Monolith of Silwan: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 31°46′27″N 35°14′17″E / 31.77415°N 35.23811°E / 31.77415; 35.23811 (Monolith of Silwan (Tomb of Pharao's Daughter))
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{{Short description|Rock-cut tomb located in Silwan, Jerusalem}}
{{Short description|Rock-cut tomb located in Silwan, Jerusalem}}
[[File:Tomb of Pharao's Daughter.JPG|300px|thumb|right|The tomb (the [[bungalow]]-like building) and surrounding area]]
[[File:Tomb of Pharao's Daughter.JPG|300px|thumb|right|Current photography taken from a nearby hill of the Monolith of Silwan dated to the 9th–7th century BC.]]
[[File:Views in Palestine 15.jpg|300px|thumb|right|''Tomb in the [[Valley of Josaphat|Valley of Jehoshaphat]]'' from the original drawings of [[Luigi Mayer]], ''Views in Palestine'', 1804.]]
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The '''Monolith of Silwan''', also known as the '''Tomb of Pharaoh's Daughter''', is a [[cuboid]] [[rock-cut tomb]] located in [[Silwan]], [[Jerusalem]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/map/collection/p15799coll74|title=The West Bank and East Jerusalem Searchable Map|publisher=USC Digital Library [[University of Southern California]]|accessdate=2013-10-28|at=Silwan}}</ref> dating from the period of the [[Kingdom of Judah]]; the latter name refers to a 19th-century hypothesis that the tomb was built by [[Solomon]] for his wife, the [[Pharaoh's daughter (wife of Solomon)|Pharaoh's daughter]].<ref name=Ussishkin-TAU>{{cite web|url=http://www.tau.ac.il/humanities/archaeology/projects/proj_past_silwan.html |title=Silwan, Jerusalem: The Survey of the Iron Age Necropolis |last1=Ussishkin |first1=David |publisher=Tel Aviv University |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090529130818/http://www.tau.ac.il/humanities/archaeology/projects/proj_past_silwan.html |archivedate=May 29, 2009}}</ref><ref name=Ussishkin-ASOR>{{cite journal| url=https://www.academia.edu/3148025 |title=The Necropolis from the Time of the Kingdom of Judah at Silwan, Jerusalem |last1=Ussishkin|first1=David|journal=The Biblical Archaeologist |accessdate=2013-10-28|pages=42&ndash;44|date=May 1970|volume=33 |issue=2 |publisher=American Schools of Oriental Research|doi=10.2307/3211026 |jstor=3211026 |s2cid=165984075}}</ref> The structure, a typical [[Rock-cut tombs in Israel|Israelite rock-cut tomb]], was previously capped by a pyramid structure like the [[Tomb of Zechariah]]. It is one of the more complete and distinctive [[First Temple]]-period structures. The pyramidal rock cap was cut into pieces and removed for quarry<ref name="holyland">[[Jerome Murphy-O'Connor]], ''The Holy Land'', (2008), page 118</ref> during the Roman era, leaving a flat roof.<ref name="winter">Dave Winter, ''Israel handbook'', page 174</ref> The tomb contains a single stone bench, indicating that it was designed for only one burial.<ref name="jacobs">Daniel Jacobs, ''Rough Guide to Jerusalem'' (1999), page 114</ref> Recent research indicates that the bench was the base of a [[sarcophagus]] hewn into the original building.<ref name="BAR-39-1">{{cite journal |title=Who Was Buried in the Tomb of Pharaoh's Daughter? |author=Barkay, Gabriel |journal=Biblical Archaeology Review |date=January–February 2013 |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=41–49}}</ref>
[[File:354 of 'Святая Земля. Отчетъ по командировкѣ въ Палестину и прилегающія къ ней страны ... 1873-1874' (11257777764).jpg|300px|thumb|right|Sketch of the interior of the tomb. An opening cut in the facade of the tomb leads into the burial chamber. By [[Archaeology|archeologist]] Akim Aleksyeevich Olesnitskii: ''A Description of the Holy Land'', (1873-1874).]]

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The '''Monolith of Silwan''', also known as the '''Tomb of Pharaoh's Daughter''', is a [[cuboid]] [[rock-cut tomb]] located in the [[Kidron Valley]], in [[Silwan]], [[Jerusalem]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/map/collection/p15799coll74|title=The West Bank and East Jerusalem Searchable Map|publisher=USC Digital Library [[University of Southern California]]|accessdate=2013-10-28|at=Silwan}}</ref> dating from the period of the [[Kingdom of Judah]]. The Tomb of Pharaoh's Daughter refers to a 19th-century hypothesis that the tomb was built by [[Solomon]] for his wife, the [[Pharaoh's daughter (wife of Solomon)|Pharaoh's daughter]].<ref name=Ussishkin-TAU>{{cite web|url=http://www.tau.ac.il/humanities/archaeology/projects/proj_past_silwan.html |title=Silwan, Jerusalem: The Survey of the Iron Age Necropolis |last1=Ussishkin |first1=David |publisher=Tel Aviv University |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090529130818/http://www.tau.ac.il/humanities/archaeology/projects/proj_past_silwan.html |archivedate=May 29, 2009}}</ref><ref name=Ussishkin-ASOR>{{cite journal| url=https://www.academia.edu/3148025 |title=The Necropolis from the Time of the Kingdom of Judah at Silwan, Jerusalem |last1=Ussishkin|first1=David|journal=The Biblical Archaeologist |accessdate=2013-10-28|pages=42&ndash;44|date=May 1970|volume=33 |issue=2 |publisher=American Schools of Oriental Research|doi=10.2307/3211026 |jstor=3211026 |s2cid=165984075}}</ref> The structure, a typical [[Rock-cut tombs in Israel|Israelite rock-cut tomb]], was previously capped by a pyramid structure like the [[Tomb of Zechariah]]. The upper edges of the rock cube are fashioned in the shape of an Egyptian [[cornice]]. It is one of the more complete and distinctive [[First Temple]]-period structures. The pyramidal rock cap was cut into pieces and removed for quarry<ref name="holyland">[[Jerome Murphy-O'Connor]], ''The Holy Land'', (2008), page 118</ref> during the Roman era, leaving a flat roof.<ref name="winter">Dave Winter, ''Israel handbook'', page 174</ref> The tomb contains a single stone bench, indicating that it was designed for only one burial.<ref name="jacobs">Daniel Jacobs, ''Rough Guide to Jerusalem'' (1999), page 114</ref> Recent research indicates that the bench was the base of a [[sarcophagus]] hewn into the original building.<ref name="BAR-39-1">{{cite journal |title=Who Was Buried in the Tomb of Pharaoh's Daughter? |author=Barkay, Gabriel |journal=Biblical Archaeology Review |date=January–February 2013 |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=41–49}}</ref>


The Pharaoh's daughter tradition was first suggested by [[Louis Felicien de Saulcy|Louis Félicien de Saulcy]],<ref name="holyland" /> who noted that the bible claims that Solomon built a temple for his Egyptian wife;<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Kings|3:1|}}</ref> de Saulcy, excavating the site in the 19th century, suggested that this might be the same building.<ref name="holyland" /> However, subsequent archaeological investigation has dated the site to the 9th–7th century BC,<ref name="jacobs" /><ref>Avigao, (1954)</ref> making the connection to Solomon impossible.
The Pharaoh's daughter tradition was first suggested by [[Louis Felicien de Saulcy|Louis Félicien de Saulcy]],<ref name="holyland" /> who noted that the bible claims that Solomon built a temple for his Egyptian wife;<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Kings|3:1|}}</ref> de Saulcy, excavating the site in the 19th century, suggested that this might be the same building.<ref name="holyland" /> However, subsequent archaeological investigation has dated the site to the 9th–7th century BC,<ref name="jacobs" /><ref>Avigao, (1954)</ref> making the connection to Solomon impossible.


Two letters of a single-line [[Canaanite and Aramaic inscriptions|Phoenician or Hebrew]] inscription survive on the building,<ref name=CG1899>Clermont-Ganneau, 1899, [https://archive.org/details/ClermontGanneauCArchaeologicalResearchesInPalestine18731874Vol11899/page/n346/mode/1up Discovery of an inscription in Phoenician letters upon the monolithic monument in the Egyptian style], ''Archaeological Researches In Palestine 1873-1874'', Vol 1, p.315</ref> the remainder of the inscription having been mutilated beyond recognition, by a [[hermit]] in the [[Byzantine]] era;<ref name="winter" /> Byzantine monks increased the height of the low entrance by removing rock which contained the inscription in order to ease access to the tomb, in which they resided.<ref name="winter" /> The tomb was cleaned following the 1967 [[Six-Day War]]. Neglected since [[David Ussishkin|Ussishkin]]'s survey, trash disposal has resulted in an unkempt, unattractive appearance (as of 2013).<ref name=BAR-39-1 />
Two letters of a single-line [[Canaanite and Aramaic inscriptions|Phoenician or Hebrew]] inscription survive on the building,<ref name=CG1899>[[Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau|Charles Clermont-Ganneau]], 1899, [https://archive.org/details/ClermontGanneauCArchaeologicalResearchesInPalestine18731874Vol11899/page/n346/mode/1up Discovery of an inscription in Phoenician letters upon the monolithic monument in the Egyptian style], ''Archaeological Researches In Palestine 1873-1874'', Vol 1, p.315</ref> the remainder of the inscription having been mutilated beyond recognition, by a [[hermit]] in the [[Byzantine]] era;<ref name="winter" /> Byzantine monks increased the height of the low entrance by removing rock which contained the inscription in order to ease access to the tomb, in which they resided.<ref name="winter" /> The tomb was cleaned following the 1967 [[Six-Day War]]. Neglected since [[David Ussishkin|Ussishkin]]'s survey, trash disposal has resulted in an unkempt, unattractive appearance (as of 2013).<ref name=BAR-39-1 />


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Rock-cut tombs in ancient Israel]]
*[[Rock-cut tombs in ancient Israel]]
*[[Tombs of the Sanhedrin]]
*[[Tombs of the Kings (Jerusalem)]]
*[[Tomb of Benei Hezir]]
*[[Tomb of Zechariah]] (actually not a tomb)
*[[The Garden Tomb]]
*[[Tomb of Absalom]]
*[[Cave of Nicanor]]
*[[Silwan necropolis]]
*[[Silwan necropolis]]
*[[Royal Steward inscription]]
* [[Monolithic architecture]]
*[[Monolithic architecture]]


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 08:29, 28 April 2024

Current photography taken from a nearby hill of the Monolith of Silwan dated to the 9th–7th century BC.
Tomb in the Valley of Jehoshaphat from the original drawings of Luigi Mayer, Views in Palestine, 1804.
Sketch of the interior of the tomb. An opening cut in the facade of the tomb leads into the burial chamber. By archeologist Akim Aleksyeevich Olesnitskii: A Description of the Holy Land, (1873-1874).

The Monolith of Silwan, also known as the Tomb of Pharaoh's Daughter, is a cuboid rock-cut tomb located in the Kidron Valley, in Silwan, Jerusalem[1] dating from the period of the Kingdom of Judah. The Tomb of Pharaoh's Daughter refers to a 19th-century hypothesis that the tomb was built by Solomon for his wife, the Pharaoh's daughter.[2][3] The structure, a typical Israelite rock-cut tomb, was previously capped by a pyramid structure like the Tomb of Zechariah. The upper edges of the rock cube are fashioned in the shape of an Egyptian cornice. It is one of the more complete and distinctive First Temple-period structures. The pyramidal rock cap was cut into pieces and removed for quarry[4] during the Roman era, leaving a flat roof.[5] The tomb contains a single stone bench, indicating that it was designed for only one burial.[6] Recent research indicates that the bench was the base of a sarcophagus hewn into the original building.[7]

The Pharaoh's daughter tradition was first suggested by Louis Félicien de Saulcy,[4] who noted that the bible claims that Solomon built a temple for his Egyptian wife;[8] de Saulcy, excavating the site in the 19th century, suggested that this might be the same building.[4] However, subsequent archaeological investigation has dated the site to the 9th–7th century BC,[6][9] making the connection to Solomon impossible.

Two letters of a single-line Phoenician or Hebrew inscription survive on the building,[10] the remainder of the inscription having been mutilated beyond recognition, by a hermit in the Byzantine era;[5] Byzantine monks increased the height of the low entrance by removing rock which contained the inscription in order to ease access to the tomb, in which they resided.[5] The tomb was cleaned following the 1967 Six-Day War. Neglected since Ussishkin's survey, trash disposal has resulted in an unkempt, unattractive appearance (as of 2013).[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "The West Bank and East Jerusalem Searchable Map". USC Digital Library University of Southern California. Silwan. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  2. ^ Ussishkin, David. "Silwan, Jerusalem: The Survey of the Iron Age Necropolis". Tel Aviv University. Archived from the original on May 29, 2009.
  3. ^ Ussishkin, David (May 1970). "The Necropolis from the Time of the Kingdom of Judah at Silwan, Jerusalem". The Biblical Archaeologist. 33 (2). American Schools of Oriental Research: 42–44. doi:10.2307/3211026. JSTOR 3211026. S2CID 165984075. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  4. ^ a b c Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, The Holy Land, (2008), page 118
  5. ^ a b c Dave Winter, Israel handbook, page 174
  6. ^ a b Daniel Jacobs, Rough Guide to Jerusalem (1999), page 114
  7. ^ a b Barkay, Gabriel (January–February 2013). "Who Was Buried in the Tomb of Pharaoh's Daughter?". Biblical Archaeology Review. 39 (1): 41–49.
  8. ^ 1 Kings 3:1
  9. ^ Avigao, (1954)
  10. ^ Charles Clermont-Ganneau, 1899, Discovery of an inscription in Phoenician letters upon the monolithic monument in the Egyptian style, Archaeological Researches In Palestine 1873-1874, Vol 1, p.315

31°46′27″N 35°14′17″E / 31.77415°N 35.23811°E / 31.77415; 35.23811 (Monolith of Silwan (Tomb of Pharao's Daughter))

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