Temple Mount Sifting Project

We're excited to announce that the Temple Mount Sifting Project is also open to the public on the days leading up to Sukkot! It’s a great opportunity to get out of the house, beat the holiday crowds, and come discover treasures with us.

And that’s not all... During Chol HaMoed Sukkot, we’ve added a special activity alongside the sifting: a Temple Mount stone painting workshop!

What’s waiting for you?
- Learn special stone painting techniques.
- Paint on natural stones from the Temple Mount (natural field stones that have completed the sifting process and hold no archaeological value).
- A personal souvenir – take your creation home or leave it with us for display!

The workshop is suitable for all ages and guarantees a fun, enriching experience for everyone.

Come experience a day of creativity, inspiration, and a living connection to the history of Jerusalem. We can't wait to see you!

Book your spots here >> tmsifting.org/en/participate

The biblical name for Rosh Hashanah is Yom Teruah (Day of Blasting) or Zichron Teruah (Memorial of Blasting), and in our prayers, it is also referred to as Yom HaZikaron (The Day of Remembrance / Memory). Despite some uncertainty regarding the original nature of the holiday in the Bible, it is clear that "remembrance" in the scriptures is not just a passive thought, but an active process that experientially connects us to events of the past.

This concept prompted me (Zachi Dvira) to wonder quite a bit about the nature of human memory. About two years ago, I suffered a head injury, resulting in a few hours where I lost access to significant parts of my memory - I forgot where I lived and other crucial details. The injury occurred at the skatepark in Jerusalem while I was with two of my children. All I remember is arriving at the hospital. I couldn't tell the medical staff where I lived . Despite this, I did remember one specific scene: as I was being loaded into the ambulance, a friend who was at the park came over and told me she was looking after my kids.

Driven by the need to recall certain details, I managed to "dig" into my memory and retrieve them shortly after, and eventually, everything came back to me. This experience made me ask: when memory malfunctions, which events does the brain choose to preserve, and which does it block out?

Even when memory functions optimally, a human being cannot possibly remember the thousands of details they encounter every single day. Ultimately, the brain makes a selection: some events are deeply etched into our minds, while others fade into oblivion. A similar process occurs in historiography (at least in the era before digital documentation); both individuals and societies choose which events to preserve in the memory and which to omit. The result is a subjective narrative - a collection of events selected to serve as an anchor for creating meaning, whether for the individual or the society doing the remembering. In our digital world, saturated with Big and Vast Data, computed analytics have been used for decades to extract meaningful information from raw data, and the AI revolution is taking this processing and selection to entirely new frontiers.

So, how does all of this relate to archaeology? One of the most common (and joking) critiques of archaeologists is that they "dig" too much (in Hebrew slang, "digging" also means talking too much or rambling) when asked to explain their discoveries to the general public. In archaeology, we are essentially uncovering the very facet of the past that historiography usually chose not to preserve - the remains of material culture, which can sometimes seem dull or gray.

Imagine someone asking you, "How was your day?" and in response, you start describing what your alarm clock looks like, what material your bed is made of, the design style of your toothbrush and the exact range of years that style was popular, its level of wear and tear, the average lifespan of your coffee mug before it breaks, and so on. Telling a story like that is pure torture! At the end of the day, what we really want to hear is a sequence of events that builds a complete story.

Because archaeology is first and foremost a science, we don’t always know at the outset what story we will be able to distill from the massive collection of artifacts we unearth. Often, the selection of finds and data is dictated by a specific research question. However, when we are required to document everything in order to preserve the data for future generations of researchers, the task becomes infinitely more complex.

At the Temple Mount Sifting Project, this challenge is magnified exponentially. This is a salvage project dealing with artifacts that have lost their original stratigraphic context. On top of that, our wet-sifting method recovers 100% of the finds with zero selection! So, what do you do when you are flooded with so much data?

Fortunately, we live in an era where technology allows us to transform raw data into meaningful historical information. My master's thesis (written between 2001–2006) dealt with exactly this: using Data Mining tools - the precursor to Artificial Intelligence - to analyze archaeological databases. Today, we harness these types of analytical tools, alongside other advanced technologies, to process the enormous quantity of artifacts collected over 22 years of sifting.

These tools allow us to identify unique characteristics of Temple Mount finds compared to other areas in Jerusalem, and even to reconstruct the original context of these artifact groups prior to the Waqf construction dig, by identifying similar distribution patterns across different areas of the soil dump (it might sound impossible, but it works!)

We publish these insights for the scientific community, but more importantly, for the general public, who is thirsty to hear the story of the Temple Mount. We constantly witness the immense excitement of visitors at the sifting site, particularly during the summary stage of the activity, when the archaeologist takes the very artifacts the group just discovered and uses them to weave together the tangible history of the Mount.

The analytics and research applied to the vast collection of artifacts in our possession allow us to reveal another layer in the story of the most important and sacred site in the history of the Jewish people. Specifically there - at the very place from which they would announce to the entire Jewish world when a new month, and of course, a new year, was beginning. This symbolism takes on an even deeper meaning, as the sifting work today takes place at Mitzpe HaMasuot (The Lookout of the Beacons), the historic site where the first beacon was lit to broadcast the news of the new month and the new year to Diaspora Jewry and the rest of the world.

You are welcome to keep joining the sifting project and help us continue to grow the database from which we derivce our insights and tell you a story. We are open during Chol HaMoed Sukkot, as well as during the days leading up to Sukkot. You are invited to register through our website.

Shana Tova to everyone, and may we be blessed with a good memory.

Visualizing the Splendor: New 3D Reconstructions of the Temple Mount Courts
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Since we published the initial reconstructions of the colorful geometric floor patterns (Opus Sectile) that decorated the Temple Mount complex in 2016, we have seen many reconstructions of the Temple Mount and the Temple from the Second Temple period incorporating such floors. However, the research is still well underway. The reconstructions we published deal mainly with the roofed areas, such as the porticoes that surrounded the Temple Mount, and not with the open-air courts, for which we are waiting for additional data to help decide the matter.

The research on the subject actually began in the second year of the project. Archaeologist Assaf Avraham, who worked on the project at the time, noticed that some of the floor tile fragments discovered in the sifting – made of diverse stones, including imported marble – were not remains of regular paving. These were tiles in geometric shapes that served as an inlay for a decorated pattern, known in the modern jargon of classical architecture (and by its Latin term) as Opus Sectile (“cut work”).

He discovered that some of the paving stones found in the sifting had parallels in pavements of this type discovered in Jericho and other places (mainly as negative impressions in plaster, since the stones themselves were already looted in antiquity). Consequently, Assaf published an article proposing that we interpret Josephus Flavius’s description of the open-air plaza as referring to a paving of colorful stones in the Opus Sectile style:

"Those entire courts that were exposed to the sky were laid with stones of all colors and all sorts." (The Jewish War V, 192)

Likewise, he suggested that the rabbinic Sages’ description of Herod’s construction of the Temple using sh**ha marmara stones (Proconnesian marble – white-grained) and sh**ha kochla (probably black bituminous limestone) in the patterns of the waves of the ocean (Sukkah 51b / Bava Batra 4a) actually refers to this paving as well, and not to the walls of the Temple.

When he presented his proposal to one of his university professors, the late Prof. Ehud Netzer, Prof. Netzer rejected it, arguing that there were no known uses of this flooring technique in unroofed areas. Additionally, at that time, the prevailing assumption was that marble stones (in the geological sense) were imported to the Land of Israel only starting in the Late Roman period.

Years have passed since then, and quite a few parallels have been found for the use of this paving technique in open areas as well (see, for example, the Theatre of Pompey in Rome). Evidence has also been found for the import of marble (mainly for Opus Sectile floors) as early as the Early Roman period in Herod’s palaces.

After a few years, Ms. Frankie Snyder joined the ranks of the Sifting Project. She started as a volunteer, was later employed as a staff member, completed a tour guide course, and became a guide. At a later stage, given her background and academic degrees in mathematics, she asked to join the research on the Opus Sectile floor tiles. We were happy to give her the opportunity, and the fruits of her research went above and beyond expectations.

Frankie conducted the most comprehensive research ever done in Israel on the subject. Thanks to the extensive knowledge she acquired, her mathematical skills, and her photographic memory, she managed to restore quite a few tiles and reconstruct seven paving patterns used in the Herodian Temple Mount.

We assume that these patterns were used in roofed areas – both because of the size of the stones and their aesthetics, and because of the absence of plaster marks on their edges (a prominent feature of an Opus Sectile floor, which does not allow for flexible paving exposed to the elements). However, it is important to note that we do have quite a few tiles that can indeed be reconstructed as having been set in an open plaza, and as mentioned, we are still waiting for additional data on the matter.

So far, this was a brief background introduction to our research on this matter, which is much more complex. Those interested in delving deeper are invited to review our publications on the subject (see links in first comment), as well as a detailed publication that is expected to be published soon (hopefully by the end of the year) in a collection of articles from the first International Temple Mount Research Conference held a few years ago.

Recently, two new videos were published online showcasing a reconstruction of the Temple Mount during the Second Temple period, incorporating the floor patterns we published (see links in first comment). The videos were produced by Daniel Smith, Director of Messages of Christ at Scripture Central. Smith is a biblical history enthusiast whose lifelong dream is to visually make the scriptures and the Holy Land accessible, teaching others in a way that has never been done before.

In our judgment, it is safe to say that Smith’s reconstructions are the best and most up-to-date digital reconstructions made so far in relation to the research literature on the subject. The first video deals with the reconstruction of the Temple at the end of the Second Temple period and elaborates on the architectural styles used by Herod for this project. The second video, recently released, focuses on the reconstructions of the floors that decorated the Temple Mount courts, based on Snyder’s research.

The second video perfectly explains Frankie’s complicated and intricate research, and anyone who had difficulty understanding exactly how the reconstructions were done is highly encouraged to watch it.

Once again, as we have noted, what you will see in the videos is not the final word on the subject. We still have a lot of research ahead of us. Furthermore, it is important to point out a few caveats regarding the videos. There are some inaccuracies regarding the story of the research’s development, and they lack a reconstruction of the paving that decorated the large plaza. Conversely, they show the use of Opus Sectile paving inside the Temple building itself – whereas, in our humble opinion, the floor of the Sanctuary itself was smooth and white, without decorated patterns.

These reconstructions breathtakingly illustrate the magnificence and splendor of the Temple at the end of the Second Temple period. Using such a paving technique over such extensive areas is an unprecedented phenomenon in the entire Roman world; this was the most expensive and lavish paving method that existed at the time, and its use was usually restricted to much smaller spaces.

However, we should not be surprised by this, as the entire Herodian project—the rebuilding and expansion of the Temple Mount – was an unprecedented phenomenon in the ancient world. This was the largest Temple and sacred compound in the entire Roman Empire, and even the Royal Stoa that stood in the south of the Temple Mount can be considered the largest structure in the Roman world at that time (its length was at least 250 meters).

This does not mean that Judea was richer than Rome, for it was Judea that paid taxes to the Empire and not the other way around. The explanation for this unprecedented splendor lies elsewhere. In every Roman polis, public resources (taxes and donations) were divided among a large number of temples. In contrast, Jews all over the world had only one temple to which they made pilgrimages and brought their donations. Thus, the taxes collected by Herod and the immense donations were all channelled primarily into one monumental project – the Temple of the God of Israel.

What are the odds of uncovering two gold coins from completely different periods in a single day? Tzipy Heili from New York, who visited us and participated in the sifting for her third time, discovered the first one - a beautiful coin from the Ottoman period. The second was found by our own staff and is more ancient. Stay tuned for more details about these incredible finds!

https://www.ynetnews.com/jewish-world/article/bjesu71hgx

Where are the Ark of the Covenant and the lost Temple treasures? Ancient texts place the Ark beneath the Temple Mount, historical accounts trace the menorah from Jerusalem to Rome, and archaeologists reject claims that the Vatican holds the sacred vessels, leaving one of Judaism’s greatest mysteries unresolved

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv0eE7NKQ3A

The Temple Mount’s Greatest SECRET Has Finally Been Found! Israel with Aline Shalom! My followers get FREE worldwide shipping when using this li...

Last Thursday, the 50th Archaeological Congress took place in Israel, and the Sifting Project team presented two important lectures!

Lecture 1: Anat Mendel-Geberovich and Zachi Dvira presented the first research results on the clay sealing of Yeda‛yah (son of) Asayahu discovered this past summer. We proposed identifying "Asaiah" with the biblical figure "Asayahu the king's servant," who served during the reign of King Josiah and was a member of the royal delegation to Huldah the prophetess (2 Kings 22:12). We also explored the meaning of the term "son" and shared a comparative statistical analysis of identified biblical figures in the archaeological record. More details will be shared online once the scientific article is published!

Lecture 2: Zachi Dvira and Dr. Gabriel Barkay (z"l) shared updates on the site formation processes on the eastern Temple Mount, which caused the surface level to rise since the Middle Ages. We presented a methodology combining topographical and stratigraphical data, a reassessment of the Eastern Wall's construction phases, historical accounts from pilgrims, and a quantitative-statistical analysis of the ceramic and its preservation attributes.

A summary article for this research will also be published soon.

Watch the full lecture here (in Hebrew):
https://youtu.be/y5nwoFWERpg?si=ke0fooFKjJzkoD3E

The wonderful visiting today at the sifting site

Is it harder to take Egypt out of the Israelites than the Israelites out of Egypt? A fascinating archaeological discovery from the Temple Mount!

As Passover approaches, many discuss the verse "And the Lord spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, and gave them a charge to the children of Israel, and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 6:13). It is often said that sometimes it's harder to take Egypt out of the people of Israel than to take the people of Israel out of Egypt. Usually, this refers to spiritual enslavement - but a brand new discovery uncovered just this week proves that it was just as hard to get "Egyptian" culture out of Judah!

So, what did we find?
Cynics might say Israeli archaeologists always "pull out" discoveries right before the holidays (just like last summer when we found a First Temple destruction clay sealing right before Tisha B'Av). But it turns out reality beats any timing!

This past Sunday, Arbel Monnickendam and his family came to sift soil from the Temple Mount (don't worry, we have a protected space), and they found a fragment of a clay sealings from the First Temple period. The sealing features distinct Egyptian symbols, including a winged sun (a symbol of rule under divine protection) and parts of a cartouche (an oval frame enclosing Egyptian names).
We can't publish more details or a closeup photo just yet, as the artifact requires proper scientific research and publication before being presented to the wider public. But because of the amazing timing right before Passover night, we just had to share our excitement with you!

The Bigger Picture
This finding joins a series of other discoveries from the Sifting Project, Jerusalem, and Judah from the same period, all pointing to a widespread use of Egyptian characteristics in the Judah’s administrative system of the First Temple era. We find the use of Hieratic (Egyptian) numerals, weights and measures, glyptic symbols, and even Egyptian names on seals. We even see this in the Bible itself, especially among priests and Levites who carry Egyptian names (such as Hophni, Phinehas, and Pashhur).

The roots of this Egyptian influence in Judean administration likely go back to the Late Bronze Age when Egypt (in 18th-20th dynasties) ruled Canaan, which required establishing a massive administrative apparatus.

What does this actually mean?
Does using symbols from Egyptian deity worship reflect the adoption of Egyptian religion among the people of Judah? Or did these symbols undergo a "secularization" process, becoming universal administrative icons? (Similar to our secular month names today, like March or July, which originate from Roman gods and rulers).
Another fascinating question: what was the attitude of Judeans during the First Temple period toward Egyptian culture, given the Exodus tradition? As we know, Judah had a complex, rollercoaster relationship with Egypt: from King Solomon's marriage to Pharaoh's daughter and extensive trade relations, through Shishak's invasion and the looting of the Temple, King Hezekiah relying on Egypt against Assyrian invasion, the fatal clash with Pharaoh Necho during Josiah's reign, and finally, Egyptian military assistance during the Babylonian siege.

We'll leave the complex answers to the research, but we definitely wanted to share this new layer of data on Israel-Egypt relations revealed just days before Passover.

Happy Passover! May we merit freedom from all enslavements -mental and material - whether "Egyptian" or otherwise. We hold a deep hope for a swift end to the war, by removing all threats from those seeking to destroy the people of Israel

I am excited to share that I will be visiting Texas for a few days in late April! While I am there, I am setting aside my evenings to connect with local communities, universities, and organizations.

I am currently open to invitations to give guest lectures and presentations during my visit, and I would love the opportunity to share our research and discoveries with your community.

I am available to speak on a variety of topics, including:

The Temple Mount Sifting Project: Our story, methodology, unique challenges, and the most significant finds we've recovered from the soil of the Temple Mount.

Biblical Archaeology: Bridging the gap between text and material culture in ancient Israel.

Ancient Jerusalem: The history and archaeology of the city, with a special focus on the First and Second Temple periods.

If your congregation, university, or local community group is interested in hosting a lecture, or if you would like more details, please reach out via email at: [email protected].

Looking forward to seeing some of you in the Lone Star State!

Zachi Dvira
Director, Temple Mount Sifting Project