The events of the Bar Kochba rebellion are attributed to the reign of the emperor Hadrian, who is remembered in the history of the Jewish people as the one who passed decrees of destruction on the Jews, which were known in the sources as 'the decrees of Hadrian'. * According to Dr. Rina Avner, the director of the excavation on behalf of the Antiquities Authority, "this is a rare find of enormous historical importance"
A rare find of enormous historical importance was discovered in Jerusalem: a stone fragment with a state Latin inscription dedicated to the Roman emperor Hadrian. Researchers estimate that this is one of the most important Latin inscriptions ever discovered in Jerusalem.
During the past year, the Antiquities Authority conducted rescue excavations in several areas north of the Nablus Gate, in one of which a fragment of a stone bearing a Latin state inscription from the Roman period was discovered. According to Dr. Rina Avner and Roy Greenwald, the managers of the excavation on behalf of the Antiquities Authority, "we found the inscription when it was combined with reuse around the mouth of a deep cistern. Like today, in the past it was also customary to recycle building materials; It seems that the state inscription was displaced from its original location and incorporated into the floor for the practical needs of constructing the pit. Moreover, for the purpose of adjusting it according to the pit, the inscription in its lower part was sawn in a round shape." The weight of the stone is about 1 ton, and its dimensions are about 1.5 x 1 m.
As soon as the inscription was discovered, it was clear to the diggers that they had a particularly significant discovery: the size of the inscription and the clarity of the letters led to this conclusion.
The inscription includes six lines of Latin text engraved on hard limestone, was read and translated into Hebrew by Abner Aker and Hanna Coton of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem: "To the emperor Caesar Trianus Hadrianus Augustus, son of Trianus the leader of the Parthians, grandson of the divine Narva, Pontifex Maximus, having authority Tribune for the fourteenth time, consul for the third, Father of the Fatherland, (dedicated) the tenth legion Paratensis".
According to them, "it is an inscription dedicated by the tenth legion, known as Partensis, to Emperor Hadrian in 129/130 CE".
From their analysis, it appears that the fragment of the inscription discovered by the researchers of the Antiquities Authority is nothing more than the right half of a complete inscription, the other part of which was discovered near the end of the 19th century and published by the great French archaeologist Charles Clermont-Geno. Today this inscription is displayed in the courtyard of the Franciscan Museum near the Lions' Gate.
In archaeological excavations throughout the country in general and in Jerusalem in particular, few ancient state Latin inscriptions have been discovered so far, and there is no doubt that this is one of the most important of them. The importance of the inscription stems from the fact that it explicitly mentions the name and titles of the emperor Hadrian, who was a very prominent emperor, as well as a clear date, which provides significant tangible reinforcement to the historical story, which is related to the presence of the Tenth Legion in Jerusalem in the period between the two rebellions, and perhaps even the location of the Tenth Legion's camp in the city, and one of the reasons for the rebellion to break out Bar Kochba a few years later, and the establishment of the city "Ilia Capitolina". Even after 2000 years, the inscription has been impressively preserved. After the excavation findings are published, the address will be preserved and displayed to the general public.
The events of the Bar Kochba rebellion are attributed to the reign of Emperor Hadrian. This, is remembered in the history of the Jewish people as the one who decreed decrees that destroyed the Jews, which were named in the sources as 'the decrees of Hadrian'.
The history of the Bar Kochba rebellion is known, among other things, from the words of the Roman historian of the period Cassius Dio. This historian also says that the emperor Hadrian visited Jerusalem between 129/130 AD as part of his travels in the eastern part of the empire. These journeys are also documented on coins that were issued in honor of the event, and on inscriptions that were engraved especially for his arrival in various cities. Apparently, this is exactly what was done in Jerusalem.
Completing the two parts of the inscription into one, brings up a picture according to which it is a particularly large and quite impressive inscription. According to Dr. Avner, "it is possible that the inscription itself was set at the top of a commemorative gate that stood free on the city border to the north, such as the Titus Gate in Rome."
The fate of Jerusalem after the destruction of the Second Temple (70 AD) and before the Bar Kochba Revolt (132-136 AD) is one of the key issues in the history of the city and in everything related to the connection of the Jewish people to it.
From ancient authors and inscriptions on coins it is known that the new city, founded by the emperor Hadrian, was given the status of a "colonia" (that is, a city whose citizens and gods are Roman), and its name was changed to 'Colonia Ælia-Capitolina' (in Latin (COLONIA ÆLIA CAPITOLINA). This name It contains the name of the emperor in the inscription, whose full name is Publius Aelius Hadrianus, and the main family of gods of Rome.
There is no doubt that the discovery of this inscription will greatly contribute to the long-standing question about the reasons that led to the outbreak of the Bar Kochba rebellion: whether the construction of Ilia Capitolina and the founding of the pagan temple on the site of the Jewish temple on the Temple Mount were the reasons for the outbreak of the Bar Kochba rebellion, or whether, alternatively, they were actually Results of the rebellion - Hadrian's punitive actions against those who rebelled against Roman rule?
The complete information about the inscription will be presented at the conference "Innovations in the Archeology of Jerusalem and its Surroundings" which will be held this coming Thursday (23/10) at the Mount Scopus campus of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and will be open to the general public.
The comment of the expert of the period, and the historian of the Hidan website, Dr. Yechiam Sorek:
First - every address that is revealed in Israel is important. The question is what to do with it, that is, how to interpret or interpret it.
Secondly - the question of the questions is, similar to the issue of Hadrian's word derivation, is whether the building of Ilia Capitolina was the cause of the rebellion or its result, and the decisive and unequivocal answer to this has not yet been found, although the findings of Kindler, the well-known numismatist, about Ilia Capitolina coins dated in 129/130 For S., they apparently point to the building of the Roman city/colony as a reason for the rebellion.
Third - we know that Hadrian visited the region, after his visit to Egypt, in 129/130 AD, and this affair might have increased the tensions in Judea. Although the result could have been the opposite, because Hadrian was known as a peacemaker, restoring relations and establishing positive relationship systems with his subjects.
Fourth - a famous inscription in Caesarea, also in honor of Hadrian, from a company auxiliary unit of the Sixth Legion dates from this very period, which perhaps explains the atmosphere of tension in Judea/Jerusalem at that time, one that required a hero of forces in Judea.
Fifth - the inscription in Jerusalem does not even hint at the name Ilia Capitolina or the colony in Jerusalem.
In my humble opinion, and I rely mainly on Talmudic sources, the construction of Ilia Capitolina began in the days of Hadrian's predecessor, the emperor Trianus, and it continued over a long period into the days of Hadrian's reign, and there is perhaps something to support the position that the rebellion broke out as a result of the construction of Ilia Capitolina.
In any case, despite the academic ramifications, this find can certainly be congratulated, as well as for any archaeological find in this period.
