Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Cool stuff: Archeologist: King Herod's tomb desecrated, but discovery 'high point'
The archeologist who located King Herod's tomb at Herodium said Tuesday that the grave had been desecrated, apparently shortly after his death, but called the discovery a "high point."
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced Monday night that it has uncovered the grave and tomb of Herod, who ruled Judea for the Roman empire from circa 37 BCE.
Professor Ehud Netzer of the university's Institute of Archaeology told reporters Tuesday that the tomb was discovered when a team of researchers found pieces of a limestone sarcophagus believed to belong to the ancient king...
Any comment from Nadia?
Surely the uncovering (with bulldozers and high explosives, no doubt) of this proto-Palestinian burial site in no way privileges the history of ethnic-Ashkenazi nationalist creation myth?
Actually, I was surprised at the lack of politicization of this story, even on the BBC, given the (deep, deep West Bank) location of Herodion. It's one of those places I regret not having seen back when it was safe.
What I thought was interesting is how long it took to locate the tomb itself, given that they had such a good idea of the general area.
Responding to JSinger:
I saw a BBC World TV report that ended by stating that Herod is a hero to some, a builder of the ancient Jewish state; a villain to others, a killer of Christians. This was followed by footage of gun-toting Israeli soldiers guarding the dig against Arab attack, while a voice-over spoke ominously about the horrors of the occupation. I thought it one of the most overtly anti-Semitic news reports I've ever seen, connecting traditional, religious anti-Semitism with anti-Israel agit-prop. Truly atrocious even by BBC standards.
By the way, Herod is NOT regarded as a hero to Jews. He's considered a collaborator with the Roman colonial regime responsible for the oppression and eventual destruction of Judea, and the slaughter of tens of thousands of innocent people. Hardly the hero to Jews that BBC claimed he was.
One other inaccuracy in the BBC report: it stated that Herod was responsible for building the walls of the old city of Jerusalem. It was Suleiman the Magnificent over a thousand years later.
Who does their fact checking at BBC? Do the facts even matter to them?
Here's a link to the report I saw on BBC America:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/news/world/video/93000/nb/93366_16x9_nb.ram
The offensive material starts at 0:52
I don't understand the UK.
Considering the thwarted plans of British convert to Islamofascism Richard Reid, the posters of Islamofascist demonstrators "Behead those who insult Islam", "UK you will pay", 7/7 bus/underground bombings in London (50+ dead), Finsbury Park mosque (Celebration of the magnificent 19), beheading of WSJ journalist Daniel Pearl, kidnapping and possible execution of a BBC journalist in Gaza.
Being anti-Zionist is very trendy in the UK. Actors like Patrick Stewart, Sting, and sadly Julie Christie are part of the mob.
It seems that hatred of Jews and Israel has blinded Brits to the dangers of Islamofascism.
The great Melanie Phillips www.melaniephillips.com is one of the exceptions. Christopher Hitchens has some good things to say, but even he slams Israel but he is more outspoken against "radical" or rather under-reported (BBC) mainstream Islamism. The only Islamists who come out in opposition to the Islamofascist mainstream are those who I believe are trying to keep the British from waking up. But if 7/7 didn't wake up the UK, what atrocity will?