Articles by Ayala Zilberstein
New studies in the archaeology of Jerusalem and its region , 2025
The recent discovery of a fragmentary cuneiform inscription in Jerusalem provides unprecedented i... more The recent discovery of a fragmentary cuneiform inscription in Jerusalem provides unprecedented insight into the relationship between the Neo-Assyrian Empire and the Kingdom of Judah during the late 8th to 7th centuries BCE. This Unique Iron Age cuneiform inscription is the first evidence for direct written communication between Assyria and Judah during the period. Based on its form and layout, we suggest identifying it as a fragment of an Assyrian inscribed sealing.
Papers by Ayala Zilberstein
The Middle Maccabees: Archaeology, History, and the Rise of the Hasmonean Kingdom. Archaeology and Biblical Studies. JBL Press., 2021
O. Peleg-Barket, Y. Zelinger, J, Uziel and Y. Gadot (eds.) New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and Its Region. XIII, 2019
New Studies in the Archaeology ofJerusalem and Its Region. 15: 273-286. , 2022
New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and its Region, 2023
שרידים ארכיאולוגיים מהתקופה הרומית המאוחרת ליד הפינה הדרומית מערבית של הר-הבית: סקירה ראשונה
Jerusalem Excavations in the Tyropoeon Valley (Givati Parking Lot) Volume II: The Byzantine and Early Islamic Periods, 2020
A fragment of a chalk ossuary bearing a number of incised scenes was discovered in a fill in Room... more A fragment of a chalk ossuary bearing a number of incised scenes was discovered in a fill in Room 1805 (B25068) of Byzantine Building 1821 (Stratum V; Figs. 9.1, 9.2). The maximum measurements of the irregularly shaped object are 29.0 × 22.5 cm. The etchings cover the entire surface of the plaque, and are almost completely preserved. One of the motifs, the lower snake, was incised on an area where the stone's cortex had been chipped off. These features lead to the conclusion that the incisions were carried out after the ossuary was broken, and that this fragment served, at a later time, as a 'drawing board'. Furthermore, all the etchings were made in one episode, as there is no evidence for superimposition. The fact that no plaster remnants or evidence of abrasion are discernible on the stone fragment indicates that it was not inlaid in a wall or pavement, but was a mobile object. The graffito was incised with a sharp, pointed tool (a nail?), and in some places drillings are visible. The sloppy style of the incisions attests to the work of an amateur rather than a professional artist. The scenes express one or more narratives. In the center of the composition (Fig. 9.2:1-4), a large vessel-a jar or amphora-is depicted (1) flanked by a pair of antithetical birds (2, 3). The vessel consists of a decorated, circular body and triangular-shaped base and neck. Two short lines represent the handles of the vessel. The flanking birds are drawn with an oblong body and a neck, and their beaks are adjoined to the vessel's rim. While the birds' legs are elaborately depicted, their feathers, wings and tails are schematic. A small bird or nestling (4) carried on the back of the bird on the right, is also included in this central scene. Two other scenes depict snakes threatening their prey. In the upper right corner of the plaque, a snake (5) is crawling toward three pairs of antithetical fish within a rectangular frame that seems to represent a fish pool (6). Another snake (7), on the right edge of the plaque, threatens a shallowly incised small bird or nestling (8). Finally, in the upper left corner, an octagram is incised (9). The production of chalk ossuaries began in the Early Roman period (Rahmani 1994:21-22), thus providing a terminus post quem for the plaque. As the fragment was recovered in a Byzantine fill, the dating and interpretation of the graffito is based on the motifs themselves.
Liber Annuus, 2018
A stone plaque bearing incised pictorial graffito was discovered during the excavations at the Gi... more A stone plaque bearing incised pictorial graffito was discovered during the excavations at the Giv'ati parking lot, located south of the Dung gate on the eastern slopes of the Tyropoeon Valley . The graffito was made on a chalk ossuary fragment that used as base plaque for the drawings. The maximal measurements of this irregularly shaped plaque are 29 × 22.5 cm.
In: E. Meiron (Ed.) City of David Studies of Ancient Jerusalem. Vol.11. Pp. 31-47, 2015
Co-Author: N. Nissim Ben-Efraim
In 2011 during excavations in the Givati parking lot a sewer pipe manufactured in Swadlincote, En... more In 2011 during excavations in the Givati parking lot a sewer pipe manufactured in Swadlincote, England, was exposed about 1.5 meters below ground. Following this find a research into the recent history of Jerusalem in the British mandate commenced. Other British finds from that period, such as ceramics, utensils and porcelain service sets were also found. These finds, and the short study below, shed new light on the Tyropoeon Valley area, south of the Temple Mount, during the British mandate.
In: E. Baruch and A. Faust (eds.) New Studies on Jerusalem. Vol. 21. Pp. 81-107, 2015
Map of the The Lower City of Jerusalem in Light of the Excavations
Thesis Chapters by Ayala Zilberstein
Under the supervision of Dr. Guy D. Stiebel Dr. Doron Ben-Ami, 2022
The thesis focuses on Jerusalem’s fortification lines during the Seleucid rule and at the beginni... more The thesis focuses on Jerusalem’s fortification lines during the Seleucid rule and at the beginning of the Hasmonaean reign. The research question focused on the unveiling of the changes in the outline of Jerusalem’s fortifications as a base for the reconstruction of the city’s urban plan. This served as a basis for discussing the history of the city and as a test case for studying the characteristics of the art of siege warfare and military architecture in the southern Levant, namely Koilē Syria and Phoinikē. In order to answer the research question, three main discussion topics were defined. Firstly, the fundamental aspect of the evolution process of the fortification lines in Jerusalem and its changes and transformations over time was dealt using archaeological tools. On this basis an additional layer of the historical context of each of the reconstructed fortification phase was discussed. In this framework I have discussed associated issues related to construction activities and siege combats mentioned in written historical sources; namely, the location of the Seleucid citadel known as the ‘Akra’, an analysis of Antiochus VII Sidetes’ siege, as well as an attempt to decipher the framework for the foundation of the latest fortification line which surrounded the two southern hills of Jerusalem.
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Articles by Ayala Zilberstein
Papers by Ayala Zilberstein
Thesis Chapters by Ayala Zilberstein