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Iron Age II - King David and the First Temple Period
  • Ketef Hinnom and the Priestly Benedictions: The Megalim Institute
    Ketef Hinnom and the Priestly Benedictions: The Megalim Institute
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  • The Priestly Blessing. The Collection of the Israel Antiquities Authority. © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Nachum Selpak
    The Priestly Blessing. The Collection of the Israel Antiquities Authority. © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Nachum Selpak
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Iron Age II - King David and the First Temple Period

The end of the First Temple period and the beginning of Second Temple period

In 1979 Prof. Gabriel Barkay discovered rock-cut burial caves near Jerusalem’s old train station. The caves had been in use in the First Temple period and early Second Temple period. In one of them a large pit was discovered into which the bones of dozens of deceased had been deposited, and with them, jewelry and other objects. The site became known as Ketef Hinnom (“Hinnom Slope”) because of its proximity to the Hinnom Valley.

In the picture: One of two tiny silver plaques found in the bone repository pit. The plaques were inscribed in ancient Hebrew with the Priestly Blessing, known from the book of Numbers, Chapter 6. These are the earliest examples of these verses ever found in archaeological research.