ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY EXCAVATIONS UNEARTHS PREHISTORIC BUILDING IN TEL AVIV

AMONG THE FASCINATING ARTIFACTS DISCOVERED THERE: HIPPOPOTAMUS BONES AND 100,000 YEAR OLD FLINT TOOLS

Remains of a prehistoric building, which is the earliest ever discovered in the Tel Aviv region and estimated to be c. 7,800-8,400 years old, were exposed in an archaeological excavation the Israel Antiquities Authority recently carried out prior to the construction of an apartment building in Ramat Aviv. Ancient artifacts that are thought to be 13,000 and 100,000 years old were also discovered there.

According to archaeologist Ayelet Dayan, director of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “This discovery is both important and surprising to researchers of the period. For the first time we have encountered evidence of a permanent habitation that existed in the Tel Aviv region c. 8,000 years ago. The site is located on the northern bank of the Yarkon River, not far from the confluence with Nahal Ayalon. We can assume that this fact influenced the ancient settlers in choosing a place to live. The fertile alluvium soil along the fringes of the streams was considerate a preferred location for a settlement in ancient periods”.

During the Neolithic period (also known as the New Stone Age) man went from a nomadic existence of hunting and gathering to living in permanent settlements and began to engage in agriculture. Remains of an ancient building that consisted of at least three rooms were discovered at the site. The pottery shards that were found there attest to the age of the site, which dates to the Neolithic period. In addition, flint tools such as sickle blades were discovered, as well as numerous flakes left over from the knapping of these implements, which are indicative of an ancient tool-making industry. Flint implements that are also ascribed to earlier periods were discovered at the site, including a point of a hunting tool from the Middle Paleolithic period. Other interesting finds include a fragment of a base of a basalt bowl and animal remains: hippopotamus bones and teeth that probably belonged to sheep or goat.

(Courtesy of Israel Ministry of Tourism)
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January 19, 2010

Medusas in Caesarea Harbor

In a new archaeological exhibition in the national park of caesarea, a very beautiful 1,700 year old sarcophagus lid decorated with mythological medusa heads will be displayed to the public for the first time, along with other ancient artifacts.

A unique archaeological exhibition has opened in Caesarea harbor: for the first time the general public can see an extraordinary 1,700 year old sarcophagus cover that is one of the most impressive ever discovered in Caesarea.

The cover, which weighs more than 4 tons, is decorated with snake-haired medusa heads and joyful and sad-faced masks. These were taken from the world of the ancient theater where two kinds of plays were customarily presented: comedy and tragedy. The meaning of the Greek word medusa is “guard or sentry”; whoever looked directly at the mythological medusa would be turned to stone immediately. In antiquity they used to produce medusa reliefs on, among other things, tombs and various shields, in the hope that this would ward off the threat. 

Interment in large stone coffins (sarcophagi) was widespread in the Mediterranean basin in the second to fifth centuries CE. This funerary custom was first practiced among pagans and was later also adopted by Jews, Christians and Samaritans. The word sarcophagus is Greek in origin, meaning “flesh-eating”. The sarcophagus has two parts: a rectangular chest-like receptacle in which the deceased was placed and a lid. The sarcophagi were interred inside burial structures (mausoleum; pl. mausolea) or in rock-hewn burial caves. The residents of ancient Caesarea were buried in cemeteries that were located in regions outside the built-up area of the city.

The impressive sarcophagus cover, which was probably used in the burial of one of Caesarea’s wealthiest denizens in the Roman period, is one of an assortment of unique stone items that were exposed in archaeological excavations and by other means in Caesarea. The items constitute living and tangible evidence of the lives of the rich in Caesarea, at a time when the city was a vibrant Roman provincial capital.

The Israel Antiquities Authority organized this exhibition together with the Caesarea Development Corporation and Israel Nature and Parks Authority, and views it as the first of many other archaeological exhibitions that will be held in the Caesarea harbor compound, based on the many artifacts that the IAA uncovered there over the years. Exhibition curator – Ayelet Grover of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Exhibit designer:  Architect Boaz Kedar

Another unique find presented in the new exhibition is an item that was part of a large magnificent building and which bears a dedicatory inscription by a woman who was apparently named Cleopatra. It seems that she and her son or daughter were members of a family of local nobility that donated the structure to Colonia Caesarea.

Also on display here is a sarcophagus that bears an inscription written by Eliphis, a husband, who dedicated the sarcophagus to his beloved wife Manophila. The inscription also states that “man is not immortal and such is life…”.

The inscriptions are a rich source of information for understanding the history of Caesarea in the Roman and Byzantine periods. We can learn from them about public life in the city; its institutions, political ties and personal relations, and about the city’s residents – their names, professions and religious beliefs.

(Courtesy of Israel Antiquities Authority)
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January 5, 2010

TOURISM MINISTER: "THE ZIMMER GRADING PROJECT IBB WILL BE EXPANDED FROM THE GALILEE TO THE REST OF ISRAEL"

Following the success of the project to grade rural accommodation (zimmers) in the Galilee – an initiative of the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee – the Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov decided to expand the strategic process to grade zimmers to the rest of Israel. IBB was borne as an answer to the demands of Israeli and foreign visitors, to get the best value for money

During the last decade, there was a significant growth in the rural tourism and zimmers (rural accommodation) industries. According to statistics, this industry is worth about 1 billion shekel a year. There are about 9,000 zimmers in Israel which mainly attract domestic tourism during weekends, holidays and vacations and therefore result in an  annual occupancy rate of 38%. As part of the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee's policy to develop and bring prosperity to the periphery, a need was identified to exploit the potential of rural accommodation both for domestic and incoming tourism and, as a result, the IBB initiative was developed, a grading system that facilitated for the first time an address for inquiries and an answer for every tourist wishing to stay in zimmers.

The IBB grading system checks 140 different criteria in line with international norms and grades the rooms according to standards A, B and C that determine the levels of quality and service. The criteria include, among others, type of mattress/pillow; cleaning in non-conventional areas; distance of zimmer from chicken coop or cow shed; size of room; noise from the air conditioning; credible advertising/price correspondence. The zimmer owners participate in a workshop and the rooms are checked by a consultant working on behalf of the Tourism Ministry. At the end of the process, they connect to an internet system that synchronizes online reservations (it is possible to see which zimmers are available) alongside the zimmer grading, price per night, nearby attractions and more. A sign bearing the zimmer grading is places on the zimmer door.

Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov: “The Tourism Ministry’s target is to bring an additional million tourists within 3 years, with focused marketing on particular market sectors, primarily Evangelical Christians and Jews. The expansion of the IBB project from the Northern Galilee to the rest of the country will contribute to improvement of Israel’s tourism product and generate an increase in demand that will increase jobs in the periphery where most of the rural tourism is concentrated.”

The Galilee Development Authority welcomed the expansion.

Moshe Davidovich, Director, Galilee Development Authority, the executive arm of the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee: “Our ability to identify the needs on the ground, given that we are the executive arm of a government ministry based in the area in which we work, enables us to initiate unique projects, lead the product into maturity and then transfer it over to the state. Adopting the project throughout Israel testifies to the quality of the product that we have developed and I am pleased about that.”

Zimmer reservations: www.gogalil.org

(Courtesy of Israel Ministry of Tourism)
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January 1, 2010

WANTED!

7 SPONSORS FOR THE DEAD SEA

 A FINALIST IN THE NEW 7 WONDERS OF NATURE COMPETITION

The Tourism Ministry is currently approaching leading Israeli companies with the opportunity to take part in the campaign to select the Dead Sea as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. According to the competition rules, only 7 official sponsors from each country may lead the campaign which will last until 2011. The Tourism Ministry is the official body representing the State of Israel in its dealings with the New 7 Wonders Foundation, but all negotiations by the companies regarding sponsorship will be handled directly with the foundation.

The cost of this commercial sponsorship for each company stands at about $1m for the entire period, alongside a commitment to encourage voting for the finalist via various channels. The sponsoring company will be exposed to new markets in Israel and particularly abroad, with the number of total voters estimated to reach one billion people. In addition, the sponsorship will position these companies as an enterprise led by an environmental and national vision and involved in the community.  

It should be noted that any advertisement published without the foundation’s approval will result in the immediate dismissal of the Dead Sea as a candidate in the finals. Given this, the Tourism Ministry has invited the foundation’s marketing manager to a series of meetings in Israel in early January with potential sponsors.

Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov: “I call on the major companies in Israel to participate in this important, national project that will be part of all the ministry’s marketing activities throughout the world during the next two years. The Dead Sea is one of Israel’s natural and tourism treasures and a win would encourage tourism to Israel and the Dead Sea region in particular, while creating new jobs and leveraging tourism activities in the area.”

Deputy Director of the Tourism Ministry Marketing Administration and Director of the Overseas Department Pini Shani noted that “according to the foundation’s statistics, the previous campaign for the New 7 Wonders of the World in which ‘only’ 100 million people voted, represented a commercial value of $5m for the winning sites, increased consumer recognition to about 90%, generated a 20-fold increase in editorial coverage and a 7-fold increase in TV coverage and a 6% increase in market share.”

The Dead Sea entered the final two-year stage of the online competition, alongside 27 out of an initial 440 competitors.  Other finalists include the River Amazon, the Galapagos Islands, the Grand Canyon and the Maldives. Voting can take place via a link at the Tourism Ministry’s website and at the New 7 Wonders’ website, as well as via mobile phone.

(Courtesy of Israel Ministry of Tourism)