Just up the hill from my house in Monona lies one of the small remaining number of indian mounds in the Madison area. Early settlers counted dozens, if not hundreds of mounds in the Madison area. Some can still be found in the arboretum, on the UW campus, and here and there around the city.
I was surprised to learn a number of years ago that Jerusalem also has mounds. At least according to archaeologist Gabriel Barkay, who will be visiting Madison this weekend.
The Mounds of Jerusalem
Dr. Barkay is the director of the Temple Mount Sifting Project, and the recipient of the 1996 Jerusalem Prize for Archaeological Research. During one of his infrequent visits to Madison about 20 years ago Barkay told me about his investigation into a series of mounds on the western edge of Jerusalem.
Based on excavation of some of the mounds by fellow archaeologist Ruth Amiran in 1953, and scriptural accounts of honors given to some of the great kings of Judah, he came up with a theory. He believes these mounds are the remainders of memorial fires that honored Judah’s kings.
Jeremiah 34:5 relates Jeremiah’s prophesy to King Zedekiah, the last King of Judah, who Jeremiah unsuccessfully counselled to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar: “You will die a peaceful death. People will mourn when you die, and they will light bonfires in your honor, just as they did for your ancestors, the kings who ruled before you.” [CEV]
The Right Number
He believes memorial fires were kindled on top of the mounds and then the mounds were left intact to honor the memory of the great leaders. “We have here 20 man-made mounds which correspond to 21 kings of the house David which ruled Jerusalem,” he said.If we would have one or two it wouldn’t fit; if we would have 100 it wouldn’t fit. But the approximate number fits the kings of Judah.”
Barkay obtained permission to excavate one of the mounds himself in 1983. He was able to date the mound to the 8th century B.C., based on some jar handle seal impressions. If his theory is correct, that was probably the memorial mound of King Hezekiah, one of Judah’s greatest kings.
“I think they are of great historical significance,” he told me. “I hope that the mounds will be further studied.” Unfortunately, I have not seen any follow-up information about the mounds of Jerusalem.
The Archaeological Record
Barkay has directed a number of excavations, including the Ketef Hinnom excavation which in 1979 discovered two silver amulet scrolls which are inscribed with the earliest biblical inscription. The tiny scrolls, containing the priestly benediction from Numbers 6:24-26, date to the 7th century B.C.
Barkay teaches at Jerusalem University College and Tel Aviv University and was the first to translate the “Bethlehem Seal,” which the Sifting Project discovered last year in debris excavated from the City of David area of Jerusalem. The seal also dates to the 7th century BC, and is the earliest mention of the name of Bethlehem, the city in which Jesus was born.
Barkay will speak at a meeting of the Madison Biblical Archaeology Society at 2pm this Sunday, October 27, 2013. The meeting is at Westwood Christian Church, 5210 Odana Road, in Madison. MBAS meetings are free and open to all, the public is invited. For more information check the MBAS website.