DEEP DIVISIONS Archaeologists Are Unearthing Remarkable Finds in Jerusalem
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NEWS FEATURE NATURE|Vol 447|3 May 2007 DEEP DIVISIONS Archaeologists are unearthing remarkable finds in Jerusalem. But the digs have sparked an argument over who should run the site and present the results to the public. Haim Watzman reports. n the ancient heart of Jerusalem, the one- at the site is run by a non-profit foundation kilometre-square walled area known as the called Ir David (which means ‘City of David’ in Old City contains some of the most sacred Hebrew). The group was established in 1986 to Isites for three religions, and as such it is no promote excavation and tourist development of stranger to religious and political conflict. Yet the site, and is popularly known by its Hebrew some of the latest disputes are centred just out- acronym, Elad. The foundation often helps to side the massive walls, in a Palestinian village organize funds and support for archaeological known as Silwan that is now a neighbourhood excavations at the site. OF DAVID M. RICHARDSON/CITY within greater Jerusalem. But Elad also has another goal: promot- Here, archaeologists are battling over the ing Jewish settlement in the village of Silwan. interpretation of major ongoing excavations. To that end, it has reclaimed formerly Jewish The site, known to Israelis as the City of David, houses, evicting the Palestinian residents and lies under part of Silwan and is operated by a replacing them with Jews, and has purchased Jewish settler organization. Some Israeli archae- Palestinian houses — sometimes using means ologists are openly critical of this organization’s that its Palestinian and Israeli critics charge are aims, while many Palestinians claim that the legally questionable. Renovation of these homes digs are damaging their property. At the heart and development work for residential and tour- of the debate is the question of ist purposes have necessitated who should be allowed to con- “We can’t run any site salvage excavations that have trol the site, oversee excava- if the residents don’t inconvenienced the Palestinian tions, and present the findings residents and sometimes caused to the public. want us.” damage to their property. The part of Silwan that lies — Yigael Ben-Ari Elad’s members and sup- on top of the site contains some porters are nearly all nation- four dozen homes of Palestinian Arabs, and 20 alist Orthodox Jews who believe that Jewish homes of Israeli settlers. The houses stand on settlement in the territories captured by Israel the ruins of centuries of Muslim and Byzantine in the Six-Day War of 1967 is God’s will and a habitation, which in turn cover the Jerusalem precondition for the arrival of the Messiah. that was sacked and burned by the Babyloni- Although archaeologists digging at the site ans in 586 bc, and before that besieged by the say that Elad has not pressed political inter- Assyrians in 701 bc. Farther down lies evidence pretations on their work, some of them have that might help confirm — or refute — the raised concerns that the organization’s religious Bible’s account of a prosperous united Israelite and political goals are incompatible with the kingdom in the tenth century bc, ruled by the role of running a national park containing an kings David and Solomon. And deeper still are important archaeological site. Indeed, they the remains of an even more ancient city that charge that Elad is using its position to pro- prospered around 1800–1700 bc, during the mote a distorted version of history — merging Middle Bronze Age. myth and legend with archaeological fact. So it’s hardly surprising that archaeologists This apparent conflict of interest has have been excavating here for the past 140 years. prompted a group of archaeologists to initiate Digs are now under way at several sites in Sil- legal moves to get the Israeli government to wan — both between and beneath the homes of take control of the site from Elad. “They are the village’s inhabitants. Each month, busloads taking over public land,” says Rafi Greenberg, of Israeli schoolchildren and Israeli and foreign an archaeologist at Tel Aviv University who is tourists flock to see the unearthed finds. one of the organizers of the initiative. But to some, the way in which these finds But Ronny Reich, an archaeologist at the Uni- are presented and explained to the visitors is versity of Haifa who has excavated at the City a major cause for concern. The visitors’ centre of David, notes that Elad does not try to dictate who can work there. “I don’t think anyone can Excavations near this ancient tunnel have revealed tell a group of people that wants to participate in fresh details about how the Gihon spring was used. the excavations that they can’t,” he says. 22 NATURE|Vol 447|3 May 2007 NEWS FEATURE Just below Jerusalem’s city walls stretches a hill that is home to the archaeological remains known as the City of David. Elad’s spokesman refused Nature’s request and wealth of their kingdoms is exaggerated. period (around 1000 bc), which corresponds to interview a representative of the organiza- Furthermore, the Elad guide made no men- to the time of King David. So far, several large tion and asked that questions be submitted in tion of Byzantine and Muslim settlement, giv- rooms have been uncovered, as well as walls writing. When they were, the spokesman failed ing the impression that the site is solely a Jewish two to three metres wide. In March, Mazar to provide answers, despite repeated promises one. But this may not be too surprising, given announced the discovery of another 20-metre to do so. that she had only about an hour to explain the section of the structure’s outer wall, further site and that her audience consisted of Israeli evidence of its huge size. She believes that the Fact or fiction? Jews, including a number of easily bored chil- massive nature of the structure indicates that it One way to experience the Elad view of the dren and teenagers. Under those conditions, must have been an important public building. City of David is to tour the site with an Elad- the presentation of any archaeological site And because it is located close to the Tem- PHOTOGRAPHS HALLIDAY SILVERMAN/SONIA D. trained guide. It is possible to visit the exca- would no doubt be geared more towards story- ple Mount and at a commanding position in vations on your own or with a guide you’ve telling than to the detailed technical facts of the city, she believes that it is the palace that, brought yourself. But the default option for what the archaeologists have found and how according to the Bible, David built after con- tourists and school groups is to hear the nar- they interpret the evidence. quering Jerusalem and making it his capital in rative that asserts the Jewish claim and histori- Few dispute that this complex site has the early tenth century bc1. cal connection to the site, say Greenberg and yielded some major discoveries in recent years. his colleagues. Near the top of the hill in Silwan is an ongoing Age concerns There is some truth to these claims, as a excavation led by Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew But some archaeologists dispute her dating Nature visit to the site suggests. The tour guide University and sponsored by Elad, the Shalem and interpretation. Israel Finkelstein of Tel provided by Elad was well-spoken and knowl- Center (a Jerusalem-based research institute), Aviv University, for example, is a leading pro- edgeable, but mixed myth and fact in her pres- the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Soci- ponent of the view that many archaeological entation. For example, she asserted that the ety for the Study of the Land of Israel and Its remains throughout Israel dated to the early reason David chose the site for his capital is Antiquities. In early 2005, Mazar’s team uncov- tenth century bc — the time of David and that it lies just below the Temple Mount, which ered a large stone structure, Solomon — are actually nearly a century is identical to Mount Moriah, the site where, and dated pottery found younger. On the basis of his later dat- according to the Bible, Abraham took his son inside the structure to ing of the artefacts in question, and of Isaac to offer him as a sacrifice to God. Although early in the Iron Age IIa the lack of references to a large Israeli the identification of the Temple Mount with Jerusalem kingdom centred in Jerusalem in the Mount Moriah is well-established in Jewish records of near-Eastern cultures, he tradition, there is no archaeological evidence JERUSALEM ISRAEL argues that the rulers of Jerusalem for Abraham’s presence on the site — or indeed were not significant players on the inter- DIGITALGLOBE for the existence of Abraham and Isaac. national stage until much later. “Mazar In fact, a handful of archaeologists go so far Temple has done fine and important work,” as to say that David and Solomon may also be Mount he says, “but interpretation is another largely mythical characters. This view is rejected matter. The structure she found can’t be by most experts on the period — they tend to OLD CITY dated unambiguously.” agree that it is likely the two ancient rulers did City of David Finkelstein thinks that the large stone visitors’ centre reign in Jerusalem. But many scholars argue that structure instead dates to the ninth century Gihon spring the evidence discovered so far — both at the City bc — the period in which Omri and his son of David and at other sites in the region — indi- Ahab organized the northern Israelite tribes Pool of Siloam cates that the biblical description of the extent into a powerful kingdom.