Books by Orit Peleg-Barkat
Edited Books by Orit Peleg-Barkat
New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and its Region , 2022
English front pages and articles list of the lectures presented at the 15th Jerusalem archeologic... more English front pages and articles list of the lectures presented at the 15th Jerusalem archeological conference.
Vol. 14 of New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and its Region is out.
New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and its Region , 2019
Front Matter of New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and its Region 12
Papers by Orit Peleg-Barkat
In contrast to the debris excavated on the eastern slope of the City of David and the Ophel, the ... more In contrast to the debris excavated on the eastern slope of the City of David and the Ophel, the excavation on the southern slope of Mount Zion, outside the city wall line, did not reveal a similar accumulation of dumps from the first century CE containing large quantities of organic material, pottery, stone vessels, etc. Rather, the excavations revealed a large assemblage of architectural decorative elements from the late Second Temple period. Except for one fragment of an Ionic capital, which may have been disqualified for use during its manufacture process and deliberately thrown during the first century BCE or CE, the rest of the pieces originated in two initiated actions of evacuating building remains on the Western hill of Jerusalem to allow for new construction in this area. Due to its nature, the discussed assemblage attests to the monumental nature of the Western Hill during the late Second Temple period, and to changes that this quarter of the city underwent in later periods that necessitated the conveyance of these large pieces of stone outside the city walls.
ERETZ-ISRAEL 35, 2024
The “Cradle of Jesus” room, approximately 56 sq.m. in area, while an integral part of the undergr... more The “Cradle of Jesus” room, approximately 56 sq.m. in area, while an integral part of the underground complex of Solomon’s Stables, forms a separate unit within the Stables. It is built on a surface approximately 3 m. above the floor of Solomon’s Stables and its eastern and the southern side are the walls of the Temple Mount. Some of the room’s walls reflect characteristics associated with Herodian construction. The pair of windows in the eastern wall and the pair of windows in the southern wall are clearly Herodian. Our research revealed architectural findings thatcan be dated stylistically to the late Roman and Byzantine periods. According to several Christian traditions from as early as the Byzantine period, it appears that the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount complex was identified with the “Pinnacle” of the New Testament. It is possible that a Christian monastery once operated here. The Byzantine Christian tradition later evolved into early Islamic traditions identifying the room, located in the corner of the Mount, with the “Chamber of Maryam” (Miḥrāb / Maryam or Maqām Maryam) and the “Cradle of Jesus” and in connection with the descriptions in the Qurʾan of a place on the Temple Mount where Zechariah (the father of Yaḥyā—John the Baptist) visited Maryam, the mother of Isa (Jesus), to ensure her well-being. This was not the last incarnation of the room. During the Crusader period, as part of a Christian theological trend, the Temple Mount complex developed into a Christological space and events from the lives of Jesus and his mother Mary were related to it, which also included a number of construction operations, including the “Cradle of Jesus.” Christian pilgrims began to visit the here during this period, and many of them even left tangible mementos on the walls of the room, carving dozens of small crosses on its northern facade.
This paper discusses the growing trend in Late Hellenistic- and Early Roman-era Judea (ca. 200 b.... more This paper discusses the growing trend in Late Hellenistic- and Early Roman-era Judea (ca. 200 b.c.e.–70 c.e.) for constructing “display tombs”—funerary architecture designed to achieve maximum visibility and project the status of the individual or family who financed the construction, not just in the cities, but also in the countryside. It uses the case study of the recently excavated pyramidal tomb marker at Horvat Midras (Israel), an affluent village, located on the border of Idumea and Judea about 30 km southwest of Jerusalem in the Judean Foothills. After a detailed discussion of the new finds, it is placed within the material and broader socioeconomic contexts of rural Judea in these periods. As will be shown, this monument’s architectural style, location, and other attributes enhance our understanding of monumental funerary architecture in rural settings, adds new archaeological data to often-overlooked rural areas, and contributes to a better understanding of socioeconomic elites in rural Judea at this time.
Two pieces of decorative architectural elements and a sculpted thereomorphic (animal-like) table ... more Two pieces of decorative architectural elements and a sculpted thereomorphic (animal-like) table leg, all made of hard limestone, were revealed in Area P. Stylistically, both the architectural elements and the decorated table leg seem to date from the Early Roman period (see below). However, while the table leg was found inside a cistern alongside finds contemporary with the Herodian Palatial Mansion exposed in Area P (Geva 2021), and probably originates from one of its rooms, the two architectural elements were found in secondary use, incorporated in later (Stratum 1) walls built above the mansion, and therefore cannot be attributed with any certainty to the Palatial Mansion. While they represent random items that were brought to this area after the mansion went out of use, they offer us a glimpse into the rich assemblages of monumental architecture and luxury furniture of late Second Temple period Jerusalem.
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Books by Orit Peleg-Barkat
Edited Books by Orit Peleg-Barkat
Papers by Orit Peleg-Barkat
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This paper deals with a phenomenon that characterizes, as far as the archaeological evidence is telling, the monumental urban foundation of Aelia Capitolina. In several places throughout the city, e.g., in the Eastern and Western Cardines and the Northern City Gate, the archaeological finds indicate a sudden cessation of construction, after the bulk of work has already been carried out. It should be emphasized that although the construction ceased - the buildings, or streets in question, were put to use and in some cases continued to be used for centuries; however, the final stages of the construction and embellishment did not take place, and therefore their appearance was of an unfinished project, turning the city into less embellished and monumental compared to other cities of the Roman East
(AJ 15. 411−416), a basilical layout with a central nave and two flanking narrower and shorter aisles. As such, it stands as one of the earliest examples of a basilica structure in Judea and anticipates later appearances of “proper” basilica structures in the region.
Despite the fact that none of its masonry survived in situ, the elaborate description of the edifice by Flavius Josephus (37–c. 100 CE) allowed for many scholarly attempts at virtual reconstruction of the building’s plan and elevation. A previous study by the author (Peleg-Barkat 2017; 2019) has presented a new reconstruction proposal that is for the
first time based on architectural fragments found at the foot of the southern enclosure wall of the Temple Mount. These previously ignored pieces of columns, column bases, friezes and cornices originate with high probability from the Royal Portico, due to their find spot in the destruction debris, their scale and style. The pieces of the structure’s architectural decoration reveal otherwise obscure features of the Portico’s original design and can reconcile details that were understood as contradictions in Josephus’ description of the structure. Nevertheless, several discrepancies that do exist between the text and
the archaeological evidence bring up a methodological problem; which evidence should we trust: the partial and inconclusive archaeological evidence or the more complete but maybe biased or exaggerated textual testimony? The current article puts the Royal Portico in the wider context of Herodian architecture in order to settle this debate.
This paper discusses the implications of recent archaeological findings in Judaea, mainly from the site of Herodium, for our perception of Herod’s architecture and the multiple identities and influences it reflects. As a client king of the early Empire, whose construction projects are well-known from both the historical record and the archaeological finds, King Herod serves as a perfect case study for understanding the ways in which local monarchs and client kings in the late Republic and early Empire utilized art and architecture to simultaneously display their image to a varied audience, including the various groups that comprised their subjects, their peers, as well as their Roman patrons. The first part of this paper briefly explores different opinions concerning the nature of Herod’s art and architecture and their varied sources of inspiration. The second part focuses on the site of Herodium, situated 12 km south of Jerusalem, where excavations led by the Hebrew University have brought to light remarkable findings over the last decades that put a new perspective on our perceptions of Herod’s building program and motivation.