First Temple period archeological site unveiled in J'lemMore on that cuneiform fragment and the Ophel excavation here and here and links.
By MELANIE LIDMAN
06/21/2011 17:25
Scholars believe area is the Water Gate mentioned in the Bible; activists denounce site's focus on Israeli history only.
A large complex of ruins from the First Temple period called the Ophel City Walls Site was inaugurated on Tuesday in the Walls Around Jerusalem National Park, showcasing one of the most complete excavations from the First Temple period and the area believed to be the Water Gate mentioned in the Bible.
The site, which was uncovered by Hebrew University’s Dr. Eilat Mazar, contains mikvaot (ritual baths), store rooms, a watchtower, and royal buildings, where archeologists found dozens of large clay pots of various sizes.
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Also on Tuesday, a fragment of the earliest written document ever discovered in Jerusalem was unveiled. The two-centimeter fragment was discovered by Mazar’s team in the area, and dates from the late Bronze Age. Experts believe that the fragment, written in Akkadian cuneiform script, seems to be a copy of a letter sent from the city to an Egyptian King, when the city was still called Salem. The fragment was unveiled at its permanent exhibit in the Davidson Center.
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Also, Arutz Sheva has video of the Ophel Wall site at New: Walk Through the Digs Under the Old City. For that hoard of 264 gold coins, also excavated in Jerusalem (but not at the Ophel site), see here and links.
UPDATE (23 June): The former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem has a predictable response, plus Duane Smith raises a philological challenge to the comment above on the name "Salem" for Jerusalem.
