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Jewish Quarter Excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem, Conducted by Nahman Avigad, 1969–1982

Edited by Hillel Geva

(Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 2000), 283 pp., figures, foldout plans and photos. Available from the Biblical Archaeology Society for $62 plus $13 for shipping from Israel; call 1–800-221–46-44 or visit www.biblical archaeology.org.

Jerusalem is a unique city, and its past is of great interest, not only to the archaeologist and historian but also to the pilgrim and traveler. It is a sad fact, therefore, that so many of the major excavations conducted there remain unpublished. This is not to say that general information about such excavations is lacking—my bookcase is full of monographs, booklets and various specialized papers of one sort or another on Jerusalem digs. But for the archaeologist, detailed blow-by-blow accounts of the digs—known as “final reports”—are few and far between. Their publication is essential if we are to follow the progress of the research on Jerusalem’s ancient past. Unlike general works that synthesize information from primary and secondary sources, final reports give researchers immediate access to the raw data itself, with detailed descriptions of stratigraphy, architecture, pottery, lists of coins and so forth. With such data in hand, the expert may begin to assess the merits of the identifications and conclusions put forward by the field archaeologists.

For this reason, even before one opens the volume, immediate congratulations are due to Hillel Geva and the Israel Exploration Society for producing a sumptuous, large-format first volume on some of the results of the late Professor Nahman Avigad’s excavations in the Jewish Quarter between 1969 and 1982. Avigad, who died in 1992, never got to see the final publication of his excavations (although he did see an earlier draft of this volume), but in 1980 he published a general synthesis of his work, Discovering Jerusalem.

Avigad chose to work in the Jewish Quarter because he regarded “the very idea of excavating in the Old City as a great privilege and worthy of challenge.” He was supported by a very capable staff, among them Amihai Mazar, Ronny Reich and Hillel Geva. Technically, the difficulties of digging in a built-up area were innumerable, and Avigad describes how “the noise of jackhammers, bulldozers, trucks and cement-mixers was our daily lot the year round.” My personal recollection of Avigad is from the 1970s, when I was a staff member of Magen Broshi’s Mount Zion excavations. From time to time I visited the Jewish Quarter, eager to see how the excavations there were progressing. Avigad was frequently present, standing with slightly hunched shoulders and an extremely serious expression on his face, seemingly in a world of his own. At other times he would be in his small car, motoring down the narrow street leading from the Jaffa Gate to the Jewish Quarter, and waving at the many friends he had made over the years.

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The book opens with an introduction by the editor, Hillel Geva. This includes a very sketchy summary of archaeological research in Jerusalem before and after 1967; one wonders whether this is needed in an excavation report. I would have preferred to read a more detailed survey of past archaeological research conducted specifically in and around the Jewish Quarter. However, Geva explains very fully the background behind the excavations and how Avigad came to be offered the directorship. He also describes the methodology and recording system used by the excavators, and, finally, he provides a chronological history of ancient settlement in the area.

This volume (which, we are promised, will be the first of many) deals with the results of excavations in Areas A, W and X-2. It was in these areas that important segments of Iron Age (1200–587 B.C.) and Second Temple-period (sixth century B.C.-first century A.D.) fortification walls were dug up. The Iron Age “Broad Wall” uncovered in Area A has laid to rest arguments between “minimalist” and “maximalist” scholars over the extent of Iron Age Jerusalem. The discovery of this wall and further fortifications in Areas W and X-2 made it clear that the entire area (the present-day Jewish and Armenian Quarters and Mount Zion to the south) was surrounded by fortifications from as early as the eighth century B.C. The exact nature of the connections between the Broad Wall and other wall segments that were discovered—did they belong to two separate fortification lines?—are still being debated by scholars. Thanks to this volume, scholars now have access to the numerous plans and sections of the architectural remains (many of them the handiwork of Ronny Reich), as well as to detailed stratigraphical descriptions.

When it comes to the dating of the various Iron Age walls, however, we find ourselves confounded because none of the pottery or other objects from these excavations are actually discussed here! He explains that because of the large quantity of small finds that have been recovered (and presumably not yet fully researched), waiting to include them would only hold up the publication of the architectural remains. Geva promises that the small finds will be published in the second volume. This is unfortunate—it would have made a much better post-excavation strategy to publish the results of each area fully, keeping the stratigraphy and architecture together with the pottery and small finds. This would have enabled readers to fully assess the chronological correlations between the Iron Age remains unearthed in the three separate excavation areas.

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Segments of the northern stretch of the “First Wall”—hitherto mainly known from the western and southern flanks of Mount Zion—were also uncovered in Areas W and X-2. This fortification line was originally built by the Hasmoneans towards the end of the second century B.C.; it incorporated earlier segments of walls dating back to the Iron Age. The question still remains whether the parallel walls found in Area X-2 are to be identified as remnants of the “Gennath Gate,” mentioned by the Jewish historian Josephus (War V, 4, 2), as Avigad suggested in earlier publications. No answer is provided here, but Geva promises that volume II will provide a full analysis of the walls and “their contribution to understanding the history and architecture of the fortifications around the Southwestern Hill.”

The stratigraphical and architectural chapters (by Avigad, Geva and Reich) are lucidly presented and amply illustrated. Incidentally, a list of line drawings (figures, plans and sections) is provided in the book, but oddly enough, no list is provided for the photographs. The volume closes with chapters on the Iron Age lmlk (“belonging to the king”) stamped handles (by Avigad and Gabriel Barkay) and the Greek stamped amphora handles (by Donald Ariel), both of which seem out of place, since this volume does not deal with the small finds from the excavations.

Setting aside my few gripes, this is an admirable publication, and one must congratulate Geva and the other contributors for their hard work. I am told that volume II is in an advanced state of preparation—excellent news! I am already looking forward to it.

Jewish Quarter Excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem, Conducted by Nahman Avigad, 1969–1982