A Groundbreaking Ancient Hebrew Inscription May in Fact Be a Simple Lump of Lead

Here at Mosaic, we often cover recent archaeological discoveries in Israel, which can be quite astonishing. But I’ve also learned to be a little weary of breathlessly described artifacts that sound a bit too good to be true. That was my instinct a year ago with the discovery of an ancient miniature tablet thought to be inscribed with Hebrew curses evoking the biblical name of God. A new study throws some cold water on the find’s significance, writes Nathan Steinmeyer:

The “tablet” is a piece of folded lead, measuring less than one inch square. Found during sifting of previously excavated soil taken from the West Bank site of Mount Ebal near Nablus, the tiny piece of lead was said to include a 48-letter inscription. . . . According to Amihai Mazar, professor emeritus of archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the lead tablet is likely nothing more than a common fishing-net weight. Such objects were widely used in the ancient Mediterranean and were frequently made from lead during the Late Bronze Age II (ca. 1400–1200 BCE), the period to which the Mount Ebal tablet supposedly dates.

Although it remains uncertain how a fishing implement would have ended up in the rugged central hill country of the southern Levant, many such weights have been uncovered in funerary contexts, suggesting they could have a ritual and symbolic as well as practical function.

Read more at Bible History Daily

More about: Ancient Israel, Archaeology

After Taking Steps toward Reconciliation, Turkey Has Again Turned on Israel

“The Israeli government, blinded by Zionist delusions, seizes not only the UN Security Council but all structures whose mission is to protect peace, human rights, freedom of the press, and democracy,” declared the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a speech on Wednesday. Such over-the-top anti-Israel rhetoric has become par for the course from the Turkish head of state since Hamas’s attack on Israel last year, after which relations between Jerusalem and Ankara have been in what Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak describes as “free fall.”

While Erdogan has always treated Israel with a measure of hostility, the past few years had seen steps to reconciliation. Yanarocak explains this sharp change of direction, which is about much more than the situation in Gaza:

The losses at the March 31, 2024 Turkish municipal elections were an unbearable blow for Erdoğan. . . . In retrospect it appears that Erdoğan’s previous willingness to continue trade relations with Israel pushed some of his once-loyal supporters toward other Islamist political parties, such as the New Welfare Party. To counter this trend, Erdoğan halted trade relations, aiming to neutralize one of the key political tools available to his Islamist rivals.

Unsurprisingly, this decision had a negative impact on Turkish [companies] engaged in trade with Israel. To maintain their long-standing trade relationships, these companies found alternative ways to conduct business through intermediary Mediterranean ports.

The government in Ankara also appears to be concerned about the changing balance of power in the region. The weakening of Iran and Hizballah could create an unfavorable situation for the Assad regime in Syria, [empowering Turkish separatists there]. While Ankara is not fond of the mullahs, its core concern remains Iran’s territorial integrity. From Turkey’s perspective, the disintegration of Iran could set a dangerous precedent for secessionists within its own borders.

Read more at Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security

More about: Iran, Israel diplomacy, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey