A 2000 year old inscription is the first spelling of Jerusalem

Of course, Jerusalem is known as an ancient city. But rarely did the archeological spotlight shine on the name of the city itself. That is, until today. Archaeologists have uncovered a 2,000-year-old stone inscription that notes the full Hebrew spelling of the word Jerusalem. The previous artefacts were either Aramaic or used an abridged version of Jerusalem. The discovery was announced today at a joint press conference of the Israeli Antiquities Authority and the Israeli Museum.

The inscription was discovered during a search where the foundations of a Roman structure were exposed. On a stone pillar, they found the words: "Hananiah, son of Dodalos of Jerusalem".

Danit Levy, director of the excavations on behalf of the Israeli Antiquities Authority, erases the inscription found on the ground. (Photo: Yoli Shwartz
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IAA)

"The archaeological backdrop of the inscription does not allow us to determine where she was originally exposed or who was Hananiah, son of Dodalos," said Dudy Mevorach, chief curator of the newspaper. archeology at the Museum of Israel. "But it's likely that he was an artist-potter, the son of an artist-potter, who adopted a name from the field of Greek mythology, following Dedale, the famous artist." is interesting that he decided to add his Jerusalem origin to his last name. "

Excavations have been taking place in this area for many years and have slowly exposed large portions of a potter's district, which has been producing ships for Jerusalem for more than 300 years. Production focused on the manufacture of cookware and archaeologists located throughout the site discovered kilns, clay ponds, plastered water tanks and workspaces. allowing to dry and store the containers. Alongside the pottery production area, a small village has developed, whose economy was based on pottery production. The pots have been sold in large quantities to the people of Jerusalem and its environs.

Archaeological excavations have unearthed a whole pottery workshop in ancient Jerusalem. (Photo: Yoli Shwartz
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IAA)

This discovery is only the latest in a series of archaeological discoveries conducted recently in Israel. In recent months, archaeologists have discovered the lost house of the apostles of Jesus, discovered that the Mediterranean was perhaps home to pirates of the sixteenth century and that colored fabrics were found in an old copper mine. To help store the influx of results, a 350,000-square-foot complex is being built in Jerusalem. It will soon be open to the public and will house two million ancient artifacts.

For many, Israel is the epicenter of archaeological studies. "If you really want to study human evolution, you have to come to Israel," said The Grapevine Israel Hershkovitz, one of the country's leading archaeologists. "You have to start with Ethiopia in East Africa, where it all started, but after, if you want to know more about the human expansion and the evolution of our own you must come to Israel because Israel is really the central part. "

The new stone inscription will be on display at the Israel Museum starting tomorrow.

The registration will be exposed to the public. (Photo: Yoli Shwartz
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IAA)