Thursday, June 18, 2015

Rare Inscription Bearing Biblical Name Found in Israel

Israel’s antiquities authority says archaeologists have discovered a rare 3,000-year-old inscription of a name mentioned in the Bible.

The name “Eshbaal Ben Beda” appears on a large ceramic jar. Eshbaal of the Bible was a son of King Saul. Archaeologists Yosef Garfinkel and Saar Ganor say the jar belonged to a different Eshbaal, likely the owner of an agricultural estate. Although it has no connection with the biblical character, the inscription shows that Eshba’al was a common name during the early Israelite period.

They said Tuesday it is the first time the name was discovered in an ancient inscription. It is one of only four inscriptions discovered from the biblical 10th century B.C. Kingdom of Judah, when King David is said to have reigned. Archaeologists pieced together the inscription from pottery shards found at a 2012 excavation in the Valley of Elah in central Israel.

In the video below, PM Bibi Netanyahu gets a  first hand look at the ancient barrel.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It is very nice to see Bibi's open respect and passion for Tanach and Jewish heritage.