Γολγοθάς
Χθες το απόγευμα οι πατέρες των Ιεροσολυμων πρόσεξαν σαν ένα φως στο Γολγοθά και άμεσος παρατήρησαν οτι τα μάτια του Χριστού ήταν ανοικτά όχι όπως πάντα κλειστά.
Month: March 2017
GREECE OZTAG Australia 2017
GREECE OZTAG Australia would like to wish all Oztaggers traveling to Coffs Harbour for the 2017 Oztag State Cup A happy and safe journey. It is raining so be safe… and Good luck to All teams.BIG SHOUT OUT TO SOUTHS…📯
This year we do have a few players and Coaches from Greece Representing there region.. Wishing you all Good luck.
PLAYERS TEAMS
RENEE Kalotinis, ST GEORGE WOMENS OP
PAULA Galatoulas, HURRICANES WOMENS 20s
ALANA Kipriotis, SOUTHS MIXED OPENS
MONTANA Ojeda, EAST RYDE 20S MIXED
JADE EVANS, SOUTHS MIXED OPENS
TAYLAH Middleton, HURRICANES WOMENS 20s
KATE Macpherson, SOUTHS MIXED OPENS
SAMANTHA Glumac, HURRICANES MIXED OPENS
MARIA Posantzis, ACT WOMENS 20S
GEORGE Filipipoulos, ROOSTERS MENS OP
PAUL KERR, ROOSTERS MENS OP
DEAN KOVELIS, EAST RYDE MENS OP
CHRIS Brosnan, ROOSTERS MENS OP.
TERRY Pizanias, ST GEORGE 20s Mens
ANDREW Karabatsos, ST GEORGE 20s Mens
CAIN Homann, ST GEORGE 20s Mens
CHRISTOPHER Nicholls, ROOSTERS MENS Op
CHRISTIAN Galbovski, ROOSTERS MENS OP
ANDREW Buckingham, SOUTHS 30S MENS
PETER Kalaizis, SOUTHS MENS OP
THOMAS Giatsios, SOUTHS MIXED OP
JAMIECosti, HOMEBUSH MIXED OPENS
GEORGE Panagiotopoulos, EAST HILLS MENS OP
PETER Constantionou, SOUTHS 30s MENS
JAMES Mina, ST GEORGE 20S MENS
COACHES
JIM PIZANIAS ST GEORGE 20s MENS
MATT RIAD SOUTHS
AZZI NUSANTARA SOUTHS TRAINER
INJURED PLAYERS
EMILIO Khatis, ST GEORGE 20S MENS
ASHOURINA Odisho, SOUTHS MIXED OPENS
MICHAEL Buckingham, SOUTHS MIXED OPENS
JORDAN CHONGY ST GEORGE 20S MENS
GOOD LUCK TO ALL OUR PLAYERS…
Private funeral held for singer George Michael
‘We said goodbye to a beloved son, brother and friend’: Bandmates Andrew Ridgeley, Pepsi and Shirlie join George Michael’s family and lover Fadi Fawaz for a private funeral at Highgate Cemetery 94 days after the singer’s death
The order of service featuring Michael’s picture which was given to mourners at the ceremony
George Michael Credit: PA
The funeral of singer George Michael took place today during a private ceremony with his family and close friends.
George Michael’s grave, which people can’t get too close to.
The statement shared by his family read:
We can confirm that the funeral of the singer George Michael took place today.
Family and close friends gathered for the small, private ceremony to say goodbye to their beloved Son, Brother and Friend.
George Michael’s family would like to thank his fans across the world for their many messages of love and support.
– FAMILY STATEMENT
Private funeral held for best-selling singer George Michael in London, publicist says. (Pic: Reuters)
George Michael died in December last year at the age of 53.
It is understood George was buried next to his beloved mum Lesley in a family plot.
George’s body was already inside the chapel of rest when the invited guests started to arrive in chauffeur driven limousines shortly before 2pm.
After an hour-long service, the coffin was taken in a hearse to the grave where the singer was laid to rest.
Kate Moss was one of the mourners
Martin Kemp was also in attendance
Andrew Ridgeley arrives at George’s home for the wake
Mourners left the cemetery at around 4pm and headed to George’s home in Highgate for the wake hosted by his sister Melanie Panayiotou.
But hairdresser Fadi, 43, instead went back to George’s house near Regent’s Park, Central London, where he has been living since finding the 53-year-old pop star dead on Christmas Day.
George’s former boyfriend Kenny Goss went to the funeral and the wake.
Fadi had previously been left furious by reports Kenny and George rekindled their friendship shortly before his death.
Supermodel Kate Moss attended the wake, though she had not been at the funeral.
A statement from George’s spokesman said: “Family and close friends gathered for the small, private ceremony to say goodbye to their beloved son, brother and friend.
“George Michael’s family would like to thank his fans across the world for their many messages of love and support.”
George Michael and Kenny Goss
The only access the public gets to the family plot in the West Cemetery at Highgate is by taking a £12 guided tour.
This is intended to reduce the chances of the grave being turned into a shrine by his many fans.
George’s final wish was to be buried next to mum Lesley.
In his 1990 book, Bare, he said: “There are things about my mum that I only realised later, things that make me really admire her.
“If there’s anything that I have got from her it’s that she’s like a rock. I’ve got that stability from her.” George once described “getting the singing bug” at the age of seven – partly inspired by his musical mother.
“Mum had given me a tape recorder as a present,” he said in 1985.
“As I got older, Dad was against the idea but Mum began to realise that I might have something and started to sympathise with me.”
His mum encouraged him to follow his dreams but was also determined to ensure that he had an education to fall back on. George was devastated when she died of cancer in 1997.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu3VTngm1F0
George Michael portrait by Damien Hirst sells for $580,000
The portrait was painted with household gloss.
A portrait of the late George Michael by artist Damien Hirst has sold for just under half a million pounds at a charity auction.
Artist Damien Hirst
The money raised from the sale of Beautiful Beautiful George Michael Love Painting will go to HIV/Aids charity The Goss-Michael Foundation.
The charity was founded by Michael and his former partner Kenny Goss.
Goss posted an image of the artwork on Instagram, writing: “Amazing result of $580,000 (around £461,011).”
He described Damien Hirst as a “superstar”, adding: “Thank you Damien!”
The canvas went under the hammer in Dallas, Texas, at the MTV Re:define charity gala.
Michael, who enjoyed a lucrative pop career as one half of duo Wham before embarking on a successful solo career, died on Christmas Day last year at the age of 53.
The origin of the yo-yo is still a source of debate, but the first historical mention of it comes from Greece in the year 500 BC
After the doll, the yo-yo is considered to be the second oldest toy in history
The origin of the yo-yo is still a source of debate, but the first historical mention of it comes from Greece in the year 500 BC. Some historians believe that the yo-yo likely originated in China because of a similar toy called a diabolo, which had almost the same design.
Throughout history, many countries have made the claim to be the inventor of the yo-yo, but there is no conclusive documented evidence. It has also been suggested that the toy was adapted from an early type of weapon, which may have originally been used to hunt animals.
Boy playing with a terracotta yo-yo, Attic kylix, c. 440 BC.
Diabolo toy.
There is a popular story about the yo-yo being a centuries-old weapon from the Philippines. Historical records indicate that 16th-century hunters in the Philippines hid up in trees with yo-yos, waiting for a victim to pass below. These yo-yos were really heavy and were made from rocks which were tied to a long cord. Today, the yo-yo is a very popular toy in the Philippines but there is no documented evidence that it was ever used as a weapon.
Mexican yo-yos. Photo Credit
The yo-yo as we know it today was invented in 1928 by Pedro Flores, who opened the Yo-Yo Manufacturing Company in Santa Barbara, California. After one year, the potential of this toy was recognized by Donald F. Duncan, who bought the Flores Yo-Yo Corporation, including the Flores name.
As a trademark, the name yo-yo was first registered in 1932. In 1946, the Duncan Toys Company opened a yo-yo factory in Wisconsin and in 1999 Duncan’s yo-yo was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.
Lady with a yo-yo, Northern India (1770).
As a result of its popularity, there were a number of innovations in yo-yo technology in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1978, Tom Kuhn patented the “No Jive 3-in-1” yo-yo, the world’s first “take-apart” yo-yo and the first to have a replaceable axle. Kuhn also produced the world’s largest yo-yo, which was a super-sized version of the No Jive yo-yo. This particular yo-yo made it into the 1981 Guinness Book of World Records.
Lady playing with a yo-yo in Berlin in the 1960s. Photo Credit
There are many different shapes of yo-yo. The two best known traditional shapes are the modified shape and the butterfly shape. The modified shape is also known as a flywheel or modern shape and it is a very popular design for looping-style tricks.
The butterfly wooden shaped yo-yo was first released by Duncan and was invented by Wayne Lundberg. The modern yo-yos that people use today are in the V shape (the basic shape of the yo-yo), the W shape (which is also known as the ‘stepped V’), the O shape (or the ‘organic’ shape), and the H shape.
Butterfly shaped yo-yo. Photo Credit
A 1791 illustration of a woman playing with English Bandalore (yo-yo).
On April 12, 1985, the Duncan Yo-yo, along nine other toys, had the honor to become the first yo-yo in space. It was part of the experiment series “Toys in space” and astronaut David Griggs had the honor of becoming the first person to play with a yo-yo in space.
Στην Ελλάδα για πρώτη φορά το λείψανο της Αγίας Ελένης
Ο επίσκοπος Αγαθάγγελος στη Βενετία με το ιερό λείψανο της Αγίας Ελένης. Επειδή η παράδοση των Δυτικών είναι να εμφανίζουν τα ιερά λείψανα ενδεδυμένα, γι’ αυτόν τον λόγο η Αποστολική Διακονία προσέφερε ένα επιβλητικό πορφυρό βυζαντινό ένδυμα.Το αρχικό είναι βενετσιάνικο στα χρώματα της ώχρας.
Με αφορμή τη συμπλήρωση 80 χρόνων του έργου της Αποστολικής Διακονίας της Εκκλησίας της Ελλάδος, με την ευλογία και την έγκριση του Αρχιεπισκόπου Ιερώνυμου και της Ιεράς Συνόδου, το ιερό λείψανο θα μεταφερθεί στην Αθήνα την Κυριακή 14 Μαΐου, μαζί με τμήμα του Τιμίου Ξύλου με τα Αχραντα Πάθη του Χριστού. Το ιερό λείψανο και το τίμιο ξύλο θα εκτεθούν σε προσκύνημα στον ιερό ναό της Αγίας Βαρβάρας, στον ομώνυμο δήμο της Αττικής μέχρι τις 15 Ιουνίου.
Μητροπολιτικό κέντρο
Για τον Αρχιεπίσκοπο Ιερώνυμο με την υποδοχή του λειψάνου αναδεικνύεται η πνευματική και πολιτιστική ταυτότητα της Ευρώπης, διότι Ευρώπη χωρίς τη χριστιανική παράδοση και πίστη που την οικοδόμησε, δεν δύναται να υπάρξει. Ουσιαστικά ο κ. Ιερώνυμος αναλαμβάνει έναν ρόλο ανάδειξης της πατρίδας μας σε μητροπολιτικό κέντρο της Ευρώπης.
Η υποδοχή θα γίνει μπροστά από το Δημαρχείο Αιγάλεω από τον Αρχιεπίσκοπο Αθηνών, παρόντος του Προέδρου της Δημοκρατίας Προκόπη Παυλόπουλου. Οπως την άνοιξη του 2015 με το ιερό λείψανο της Αγίας Βαρβάρας, έτσι και τώρα κάποιοι μιλούν για εμπορευματοποίηση των ιερών λειψάνων, άλλοι κάνουν λόγο για το κόστος του εγχειρήματος, ενώ ορισμένοι σημειώνουν ότι πρόκειται για λείψανο και όχι για σκήνωμα, όπως είχε αρχικά αναφερθεί.
Η ανταπόκριση της Ρωμαιοκαθολικής Εκκλησίας στο σχετικό αίτημα της Αποστολικής Διακονίας της Εκκλησίας της Ελλάδος, «δείχνει την πολύ καλή σχέση των δύο Εκκλησιών, σε επίπεδο πολιτιστικής συνεργασίας», αναφέρει στο «Εθνος» ο γενικός διευθυντής της Αποστολικής Διακονίας, επίσκοπος Φαναρίου Αγαθάγγελος.
Τέσσερα μεγάλα γεγονότα στα οποία πρωταγωνίστησαν ο Μέγας Κωνσταντίνος και η Αγία Ελένη σφράγισαν την Ιστορία της Ευρώπης και διαμόρφωσαν την Ιστορία του κόσμου γενικότερα. Πρόκειται για την απόφαση του Διατάγματος των Μεδιολάνων, το 313, που κηρύσσει την ανεξιθρησκία και παύει τους διωγμούς κατά των Χριστιανών, την απόφαση για μεταφορά της πρωτεύουσας της αυτοκρατορίας από την Παλαιά στη Νέα Ρώμη, την Κωνσταντινούπολη, για τη σύγκληση της Α΄ εν Νικαία Οικουμενικής Συνόδου το 325, η οποία καταδίκασε τον Αρειανισμό, και την εύρεση του Τιμίου Σταυρού στους Αγίους Τόπους. Γι’ αυτό άλλωστε η Εκκλησία τους ανακήρυξε «Αγίους και Ισαπόστολους».
Καμία σκιά
Ωστόσο, ο επίσκοπος Αγαθάγγελος δεν θέλει να υπάρχει καμία σκιά ή σύγχυση αναφορικά με το συγκεκριμένο κορυφαίο γεγονός μνήμης για τη Ρωμιοσύνη και την Ευρώπη.
«Δέχομαι τις αντιδράσεις, τις αμφισβητήσεις και τον προβληματισμό, αρκεί να υπάρχει καλή προαίρεση. Είναι ένα γεγονός που μπορούσε να γίνει μόνο στην Ελλάδα γιατί είναι αμιγώς Ορθόδοξη χώρα και αναδεικνύει τον ρόλο των Ορθόδοξων κοινοτήτων σήμερα στην Ευρώπη. Εχουμε χρέος να τους στηρίξουμε και να είμαστε συναντιλήπτορές τους. Βλέπετε ότι αυτό το γεγονός έχει πολλές συναρτήσεις που καρποφορούν στην ιστορία αυτού του κόσμου στο άμεσο παρόν και στο άμεσο μέλλον».
Ως προς το ζήτημα της λατρείας των λειψάνων ο επίσκοπος Φαναρίου είναι αποστομωτικός: «Αυτή είναι η πίστη και η παράδοσή μας και γι’ αυτό ομολογούμε και στο σύμβολο της πίστεως ότι προσδοκούμε Ανάσταση Νεκρών. Δεν πιέσαμε κανέναν να έρθει».
Οσον αφορά το θέμα που παρουσιάστηκε για το ποια μέρη του σώματος της Αγίας Ελένης περιέχει η λειψανοθήκη και ποιο θα είναι το κόστος της μεταφοράς, όπως σημειώνει ο ίδιος, «η Χάρις του Θεού δεν πηγαίνει με την ποσότητα. Κι αν χρησιμοποιήσουμε και τον λόγο των Πατέρων, αν θέλουμε να μπούμε σ’ αυτήν τη λογική, όσο πιο μικρό είναι το λείψανο τόσο μεγαλύτερη έχει τη Χάρη του Θεού. Το φαινόμενο του τεμαχισμού των λειψάνων είναι κάτι που το έχουμε ως παράδοση μέσα στον χώρο της εκκλησίας.
Επίσης, ποιος μίλησε για “υποδοχή με τιμές αρχηγού κράτους”; Για να είμαστε σοβαροί, η έκφραση αυτή χρησιμοποιείται από την πολιτική ηγεσία για ανθρώπινα πρόσωπα και όλο αυτό δεν εκφράζει το πνεύμα της Εκκλησίας».
Επίσης, ο επίσκοπος μάς εξηγεί ότι ενημέρωσαν -και όχι όπως έχουν γράψει κάποιοι ότι κάλεσαν- όλους τους Ευρωπαίους ηγέτες, όπως και όλους τους ευρωβουλευτές για τη μεταφορά του λειψάνου της Αγίας Ελένης στην Ελλάδα.
Πνευματικές αντιστάσεις
«Ο λαός μας μ’ αυτό τον τρόπο δείχνει ότι διαθέτει πνευματικές αντιστάσεις. Δείχνει στους Ευρωπαίους συμπολίτες του μια άλλη κληρονομιά, μια άλλη παράδοση την οποία θέλουμε να μοιραστούμε για να μπορέσουμε να αντέξουμε όλα αυτά που συμβαίνουν στη χώρα μας. Και για να χρησιμοποιήσω και τα λόγια του πρωθυπουργού όταν έγιναν τα εγκαίνια στο Ιδρυμα Σταύρος Νιάρχος “ο πολιτισμός είναι εθνικό κεφάλαιο”. Αυτό το εθνικό κεφάλαιο θέλουμε να το κάνουμε οικουμενική κληρονομιά.
Κανένας δεν επιβαρύνεται μέσα απ’ αυτό το εγχείρημα. Το αεροπλάνο για τη μετακομιδή προέρχεται από ιδιωτική πρωτοβουλία και συγκεκριμένα από τον κ. Μουζενίδη της Ellinair. Τα άλλα είναι κάποια βασικά έξοδα που αναλαμβάνει η Αποστολική Διακονία. Θεωρούμε ότι θα υπάρξει πολύ μεγάλη προσέλευση του κόσμου, όπως έγινε και με την Αγία Βαρβάρα κι αυτό δείχνει πολλά πράγματα. Δείχνει ότι ο κόσμος έχει ελπίδα», καταλήγει.
Η προστάτιδα των χριστιανών που βρήκε τον Τίμιο Σταυρό
Η Αγία Ελένη είναι η πρώτη χριστιανή Αυτοκράτειρα. Το ιερό λείψανο αποτέλεσε αντικείμενο αναγνωρίσεως το 1929. Είναι λείψανο που το πήραν μεν οι Σταυροφόροι, αλλά το πήραν από ‘μάς, από την Κωνσταντινούπολη.
Η μία λειψανοθήκη είναι ανθρωπόμορφη αργυρή κεφαλή με στέμμα, η οποία παρουσιάζει το πρόσωπο κεκοιμημένης γυναικός και εμπεριέχει εντός αυτής τμήμα της κάρας. Η δεύτερη μεταλλική λειψανοθήκη έχει σχήμα ανθρώπινου σωματότυπου που εμπεριέχει στο εσωτερικό λείψανα της Αγίας αριθμημένα και σφραγισμένα. Επειδή η παράδοση των Δυτικών είναι να εμφανίζουν τα ιερά λείψανα ενδεδυμένα, γι’ αυτόν τον λόγο η Αποστολική Διακονία προσέφερε προς τιμήν της ένα επιβλητικό πορφυρό βυζαντινό ένδυμα. Σημειώνεται ότι το αρχικό ένδυμα της Αγίας Ελένης είναι στα χρώματα της ώχρας και είναι βενετσιάνικο.
Στα Ιεροσόλυμα
Η Αγία Ελένη, που διακρίθηκε για το τεράστιο φιλανθρωπικό της έργο, συνδέεται με την εύρεση του Τιμίου Σταυρού στα Ιεροσόλυμα και ο ελληνικός λαός έχει συνδέσει πλήθος παραδόσεων μαζί της, στη Μικρά Ασία, την Κύπρο, τη Ρόδο, την Κάλυμνο, την Τήλο, στο Καστελόριζο, στη Νάξο, την Πάρο.
Ο μυρωδάτος και χιλιοτραγουδισμένος βασιλικός, το πολυαγαπημένο φυτό της πατρίδας μας, συνδέεται με τον Τίμιο Σταυρό και την Αγία. Η παράδοση αναφέρει ότι όταν η Αγία Ελένη είχε φτάσει στα Ιεροσόλυμα, δεν ήξερε πού να σκάψει για να βρει τον Σταυρό.
Καθώς βάδιζε προβληματισμένη, μύρισε ένα υπέροχο άρωμα. Ψάχνοντας να δει από πού προέρχεται η εξαίσια ευωδία, εντόπισε ένα μέρος όπου ήταν γεμάτο από πράσινους θάμνους. Τότε κατάλαβε ότι έπρεπε να σκάψει σ’ αυτό το σημείο και εκεί βρήκε τον Σταυρό του Χριστού. Από τότε το ταπεινό αυτό φυτό ονομάστηκε «βασιλικός», επειδή φύτρωσε στο σημείο που σταυρώθηκε ο Βασιλεύς του κόσμου και επειδή οδήγησε τη βασίλισσα Αγία Ελένη να βρει το αιώνιο τρόπαιο των χριστιανών, τον Τίμιο Σταυρό. Η προστάτιδα των χριστιανών Αγία Ελένη κοιμήθηκε το 328 μ.Χ. σε ηλικία 80 ετών.
Πηγή: Εθνος
World’s biggest dinosaur footprints found in north-western Australia
PHOTO Richard Hunter lies next to a 1.7m dinosaur footprint belonging to a sauropod. SUPPLIED: STEVE SALISBURY
Scientists have published details of the world’s biggest dinosaur footprints, found in Western Australia, with the sauropod prints measuring a whopping 1.7 metres.
They top a dinosaur footprint found in the Mongolian desert, reported last year, that measured 106cm.
Key points:
A number of 1.7m-long dinosaur footprints have been found north of Broome
The dinosaur that left the prints was the largest member of the sauropods, which includes dinosaurs such as the brontosaurus
The area was a large river delta 130 million years ago, with dinosaurs crossing wet sandy areas
The scientific description of the 1.7-metre footprints has been published by University of Queensland vertebrate palaeontologist Steve Salisbury, in the Memoir of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, after a two- to three-year peer review process.
The footprints were found on the north-western coast of Western Australia, where Dr Salisbury’s research project has revealed the journeys of dinosaurs up and down the coast.
“We’ve got several tracks up in that area that are about 1.7 metres long,” Dr Salisbury said.
“So most people would be able to fit inside tracks that big, and they indicate animals that are probably around 5.3 to 5.5 metres at the hip, which is enormous.”
The dinosaur that left the prints on what is now sandstone rock platforms, on a remote coastline north of Broome, was the largest member of the sauropods, which includes well-known dinosaurs such as the brontosaurus.
“At first it would seem a footprint that size and an animal that big, is it scientifically possible?” Dr Salisbury said.
“These animals did exist. They were out there and we’re seeing evidence of them having existed in the Kimberley 130 million years ago based on these tracks.”
Big prints and lots of them
The 1.7-metre footprints are easily the biggest discovered, and their sheer size meant they were initially overlooked.
“Probably the next biggest footprints are just over a metre,” Dr Salisbury said.
“Some of them are so big we didn’t really notice them for some time because they’re sort of beyond your search image for a dinosaur track.”
More remarkable to scientists is that the world’s biggest footprints are just one type of about 21 different kinds of dinosaur footprints in the area.
“With 21 different types of tracks represented, that makes it the most diverse dinosaur footprint fauna in the world,” Dr Salisbury said.
The area was a large river delta 130 million years ago, with dinosaurs crossing wet sandy areas between surrounding forested areas.
The challenge for palaeontologists will now be interpreting such a wealth of footprints.
“There are huge areas around that coastline where all you can see are dinosaur tracks,” Dr Salisbury said.
“They’ve just been churned up by dinosaurs, the same as what you see around a dam when a lot of cattle and sheep and kangaroos have come in and made a mess of the mud.”
Proposed gas plant led to research
Dr Salisbury started studying dinosaur footprints on the coast north of Broome when the James Price Point area, known as Walmadan to traditional owners, was listed for development into a gas processing facility.
“Dinosaur tracks have been known through that area, probably for thousands of years. They form part of the song cycle,” he said.
“When the area was selected as the site for a liquid natural gas processing precinct, it was assumed there was nothing there.
“This is where we got contacted to come in and have closer look, and it didn’t take long for us to realise that … there was a spectacular dinosaur track fauna preserved there that was at risk.”
The development did not proceed when Woodside Petroleum determined gas processing at the site would not be economically feasible.
The area has also gained National Heritage listing, and Dr Salisbury hopes his work will attract interested people to visit the area and see the world’s biggest dinosaur footprints with Indigenous traditional owners.
“In the future probably the best way for people to see what’s at Walmadan is to do it on country through something like the Lurujarri Heritage trail,” Dr Salisbury said.
“So spend time walking through there, learning the stories and seeing things as they come up during that walk.”
Archaeologists Might Have Found Another Dead Sea Scroll Cave
Archeologists found this piece of parchment rolled up in a jug in a cave on the cliffs west of Qumran. (Casey L. Olson and Oren Gutfeld)
In the late 1940s, teenagers explored a cave hidden in the flanks of jagged hills of Wadi Qumran in the Judean Desert. Inside, they discovered fragments of the original Dead Sea Scrolls—ancient collections of text that contain the oldest-known biblical manuscripts. Since then, archaeologists have found 11 Qumran caves that they have extensively excavated in search of the precious scrolls that date back more than 2,000 years ago. Now, a team of archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Liberty University in Virginia have discovered what they believe to be a 12th cave on the cliffs west of Qumran.
The Hebrew University press release writes that in the first wide-scale survey in the area since 1993, the team unearthed storage jars and lids from the Second Temple period (dating from 530 BC to 70 CE) in the cave that some scholars are already calling number 12. They also found a pair of iron pickaxe heads that they identified as being from the 1950s, suggesting the cave had been looted.
Oren Gutfeld, an archaeologist at Hebrew University who was part of the dig, says he is confident that the newly discovered cave once contained Dead Sea Scrolls. “Although at the end of the day no scroll was found, and instead we ‘only’ found a piece of parchment rolled up in a jug that was being processed for writing, the findings indicate beyond any doubt that the cave contained scrolls that were stolen,” he says in the release.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are first-person accounts of history, and the information they contain is priceless. As Andrew Lawler explained in Smithsonian Magazine: “The Dead Sea Scrolls—comprising more than 800 documents made of animal skin, papyrus and even forged copper—deepened our understanding of the Bible and shed light on the histories of Judaism and Christianity.”
In addition to Biblical text, the scrolls contain hymns, prayers, commentaries, and mystical formulas, Lawler writes. They’re so valuable that a fragment of an original scroll the size of a fingernail can cost up to $1,000,000, the Biblical Museum at Liberty University notes.
The new discovery has Israel Hasson, director-general of the Israel Antiquities Authority, calling for more funding to systematically search all caves in the Judean Desert for artifacts that have yet to be discovered. “We are in a race against time as antiquities thieves steal heritage assets worldwide for financial gain,” he says in the release.
The Tomb of Zechariah facing the old city of Jerusalem is considered to be a great symbol of the Holy City
The Tomb of Zechariah is an ancient monument located in the upper Kidron valley, at the foothills of Mount Olives, facing the old city of Jerusalem. Carved from a single stone, the monument was built in the 1st century CE at the end of the Second Temple Period.
Adjacent to the Tomb of Benei Hezir, the Tomb of Zechariah is considered to be a great symbol of the Holy City.
Tomb of Zechariah. Photo Credit
The Tomb of Zechariah is considered to be a great symbol of the Holy City. Photo Credit
The tomb does not contain a burial chamber and it has several elements with an Egyptian and Greek influence. The upper part of the monument has a pyramid that sits upon a cornice. On the western side, the façade is decorated nicely and on the other sides of the tomb, the work is rough and unfinished.
There are capitals in a Greek style which are decorated with the egg-and-dart decoration and are of the Ionic order. The place where Zechariah is buried is not known, however, there are suggestions that he was buried in the nearby cluster called the tombs of the Prophets.
Photography of the tomb from 1918. Photo Credit
The Tomb dates back to the 1st century CE. Photo Credit
The tomb has elements in Egyptian and Greek styles. Photo Credit
According to the writings of Menahem haHebroni from the 1215 CE, this is the tomb of Zechariah Ben Jehoiada, who according to the Book of Chronicles, had been stoned. He is regarded as one of the Prophets of the Tanakh in Judaism and was the son of the High Priest Jehoiada. At the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II, Zechariah condemned the people for their rebellion against God and so they turned against him.
By the orders of the King, they stoned him, and he died “in the court of the house of the Lord”. The tomb became a great symbol because of his righteousness and also because it is located in the foothills of the Mount Olives, where the Messiah supposedly took his first steps.
The Murder of Zechariah, painting by William Brassey Hole.
The tomb can be viewed together with the other monuments of the Kidron Valley. Photo Credit
Some scholars claim that it is impossible that the tomb belongs to Zechariah because he lived somewhere between the 7th and 9th century and the tomb is dated from the 1st century. They suggest that the tomb is actually a Jewish funerary monument for the Tomb of Benei Hezir.
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Today, the tomb can be viewed together with the other monuments of the Kidron Valley and those of the Mount of Olives.
Tomb of Amyntas, after the Greek inscription in Turkeya
The Tomb of Amyntas, also known as the Fethiye Tomb is an ancient tomb built in the city and district of Fethiye in Muğla Province, located in the Aegean region of Turkey.
Modern Fethiye is located on the site of the Ancient Greek city of Telmessos, with the Tomb of Amyntas located in the south side of the city in the mountainside, in the base of the mountain. The impressive looking tomb was built in 350 BC, and was named after the Greek inscription on the side of it which reads “Amyntou tou Ermagiou”, which translated to English means “Amyntas, son of Hermagios”.
The tomb was built by the Lycians, the people who lived in this area of Turkey at the time. The Lycians were never members of a specific country, but rather a tightly-knit confederation of fiercely independent city-states, which included Telmessos.
What makes this tomb unique is the fact that it is very large inside. While many other tombs carved into mountainsides are quite little, comparable to a small room, the interior of the Tomb of Amyntas is the size of a full-sized temple.
GREEK WORLD MEDIA 