Ketef Hinnom

Ketef Hinnom (

Hinnom')^[1]^[2] is an archaeological site discovered in the 1970s southwest of the Old City of Jerusalem. Archaeological excavations held at the site uncovered a series of Iron Age period Judahite burial chambers, dating to the 7th and 6th centuries BCE. It is famous for the Ketef Hinnom scrolls, which are the oldest surviving texts from the Hebrew Bible

currently known, dated to 600 BC.

Ketef Hinnom is adjacent to

Valley of Hinnom meet, on the old road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.^[3]

History

The site consists of a series of rock-hewn burial chambers based on natural caverns.^[4] The discovery was first reported in 1975 by Gabriel Barkay:

St. Andrew's Church, Jerusalem: In August-September 1975 a salvage excavation was carried out on the hill near St. Andrew's Church in Jerusalem, between the road leading up to the church and the road descending to the Valley of Hinnom. This is an important strategic point on the ancient watershed road through the Judean hills, where two natural roads meet, one from the Valley of Hinnom in the west and one from the Valley of Rephaim in the east... A large block of stone 2.80 m. long, belonging to a threshold originally some 5 m. wide, was visible on the surface. Excavation revealed that the threshold stone is in situ, and that it is part of a monumental architectural complex.^[5]

Scrolls

In 1979, two tiny

Babylonian Exile, and are now preserved at the Israel Museum

.

References

JSTOR 23676045
. Retrieved 17 July 2021.

JSTOR 23214240
. Retrieved 17 July 2021.

^ Menachem Begin Heritage Center, Lookout and Reich Archaeological Garden.

^ A photographic view of the site, showing the entrance to the tombs, is available at this link.

^ Perrot, J., Noy, T., Stern, E., Kochavi, M., Fritz, V., Kempinski, A., . . . Kloner, A. (1976). NOTES AND NEWS. Israel Exploration Journal,26(1), 47-58. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27925552

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ketef Hinnom.

"The Riches of Ketef Hinnom" Archived 2012-02-17 at the Wayback Machine – Biblical Archaeology Review online article.

The Ketef Hinnom tombs – photos provided by Holy Land Photos.

"St. Andrew's Scottish Church" Archived 2010-10-12 at the Wayback Machine – photos and details of KH's location relative to the church.

31°46′7.86″N 35°13′31.27″E / 31.7688500°N 35.2253528°E / 31.7688500; 35.2253528

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ketef_Hinnom&oldid=1208423766"

[Barkay84-1] JSTOR 23676045
. Retrieved 17 July 2021.

[Nadav-2] JSTOR 23214240
. Retrieved 17 July 2021.

[3] Menachem Begin Heritage Center, Lookout and Reich Archaeological Garden.

[4] A photographic view of the site, showing the entrance to the tombs, is available at this link.

[5] Perrot, J., Noy, T., Stern, E., Kochavi, M., Fritz, V., Kempinski, A., . . . Kloner, A. (1976). NOTES AND NEWS. Israel Exploration Journal,26(1), 47-58. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27925552

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