The Temple Mount Sifting Project (TMSP; formerly known as the Temple Mount Salvage Operation) is an archaeological project begun in 2004 whose aim is the recovery and study of

archaeological artifacts An artifact, or artefact (see American and British English spelling differences), is a general term for an item made or given shape by humans, such as a tool or a work of art, especially an object of archaeological interest. In archaeology, the ...

contained within debris which were removed from the

Temple Mount The Temple Mount ( hbo, הַר הַבַּיִת, translit=Har haBayīt, label=Hebrew, lit=Mount of the House f the Holy}), also known as al-Ḥaram al-Sharīf (Arabic: الحرم الشريف, lit. 'The Noble Sanctuary'), al-Aqsa Mosque compou ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

without proper archaeological care. PikiWiki Israel 38192 Archaeological Sifting of Debris from the Temple M

The project has made heavy use of crowd-sourcing, using many volunteers and

tourists Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

to help sift the debris, and is actually the most exposed to the public archaeological project in the world. The project sifting facility was located until 2017 in Emek Tzurim National Park. In June 2019 it moved to the Masu’ot Lookout at Mt. Scopus.

History

Despite its historical importance, no archaeologist has ever been able to carry out a systematic excavation on the Temple Mount. This was the state of affairs, when in November 1999 approximately 9,000 tons of archaeologically rich soil were removed from the

by the ''

Waqf A waqf ( ar, وَقْف; ), also known as hubous () or '' mortmain'' property is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitab ...

'', using heavy earth moving equipment and without a preceding salvage excavation or proper archaeological care, following works in and around the newly constructed underground el-Marwani Mosque. The debris was moved to several locations, with the lion's share (an estimated 350 truckloads) dumped in the

Kidron Valley The Kidron Valley ( classical transliteration, ''Cedron'', from he, נחל קדרון, ''Naḥal Qidron'', literally Qidron River; also Qidron Valley) is the valley originating slightly northeast of the Old City of Jerusalem, which then separate ...

, near the north-eastern corner of the old city. These soil heaps were inspected and sampled by

Israel Antiquities Authority The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA, he, רשות העתיקות ; ar, داﺌرة الآثار, before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of ...

officials, but no full-scale excavation ensued. In 2004, an excavation permit was issued to Israeli archaeologists

Gabriel Barkay Gabriel Barkay (Hebrew: גבריאל ברקאי; sometimes transcribed from the Hebrew Gavriel Barkai) is an Israeli archaeologist. Early life and studies Born in 1944 in the Budapest Ghetto, Hungary, he immigrated to Israel in 1950. Barkay stud ...

and Zachi Dvira (Zweig), under the auspices of

Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academi ...

, who, with funding from private backers through the

Israel Exploration Society The Israel Exploration Society (''IES'') (Hebrew:החברה לחקירת ארץ ישראל ועתיקותיה - Hakhevra Lekhakirat Eretz Yisrael Va'atikoteha), originally the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society, is a society devoted to historic ...

, proceeded to retrieve most of the heaps of soil and move them to a secure location provided by the

Israel Nature and Parks Authority The Israel Nature and Parks Authority ( he, רשות הטבע והגנים ''Rashut Hateva Vehaganim''; ar, سلطة الطبيعة والحدائق) is an Israeli government organization that manages nature reserves and national parks in Israel, ...

in the ''Emek Tzurim'' National Park. In 2005, after experiencing financial difficulties, the project collaborated with the Ir-David foundation, who took responsibility on the administration of the sifting site, while the scientific oversight retained by Barkay and Dvira. Over the years, in addition to its scientific mission, the project took on an educational and touristic character as well, drawing hundreds of thousands of volunteers and tourists who briefly joined the sifting activity, supervised by staff members. in April 2017, the Sifting Project withdrew its partnership with the Ir David Foundation and discontinued active sifting, focusing instead on laboratory research of artifacts already recovered. The Sifting Project has held several Crowdfunding campaigns, and as of December 2018, has enough funds to keep afloat, but not enough to complete all research nor to resume the sifting, which has continued sporadically, and a public commitment by the former Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...

to provide government backing for the Project, has yet to bear fruit. The Ir David Foundation retains the former sifting site of the project in ''Emek Tzurim'' and runs there an "Archaeological Experience", where visitors sift soil from various excavations in Jerusalem. Active sifting of Temple Mount soil resumed in June 2019, in a new site atop

Mount Scopus Mount Scopus ( he, הַר הַצּוֹפִים ', "Mount of the Watchmen/ Sentinels"; ar, جبل المشارف ', lit. "Mount Lookout", or ' "Mount of the Scene/Burial Site", or ) is a mountain (elevation: above sea level) in northeast Je ...

Methodology

Unable to apply traditional excavation techniques to the disturbed soil, the project founders opted to sift the entirety of the soil retrieved from the dumping grounds. At the sifting site, the soil was dry-sifted and transferred into buckets, where it was left to soak. The remaining soil was then washed off over a wire mesh, and

hand-picked from among remaining stones and modern refuse. This process was mostly undertaken by volunteers and tourists, under supervision of experienced staff. Objects retrieved from the wet-sifting process are then sorted and cataloged by on-site archaeologists, and transferred to an archaeological laboratory, to be further studied by specialists who prepare the finds for publication. Much like an archaeological survey, the types of finds are categorized, counted and compared to different types both within the site and in nearby sites. Prior to the onset of the TMSP, the wet-sifting technique, in which significant portions of the site's soil (as opposed to selected loci) are water-screened, was used by local archaeologists only in some Prehistoric sites. This led to a problem in comparing finds from the Temple Mount to other sites. For example, while comparison to other

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

Judahite sites showed a similar distribution of different types of

figurine A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with clay ...

s (human, animal, etc.), the percentage of fragments was incomparable – more leg fragments were recovered by the TMSP than all other sites combined, and horn\ear fragments were reported solely by the TMSP. This is not to say that such fragment did not exist in other sites, but rather, that their small size caused them to remain unnoticed by archaeologists excavating in traditional methods. To overcome this sampling bias, samples were taken from various excavation sites in Jerusalem and subjected to wet-sifting to act as a control group. In the ensuing years, multiple excavation projects in Jerusalem and its environs have adopted the wet-sifting technique, some of them outsourcing the sifting work to the TMSP. The rising popularity of the wet-sifting technique has correlated to a notable rise in the number of

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

and seal impressions discovered in excavations carried out in Jerusalem. In January 2013, the project announced the development of a statistical method using cluster analysis to partially reconstruct the original context of some of the finds. Later that year, it was announced that enough artifacts had been collected to serve as a representative sample, and common finds collected from that point forward will not be included in the final publication.

Finds

Most of the artifacts discovered are quite small, no larger than a few centimeters. Their origins span several millennia – from the Stone Age up to the 20th century.

Stone and Bronze Ages

Only a tiny fraction of the finds date to these periods, the earliest among them dated to the

Epipalaeolithic In archaeology, the Epipalaeolithic or Epipaleolithic (sometimes Epi-paleolithic etc.) is a period occurring between the Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic during the Stone Age. Mesolithic also falls between these two periods, and the two are some ...

or the

Neolithic Period The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

. The

Chalcolithic The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and ''líthos'', "stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin '' aeneus'' "of copper"), is an archaeological period characterized by regular ...

and Bronze Ages are mostly represented by sherds of local pottery, but some examples of

Mycenaean pottery Mycenaean pottery is the pottery tradition associated with the Mycenaean period in Ancient Greece. It encompassed a variety of styles and forms including the stirrup jar. The term "Mycenaean" comes from the site Mycenae, and was first applied by ...

have been found as well. Other finds from these periods include 3 Bronze Age scarabs and an amulet bearing the name of

Thutmose III Thutmose III (variously also spelt Tuthmosis or Thothmes), sometimes called Thutmose the Great, was the sixth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Officially, Thutmose III ruled Egypt for almost 54 years and his reign is usually dated from 2 ...

. A broken finger of a statue probably dates to the

Late Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

Iron Age (First Temple Period, 1000–586 BC)

Approximately 15% of the pottery finds in the TMSP date to the

, mostly to the Iron Age IIb-III (800–586 BC). Among the finds from the Iron Age IIa (10th–9th century BCE) are a rare

impression seal The impression seal is a common seal that leaves an impression, typically in clay and less often in sealing wax. In antiquity they were common, largely because they served to authenticate legal documents, such as tax receipts, contracts, wills an ...

and an

arrowhead An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, as well as to fulfill some special purposes such as sign ...

. The later Iron Age is well represented in the finds: About 130 typical Judahite figurine fragments have been recovered from the Temple Mount soil, and another 30 from an ancient garbage dump in the Eastern Slopes of the Temple Mount. Other finds include Judean stone weights, weaponry—including a rare arrowhead of the Scytho-Iranian type—introduced to Jerusalem by the forces of Nebuchadnezzar II, and inscription bearing artifacts, including a LMLK seal, dozens of

ostraca An ostracon ( Greek: ''ostrakon'', plural ''ostraka'') is a piece of pottery, usually broken off from a vase or other earthenware vessel. In an archaeological or epigraphical context, ''ostraca'' refer to sherds or even small pieces of ...

and several seals and sealing ( bullae), the most prominent among them being the Immer Bulla, a broken sealing, paleographically dated to the 7th–6th century BC and bearing the incomplete

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...

..yahu and the patronym Immer, the name of a well known Biblical priestly family, whose one member is recorded as a major office holder in the Temple. The sealing, which bears on its back fiber impressions, was affixed to a cloth sack, pouch, or lid, possibly relating to the Temple treasury. Imer_bulla

Second Temple Period (516 BCE – 70 CE)

Within the Temple Mount's history, no other period saw as much activity as the Second Temple period – both in terms of construction projects carried out, chiefly that of

Herod's temple The Second Temple (, , ), later known as Herod's Temple, was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem between and 70 CE. It replaced Solomon's Temple, which had been built at the same location in the United Kingdom of Israel before being inherited ...

, and in volume of people going about their day-to-day activity. This is well attested in the pottery finds of the TMSP, over 40% of which date to this period (⅔ of that dating between Herod's reign (37 BCE) and the

Destruction of the temple The siege of Jerusalem of 70 CE was the decisive event of the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73 CE), in which the Roman army led by future emperor Titus besieged Jerusalem, the center of Jewish rebel resistance in the Roman province of Jud ...

(70 CE)). A number of architectural remains are ascribed to this period, the largest among them being a 75 cm wide Doric capital, which may have topped an 18-foot tall column within Solomon's Porch. Another noted architectural discovery consisted of dozens of multi-colored ''

Opus sectile ''Opus sectile'' is a form of pietra dura popularized in the ancient and medieval Roman world where materials were cut and inlaid into walls and floors to make a picture or pattern. Common materials were marble, mother of pearl, and glass. T ...

'' tiles of various shapes, which enabled a reconstruction of the tiling patterns employed in the courtyards of Herod's Temple. More than 500 of the coins discovered in the sifting date to this period, spanning from the 6th century BCE ''Yehud'' coinage till the

First Jewish Revolt coinage First Jewish Revolt coinage was issued by the Jews after the Zealots captured Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple from the Romans in 66 CE at the beginning of the First Jewish Revolt. The Jewish leaders of the revolt minted their own coins to emp ...

of the year 70 CE. Other finds of the period include hundreds of fragments of stone vessels typical to late 2nd Temple Judea, over a thousand fresco fragments, weaponry and epigraphic finds.

Byzantine Period (324–638)

A full third of all the coins found date to this period, along with large amounts of pottery. A relatively surprising phenomena was the discovery of a large number of luxurious architectural artifacts from the period – including ''Opus sectile'' tiles, roof tiles,

Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to: *Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible: **First Epistle to the Corinthians **Second Epistle to the Corinthians **Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox) *A demonym relating to ...

capitals, chancel screens and a multitude of

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

tessera A tessera (plural: tesserae, diminutive ''tessella'') is an individual tile, usually formed in the shape of a square, used in creating a mosaic. It is also known as an abaciscus or abaculus. Historical tesserae The oldest known tesserae ...

e – which led researchers to question the historical sources that depict the Temple Mount as abandoned at the time. Additional finds include cruciform pendants, clay oil lamps emblazoned with crosses and bronze weights.

Early Islamic Period (638–1099)

Approximately one in four pottery fragments recovered by the TMSP date to this period, mostly consisting of

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...

tableware Tableware is any dish or dishware used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. It includes cutlery, glassware, serving dishes, and other items for practical as well as decorative purposes. The quality, nature, variety and number of o ...

and storage vessels, and

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

tableware, storage and cooking vessels. Other finds include many architectural elements connected to the construction of the Dome of the Rock and the

Al-Aqsa Mosque Al-Aqsa Mosque (, ), also known as Jami' Al-Aqsa () or as the Qibli Mosque ( ar, المصلى القبلي, translit=al-Muṣallā al-Qiblī, label=none), and also is a congregational mosque located in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is situate ...

, the most prominent being thousands of colored and gilded mosaic tesserae belonging to wall mosaics, most likely the mosaics akin to those adorning the inner walls of the dome of the rock, which adorned the outer walls till their replacement by glazed tiles in the 16th century.

Crusader Period (1099–1187)

During this period, the use of the sub-floor structure of the Temple Mount as a stables by the Knights Templar gave

Solomon's Stables Solomon's Stables ( he, אורוות שלמה, ar, المصلى المرواني) is an underground vaulted space now used as a Muslim prayer hall by the name of El-Marwani Mosque, some 600 square yards (500 square metres) in area, at the bottom ...

its current name. This is reflected in finds such as hundreds of armor scales, horseshoe nails, and arrowheads. Over a hundred silver Crusader coins make up the biggest and most varied collection of such coins from Jerusalem. ''Opus Sectile'' tiles from this era match up exactly to patterns seen under the Dome of the Rock's carpeting, as well as the church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Mamluk and Ottoman periods (1260–1917)

The Mamluk period is represented mainly by pottery, coins, gaming pieces, jewelry and some architectural elements. A large variety of finds date to the

Ottoman Period The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, including finds related to renovation projects undergone during this era, such as glazed tiles which have coated the outer walls of the Dome of the Rock since the 16th century, and fragments of colorful Stained Glass Windows. Over a dozen personal seals dating to this period were found, including one bearing the name of Sheikh ''Abd al-Fattah al-Tamimi'',Relics in Rubble, pg. 55; who would go on to serve as deputy to the

Grand Mufti of Jerusalem The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem is the Sunni Muslim cleric in charge of Jerusalem's Islamic holy places, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The position was created by the British military government led by Ronald Storrs in 1918.See Islamic Leadershi ...

, and

Qadi A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a '' sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and mino ...

Ramla Ramla or Ramle ( he, רַמְלָה, ''Ramlā''; ar, الرملة, ''ar-Ramleh'') is a city in the Central District of Israel. Today, Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with both a significant Jewish and Arab populations. The city was f ...

, Gaza and Nablus in the early 18th century. Hundreds of clay

pipes Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circula ...

, and various types of weaponry, including

gunflint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fires ...

s, and lead and iron bullets and shells. A large amount of glass

bracelet A bracelet is an article of jewellery that is worn around the wrist. Bracelets may serve different uses, such as being worn as an ornament. When worn as ornaments, bracelets may have a supportive function to hold other items of decoration, suc ...

and anklets span both the Mamluk and Ottoman Periods.

World War I and onward (1917–1999)

Many modern artifacts were found, including mainly pottery such as

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

and Marseilles tiles, modern coinage,

prayer rug A prayer rug or prayer mat is a piece of fabric, sometimes a pile carpet, used by Muslims, some Christians and some Baha'i during prayer. In Islam, a prayer mat is placed between the ground and the worshipper for cleanliness during the various ...

s and clothing accessories including

military insignia A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and weaponry of various military forces.

References

External links

The Temple Mount Sifting Project official blog
{{Temple Mount Archaeological sites in Jerusalem Israeli–Palestinian conflict in Jerusalem Mosque-related controversies Temple Mount Crowdsourcing Projects established in 2004 2004 establishments in Israel