Archaeologists unearth ruins of 1,500-year-old Jewish town in southern Israel

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVilHPGTl_W0_m6QharfzJLQLJZx4C-ttPuangRe6nNDSFnqD-Ylr8x08HHV_tOWEMO0A-_vVyMFBmBoCXqSqUzMMxl3AniHnt7rXTk3EDyIOsmoKeBtYm5gfvSLytEZXRmVTm1aJEi4k/s1600/IAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVilHPGTl_W0_m6QharfzJLQLJZx4C-ttPuangRe6nNDSFnqD-Ylr8x08HHV_tOWEMO0A-_vVyMFBmBoCXqSqUzMMxl3AniHnt7rXTk3EDyIOsmoKeBtYm5gfvSLytEZXRmVTm1aJEi4k/s320/IAA.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Israeli archaeologists digging on the route of a planned highway have found new ruins from a 1,500-year-old Jewish town, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Sunday.<br /><br />The remains of two Jewish ritual baths and two public buildings were uncovered in a salvage dig ahead of the paving of a new section of Israel’s Highway 6, a north-south toll road eventually slated to run much of the length of the country.<br /><br />Both of the public buildings feature raised platforms along the walls facing Jerusalem, archaeologists say — a trademark feature of Jewish houses of prayer.<br /><br />The highway will be rerouted to preserve the ruins, the IAA statement said.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/archaeologists-unearth-ruins-of-1500-year-old-jewish-town-in-southern-israel/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from The Times of Israel</a></b><br />

Archaeologists unearth ruins of 1,500-year-old Jewish town in southern Israel

Israeli archaeologists digging on the route of a planned highway have found new ruins from a 1,500-year-old Jewish town, the Israel Antiquit...

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Baghdad at 1,250: a far cry from past glories

Baghdad was once the capital of an empire and the centre of the Islamic world, but at 1,250 years old, the Iraqi city is a far cry from its past glories after being ravaged by years of war and sanctions.<br /><br />Construction of the city on the bank of the Tigris River began in July 762 AD under Abbasid Caliph Abu Jaafar al-Mansur, and it has since played a pivotal role in Arab and Islamic civilisations.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOrzH9FwJ3CYWds9mjtqrRfkLzNujNRU43ztBW0Y7zlqNtYKuO5-9GH0urP44cg7TCliYeuLLHlSLGawjEp-px3CZ-ClLcdfxU8CSTX-SEWG8vtNh0Be9ej-B_VdSsDk8Jg0XrUxaERs/s1600/Baghdad_150_to_300_AH.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOrzH9FwJ3CYWds9mjtqrRfkLzNujNRU43ztBW0Y7zlqNtYKuO5-9GH0urP44cg7TCliYeuLLHlSLGawjEp-px3CZ-ClLcdfxU8CSTX-SEWG8vtNh0Be9ej-B_VdSsDk8Jg0XrUxaERs/s400/Baghdad_150_to_300_AH.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br />"Baghdad represented the economic centre of the Abbasid Empire, and it was used as a starting point for controlling other neighbouring regions to enhance Islamic power," said Issam al-Faili, a professor of political history at Mustansiriyah University.<br /><br />"Baghdad witnessed a renaissance of thought through translation, which was usually mastered by Jews and the Christians, and became a destination for intellectuals, poets and scholars from all parts of the world, and a centre for craftsmen and a city of construction," Faili said. "Baghdad today, after it was the capital of the world, has become one of the most miserable cities," he said.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/baghdad-1-250-far-cry-past-glories-105957243.html" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Yahoo News</a></b>

Baghdad at 1,250: a far cry from past glories

Baghdad was once the capital of an empire and the centre of the Islamic world, but at 1,250 years old, the Iraqi city is a far cry from its ...

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Alexander the not so Great: History through Persian eyes

Alexander the Great is portrayed as a legendary conqueror and military leader in Greek-influenced Western history books but his legacy looks very different from a Persian perspective.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzxU82a1rwWDrAhXxZDSiC1dhkOOR48siLMq9W48BMB8BFNd0X0vZA7Ptt9RfZ8ait9JM8DzRXOfLL4_MCpDbaV3O0oyq4Y61WKO5cuvpIv9mzEvacYTtIqgpluVyep62MOhbPOcDWbw/s1600/BattleofIssus333BC-mosaic-detail1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzxU82a1rwWDrAhXxZDSiC1dhkOOR48siLMq9W48BMB8BFNd0X0vZA7Ptt9RfZ8ait9JM8DzRXOfLL4_MCpDbaV3O0oyq4Y61WKO5cuvpIv9mzEvacYTtIqgpluVyep62MOhbPOcDWbw/s400/BattleofIssus333BC-mosaic-detail1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /> Any visitor to the spectacular ruins of Persepolis - the site of the ceremonial capital of the ancient Persian Achaemenid empire, will be told three facts: it was built by Darius the Great, embellished by his son Xerxes, and destroyed by that man, Alexander.<br /><br /> That man Alexander, would be the Alexander the Great, feted in Western culture as the conqueror of the Persian Empire and one of the great military geniuses of history.<br /><br /> Indeed, reading some Western history books one might be forgiven for thinking that the Persians existed to be conquered by Alexander.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18803290" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from the BBC</a></b>

Alexander the not so Great: History through Persian eyes

Alexander the Great is portrayed as a legendary conqueror and military leader in Greek-influenced Western history books but his legacy looks...

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2,000 year-old gold and silver hoard uncovered in Israel

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-y32RNcOT_gsEi5nPFfNb9UIgk1MWL5ls6T2UmycPENKP6cBntUTTBn6NEPDeddX6G9P-8Xld2qxGaoFqAWVKLZK_mgX2g4LwSafQEVSWDCLq1lI4t1BfAyGF62zAu6YXAkyy5NNN7c/s1600/qiryatgatearring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-y32RNcOT_gsEi5nPFfNb9UIgk1MWL5ls6T2UmycPENKP6cBntUTTBn6NEPDeddX6G9P-8Xld2qxGaoFqAWVKLZK_mgX2g4LwSafQEVSWDCLq1lI4t1BfAyGF62zAu6YXAkyy5NNN7c/s320/qiryatgatearring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Israel Antiquities Authority reports they have uncovered a spectacular 2,000 year-old gold and silver hoard during an archaeological excavation in southern Israel.<br /><br />The hoard includes jewelry and silver and gold coins from the Roman period, and was recently exposed in a salvage excavation in the near the city of Qiryat Gat. The treasure trove comprising some 140 gold and silver coins together with gold jewelry was probably hidden by a wealthy lady at a time of impending danger during the Bar Kokhba Revolt.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2012/06/2000-year-old-gold-and-silver-hoard-uncovered-in-israel/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from History of the Ancient World</a></b><br />

2,000 year-old gold and silver hoard uncovered in Israel

The Israel Antiquities Authority reports they have uncovered a spectacular 2,000 year-old gold and silver hoard during an archaeological exc...

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Ancient seal discovered in Jerusalem

In archaeological work in the 2,000 year-old drainage channel between the City of David and the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden, remains were discovered of the building closest to the First Temple exposed so far in archaeological excavations.<br /><br /> The remains of a building dating to the end of the First Temple period (1006 – 586 BCE) were discovered below the base of the ancient drainage channel that is currently being exposed in Israel Antiquities Authority excavations beneath Robinson’s Arch in the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden, adjacent to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. This building is the closest structure to the First Temple found to date in archaeological excavations.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2012/05/ancient-seal-discovered-in-jerusalem/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from History of the Ancient World</a></b>

Ancient seal discovered in Jerusalem

In archaeological work in the 2,000 year-old drainage channel between the City of David and the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden, remains wer...

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Israel's Other Temple: Research Reveals Ancient Struggle over Holy Land Supremacy

The Jews had significant competition in antiquity when it came to worshipping Yahweh. Archeologists have discovered a second great temple not far from Jerusalem that predates its better known cousin. It belonged to the Samaritans, and may have been edited out of the Bible once the rivalry had been decided.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCLKDnR69h3165oIb_ZUnUPkZTP67b8DNxVYcAAIEPrMEuODywKFuoKGBKSXAk7RWEzt4_1t3ylV1DL1D72br9gaF-bjl-chITXv1xzkwKpbPcyaDMKzrcb6uO1hQGAdU3OEN2oHmBjw/s1600/Gerizim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCLKDnR69h3165oIb_ZUnUPkZTP67b8DNxVYcAAIEPrMEuODywKFuoKGBKSXAk7RWEzt4_1t3ylV1DL1D72br9gaF-bjl-chITXv1xzkwKpbPcyaDMKzrcb6uO1hQGAdU3OEN2oHmBjw/s400/Gerizim.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Clad in gray coat, Aharon ben Ab-Chisda ben Yaacob, 85, is sitting in the dim light of his house. He strikes up a throaty chant, a litany in ancient Hebrew. He has a full beard and is wearing a red kippah on his head.<br /><br />The man is a high priest -- and his family tree goes back 132 generations. He says: "I am a direct descendent of Aaron, the brother of the prophet Moses" -- who lived perhaps over 3,000 years ago.<br />Ab-Chisda is the spiritual leader of the Samaritans, a sect that is so strict that its members are not even allowed to turn on the heat on the Sabbath. They never eat shrimp and only marry among themselves. Their women are said to be so impure during menstruation that they are secluded in special rooms for seven days.<br /><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_817403058"><br /></a></b><br /><b><a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,827144,00.html" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Der Spiegel</a></b><br />

Israel's Other Temple: Research Reveals Ancient Struggle over Holy Land Supremacy

The Jews had significant competition in antiquity when it came to worshipping Yahweh. Archeologists have discovered a second great temple no...

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