Umm al Amad is a Jewish monumental rock-cut tomb located in East Jerusalem within the ancient burial area about 1 km form the Jewish tombs known as the Tombs of the Sanhedrin, west of Har Hotzivm, east of Givat HaMivtar, in an area once called wadi umm al Amad. The tomb is dated to the early Herodian period.[1]
אום אל עמד (in Hebrew) | |
 | |
| Location | Jerusalem |
|---|---|
| Region | East Jerusalem |
| Coordinates | 31°48′19.8″N 35°13′37.9″E / 31.805500°N 35.227194°E |
| Type | Rock-cut tomb |
| Part of | Hasmonean kingdom, Herodian kingdom |
| History | |
| Periods | Second Temple period |
| Cultures | Second Temple Judaism |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Ownership | Public |
| Public access | Yes |
Survey history
editEven though this monumental tomb was surveyed several times in the past, all findings and publications were done in a superficial and unsatisfying manner. Researchers ignored and overlooked important details. The tomb was first mentioned by Barclay in 1875 who called it El- Messauney, then by De vogue who used the same name.[2][3] K. Galling refers to the place as Quadergrab, then G. Dalman, who also visited the place refers to it as Umm al Amad.[4][5] For some reason probably due to a hearing mistake Warren, Conder, and Macalister name the tomb Umm al Aneb.[1][6][7] In government maps and by locals the place is known as Umm el Amad.[1]
Tomb description
editIn many ways the tomb is similar to many other monumental tombs in Jerusalem - the rock-cut tomb is typically cut into the slope, featuring a courtyard, an entrance corridor and two rooms with kokhim. Excavating the tomb enabled better understanding of the tomb's design and architectural motifs that in some ways are unique to this place. Finding a buried part of the façade enabled better understanding of the tombs' design that previous researches overlooked and did not see.[1]
The importance of this tomb and what distinguishes it from other tombs in Jerusalem is its façade and corridor walls which show highly professional stone craftsmanship, as well as decorations imitating a constructed wall of six courses of hewn stones, with each stone "brick" possessing recessed margins on all four sides. Similar design can be seen in the Herodian portions of the walls of the Temple Mount, the Tomb of the Patriarchs and the Phasael tower in Tower of David complex.[1]
Like many Jewish tombs of the Second Temple Period, the façade of the tomb mimics that of monumental buildings, such as palaces or shrines, and presents a combination of the Ionic and Doric styles. A distinct indication of this is the frieze, above which is a continuous row of Ionic style dentils while below it there are guttae located directly beneath the triglyphs of the Doric influence. Among the Second temple period tombs of Jerusalem and its surrounding areas, this degree of architectural imitation is found only in this tomb and that in Deir ed-Darb.[1]
See also
editSimilar sites
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f Avigad, Nahman (1945). מערת אום אל עמד (in Hebrew) (2nd ed.). MUSEUM OF JEWISH ANTIQUITIES HEBREW UNIVERSITY. pp. 75–82.
- ^ Barclay, J. T. THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. James challen and sons. pp. 183–186.
- ^ www.bibliopolis.com. "Le Temple de Jérusalem Monographie du Haram-Ech-Chérif suivie d'un essai sur la topographie de la Ville-Sainte, par le Cte. Melchior de Vogüé by Marie Eugenee Melchir DE VOGUE, Vicomte on Donald". Donald A. Heald Rare Books. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
- ^ Galing, Kurt (1936). "Die Nekropole von Jerusalem". Paastinajarbuch: 81.
- ^ Dalman, Gustaf (1972). Jerusalem und sein Gelände (in German). G. Olms. p. 217. ISBN 978-3-487-04403-3.
- ^ Warren, Charles; Palestine Exploration Fund; Conder, C. R. (Claude Reignier) (1884). The survey of Western Palestine-Jerusalem. Robarts - University of Toronto. London : Palestine Exploration Fund. p. 409.
- ^ Palestine Exploration Fund (1869). Palestine Exploration Fund : quarterly statement. Field Museum of Natural History Library. London : The Fund. pp. 246–248.