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  Jerusalem Curse Stone

  Aug 18, 2022

  Cursing politicians isn't new. In 2010, a 3,500 year old curse stone was discovered in Jerusalem. The governor was the target.

   

  Recently the stone was translated by Dr. Gershon Galil and confirmed to be a curse stone. "Cursed you shall surely die" is the repeated theme. Politics in the ancient world wasn't for wimps, and they didn't mess around. It is thought that the curse was written by priests at odds with the leadership.

   

  What is significant is it is written in an early Semitic script. Like the lead curse tablet discovered at Ebla, these inscriptions are some of the oldest found in Israel. It also proves Jerusalem was important enough at the time to have a governor even if he was unpopular.

   

  So what was happening in Jerusalem around 3,500 years ago? It was during the period known as the Late Bronze Age. During this time there was the ongoing takeover of Canaan by the Israelites and the arrival of the Philistines in the region. Lots of cursing each other and fighting going on!

   

  Image by Maayan Nemanov courtesy of Unsplash

  Tags: #Jerusalem, #cursestone

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