11/13 to 11/16 | Class, the Israel Museum, and Tombs from the Second Temple Period

This week has been fairly uneventful.  My classes are becoming increasingly stressful as term papers, presentations, and readings start to pile up.  Fortunately, my Archeology of Jerusalem class has a number of field trips to various sites around the city that allow me to get out of the classroom and experience places I might not otherwise visit.  This week, I had the opportunity to go to the Israel Museum and see the model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period (~70 CE).  I was also able to see some of the monumental rock-cut tombs in the Kidron Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives.  The former I had already seen last summer with my family, but the latter was completely new to me and very interesting.  Here are some pictures from my field trip:

The entrance to the Israel Museum with its name in Hebrew, English, and Arabic.

 An overview of the model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple period.  The model is extremely detailed and apparently very accurate.  It was built before Israel took control of the Old City in 1967 (before excavations could be done), but historian and geographer Michael Avi Yonah, the designer, managed to reconstruct ancient Jerusalem from various texts and historical sources.

The model with the top of the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed, visible in the distance.  In the picture, the top of the Holy Temple is directly under the Shrine of the Book.

The red arrow is pointing to what is today known as the Western Wall.  This model really gives you a feel for the massive size of the Holy Temple complex.

A view of the front of the Holy Temple, which faced east towards the Mount of Olives.

A close-up of the details of the Holy Temple.  Notice the beautiful decorations on the tall building that housed the Holy of Holies.

Incredible views of Jerusalem surround the Israel Museum.

Archeological ruins are on display all over the gardens of the Israel Museum.  These well-preserved columns are from the Roman period and are designed in a Corinthian-style.

A closer view of the Shrine of the Book.  The white dome and black basalt wall represent the story found in the Scroll of the War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness.

As we drove to the Kidron Valley next to the Old City, we passed some of the most famous churches in Christendom.

The Church of All Nations, also known as the Church/Basilica of the Agony, marks the spot where Jesus supposedly prayed before his arrest.  The facade portrays Jesus as a mediator between G-d and man.

The Russian Orthodox Church of Maria Magdalene.  Its golden domes are striking, but they are completely overshadowed by the nearby Dome of the Rock.

The Kidron Valley is one of Israel's best kept secrets.  Not only is there a wealth of history, but incredible views abound!

A view of the Kidron Valley.  The sealed gate here is known as the Golden Gate or the Gate of Mercy.  It is believed that the messiah will enter through this gate.  Sultan Suleiman I sealed off the gate in 1541 to prevent the Jewish messiah's return.  The Muslims also put a cemetery in front of the gates because the Jewish high priests, or kohenim, are not allowed to make themselves impure by walking through a cemetery.

Israel: G-d's country.

The Kidron Valley is primarily covered in two things: olive trees and graves.

The first of the monumental tombs we discussed is known as the Tomb of Zechariah.  The entire structure was carved out of the rock of the mountain.

A view of the Ionic-style columns, a design, along with Corinthian-style and Doric-style, that originated in Rome.

The Tomb of Bnei Hezir, adjacent to the Tomb of Zechariah.  The tomb contains a vast complex of burial caves.  Unlike the Tomb of Zechariah, the columns here are designed in the Doric-style.

Inside a burial cave in the Tomb of Bnei Hezir.  Notice the yahrzeit candles that someone left in honor of the dead.

Arabic graffiti has been crossed out by Stars of David.

The Tomb of Avshalom, thought to be the burial place of King David's son Avshalom.  The architectural style of the monument, however, makes it impossible for Avshalom to be buried here because it is built in a Roman Doric-Style (~70 CE) that came along long after Avshalom's death (~1000 BCE).  For thousands of years, Jews would come to this site and throw rocks as punishment for Avshalom's bad behavior.