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News [Articles Archive]
“Beit Haliba” and the Givati Parking Lot Archeological Excavations and their Effect on the Status Quo in the Old City of Jerusalem and in Silwan
Emek Shaveh, Emek ShavehMay 11, 2012 The Palestinian taxi driver crucial to Jewish settlement in E. Jlem
Nir Hasson, HaaretzApril 20, 2012 Ecology-minded Palestinian village fights plans for separation fence
Nir Hasson, HaaretzMarch 13, 2012 Palestinians Claim Ancient Judean Shekel Auctioned for $1.1 Million Is…Palestinian
Sharona Schwartz, The BlazeMarch 9, 2012 The writing on the wall, tablet and floor
Ofer Aderet, HaaretzMarch 4, 2012 Yet Another Collapse in the “City of David” in Silwan
Hagit Ofran, Peace Now - Settlement WatchFebruary 26, 2012 Netanyahu: Abbas speech on Jerusalem was 'incitement'
Barak Ravid, HaaretzFebruary 21, 2012 Archeologists are bringing Jerusalem's ancient Roman city back to life
Nir Hasson, Haaretz
Friday, May 18th at 14.00 |
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Jerusalem began as a small village in a place known as the City of David where the Palestinian village of Silwan sits today. Buried under the village lands, 5000 years of history bind the stories of ancient nations and rulers with the present life of the local residents. Dozens of excavated archaeological strata tell the complex multi-cultural saga of Jerusalem.
Frequent Q&A about Jerusalem's Old City
Q: Are there rules in archaeology? Is there archaeological truth?A: If history is imagined as a broken pot, of which only a few sherds remain, archaeology can offer a reconstruction of the pot, based on a preconceived notion of its shape, on reason, and on plausibility. Each additional piece that is recovered improves the reconstruction: allowing certain possibilities and ruling out others. This is an endless process: there always remain alternate versions of events. But each find reduces the number of plausible alternatives, and may sometimes rule out a reconstruction that had been popular before it was found.
The search for the most plausible story, like the attempt to get at the truth in a court of law, is conducted by following multiple lines of evidence. Reconstructions based on multiple lines of evidence enjoy greater scientific credibility. Nonetheless, scientific plausibility often comes into conflict with beliefs and preconceptions. In such cases, there is disagreement on the very rules of engagement, and it cannot always be resolved.
"Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present, controls the past." (George Orwell, 1984)
The search for the most plausible story, like the attempt to get at the truth in a court of law, is conducted by following multiple lines of evidence. Reconstructions based on multiple lines of evidence enjoy greater scientific credibility. Nonetheless, scientific plausibility often comes into conflict with beliefs and preconceptions. In such cases, there is disagreement on the very rules of engagement, and it cannot always be resolved.
| more Q&A » |
"Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present, controls the past." (George Orwell, 1984)
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Clay icon from the Execration Texts in Egypt, 20th-19th Century BCE. The city of Rosh-ramen or Roshlamem associated with the earliest mention of Jerusalem appears on the icon’s torso © Royal Museums of Art and History – Brussels |
