Leen Ritmeyer (b. 1945) is a Dutch-born
archaeological
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
architect who currently lives and works in Wales, after having spent 22 years (1967–89) in Jerusalem.
Career
Ritmeyer holds an M.A. in Conservation Studies from the Institute of Advanced Architectural Studies,
University of York
, mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £8.0 million
, budget = £403.6 million
, chancellor = Heather Melville
, vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery
, students ...
, England, and a Ph.D. from the
University of Manchester, England.
Beginning in 1973, Ritmeyer served for 4 years as official architect of the archaeological dig at the
Western Wall and
Southern Wall
The Southern Wall ( ''HaKotel HaDromi'') is the retaining wall of the Temple Mount at the southern end. It was built during King Herod's expansion of the Temple Mount platform southward on to the Ophel.
Construction
The Southern Wall is in len ...
of the
Temple Mount directed by
Benjamin Mazar
Benjamin Mazar ( he, בנימין מזר; born Binyamin Zeev Maisler, June 28, 1906 – September 9, 1995) was a pioneering Israeli historian, recognized as the "dean" of biblical archaeologists. He shared the national passion for the archaeology ...
,
["How We Lost the Temple Mount," Hershel Shanks, Moment (magazine), June 2002.] and 10 years in the
Jewish Quarter Excavations of the Old City of Jerusalem, directed by
Nahman Avigad.
In
Gershom Gorenberg's words, "
en archeologists speak today of solid scientific research on the Temple's location, they’re most likely to refer to Leen Ritmeyer", referring to his work on the
Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
He presented solid arguments based on archaeological evidence collected over at least a century of research for the location of
Solomon's Temple, the emplacement of the
Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant,; Ge'ez: also known as the Ark of the Testimony or the Ark of God, is an alleged artifact believed to be the most sacred relic of the Israelites, which is described as a wooden chest, covered in pure gold, with an e ...
on the
Foundation Stone, and the location of the platform as extended in the
First Temple period, probably during the time of
Hezekiah described as a square of 500
cubits in ''
Mishnah Middot'' 2.1. He has demonstrated that one of the steps leading to the
Dome of the Rock
The Dome of the Rock ( ar, قبة الصخرة, Qubbat aṣ-Ṣakhra) is an Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, a site also known to Muslims as the ''al-Haram al-Sharif'' or the Al-Aqsa Compound. Its initial ...
is actually the top of a remaining stone course of the pre-
Herodian Western Wall of the Temple Mount platform.
[
Ritmeyer is known for his architectural models of the buildings of ancient Jerusalem. His models of the historical Jewish Temples have been exhibited at museums including the Yeshiva University Museum in New York and the ]Siegfried H. Horn
Siegfried Herbert Horn (March 17, 1908 – November 28, 1993) was a Seventh-day Adventist archaeologist and Bible scholar. He is best known for his excavations at Heshbon in Jordan and Shechem in the West Bank. He was Professor of History of An ...
Museum at Andrews University, Michigan.
Works
Ritmeyer has published several books, some together with his wife, Kathleen, including:
* ''Understanding the Holy Temple Jesus Knew'' (2017)
* ''Understanding the Holy Temple of the Old Testament'' (2016)
* ''Jerusalem the Temple Mount'' (2015)
* ''The Quest: Revealing the Temple Mount in Jerusalem''Eric H. Cline
Eric H. Cline (born September 1, 1960) is an author, historian, archaeologist, and professor of ancient history and archaeology at The George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, D.C., where he is Professor of Classics and Anthropology a ...
, ''The Quest'' (book review), Biblical Archaeology Review, "Revealing the Temple Mount in Jerusalem," 12 January 2012.["Getting serious about the Ark of the Covenant," Gabriel A. Sivan (book review), ]Jerusalem Post
''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper w ...
, 21 July 2000. (2000)
* ''The Temple and the Rock'' (1996)
See also
* Archaeology of Israel
* Biblical archaeology
References
External links
Ritmeyer Archaeological Design
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritmeyer, Leen
Alumni of the University of York
Alumni of the University of Manchester
Israeli archaeologists
Christadelphians
Living people
Biblical archaeology
1945 births