The Temple Area of Bethsaida. Polish Excavations on et-Tell in the Years 1998-2000

Lodz: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Lodzkiego, 2006. 1st Edition . Soft cover. Very Good/No Jacket. 24x17 cm. ISBN: 83-7171-963-9 Description: 194 pages (24x17cm), illustrations Condition: very good Weight: 435g. The village of Bethsaida and the polls of Julias have both been attested to in the first century AD. The New Testament tells about Bethsaida on multiple occasions. According to Josephus Flavius Bethsaida was refounded as Julias and the territory of this new foundation was certainly enlarged as new settlers were added to the original population of the village of Bethsaida. Thus Julias must have contained both the fishing village of Bethsaida and the new settlement. Of how these two units were spatially related to each other the literary sources do not speak. During the centuries various sites known under their modern names have been proposed as hiding the remains either of Bethsaida, of Bethsaida-Julias or of Julias. The controversy as to the placement of Bethsaida, however, was still unsolved in the twentieth century. Archaeological investigation of the most probable candidate to be named Bethsaida, et-Tell, an artificial hill dominating the area north of the modern shores of the Sea of Galilee, started in 1989. After a few seasons of field work the excavators indicated that the remains of the New Testament Bethsaida were indeed located at et-Tell. This identification was already acknowledged by the international society of scholars before the Polish mission joined the excavation. The year was 1998 and it was the first official Polish ar?chaeological mission in Israel. The present report presents the results of field and library research of the years 1998-2000 relating principally to the squares containing the remains named the "The Temple of the Imperial Cult". It is leaning on the research predating our engagement, comments on them and disputes them, at the end presenting a new conception of the reconstruction of the sacral area... Avant Propos Bibliography with Abbreviations List of Illustrations Introduction Status of Research and Acknowledgments Remarks on Un-excavated Surroundings of et-Tell Et-Tell at the Beginning of the Excavation Works History of the Excavation in Area A, "The Temple Area" Excavation Prior to the Engagement of the Polish Mission The Goal of the Excavations Excavations in Area A. Interpretation The Iron Age Remains The Hellenistic and Roman Remains Excavations in Areas B and C. An Overview Excavations by the Polish Mission in the Years 1998-2000 Excavations of the Year 1998. The Space Away South-East of the Building Excavations in July 1999 of the Socalled "Temple of the Imperial Cult" Room A Room B Room C Room D Summing up Excavations of the Year 2000. The Surroundings of the Temple Excavations Inside the Sacral Building. Rooms B and C Pavement and Wall South of Wall W 64 Pottery Found under the Pavement Excavations in the Areas Adjacent to the Pavement The Pavement North of the Northern Wall (W 62) Interpretation of the Excavated Area A Temple of the Imperial Cult A Protosynagogue An Andron A Phoenician Type Temple. A Proposal for Reconstruction. The Cultural Context of the Building Non-Hellenic Features in the Architecture of the Building in Area "A" of et-Tell Tradition in Sacral Architecture of Phoenicia. An Overview The Cult Sites on Mount Hermon The Sanctuary at Mispe Yamin The Apollo Sanctuary at Tyre Carthage. The Temple at Koudiat el Hobsia and the Tophet Common Features with the Temple of et-Tell Non-architectural Evidence The Temple of Dea Syria in Hierapolis The Question of Ritual Dining A Phoenician Type Temple. A Proposal for Reconstruction The Temenos on the Terrace The Building The Area South from the Building Summary with Conclusions Appendix 1. Worked Stones found at et-Tell Appendix 2. Terracottas Appendix 3. Ancient Sources on Bethsaida-Julias Index of Proper Names