Madeleine Mumcuoglu

Hebrew University of Jerusalem | HUJI · Department of Archeology and the Ancient Near East

An inscription in early Canaanite script from Lachish, incised on an ivory comb, is presented. The 17 letters, in early pictographic style, form seven words expressing a plea against lice.

This research examines the Assyrian siege ramp at Lachish, the only such known from the ancient Near East and the oldest in the world. The combination of different sources (texts, iconography and archaeology) enables us to reconstruct how this monumental war installation was erected. We used photogrammetric analysis, facilitated through small Unman...

In the Iron Age II, during the 10th to 6th centuries BCE, the local rulers of the Levant developed an elite style of architecture. The aim of this study is to define this phenomenon, summarize the data, and evaluate the appearance and distribution in the Levant of this architectural style. The six prominent characteristics of the royal style are re...

This introduction presents a context for the collection of 15 articles published in the first volume of the new journal: Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology. These publications are the outcome of the conference on state formation processes in the 10th century BCE Levant

The Parokhet, or sacred curtain, was an important item of cultic paraphernalia in the ancient Near East. It is known from the Sumerian and Akkadian texts, the biblical tradition, the Second Temple in Jerusalem, Greek temples, and synagogues of the Roman and Byzantine eras, and is still in use today. We suggest that such a sacred curtain is depicted...

1 Kings preserves a long and detailed description of the construction of a temple and palace in Jerusalem by King Solomon in the 10th century BCE. Previous generations of scholars accepted this description as an authentic account. Accordingly, much literature on this text and the relevant archeological discoveries has accumulated. Since the 1980s,...

Every day millions of people are crossing the threshold of buildings, like Notre-Dame in Paris and the British Museum in London - that are decorated with recessed doorways. None of them is likely to be aware that this style of decoration has been continuously employed for 6,500 years in temples, royal palaces, tombs, synagogues, churches, mosques a...

The book contains an introduction, six chapters and a conclusion. In the introduction we describe the current state of research and the various theories about the beginnings of the Kingdom of Judah. Against this backdrop the contribution of the new finds presented and discussed in the book becomes clear. In Chapter 1 we describe the location of th...

A unique building model from the early tenth century BCE, excavated at Khirbet Qeiyafa, Israel, presents new data on royal construction in the days of David and Solomon. A combination of triglyphs and a recessed doorframe appears on the model facade. This indicates that aspects of royal architecture typical of the Iron Age Levant, known archaeologi...