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Show By Dave Gerard CITIZEN SMITH A group of us get disgusted with the ntv bus system and bought our own bus" Urban Living 'Dig50gin O"s in Israel Yield Secrets Of Biblical Times By Colin Pickier neuters News ,V;emy - TFL FItrK. IMtAl L tnie mound of earth on this ancient strategic point is slowly giving up secrets of an apparently unbroken chain of urban livum dating back at toast 5,1)00 y ear s A American Chnstuns and Israeli Jews aie working side by side in the painstaking job of umovering lover after layer ol civilization, building up a pictuie not unhke tlie American an thoi James Michener's historical novel, 1 he Source " That book tiacod the history of Israel in fictional form, based on the findings at an imaginary archaeological dig. At Tel Aphek, fact is proving not only stranger than fiction, bal more exciting. Here, where the biblical armies of Joshua conquered the Canaamtes, where the Philistines waged war on the House of Israel under k.ng Saul, where the Christian apostle Paul rested on his way between Jerusalem and Caesena, the archaeologists are finding enough baoc material to Keep them occupied for a lifetime. I'rban Area th's, on the edge of modern Israe"s most densely populated urban area, 10 miles west of Tel Av iv. We have a site here with all the urban history of Palestine There appear to be no gaps since the beginning of urban civilization around 3.000 B C ," the head of Tel Aviv's archaeological department, Dr Most.e Koehavi, said in an mier-All v lew One of the most unusual and controversial features of the site, first recognized earlier this century by the American orientalist. Prof. W. F. Albright, as the biblical Acbek. is a continual chain of walled cities dating back to at least 3,000 B C. the early bronze age. According to Koehavi, unld now there has usually been a break in the continuation of walled cities of ancient Palestine about the early part of the Middle East bronze age period when the population was largely nomadic though such continuing settlement is known further north in Lebanon and Syria Modern Times Here, starting aiound 3,000 B C. urban civilization appears to continue without interruption until modern times, but particularly interesting is the continuation from the third through to the second on a site which is among the top Koehavi said 10 discoveries in this part of the world, He and his group of students have already found m part of the site what appear to be homes of people of the early bronze age. Nearby are remnants of a columned public building, possibly a palace, from the time of the biblical patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob There is a possibility, not yet confirmed, that this was the court of the Amor'e King A'anakilu, named in historical records as the ruler of Aphek at this time. A short distance away, Canadian-borGeorge Kelm, of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary of New Orleans, is working wdh a group of students on a later period Remains of Fort They have already uncovered habitations and workshops from the time of Jesus Christ on, and possibly the remains of a fort built by Herod the Great which stood on the spot named Anoipatns for the king's father. The fort is mentioned by the historian Josephus as one of the strongholds of the Jewish wars against the Romans. to check with us often for some genuine, real-liv- e During the changeover, you'll want there will be many things we'd rather sell at a loss than bargains. Because, frankly, this grand old store several move. Besides, we feel certain youll want to browse through too apparent. more times before the progress of the workmen becomes our backs on the past. Just It will be quite a change for us. But we re not firming didnt end with the pioneers. And we look forward to facing up to the future. Pioneering wonderful intermoun- with and helping to shape the destiny of the unique and growi..g tain west. And, come to think of it, that's what weve always done. Kelms group has found some beautiful, highly colored gein reds, yellows and blacks from the ometrical mosaics third century A D , and coins from both the first century B C. and first century A D , as well as lamps and pottery oi the Greek and Roman periods. That the mound should be nch n history is not surprising in view of the strategic position of the site It stands high above the Via Maris, the pons-olhighway between ancient Bab) Ion and Egypt, linking the valleys of the NJe and Euphrates Whoever controlled this spot controlled the trade route between the two great ancient civilizations. Discoi er A ases The archaeologists have discovered Egyptian vases among the early bronze age finds as well as Babylonian and Egyptian documents and seals from a later period, indicating the extent of the trade. That the route remained important almost to the present day is albo highlighted by the layers of building found there. ' Dominating the site today are buildings of a former Israeli army camp, which used to guard the frontier with the west bank of the Jordan River before it was captured in the 17 Arab-Israwar. This stands behind the walls of a Turkish fort ard caravanserai dating back to 1573, which itself overlooks the remnants of Herod's fort and the fortifications of all the towns uiat stood there before back into unknown time. The site was also important because of its water supply. In Arabic, in fact, it is known as Tel Ras F.1 Am, the mound of the head of the spring. During the British mandate days before 1943, there was a water pumping station here. This is to be turned into an archaeological museum Battle I ought Many a battle was fought around this site. The ancient Egyptian ruler Amenhotep II records the capture of Aphek as one of hu major achievements. It was here, according to the biblical book of Samuel, that Philistines went out against the Jewish armies and captzreJ the Arc of The Covenant and gathered to fight Saul on Mount Gilboa Cut there are many riddles still to be solved. The ongms of the early settlers are still unknown. Nor have sites of Canaamte and ancient Israelite homes been uncovered yet There is a suspicion that they may lie under the modem huts built by the Israeli army and now used by the archaeologists ,4' |