Jerusalem – Archeologists from the Jerusalem-based Temple Mount Sifting Project unveiled Tuesday a restored floor of painted tiles that experts believe dates to the Herodian era (37 to 4 BCE). Experts believe the floor may have been part of the courtyard of the Second Temple.
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“This represents the first time that archeologists have been able to successfully restore an element from the Herodian Second Temple complex,” stated Zachi Dvira, co-founder and director of the Temple Mount Sifting Project.
Frankie Snyder, a member of the Temple Mount Sifting Project’s team of researchers and an expert in the study of ancient Herodian style flooring, stated that she had used geometric principles, and similarities found in tile design found at other Herod sites to ornate the ornate tile patterns.
“This type of flooring is called ‘opus sectile,’ Latin for ‘cut work.’ It was very expensive and was considered more prestigious than mosaic floors,” said Snyder. “So far, we have succeeded in restoring seven potential designs of the majestic flooring that decorated the buildings of the Temple Mount, explaining that there was no ‘opus sectile’ in Israel prior to Herodian rule.”
“The tile segments were mostly imported from Rome, Asia Minor, Tunisia and Egypt, were created from polished multicolored stones cut in a variety of geometric shapes. A key characteristic of the Herodian tiles is their size, which corresponds to the Roman foot, of approximately 29.6 cm.” she explained
The Temple Mount Sifting Project was founded in 2004 by archaeologists Dr. Gabriel Barkay and Zachi Dvira under the auspices of Bar-Ilan University, in response to the illegal removal of tons of antiquities-rich earth from the Temple Mount by the Islamic Waqf in 1999. Since then, volunteer and professional sifters have unearthed thousands of artifacts, including more than 600 colored stone floor tile segments, more than 100 of which have been conclusively dated to the Second Temple period.
The project is conducted under the auspices of Bar-Ilan University and The Israel Nature and Parks Protection Authority,
“It enables us to get an idea of the Temple’s incredible splendor,” said Dr. Barkay.
Barkly told reporters that the style of the tiles is consistent with similar Herodian discoveries in Masada, Jericho and a variety of locations in Italy.
The restored tiles will be presented to the general public on September 8 th , at the 17th Annual City of David Archaeological Conference in Jerusalem.
a bunch of NONSENSE…..
מי שלא ראה בהמ”ק בבנינו לא ראה בנין מפואר מעולם מאי היא אמר אביי ואיתימא רב חסדא זה בנין הורדוס במאי בניה אמר [רבה] באבני שישא ומרמרא איכא דאמרי באבני שישא כוחלא ומרמרא אפיק שפה ועייל שפה כי היכי דלקבל סידא סבר למשעיין בדהבא אמרו ליה רבנן שבקיה דהכי שפיר טפי דמיתחזי כאדותא דימא
He who has not seen the Temple in its full construction has
never seen a glorious building in his life. Which Temple?14 — Abaye, or it might be said, R. Hisda,
replied, The reference is to the building of Herod.15 Of what did he build it? — Rabbah16 replied, Of
yellow and white marble. Some there are who say, With yellow, blue and white marble. The building
rose in tiers17 in order to provide a hold for the plaster. He18 intended at first to overlay it with gold,
but the Rabbis told him, Leave it alone for it is more beautiful as it is, since19 it has the appearance
of the waves of the sea.
The Islamic “Waqf” tried to destroy all traces of Jewish life on the Temple Mount, as they’d like to do across all of Eretz Yisroel, in their bulldozer destruction under the mosque. But Israeli archaeologists have worked for year to carefully sift thru tones of debris to find all sorts of artifacts that would have been otherwise thrown out by the arabs. Hopefully all Jews can share in the delight in these discoveries.