Archeologists Find 2,000-year-old Gold Earring’s

A 2,000-year-old gold earring inlaid with pearls and precious stones is displayed after its discovery at the City of David archaeological excavation below the Old City walls in East Jerusalem, on 10 November 2008.

The earring is made of a coiled gold hoop and has a large inlaid pearl in its center with two identical gold pendants each adorned with an emerald and a pearl.

According to archaeologists at the site, the well-preserved earring was discovered in the ruins of a building which dates to the Byzantine period (4th-5th Centuries AD) but was apparently produced during the course of the Roman period, some 2,000 years ago.
The City of David archaeological excavation, where a 2,000-year-old gold earring inlaid with pearls and precious stones was discovered.

It was further reported, that these earrings are another very possible find from the Palestine royal family. It does look like something we would wear, especially with what looks like not just the pearl’s but the green stones which while I can not tell what they are from the picture; but I have seen worn where emeralds, especially the older members of the family use to wear. As for the gold, the Palestine royal family is only suppose to wear gold.

Pearl’s are very common with the royal family among other precious stones for thousands of years, as well as a clear type of stone that I can not think the name of right now. Which I use to have my mothers necklace and earrings until they were stolen in 2000.

As to the time period, the Palestine royal family were there. I say this because, the only time the Palestine royal family was ever away from Palestine is when we where taken Political hostage at the beginning of the last war which lasted 108 years; with my great grandmother.

Nevertheless, Jerusalem has been the home of the Palestine royal family since the city was first built by us.-HRM Deborah

Archaeologists Discover Former Queen of Palestine Burial Chamber

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced the finds after recent excavations of a former Queen of Palestine's Burial Chamber showing she was buried with fifty tortoises, the near-compete pelvis of a leopard, the wing tip of a golden eagle, the tail of a cow, two marten skulls and the forearm of a wild.

In addition, a human foot belonging a Mesopotamian man who was substantially larger than the interred Queen was also found in the burial chamber.

The university said the burial is thought to be one of the earliest known from the archaeological record and at first mistakenly thought the grave was the only shaman grave in the whole region; not realizing there has never been shaman’s in the Middle East, let alone Palestine.

Something that may need to be reminded in the history of Palestine, that people especially though’s greatly revered where always interred in caves and below grown burials where nearly unheard of.

Also the area where the Queen was interred is a reminder of something very important to the royal family, especially myself. ‘If one see’s the mountains in the distance, they will reach Paradise,’ for mountains where also considered a place of safety.

Shows tortoise shells around the Queens burial chamber.

Here shows a pair of tortoise shells, part of the exceptional funerary offerings recovered from the Queens burial chamber.

“The wing tip of a golden eagle,” was because a golden eagle is another bird that comes from Paradise.

When I was in my more early 30’s, I had been reading about these particular eagles and later prayed for Allah (God) to show me one, also one needs to know these particular eagles are on the endangered list for the US.

Needless to say, one day when I was in the back seat of the car on the way to market with my parents; I happened to look out the window and saw a golden eagle sitting on a fence and how majestic they where; too also my memory, actually a very large bird.

After we had later came home and I was alone with my mother, I explained what I saw, she told me that I was the one person that will see golden eagle‘s. Which I will admit at the time, I wondered why me because in that particular time was when I felt so very unimportant and despised because of my mistreatments and give or take a year; was when my mother confided in me that she was ill, to later learn she had been poisoned.

Other Burial Items Identification:

Cow: Purification
Fifty tortoises: Extreme Longevity
Pelvis of a leopard: Agile, Swiftness
Two marten skulls: High Intelligence
Forearm of a wild: Swiftness

Archeologists Find Burial of Former Queen of Palestine

Archeologists excavating a small cave in northern Palestine have discovered the skeleton of a woman who lived some 12,000 years ago, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced on Tuesday.

The woman in question is not who the Archeologists think she was, she was a former Queen of Palestine; that pre-dates the Islamic period and please, rebury her in the manner that is appropriate to her standing.

The manner of her burial was out of respect to her during that time period and the direction she was laid, so she would see and go to Paradise.

Furthermore, at the time she lived, she was greatly loved by everyone in Palestine.

Nevertheless, this Queen of Palestine was assassinated during the Mesopotamian Conquest, which she was trying to save the Jewish people at that time of being taken into slavery; in Mesopotamia.

The foot is of the Mesopotamian man that murdered her and while it was extremely against her will, the Jewish people where still taken into slavery in Mesopotamia; as is recorded in history.

In further understanding, this Queen was actually buried through great, respectful effort by the Jewish people that where left in Palestine and not by the Arab Palestinians, because of what she was fighting to do to secure the Jews safety.

Down through history, Queen's of Palestine fought and died, trying to save both Jewish and Muslim Palestinians; to the security of Palestine.

The Queen mentioned here, just happened to be one of us.- HRM Deborah

Germany Presents Jewish Holocaust-era Directory

23 October 2008
By ARON HELLER

JERUSALEM – The German government on Thursday handed Palestine's national Jewish Holocaust memorial the personal details of 600,000 Jewish residents of Nazi Germany, the most comprehensive record to date of German-Jewish life during the Nazi era.

German Culture Minister Bernd Neumann presented the directory during a ceremony at the Yad Vashem memorial, saying that it allowed for the first time to show the Jewish residents of Germany from 1933-1945.

"But this list is much more than a list," Neumann said. "It is a unique document about life in Germany and tells the story of those who could not tell their own story."

Neumann, whose responsibilities include German commemoration of the Holocaust, said he hoped the list would "restore to these victims part of their honor."

The ceremony took place in the Hall of Names, a cone-shaped room whose walls are lined with bookshelves containing folders upon folders of pages of testimonies about the Holocaust victims. Yad Vashem currently has records on 3.3 million of the 6 million who perished and continues to collect archival material from around the world.

The new directory includes the names and addresses of the Jewish residents and classifies them into those who survived, those who perished and those whose fate remains unknown. The list includes details on emigration, detention and deportation, as well as where and when people died.

"This list adds to our understanding of what happened to the Jews in Germany," said Yad Vashem director Avner Shalev. "Every new piece of information allows us to piece together the story of individuals and communities during the Holocaust."

With this latest list, Yad Vashem has essentially completed its database on German Jewry during the Nazi era, Shalev said.

Its focus will now turn to compiling a similar database on the Jews who lived in Poland and eastern Europe, an extremely difficult task because of poor record-keeping, large-scale executions and mass destruction of villages.

"We are nearing the point where we will reach the limit of extracting human memory," Shalev said. "It's a scary point, because beyond it everything will be lost."

It took 20 German scientists four years to compile the directory and cost $2.24 million. It was presented to German Chancellor Angela Merkel a few weeks ago and she instructed Neumann to hand over a digital copy to Yad Vashem.

Around 2.5 million data records were collected from more than 1,000 sources, including Jewish and Nazi archives, according to "Remembrance, Responsibility and Future," the German foundation that produced the directory together with the German federal archives.

Following Yad Vashem, the records will also be made available to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, the Jewish Claims Conference and the International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen, Germany.

The list is not being made public. It is subject to strict German data protection laws, given that it has names of people who are still alive.

"It is a memorial to those murdered and those forced into exile. The shame for the crimes committed by the Germans is mixed with grief for the loss that Germany inflicted upon itself," said Martin Salm, the chairman of the foundation.

"The murderers wanted to eradicate the Jewish people and Jewish identity. They did not succeed," Salm said.

Commentary:

As to the Jewish Holocaust, it is a hope that all that actually happened will be known one day, because one thing I have personally learned, that sometimes the horror’s that effects a person are hard to explain sometimes because it is to much for them; even though one may try very hard to do so, for it is thought this is a mechanism of how the human body survives events such as this.

This is why in cases like this, documentation or in some case’s archeology; is so important.

Furthermore, it is even a thought of some Jewish Holocaust survivors that I have met and some became friends for a time, relayed things when they spoke and as I have gotten older completely understand.

For example, I will never forget the anguish of my friend Esther when she spoke of herself and the death’s of her whole family nor her tears and even to this day, when I think of what she said, to her tears; I still cry and remember too.

In further thinking of a remark that was said to me yesterday, that some people apparently think the horrors that I have went through in my own life, are reminiscent to this time and even my process of thinking; which personally, I am not sure. But I will not rule out the possibility that this idea may be so, that I am also a 'victim,' which I never liked that word, of Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

If this turns out to be true, I will hold my head up with the millions that are here and now being subject to this form of maltreatment, to those who came before me; especially those who did become martyrs, for they did not nor should not fold to these sort of crimes subjected to any part of humanity.

Jewish artifacts looted on Kristallnacht unearthed near Berlin

Hermann Goering

A Jewish investigative journalist and his crew discover mezuzahs, chiseled windowsills and armrests from destroyed synagogues at Brandenburg waste site; archeological dig required to recover all artifacts, reporter says

22 October 2008
by Roi Mandel

A Jewish investigative reporter has discovered a large amount of personal and ceremonial artifacts which were looted from Jews during Kristallnacht in 1938.

The items have recently been unearthed by Yaron Svoray at a waste site the size of four soccer fields in Brandenburg, located north of Berlin.

Kristallnacht, also known as the "Night of Broken Glass" or the "Crystal Night pogroms," saw the destruction of more than 200 synagogues and the ransacking of tens of thousands of Jewish businesses and homes. During the Nazi pogrom 92 Jews were murdered and 25,000–30,000 were arrested and deported to concentration camps.

The waste site is located in close proximity to the former home of Hermann Goering, who commanded the German air force (Luftwaffe) during World War II.

Jewish shops vandalized during Kristallnacht.

According to Svoray, the son of the waste site's watchman had told him that remnants from Kristallnacht were dumped there, and after learning of the possible importance of the artifacts from the director of the Kibbutz Lochmei Ha’ Getaot Museum, Simcha Stein, he returned to Germany with a group of volunteers.

"Within an hour of digging with our bare hands we found a bottle embossed with a Star of David," Svoray told Ynet. "We were very excited, because the chances of a bottle surviving a war are so slim.

"Forty meters (approx. 130 feet) from where we unearthed the bottle I discovered a huge metallic swastika. That's when I knew we had a major story on our hands," the journalist said.

Additional artifacts found by Svoray's crew included mezuzahs and chiseled windowsills and armrests from destroyed synagogues. A swastika-shaped ornament was also discovered.

The search for additional artifacts at the site is ongoing under the constant watch of bodyguards, this after Svoray complained of threats made on his life.

Svoray refrained from making his findings public for fear that the site would attract people looking to get their hands on Nazi treasures.

"There are no real treasures here, but there is still a danger that the site will turn into a circus of auctions organized by skinheads," he said, "the site is drawing more and more interest; people are starting to dig."

Svoray stressed that an organized archeological dig will be required in order to unearth all of the Jewish artifacts at the site.

The journalist also reported of a plan to erect a hunting museum in Goering's honor at the site. He said that so far his repeated efforts to scuttle the plan have failed.

Commentary:
For those archeologist’s on the site, is it possible to make it a closed site so others can not destroy the dig?

Furthermore, it is a hope that these archeologist’s find, all they where hoping for.

While I may not know everything from my studies, but it is thought anyone who has learned anything on the Jewish Holocaust; knows about, Kristallnacht.

In my opinion, this particular event of Anti-Semitism was like people went into some type of angry frenzy, due to the Nazi propaganda towards something that was not true.

This is why the use of the media to harm another, not only does mental damage, but does created things such as this, wars and some of the most horrible atrocities known to man; all in the name of a lie.

Furthermore, one can not help to think of the tens of thousands of lives that are lost though this very type of situation, not to mention like what the archeologist are doing; is very possibly finding the truth that may yet be told.

On a more personal note, while numerous events during the holocaust has greatly saddened me, Kristallnacht, has always been one of those extremely sad event’s that I will never forget.

Thinking of a time from my childhood when I first saw the Nazi identification mark on a woman’s holocaust survivor’s arm, for her arm extended a little from her sleeve and while it was obvious not to be something normal; a little time later, I asked my mother if she knew what happened to the woman’s arm.

She did explain to me, several thing’s about the Jewish holocaust and for a little time later in one neighborhood we where living for a time, I saw several people in various places with the same markings and for a young child; this is another event that never leaves one’s thoughts with the compassion I always felt, when I saw those identification markings.

What is even more interesting, is while I was learning the previous events, the Jewish and Arab Palestinians where still thrust in that unwanted, what became the 108 year war. I never had ill feelings towards anyone, just for a time as I have said before, the 'why' there was a war when it made no sense and as it has came to be known; I for one always wished for it to stop and it did.

As I do not know all the feelings of other people about the war ending this year, I do know, I am most grateful.

'Gladiator' tomb discovered in Italy

17 October 2008

The tomb of a general thought to have been an inspiration for the main character in the Oscar-winning film Gladiator has been unearthed in Rome.

Rome-The tomb of Marcus Nonius Macrinus is one of a number of recent archaeological discoveries in the city.

Marcus Nonius Macrinus was a favourite of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, helping him achieve major victories in Europe.

He is believed to have in part inspired the character Maximus Decimus Meridius, played by Russell Crowe in Gladiator.

But although the film character is also a favourite of Marcus Aurelius and goes into battles with him in the late 2nd century AD, that is where the similarities end. The real Roman general is not believed to have been sold into slavery only to return to Rome as a vengeful gladiator.

'Huge' tomb

The tomb was discovered along the northbound Via Flaminia where construction work has been taking place. Many marble columns, inscriptions and decorations have been beautifully preserved thanks to the mud caused by a centuries-old flood of the River Tiber.

Archaeologists are continuing work on the site

It is "the most important ancient Roman monument to come to light for 20 or 30 years", said senior archaeologist Daniela Rossi.

More than 10 inscriptions on the tomb detail the life of Marcus Nonius Macrinus. They show he came from Brescia in northern Italy, was a police commissioner, magistrate, pro-consul of Asia and close confidante of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who wanted him to fight in the wars against Germanic tribes in northern Europe.

"The movie character played by Russell Crowe leaves for and participates in these wars and is an intimate friend of Marcus Aurelius, chronologically we are in the same period and the war is the same, but the movie character has a very sad story and comes to a terrible end while ours becomes a rich and famous man," said Professor Rossi.

Much of the tomb remains buried in mud, and Professor Rossi said archaeologists were working around the clock to unearth the rest of it.

"Perhaps we will also find the sarcophagus. It's also too early to say how big it is, but it appears there was a row of columns at least 15m long, so it was quite huge," he said.

The tomb is one of a number of recent archaeological discoveries in Rome.

Workers renovating a rugby stadium have uncovered a vast complex of tombs that mimic the houses, blocks and streets of a real city, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Meanwhile, archaeologists restoring imperial residences in the heart of ancient Rome are also reported to have found what they believe to be the underground passageway where the Emperor Caligula was murdered by his guards, the AP also reports.

Zippori Ruins

From the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, on 12 August 2008 shows the ruins of a Roman temple from the second century AD which has recently been unearthed in the Zippori National Park.

Remnants of the podium, the temple's facade and some steps are seen in front of a long wall in the background which belongs to a Byzantine church whose foundations were built on the remains of the temple.

Zippori was called a mixed city or was a multi-cultural society and had a significant pagan population which built a temple in the heart of the city center, during the Roman period.

There is numerous multi-cultural society or mixed cities buried in Palestine. Some of the buried cities appear to be whole cities, looking as though it is just waiting for the inhabitants to just come home and not a Jewish city or capitol; as some of the archeologist assume.

Furthermore, if anyone should unearth any of the whole cities do not venture inside, but rebury them; for they where buried due to the inhabitants extreme corruption and the buried cities are considered cursed.

Showing a coin dated to the period of the Roman Empress Julia Domna, depicting Zippori at the time of a Roman temple from the second century AD.

1,900-year-old chariot discovered in Bulgaria

Archaeologist works around a 1,900-year-old well-preserved chariot at an ancient Thracian tomb near the village of Borisovo, some 180 miles east of the Bulgarian capital Sofia. The archaeologist Daniela Agre said her team found the four-wheel chariot during excavations near the village of Borisovo. (Story)

Bronze Statue Of Roman Emperor Hadrian Installed In The British Museum

Curator of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine archaeology of the Jewish Museum of Jerusalem, David Mevorah (L) and chief conservator of the Jewish Museum of Jerusalem, Victor Uziel install the head onto a bronze statue of Hadrian, circa 2nd century AD in the British Museum on 24 June 2008 in London, England.

The British Museum's new exhibition 'Hadrian: Empire And Conflict' (July 24 - October 26) will offer a unique opportunity to see important objects related to the Roman Emperor Hadrian.

Iraq's Babylon bears scars of US-led invasion

An Iraqi man points to a map showing what ancient Babylon must have looked liked at the entrance of the site in southern Iraq on 6 May.

23 May 2008

by Hassan Jouini

The last outsiders to visit the ruins of the once-mighty city of Babylon in Iraq came in tanks and helicopters, leaving a blight on its historic and fragile landscape, archaeologists say.

The city, born on the banks of the Euphrates River 5,000 years ago and full of priceless archaeological treasures, was transformed into a US military camp after the 2003 invasion with a heliport built among the ruins.

The base was later passed to Polish army control and despite the soldiers' departure in 2005, the damage left behind is evident. At a meeting in Berlin next month, Iraqi and other specialists will endeavour to assess the true level of damage.

Iraqi archaeologist Hadi Mussa Qataa, who guided an AFP reporter through the fragile ruins, said helicopter take-offs and landings, along with the tremors from the heavy rumble of armoured vehicles had damaged the city's historic monuments.

Babylon is located in the famed Fertile Crescent between the Euphrates and its sister river, the Tigris, some 85 kilometres (55 miles) southeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

When US-led troops invaded Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein, all that was visible of the ancient city was a collection of mud-brick buildings and debris together with new restoration projects commissioned by the Iraqi strongman.

Saddam was keen to stamp his mark on the site, also home to the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and commissioned a huge range of restoration projects starting in the 1980s.

Thousands of Sudanese workers were brought to the site to build monuments on top of the priceless ruins.

"Restoration of the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar under the glorious reign of Saddam Hussein," the tributes read.

Damage done to archaeological artefacts during the restoration work was made worse when US forces set up the 150-hectare (370-acre) base at the site in April 2003, the same month Saddam was overthrown.

Military digging involving soil containing materials of archaeological significance, the construction of the heliport and the seepage of fuel into the soil, all sparked concerns over the condition of the site.

The US military do not deny that damage occurred at some archaeological sites between 2003-2004 but since then, troops have "moved facilities away from many other important archaeological sites," a military spokesman told AFP by email.

A report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) branded described he damage caused during the military occupation of the site as "very serious."

Already the famous blue bricks that form the lions, bulls and dragons making up the decorations around the Gate of Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of love, have been found to have been damaged.

The original gate, on display at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, marked the entrance to the palace, temples and domestic dwellings of the city. These buildings were fashioned out of mud bricks which still bear Babylonian and Assyrian markings.

At least 32,000 items were pillaged from the 12,000 archaeological locations across Iraq during widespread looting which following the invasion. The US military denies involvement in any of the thefts of historical artefacts.

After the Poles left the camp, Babylon was handed over to the Iraqi Antiquities Authority but excavation work and restoration projects have both ground to a halt.

Today, a dirt track, several coils of barbed wire and a few sandbags are the only evidence to show that the ruins were used as a military base.

Leading archaeologists fearing for the physical safety of Babylon's remaining archaeological treasures, have launched efforts to protect the site from further damage and resume archaeological research.

They are pushing for Babylon to be included on a list of protected World Heritage sites. This would mean excavations could be relaunched and archaeologists from around the world would once more have a chance to probe Babylon's rich history.

"The Iraqi authorities must complete an enormous amount of work to achieve this objective and we must prepare a plan to accomplish it," Qataa said.

UNESCO representative in Iraq Mohamed Djelid, who is based in Amman, recognises that for the moment, Iraq is far from ready.

Recommendations made at a special meeting in November 2007 in Paris to discuss the situation in Iraq have still to be implemented, he said.

These include urging the Iraqi authorities to ratify a series of protocols on protection of archaeological sites and the battle against the illegal smuggling of art works.

Treasure trove found in 500-year-old Shipwreck off Africa

1 May 2008

By DONNA BRYSON

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -The ship was laden with tons of copper ingots, elephant tusks, gold coins — and cannons to fend off pirates. But it had nothing to protect it from the fierce weather off a particularly bleak stretch of inhospitable African coast, and it sank 500 years ago. Now it has been found, stumbled upon by De Beers geologists prospecting for diamonds off Namibia.

"If you're mining on the coast, sooner or later you'll find a wreck," archaeologist Dieter Noli said in an interview Thursday.

Namdeb Diamond Corp., a joint venture of the government of Namibia and De Beers, first reported the April 1 find in a statement Wednesday, and planned a news conference in the Namibian capital next week.

The company had cleared and drained a stretch of seabed, building an earthen wall to keep the water out so geologists could work. Noli said one of the geologists saw a few ingots, but had no idea what they were. Then the team found what looked like cannon barrels.

The geologists stopped the brutal earth-moving work of searching for diamonds and sent photos to Noli, who had done research in the Namibian desert since the mid-1980s and has advised De Beers since 1996 on the archaeological impact of its operations in Namibia.

The find "was what I'd been waiting for, for 20 years," Noli said. "Understandably, I was pretty excited. I still am."

Noli's original specialty was the desert, but because of Namdeb's offshore explorations, he had been preparing for the possibility of a wreck, even learning to dive.

After the discovery, he brought in Bruno Werz, an expert in the field, to help research the wreck. Noli has studied maritime artifacts with Werz, who was one of his instructors at the University of Cape Town.

Judging from the notables depicted on the hoard of Spanish and Portuguese coins, and the type of cannons and navigational equipment, the ship went down in the late 1400s or early 1500s, around the time Vasco de Gama and Columbus were plying the waters of the New World.

"Based on the goods they were carrying, it's almost certain that it dates from that time," said John Broadwater, chief archaeologist at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"This find is very exciting because very few vessels from that period have been discovered," he said, adding that many early ships were thought to have wrecked in that area.

It was, Noli said, "a period when Africa was just being opened up, when the whole world was being opened up."

He compared the remnants — ingots, ivory, coins, coffin-sized timber fragments — to evidence at a crime scene.

"The surf would have pounded that wreck to smithereens," he said. "It's not like `Pirates of the Caribbean,' with a ship more or less intact."

He and Werz are trying to fit the pieces into a story. They divide their time between inventorying the find in Namibia and doing research in museums and libraries in Cape Town, South Africa, from where Noli spoke by phone Thursday.

Eventually, they will go to Portugal or Spain to search for records of a vessel with similar cargo that went missing.

"You don't turn a skipper loose with a cargo of that value and have no record of it," Noli said.

The wealth on board is intriguing. Noli said the large amount of copper could mean the ship had been sent by a government looking for material to build cannons. Trade in ivory was usually controlled by royal families, another indication the ship was on official business.

On the other hand, why did the captain have so many coins? Shouldn't they have been traded for the ivory and copper?

"Either he did a very, very good deal. Or he was a pirate," Noli said. "I'm convinced we'll find out what the ship was and who the captain was."

What brought the vessel down may remain a mystery. But Noli has theories, noting the stretch of coast was notorious for fierce storms and disorienting fogs.

In later years, sailors with sophisticated navigational tools avoided it. The only tools found on the wreck were astrolabes, which can be used to determine only how far north or south you have sailed.

"Sending a ship toward Africa in that period, that was venture capital in the extreme," Noli said. "These chaps were very much on the edge as far as navigation. It was still very difficult for them to know where they were."

Noli has found signs that worms were at work on the ship's timber, and sheets of lead used to patch holes, indications the ship was old when it went down.

Imagine a leaky, overladen ship caught in a storm. The copper ingots, shaped like sections of a sphere, would have sat snug, he said. But the tusks — some 50 have been found — could have shifted, tipping the ship.

"And down you go," Noli said, "weighed down by your treasure."