousw ays (Child
enteredo nly by the priests.A roundt he theh olea ti tsc entera, rev erys imilarto the and Colls1 971:15,190-191O).n e could
apse weres toneb enches,a nd at its cen- manya nchorsf ounda roundt he Seao f thereforseu rmiset hatt hisa nchor-shaped
terr emainso f the altarw eref ound.A t Galileeb; ut its weighti s some ten times stoneh adb eenf oundb y theb uilderso f
theb aseo f the altarw as a largem arble greaterth ant hato f thea veragea nchoro f the Byzantinec hurcha nd adopteda s a
slabw ith a hole in the centerU. ndert he the period.S tonea nchorsi n the areao f sacredo bjectB. uta meticulouse xami-
slabw e expectedt o find a holy relic--a theS eao f Galileea ver- nationo f the stonei tselfr evealst hati t is
bone perhaps-which would have im- age about4 0 kg
partedi ts sanctityt o the place,a nd (88 lbs; Below. The Anchor stone in perspective
turnedt he churchi ntoa consecrated see (drawn by EmilS hapira).
"houseo f God."I nsteadw, hata waited
us was the surpriseo f the expedition. Right. Plan and sections
Merelya few centimeterbs elow the of the Anchor stone.
marbles lab,a largea nd impressive
blocko f basalts tonew as foundl ying
on its side.T hes tonew eigheda lmost
halfa ton (487k g, 1052l bs,t o be pre-
cise),w as 1.02m eters( 3.3f t)h igh,a nd
measuredi n cross-section0 .5x 0.3m e-
ters( 1.6x 1 ft).
Thef rontb, ack,a nd sideso f thes tone
weres moothlyc ut,b ut theb ottomw as
roughlyf ashionedi n thef ormo f a stake.
Iti s deart hatt hes toneo riginallyst oodi n
an uprightp osition,w ith its lowere nd
fixedi n theg round.T hem osts ignificant
detailf ora n understandinogf them ono-
lithi s a roundh olei n thes tone,1 8 cms
(72 inches)i n diametera, nd in the shape
of a doublec one,t he resulto f having
beend rilledf romb oths ides.
Thes tonew as placedb eneatht he
o 10 20 30cm
altari n the Byzantinep eriod( on the
128 BiblicalA rchaeologis5t7 :3 (1994)