The absence of lime is a striking characteristic. The fine comb pick and marginal dressing of the walls of the Temple area belong to the Herodian period (see Bliss and Dickie, "Excavations at Jerusalem," 273, PEFS, 1898). The type crops up in feeble imitation at different sites throughout the country, but hammer-picked and rough hammer-dressed stones are also common. The boss and margin stones, with wide mud joint, were, in part, the actual masonry of the early fortifications, and were re-used and imitated over and over again. The remains of Jewish walls of the period of the early kings in Jerusalem show skill which does not appear to have existed elsewhere. Occasionally a piece of carefully dressed masonry is found, but it is the exception and is often a re-use of an earlier type akin to "sawed stone" ( 1 Kings 7:9). Random rubble masonry, unskillfully laid, was the prevailing characteristic. In stone localities buildings were of stone, but the class of building was only that of the rude stone waller. Probably the hand of the "jerry" builder can be seen in an attempt to make such bad construction appear to be solid stone. These slabs were a protection against the weather and had no constructive value. In localities where stone was not available, mud bricks were used, and their perishable nature being realized, stone slab facing came into use. The building conditions existing at the time of the Hebrew conquest were rude and untutored, and, with the exception of the work of the Solomonic period, there was still little or no effort made to introduce a higher state, until the time when Greek influence began to be felt (circa 3rd century B.C.). International Standard Bible Encyclopedia BUILD BUILDINGÄ«ild, bild'-ing (banah, binyah, once ( Ezekiel 41:13) oikodomeo).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |