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(film reel clicking)
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(tense music)
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- [Narrator] In recent years,
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a series of extraordinary finds
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has been made in the Holy Land.
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These astonishing discoveries
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are linked to some of the most
famous events in the Bible.
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(ethereal vocalizing)
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They appear to be new evidence
for the burial of Jesus.
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And for the legendary Temple of Solomon.
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- This is something that biblical scholars
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have been waiting for, have
been dreaming of for many years.
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- Here is a proof, we can touch it,
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we can we can smell it, we can go see it.
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This is where we came from.
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- It's an earthquake, a revolution.
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- [Narrator] Or is there
another darker story
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behind these mysterious objects?
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(dramatic music)
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Jerusalem, the Holy Land's
most important city.
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For centuries, it's been the center
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of a flourishing antiquity trade.
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Government inspectors
try to monitor the trade,
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but thousands of artifacts
change hands here every day.
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Genuine pieces, 2,000 or more years old,
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can be bought for a few hundred dollars.
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And many collectors have learned
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not to ask awkward questions
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about how the dealer came by them.
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And it was here, more than 25 years ago,
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in Jerusalem's antiquity market,
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that one of the most remarkable artifacts
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in the Holy Land's history
first came to light.
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(peaceful music)
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It was a tiny object, just
four centimeters long,
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badly damaged, and no one
knew where it came from,
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but it would be hailed as
a unique piece of history.
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It became known as the ivory pomegranate.
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It was thought to be the ornamental tip
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of a priest's ceremonial staff.
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But what most amazed the
experts was the inscription.
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(speaking in foreign language)
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Holy to the priests of the house of God.
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It's suggested that this
exquisite little ornament
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was used by priests in the
first temple of Jerusalem,
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which according to the Bible,
was built by King Solomon.
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If the pomegranate was what
its inscription claimed,
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it was a revolutionary find.
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Before it came to light, there
was no independent evidence
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apart from the Bible
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that Solomon's Temple
had actually existed.
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3,000 years ago, Jerusalem
was a small Iron Age city
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whose ambitious king, the Bible tells us,
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decided to build a house for his God.
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- [Narrator] In the four year
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of Solomon's reign over Israel,
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the construction of the
Temple Of the Lord was begun.
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- [Narrator] The existence
of Solomon's Temple
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is central to traditional Jewish belief.
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- [Narrator] The house which King Solomon
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built for the Lord,
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the length thereof was three score cubits,
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the breadth thereof 20 cubits,
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and the height thereof 30 cubits.
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- [Narrator] Over 12 meters
high and over 30 meters long,
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the house of God would have dominated
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the city and its people.
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Since then, Jerusalem has suffered
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nearly 2,500 years of turbulent history.
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Jews, Christians, and
Muslims all claim a stake
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in the city that features so large
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in the history of their faiths.
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A vast Muslim shrine,
the dome of the rock,
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now occupies the site
where Solomon's Temple
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is presumed to have stood.
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According to biblical history,
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the temple was destroyed by fire
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in 586 BC by invaders from Babylon.
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(speaking in foreign language)
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The Western Wall where Jewish
pilgrims now come to pray
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is all that's left of a second temple
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built on the same site as Solomon's Temple
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by King Herod the Great, 500 years later.
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In a country where cultural
and territorial rites
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are the essence of politics,
the story of Solomon's Temple
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has special significance for the Jews.
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But there's no trace of the temple itself
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and archaeologists are not allowed to dig
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in such a politically sensitive area.
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Archaeologist Israel Finkelstein
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has amassed thousands of artifacts
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from that period of history,
but not a fragment of evidence
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to back up the Bible's
account of Solomon's Temple.
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- There's no archeological
evidence for the simple reason
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that we cannot excavate
in the Temple Mount.
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I think also that even if it was possible
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to do something on the Temple Mount,
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there's big question whether
we could have discovered
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anything from the first
temple of biblical times
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because there was a huge
building operation there
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in the time of Herod the
Great and there is good reason
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to think that everything was eradicated.
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(gentle music)
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- [Narrator] So, the pomegranate
was an extraordinary find.
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The tiny artifact with
a large chip on one side
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was the first physical link
to the lost Temple of Solomon.
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(dramatic music)
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But was the pomegranate authentic?
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In Israel, many ancient
objects find their way
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onto the market from dubious sources.
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Just beyond the walls of
the old city of Jerusalem,
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Amir Ganor, chief investigator
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for the Israel Antiquities Authority,
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is checking an underground
tomb from the time of Jesus,
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the first century AD.
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(tense music)
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Israel has thousands of
ancient historic sites.
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Many are untouched and still contain
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valuable artifacts from biblical times.
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But all too often,
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when archaeologists
arrive to explore them,
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they find that looters
have beaten them to it.
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- This is only one of thousands of caves
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that we have here in this area.
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And unfortunately most of them are looted.
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You could see the damage
that they done here,
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they took everything,
they destroyed this tomb.
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(dramatic music)
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- [Narrator] The Holy Land's heritage
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is being plundered for cash.
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- We assume that 95% of the antiquities
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that now in the hands of the dealers,
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they are stolen property or they looted.
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- [Narrator] Most of the loot
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is brought to the Jerusalem market
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where the ivory
pomegranate first appeared.
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The man who came across
it in the Jerusalem market
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happened to be one of the
world's leading experts
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on ancient inscriptions,
Professor Andre Lemaire.
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- One of the sellers told me,
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I know an inscription which
belongs to somebody else
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and will you be interested to see?
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- [Narrator] He examined it closely.
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- It is a very small
object, you have to be aware
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that it is only about
four centimeters high.
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And the inscription is
still smaller of course.
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And looking at it very carefully,
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I found that from what I could see,
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everything was okay, there was no problem.
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(gentle music)
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- [Narrator] After inspecting
the engraved Aramaic text,
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Lemaire had no doubt it was genuine.
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He published his report,
declaring it to be authentic
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from the eighth century BC,
the time of Solomon's Temple.
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(dramatic music)
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A tiny pomegranate would
have played a humble part
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in the magnificent temple.
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It would have been carried on processions
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through the two great halls,
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whose walls were paneled in
sweet smelling cedar wood.
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If the pomegranate belonged
to one of the high priests,
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it would have accompanied him
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into the temple's inner
sanctum, the holy of holies,
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where winged cherubim guarded
the Ark of the Covenant
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and the towering walls
were encrusted with gold.
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But however humble its
role might have been then,
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it was now the only artifact
to survive from the temple.
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The Israel Museum, home to
a world-renowned collection
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of biblical artifacts, was
now very keen to acquire it.
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- It was an object of some excitement
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because when first identified,
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it was considered that
it might be an object
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directly connected to the first
temple, to Solomon's Temple.
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And we really have very little material
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that comes from that period from Jerusalem
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and that can be directly connected
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to that moment in history
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and to the physical
existence of the temple.
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- [Narrator] But when the museum
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tried to track down the
owner, it ran into a wall.
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The pomegranate had already changed hands.
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There wasn't a dealer in Israel
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who seemed to know where it was.
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The word was it had been
smuggled out of the country.
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(somber music)
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Then, several years later
in 1987, out of the blue,
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the museum received a
mysterious phone call.
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(speaking in foreign language)
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The pomegranate was now
available, but at a price.
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- He wants $1 million.
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- [Narrator] Desperate to get their hands
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on this unique piece of Jewish heritage,
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the museum bartered the price down
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to just over half a
million dollars in cash.
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Israel's leading expert
was asked to check it out.
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When he, too, decided it was genuine,
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the cash, provided by an anonymous donor,
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was paid into an anonymous
Swiss bank account.
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The pomegranate was returned to Jerusalem.
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And there in the Israel Museum,
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along with such priceless
national treasures
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as the dead sea scrolls, it
was given pride of place,
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an authentic link to
King Solomon's Temple.
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(gentle music)
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For nearly 20 years, it was regarded
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as the only physical
evidence for the temple.
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Then, in uncannily similar circumstances,
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another extraordinary
artifact became headline news.
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In 2002, the chief investigator
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for the Israel Antiquities
Authority, Amir Ganor,
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was given a special mission to track down
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a brand new piece of biblical history
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that had gone missing.
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It was a hunt that would take him
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the length and breadth of the country.
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And provide a major scoop
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for a young Israeli newspaper reporter.
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- The story begins in 2001.
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A professor from the Jerusalem University
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receives a call from a mysterious person
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who refuses to give his real name
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and asks this professor to
come to a hotel in Jerusalem.
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He arrives with another professor,
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he received another call saying,
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we are changing the
location of the meeting,
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please take a taxi to a different hotel.
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(tense music)
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A person who he has never met before
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arrives with a briefcase.
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- [Narrator] The man with the briefcase
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claimed to be acting
on behalf of a client.
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He couldn't reveal his client's identity,
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but was sure the professors
would be very interested
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by what he had brought to show them.
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- [Boaz] He opens up the briefcase,
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takes out a gorgeous piece of black stone
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with a ancient writing on it
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and asks the two professors
to authenticate the piece.
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- [Narrator] The inscription
on the shiny black stone
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described repairs made
to the Temple of Solomon
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by a king called Jehoash
in the eighth century BC.
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If it was genuine, it was priceless.
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Like the ivory pomegranate,
it appeared to confirm
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that Solomon's Temple
had actually existed.
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Better still, it provided
unique confirmation
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of events described in the Old Testament.
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The professors wanted to
know who the owner was
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and where the object had come from.
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(speaking in foreign language)
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All the stranger would reveal
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was that it had been found
near the Temple Mount.
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- They wanted to take the
stone, they wanted to, you know,
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perform a thorough investigation of it
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and to authenticate it or
reveal it as a forgery.
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The person refused, of
course, to give the stone,
256
00:14:19,430 --> 00:14:23,273
said that's impossible, because
of, you know, complications.
257
00:14:24,505 --> 00:14:25,820
- [Narrator] There was
no way the professors
258
00:14:25,820 --> 00:14:27,490
could properly authenticate the tablet
259
00:14:27,490 --> 00:14:29,393
after such a brief examination.
260
00:14:30,330 --> 00:14:31,430
- You know, he takes the stone,
261
00:14:31,430 --> 00:14:33,860
he puts it back in his briefcase, he says,
262
00:14:33,860 --> 00:14:37,420
thank you very much to the
two bewildered professors,
263
00:14:37,420 --> 00:14:40,236
and leaves them behind
in the Jerusalem lobby.
264
00:14:40,236 --> 00:14:42,736
(tense music)
265
00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:47,995
- [Narrator] The place where the tablet
266
00:14:47,995 --> 00:14:49,540
had allegedly been found
267
00:14:49,540 --> 00:14:51,690
was at the foot of the Temple Mount,
268
00:14:51,690 --> 00:14:55,030
the heart of old Jerusalem,
where according to legend,
269
00:14:55,030 --> 00:14:57,093
Solomon's Temple once stood.
270
00:15:01,690 --> 00:15:05,040
But how could anyone be
sure that a blackened stone
271
00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:07,850
allegedly found in a pile of rubble
272
00:15:07,850 --> 00:15:10,653
was a genuine 3,000-year-old relic?
273
00:15:14,380 --> 00:15:18,100
The owner, whoever he was, realized this,
274
00:15:18,100 --> 00:15:20,260
but shortly afterwards, other experts
275
00:15:20,260 --> 00:15:22,700
were secretly approached by intermediaries
276
00:15:22,700 --> 00:15:25,323
and asked if they could
authenticate the tablet.
277
00:15:27,990 --> 00:15:31,240
One of them, geologist Amnon Rosenfeld,
278
00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:32,830
has spent his working life
279
00:15:32,830 --> 00:15:34,860
studying the rocks around Jerusalem
280
00:15:34,860 --> 00:15:38,123
used by masons and
engravers in biblical times.
281
00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:43,770
- We were asked to examine something
282
00:15:43,770 --> 00:15:48,697
that should be kept secret,
called the Jehoash Tablet.
283
00:15:50,090 --> 00:15:54,040
Our starting point was that this is a fake
284
00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:58,833
and we should find some
signature of a forgery.
285
00:16:00,710 --> 00:16:02,340
- [Narrator] Dr. Rosenfeld
and his colleagues
286
00:16:02,340 --> 00:16:05,220
were allowed to examine the
stone over several months
287
00:16:05,220 --> 00:16:08,880
in his lab at the
Geological Survey Of Israel.
288
00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:10,450
- We couldn't find anything
289
00:16:10,450 --> 00:16:15,450
that lead us to the conclusions
that it's a forgery.
290
00:16:15,660 --> 00:16:19,260
We find many criteria that point out
291
00:16:19,260 --> 00:16:23,283
that it might be an authentic inscription.
292
00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:27,500
- [Narrator] If the tablet was genuine,
293
00:16:27,500 --> 00:16:29,827
it was precisely what
Jewish archaeologists
294
00:16:29,827 --> 00:16:31,623
had been seeking for ages.
295
00:16:32,710 --> 00:16:36,690
- I was very excited because
this type of inscription
296
00:16:36,690 --> 00:16:40,680
is something that biblical
scholars have been waiting for,
297
00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:45,680
have been hoping for, have been
dreaming of for many years.
298
00:16:46,014 --> 00:16:48,764
(dramatic music)
299
00:16:51,900 --> 00:16:53,440
- [Narrator] The inscription on the tablet
300
00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:55,100
corroborated the Bible's account
301
00:16:55,100 --> 00:16:59,130
of how King Jehoash decided
to refurbish the temple.
302
00:16:59,130 --> 00:17:00,730
The book of Kings tells us
303
00:17:00,730 --> 00:17:02,930
that repairs were needed to the building,
304
00:17:02,930 --> 00:17:05,697
which would by them would
have been over 100 years old.
305
00:17:05,697 --> 00:17:07,590
- Each from his benefactor.
306
00:17:07,590 --> 00:17:11,480
They, in turn, shall strengthen
the damage in the house
307
00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:14,940
wherever damage may be found.
308
00:17:14,940 --> 00:17:16,530
- [Narrator] And this is how the tablet
309
00:17:16,530 --> 00:17:17,853
records those events.
310
00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:22,140
- I repaired the construction
311
00:17:22,140 --> 00:17:24,580
and I made the repairs in the temple
312
00:17:24,580 --> 00:17:27,350
and the walls all around
and the side buildings
313
00:17:27,350 --> 00:17:29,730
and the lattice work and the trap doors
314
00:17:29,730 --> 00:17:31,323
and the recesses in the doors.
315
00:17:32,310 --> 00:17:34,870
And I think that was speaking
about the same royal act
316
00:17:34,870 --> 00:17:36,253
of repairs in the temple.
317
00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:41,593
And the language is also rather similar.
318
00:17:42,970 --> 00:17:45,070
- [Narrator] Meanwhile,
analysis of the tablet
319
00:17:45,070 --> 00:17:48,010
by the scientists had revealed more.
320
00:17:48,010 --> 00:17:51,540
They found the surface contained
tiny flecks of charcoal,
321
00:17:51,540 --> 00:17:54,353
which proved to be over 2,000 years old.
322
00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:59,680
And they found tiny specks of gold,
323
00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:03,770
just what might be expected
if it had survived a fire
324
00:18:03,770 --> 00:18:06,613
when the gold encrusted Temple
of Solomon was destroyed.
325
00:18:13,410 --> 00:18:17,060
(speaking in foreign language)
326
00:18:17,060 --> 00:18:19,720
The astonishing revelation
was widely regarded
327
00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:21,953
as proof that the tablet was genuine.
328
00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:26,820
- Everyone was dumbfounded
by the discovery of an,
329
00:18:26,820 --> 00:18:29,790
it was like a you know an alien spacecraft
330
00:18:29,790 --> 00:18:32,480
landing in the middle of Jerusalem.
331
00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:33,890
Here is a stone with an inscription
332
00:18:33,890 --> 00:18:36,327
that is actually quoted
from the Jewish Bible
333
00:18:36,327 --> 00:18:38,950
and that proves that a Jewish temple
334
00:18:38,950 --> 00:18:41,090
actually stood in Jerusalem.
335
00:18:41,090 --> 00:18:44,840
Here is a proof that our
national heritage is,
336
00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:47,610
can be basically, you
know, we can touch it,
337
00:18:47,610 --> 00:18:49,890
we can we can smell it, we can go see it,
338
00:18:49,890 --> 00:18:52,540
we can take our children,
this is where we came from.
339
00:18:54,060 --> 00:18:55,750
- [Narrator] The Israel
Antiquities Authority
340
00:18:55,750 --> 00:18:59,409
urgently wanted to know how
the owner, whoever he was,
341
00:18:59,409 --> 00:19:00,790
had come by such an artifact
342
00:19:00,790 --> 00:19:03,820
of national and historical significance.
343
00:19:03,820 --> 00:19:05,200
(speaking in foreign language)
344
00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:08,490
Amir Ganor, the authority's
chief investigator,
345
00:19:08,490 --> 00:19:11,223
pumped his contacts in the
market for information.
346
00:19:12,330 --> 00:19:15,843
He suspected it had been illegally looted.
347
00:19:17,950 --> 00:19:20,920
But the word on the street
told a different story,
348
00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:23,900
as journalist Boaz Gaon soon discovered.
349
00:19:23,900 --> 00:19:26,610
- I traveled to Jerusalem
and started to dig there
350
00:19:26,610 --> 00:19:30,300
and try and find out who the
owner of this new tablet is.
351
00:19:30,300 --> 00:19:34,877
And the people in the
antique industry who,
352
00:19:36,030 --> 00:19:39,960
you know, do not like to
expose their identity, was,
353
00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,947
they told me straight away
that they think it's a hoax.
354
00:19:42,947 --> 00:19:45,697
(dramatic music)
355
00:19:46,690 --> 00:19:49,050
- [Narrator] Whether it was a hoax or loot
356
00:19:49,050 --> 00:19:52,420
or the genuine article,
Amir Ganor was determined
357
00:19:52,420 --> 00:19:55,140
to track down the owner
and the tablet itself,
358
00:19:55,140 --> 00:19:58,100
which had now disappeared again.
359
00:19:58,100 --> 00:19:59,860
He had many rumors to follow,
360
00:19:59,860 --> 00:20:03,400
but it would take a long
time to get a clear picture.
361
00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:05,673
- We spent three months on the road,
362
00:20:06,602 --> 00:20:10,113
to try to find this tablet.
363
00:20:11,890 --> 00:20:15,640
The months of detective work
finally led him to Tel Aviv,
364
00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:17,393
Israel's modern commercial capital.
365
00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:24,430
And in a fashionable residential quarter,
366
00:20:24,430 --> 00:20:25,880
to the home of a businessman,
367
00:20:27,340 --> 00:20:31,833
one of Israel's leading
antiquity collectors, Oded Golan.
368
00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:37,500
Golan has been collecting
ancient artifacts
369
00:20:37,500 --> 00:20:38,543
since he was a boy.
370
00:20:40,410 --> 00:20:44,640
- Here you are looking now at the oldest,
371
00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:49,050
the most ancient dictionary
ever found in the world.
372
00:20:49,050 --> 00:20:51,770
I found it when I was 10 years old.
373
00:20:51,770 --> 00:20:53,340
- [Narrator] He admitted he'd been helping
374
00:20:53,340 --> 00:20:54,910
to sell the missing stone tablet,
375
00:20:54,910 --> 00:20:57,740
but denied that he had
ever been its owner.
376
00:20:57,740 --> 00:20:59,470
- He was a dealer, Palestinian dealer,
377
00:20:59,470 --> 00:21:02,440
who had a shop in East Jerusalem.
378
00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:04,143
Abu Yasser was his nickname.
379
00:21:05,290 --> 00:21:07,610
I didn't have enough money to buy it,
380
00:21:07,610 --> 00:21:10,030
and he asked me if I
can help him to sell it
381
00:21:10,030 --> 00:21:11,490
or to offer it to somebody
382
00:21:11,490 --> 00:21:13,880
and I had actually only one condition,
383
00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:17,930
it should stay in the
museum for the public.
384
00:21:17,930 --> 00:21:19,855
- [Interviewer] But how
much was he asking for it?
385
00:21:19,855 --> 00:21:21,805
- Several hundred thousands of dollars.
386
00:21:23,568 --> 00:21:24,470
(tense music)
387
00:21:24,470 --> 00:21:25,420
- [Narrator] But the authorities
388
00:21:25,420 --> 00:21:27,760
were not convinced by the story.
389
00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:30,140
And what made them highly suspicious
390
00:21:30,140 --> 00:21:33,240
was that the same collector, Oded Golan,
391
00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:36,400
had recently been involved in
another sensational discovery
392
00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:37,833
that had suddenly appeared.
393
00:21:48,860 --> 00:21:51,140
In the vast collection
of ancient treasures
394
00:21:51,140 --> 00:21:54,280
held by the Israel Antiquities Authority,
395
00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:56,990
there are hundreds of stone boxes,
396
00:21:56,990 --> 00:21:59,463
all dating back to the time of Jesus.
397
00:22:00,770 --> 00:22:05,770
Simply engraved, some bearing
a name in Hebrew or Greek,
398
00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:10,470
they had a macabre purpose,
they are ossuaries,
399
00:22:10,470 --> 00:22:13,323
receptacles for storing
the bones of the dead.
400
00:22:18,580 --> 00:22:22,010
In 2002, one of these ancient bone boxes
401
00:22:22,010 --> 00:22:24,673
became the center of
worldwide media attention.
402
00:22:27,168 --> 00:22:31,085
(speaking in foreign language)
403
00:22:32,130 --> 00:22:33,720
The inscription translates as
404
00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:37,743
James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.
405
00:22:39,140 --> 00:22:41,640
For these familiar names
from the New Testament
406
00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:44,913
to appear together seemed
a remarkable coincidence.
407
00:22:45,900 --> 00:22:47,680
The ancient bone box was hailed
408
00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:50,760
as the final resting place of Saint James,
409
00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:52,663
the brother of Jesus of Nazareth,
410
00:22:53,580 --> 00:22:55,750
and the first archeological evidence
411
00:22:55,750 --> 00:22:57,613
linked to Jesus himself.
412
00:22:58,530 --> 00:23:00,590
It caused a sensation
413
00:23:00,590 --> 00:23:03,050
and was viewed by nearly 100,000 people
414
00:23:03,050 --> 00:23:05,963
at the Royal Ontario museum in Toronto.
415
00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:11,110
Another extraordinary biblical artifact
416
00:23:12,870 --> 00:23:15,653
and its owner was Oded Golan.
417
00:23:17,370 --> 00:23:20,610
- Two dramatic artifacts were discovered
418
00:23:20,610 --> 00:23:24,490
in the space of six months
by the same collector?
419
00:23:24,490 --> 00:23:26,420
This was very, very difficult to believe,
420
00:23:26,420 --> 00:23:28,660
I mean, you know, what's next?
421
00:23:28,660 --> 00:23:30,810
The shoes of Mohammed?
422
00:23:30,810 --> 00:23:34,700
- I have to admit it
did sound quite strange,
423
00:23:34,700 --> 00:23:38,240
but if you have the good
contacts, the good relationship,
424
00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:40,970
you get the good stuff, it's very simple.
425
00:23:40,970 --> 00:23:43,980
- [Narrator] He claimed he had
owned the ossuary for years.
426
00:23:43,980 --> 00:23:47,860
- In the mid '70s I
bought several ossuaries,
427
00:23:47,860 --> 00:23:51,743
actually three, and I
bought it in East Jerusalem.
428
00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:55,740
- [Narrator] So, why had
it taken him 30 years
429
00:23:55,740 --> 00:23:59,200
to realize the possible
significance of the inscription?
430
00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:03,610
- The first person who
actually gave me the idea
431
00:24:03,610 --> 00:24:07,060
that it could belong to
the family of Jesus Christ
432
00:24:07,060 --> 00:24:08,793
was Professor Andre Lemaire.
433
00:24:11,410 --> 00:24:12,670
- [Narrator] Back in the 1980s,
434
00:24:12,670 --> 00:24:15,020
Professor Lemaire had been responsible
435
00:24:15,020 --> 00:24:17,153
for authenticating the ivory pomegranate.
436
00:24:18,860 --> 00:24:21,710
20 years later, his
reputation as an expert
437
00:24:21,710 --> 00:24:25,820
in ancient inscriptions
proved valuable to Oded Golan.
438
00:24:25,820 --> 00:24:27,910
- I was amazed with the name,
439
00:24:27,910 --> 00:24:32,910
but mainly with the
appellation brother of Yeshua,
440
00:24:33,620 --> 00:24:36,310
James, the brother of Jesus.
441
00:24:36,310 --> 00:24:38,430
For me there is no problem
442
00:24:38,430 --> 00:24:42,180
about the fact that the
inscription is genuine.
443
00:24:42,180 --> 00:24:43,660
- [Narrator] Professor Lemaire's opinion
444
00:24:43,660 --> 00:24:45,360
that the inscription was genuine
445
00:24:45,360 --> 00:24:48,180
transformed the brother of Jesus ossuary
446
00:24:48,180 --> 00:24:50,293
into an archeological sensation,
447
00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:53,710
but not every expert was convinced
448
00:24:53,710 --> 00:24:55,460
that the inscription was authentic.
449
00:24:56,332 --> 00:24:58,080
- I laughed.
450
00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:00,190
I couldn't believe it,
you've gotta be kidding,
451
00:25:00,190 --> 00:25:01,703
it's not the same script.
452
00:25:02,781 --> 00:25:04,731
It's not even a complete script design.
453
00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:08,420
- [Narrator] To Dr. Rochelle Altman,
454
00:25:08,420 --> 00:25:11,060
it seemed that the inscription
had been cobbled together
455
00:25:11,060 --> 00:25:13,063
from bits of genuine inscriptions.
456
00:25:14,190 --> 00:25:16,390
She thought that the first
part of the inscription,
457
00:25:16,390 --> 00:25:20,130
James, son of Joseph,
was probably authentic,
458
00:25:20,130 --> 00:25:22,570
but that the brother of Jesus
459
00:25:22,570 --> 00:25:25,422
had been added later by another hand.
460
00:25:25,422 --> 00:25:28,210
(speaks in foreign language)
461
00:25:28,210 --> 00:25:29,083
- Is original.
462
00:25:31,140 --> 00:25:34,487
This is the ossuary of this man.
463
00:25:35,527 --> 00:25:36,770
And all of a sudden here's this
464
00:25:36,770 --> 00:25:39,570
and this is totally different script,
465
00:25:39,570 --> 00:25:42,670
it's made out of different
pieces and pasted together.
466
00:25:42,670 --> 00:25:44,620
And that's exactly what we have here.
467
00:25:44,620 --> 00:25:46,120
This thing's obviously a fake.
468
00:25:48,226 --> 00:25:51,220
(speaking in foreign language)
469
00:25:51,220 --> 00:25:53,690
- [Narrator] With allegations
of fakery flying around,
470
00:25:53,690 --> 00:25:56,220
the authorities decided to crack down.
471
00:25:56,220 --> 00:25:59,020
Police and antiquities authority agents
472
00:25:59,020 --> 00:26:01,260
raided Oded Golan's home.
473
00:26:01,260 --> 00:26:03,600
They found an incriminating photograph
474
00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,950
of the collector clutching
the missing Jehoash tablet,
475
00:26:06,950 --> 00:26:09,124
which he'd always denied owning.
476
00:26:09,124 --> 00:26:11,350
(sullen music)
477
00:26:11,350 --> 00:26:12,810
They made him hand it over,
478
00:26:12,810 --> 00:26:15,023
then confiscated the ossuary too.
479
00:26:16,730 --> 00:26:19,210
The artifacts and their collector
480
00:26:19,210 --> 00:26:22,323
were about to be subjected
to intensive scrutiny.
481
00:26:24,691 --> 00:26:26,223
(tense music)
482
00:26:26,223 --> 00:26:29,870
The Israel Antiquities
Authority set up a task force
483
00:26:29,870 --> 00:26:33,200
to decide on the
authenticity of both objects.
484
00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:35,600
In charge of the scientific investigation
485
00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:38,533
was Professor Yuval Goren
of Tel Aviv University.
486
00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:42,243
He began with the stone tablet.
487
00:26:43,610 --> 00:26:45,900
He wanted to establish
whether it could have come
488
00:26:45,900 --> 00:26:48,623
from the site of Solomon's
Temple on the Temple Mount.
489
00:26:50,660 --> 00:26:54,530
The stone's surface should
provide valuable clues.
490
00:26:54,530 --> 00:26:57,340
Over time, all objects develop a patina,
491
00:26:57,340 --> 00:27:00,400
a thin crust bonded to their surface.
492
00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:02,300
It's created by chemical reactions
493
00:27:02,300 --> 00:27:04,423
between the object and its environment.
494
00:27:07,030 --> 00:27:09,520
But when Goren examined the patina,
495
00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:10,960
he found that it was different
496
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:12,943
on the front and the back of the stone.
497
00:27:16,070 --> 00:27:17,170
The patina on the front
498
00:27:17,170 --> 00:27:19,613
did indeed appear to come from Jerusalem,
499
00:27:21,580 --> 00:27:23,950
but instead of being bonded to the stone,
500
00:27:23,950 --> 00:27:25,573
it lifted off quite easily.
501
00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:30,743
- The patina is very loosely
connected to the stone.
502
00:27:31,850 --> 00:27:33,670
Here you can see how it reacts
503
00:27:33,670 --> 00:27:38,670
to me scraping it with a match stick,
504
00:27:39,150 --> 00:27:41,940
and you can see that it
easily peels off the letters
505
00:27:41,940 --> 00:27:45,910
as opposed, again, to the
patina on the back side.
506
00:27:45,910 --> 00:27:48,460
- [Narrator] The patina
on the back was different
507
00:27:48,460 --> 00:27:50,887
and appeared not to come
from Jerusalem at all.
508
00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:59,350
He concluded that someone
had taken an old stone
509
00:27:59,350 --> 00:28:02,900
from somewhere else and carved
an inscription on the front,
510
00:28:02,900 --> 00:28:06,713
which had then been concealed
under new artificial patina.
511
00:28:09,660 --> 00:28:12,413
He could even see evidence
that the carving was recent.
512
00:28:15,100 --> 00:28:17,193
- When the letters are cleared,
513
00:28:18,420 --> 00:28:22,040
the inner part of the letters is exposed
514
00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:25,880
and as you can see here,
it is very freshly cut,
515
00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:28,340
you can see even the little lines,
516
00:28:28,340 --> 00:28:31,590
the little parallel lines
off either the chisel
517
00:28:31,590 --> 00:28:36,020
or even maybe some
drill, some electric bit
518
00:28:36,020 --> 00:28:39,260
or drill with which the
letters were engraved,
519
00:28:39,260 --> 00:28:42,763
which is of course very unusual
for ancient inscriptions.
520
00:28:44,060 --> 00:28:46,050
- [Narrator] And what
of the ancient charcoal
521
00:28:46,050 --> 00:28:49,523
and traces of gold which had
convinced earlier scientists?
522
00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:53,290
Goren concluded they had simply been added
523
00:28:53,290 --> 00:28:56,940
to the artificial patina applied
to the front of the stone.
524
00:28:56,940 --> 00:28:57,970
- And therefore I believe
525
00:28:57,970 --> 00:29:00,993
that the inscription is not genuine.
526
00:29:03,300 --> 00:29:06,383
- [Narrator] Then he turned to
the brother of Jesus ossuary.
527
00:29:07,340 --> 00:29:10,340
The bone box itself appears to be genuine.
528
00:29:10,340 --> 00:29:13,180
The stone was covered by a chalky patina,
529
00:29:13,180 --> 00:29:16,670
just what he'd expect if
it had spent many years
530
00:29:16,670 --> 00:29:17,863
in an underground tomb.
531
00:29:18,770 --> 00:29:20,300
But the patina in the grooves
532
00:29:20,300 --> 00:29:22,780
of the inscription was different.
533
00:29:22,780 --> 00:29:24,550
Like the Jehoash tablet,
534
00:29:24,550 --> 00:29:26,863
it was not firmly bonded to the surface.
535
00:29:28,450 --> 00:29:30,020
It looked as if the engraver
536
00:29:30,020 --> 00:29:32,200
had cut through the original patina,
537
00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:33,830
then filled in the grooves
538
00:29:33,830 --> 00:29:36,030
with a new material to
make it look ancient.
539
00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:40,930
On June 18th 2003,
540
00:29:40,930 --> 00:29:44,200
the Israel Antiquities
Authority goes public.
541
00:29:44,200 --> 00:29:46,470
Both objects are declared fake.
542
00:29:46,470 --> 00:29:48,500
- To prove certainly that
the patina in the letters
543
00:29:48,500 --> 00:29:51,340
in both items is a modern forgery.
544
00:29:51,340 --> 00:29:54,210
- [Narrator] It hits
the headlines worldwide.
545
00:29:54,210 --> 00:29:57,300
Experts who authenticated the artifacts
546
00:29:57,300 --> 00:29:59,350
have their names dragged through the mud.
547
00:30:00,784 --> 00:30:02,793
- It was manipulated.
548
00:30:03,935 --> 00:30:07,080
It was really very very politicized.
549
00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:09,744
- For me, it's clear it is not a forgery.
550
00:30:09,744 --> 00:30:12,800
(tense music)
551
00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:15,380
- [Narrator] But more damning
evidence now comes to light.
552
00:30:15,380 --> 00:30:17,810
When police and authority inspectors
553
00:30:17,810 --> 00:30:20,313
raid Oded Golan's premises again,
554
00:30:21,950 --> 00:30:24,380
they find engraving tools, chemicals,
555
00:30:24,380 --> 00:30:27,513
and soil samples taken
from sites all over Israel.
556
00:30:30,670 --> 00:30:33,200
Together with scores of artifacts,
557
00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:36,353
many look freshly minted or half-finished.
558
00:30:38,610 --> 00:30:42,750
- They confiscated several
tools that I had in my home.
559
00:30:42,750 --> 00:30:45,470
These kind of tools have existed
560
00:30:45,470 --> 00:30:49,940
in the hands of any collector
and any dealer in Israel.
561
00:30:49,940 --> 00:30:52,000
- [Narrator] But the
evidence leads to Golan
562
00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:55,860
being charged on 15 counts
of forgery and fraud.
563
00:30:55,860 --> 00:30:58,920
Four other dealers are
accused of being accomplices.
564
00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:01,340
- I never forged anything in my life.
565
00:31:01,340 --> 00:31:03,840
Of course, I shall have to defend myself,
566
00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:06,853
but I have nothing to do
with forgeries at all.
567
00:31:10,180 --> 00:31:13,260
- [Narrator] Three years on,
the prosecution of Oded Golan
568
00:31:13,260 --> 00:31:15,823
on fraud and forgery charges continues.
569
00:31:18,530 --> 00:31:20,230
And there's still no end in sight.
570
00:31:24,860 --> 00:31:27,020
But whoever was responsible,
571
00:31:27,020 --> 00:31:30,203
it seems a sophisticated
fraud is beginning to unravel.
572
00:31:32,070 --> 00:31:34,120
The scandal has provoked anxiety
573
00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:37,940
about every artifact
supposedly from biblical times
574
00:31:37,940 --> 00:31:40,810
that has come from dealers
or sources unknown.
575
00:31:40,810 --> 00:31:42,523
Could they all be forgeries?
576
00:31:44,100 --> 00:31:46,600
Yuval Goren has checked scores of items
577
00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:50,010
that museums and collectors
have acquired on the market.
578
00:31:50,010 --> 00:31:53,683
He has concluded that
almost all of them are fake.
579
00:31:55,290 --> 00:31:57,250
Some archaeologists believe
580
00:31:57,250 --> 00:31:59,410
there's only one answer to the problem,
581
00:31:59,410 --> 00:32:01,910
the antiquity trade should be shut down
582
00:32:01,910 --> 00:32:04,600
and its products should be shunned.
583
00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:09,320
- Objects must come from an
archeological excavation,
584
00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:11,460
done by archaeologists.
585
00:32:11,460 --> 00:32:14,750
Then they are genuine, there's
no question about them.
586
00:32:14,750 --> 00:32:15,820
Then they are okay.
587
00:32:15,820 --> 00:32:17,980
They can use them for historical research.
588
00:32:17,980 --> 00:32:19,340
Then whatever comes from the market
589
00:32:19,340 --> 00:32:21,453
is forgery until otherwise proven.
590
00:32:23,430 --> 00:32:25,880
- [Narrator] This is a country
where the antiquities market
591
00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:28,770
has been thriving ever
since medieval crusaders
592
00:32:28,770 --> 00:32:30,433
came hunting for holy relics.
593
00:32:32,270 --> 00:32:35,323
Some shops are as old as
the antiquities they sell.
594
00:32:36,220 --> 00:32:38,740
But in this city, the buyer should beware
595
00:32:38,740 --> 00:32:41,520
and assume that if the
material isn't looted,
596
00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:45,963
it's probably fake, though
not in this shop of course.
597
00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:49,907
- [Interviewer] Where do you
get your antiquities from?
598
00:32:49,907 --> 00:32:54,770
- Oh, well probably you
should ask my dad about this.
599
00:32:54,770 --> 00:32:57,743
- We, I inherited them
really from my family.
600
00:32:59,350 --> 00:33:01,370
We used to get them from
the people they dig,
601
00:33:01,370 --> 00:33:02,373
but not any more.
602
00:33:03,490 --> 00:33:04,640
- [Interviewer] Why not?
603
00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:08,233
- Not allowed, against
the rules here in Israel.
604
00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:12,113
Not allowed to to buy
from people they dig.
605
00:33:13,500 --> 00:33:16,520
- [Narrator] Whether an
artifact is genuine or looted
606
00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:20,363
or fake, there are ways of
enhancing its market value.
607
00:33:21,330 --> 00:33:25,980
- The collectors always
want special things.
608
00:33:25,980 --> 00:33:30,850
This is authentic jar,
this is from the Iron Age,
609
00:33:30,850 --> 00:33:33,650
from the 7th century BC.
610
00:33:33,650 --> 00:33:38,100
If it's ordinary jar without
any decoration or inscription,
611
00:33:38,100 --> 00:33:42,030
it will cost something
between $700 to $1,000.
612
00:33:42,030 --> 00:33:47,030
But if someone add some
inscription here in ancient Hebrew,
613
00:33:47,070 --> 00:33:50,161
it will be cost hundreds
of thousands of dollars.
614
00:33:50,161 --> 00:33:51,560
(tense music)
615
00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:53,620
- [Narrator] Adding an
inscription is less work
616
00:33:53,620 --> 00:33:57,033
and less expensive than
faking a whole artifact.
617
00:33:58,130 --> 00:34:01,330
And as investigators have
uncovered more fakes,
618
00:34:01,330 --> 00:34:05,230
they feel a pattern is
emerging of ancient objects
619
00:34:05,230 --> 00:34:07,320
being embellished with inscriptions
620
00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:10,153
to enhance their value and
historical significance.
621
00:34:11,820 --> 00:34:12,970
They even have a good idea
622
00:34:12,970 --> 00:34:15,170
how forgers are producing inscriptions
623
00:34:15,170 --> 00:34:18,100
good enough to fool the experts,
624
00:34:18,100 --> 00:34:20,170
using a standard reference book
625
00:34:20,170 --> 00:34:23,043
published by the Israel
Antiquities Authority.
626
00:34:25,230 --> 00:34:28,440
Details of inscriptions
from genuine artifacts
627
00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:30,090
are copied precisely,
628
00:34:30,090 --> 00:34:33,763
then reassembled as the
template for a new engraving.
629
00:34:34,830 --> 00:34:37,983
This is Yaakov, James in ancient Hebrew.
630
00:34:42,210 --> 00:34:43,930
Next, Son of Yosef
631
00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:50,630
to create brother of Jesus,
632
00:34:50,630 --> 00:34:53,590
letters are taken from
several ancient sources
633
00:34:53,590 --> 00:34:58,590
to complete the template,
James, son of Joseph,
634
00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:03,093
brother of Jesus, and it
looks completely authentic.
635
00:35:07,030 --> 00:35:09,320
Any artifact of unknown origin
636
00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:12,373
with a compelling inscription
has now become suspect.
637
00:35:15,750 --> 00:35:18,380
So, it was inevitable that attention
638
00:35:18,380 --> 00:35:20,880
would return to that priceless object
639
00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:24,173
in the Israel Museum,
the ivory pomegranate.
640
00:35:27,220 --> 00:35:29,990
The pomegranate was now
the only item believed
641
00:35:29,990 --> 00:35:32,440
to have survived from
Solomon's legendary temple.
642
00:35:35,830 --> 00:35:39,330
Over 25 years have passed
since the pomegranate
643
00:35:39,330 --> 00:35:42,400
had first been authenticated
by one of the world's experts
644
00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:46,290
on ancient inscriptions,
Professor Andre Lemaire.
645
00:35:46,290 --> 00:35:48,630
Since then, experts had discovered
646
00:35:48,630 --> 00:35:52,090
that it wasn't actually
made of elephant ivory,
647
00:35:52,090 --> 00:35:54,743
but came from a quite different beast.
648
00:35:58,250 --> 00:36:00,600
- It is a little pomegranate
649
00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:02,603
made of the tooth of a hippopotamus.
650
00:36:03,930 --> 00:36:05,550
- [Narrator] But the big question was,
651
00:36:05,550 --> 00:36:08,733
did the pomegranate really
come from Solomon's Temple?
652
00:36:10,630 --> 00:36:12,130
When Professor Goren examined
653
00:36:12,130 --> 00:36:13,370
the surface of the pomegranate,
654
00:36:13,370 --> 00:36:17,670
he saw little to suggest that
it was not a genuine artifact.
655
00:36:17,670 --> 00:36:21,633
- [Yuval] You can see that
it is old, it is worn.
656
00:36:22,620 --> 00:36:24,610
- [Narrator] There were
signs of a few repairs,
657
00:36:24,610 --> 00:36:27,280
traces of what looks like glue,
658
00:36:27,280 --> 00:36:28,903
but the patina looked ancient.
659
00:36:30,980 --> 00:36:34,560
Then he turned his attention
to the inscription.
660
00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:37,630
(speaking in foreign language)
661
00:36:37,630 --> 00:36:41,200
- Which means holy to the
priests of the house of God.
662
00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:42,620
And this is why this pomegranate
663
00:36:42,620 --> 00:36:45,763
was considered to be from
the Solomonic Temple.
664
00:36:46,823 --> 00:36:48,470
- [Narrator] But the
pomegranate was badly damaged
665
00:36:48,470 --> 00:36:50,260
some time in its history.
666
00:36:50,260 --> 00:36:51,870
- You can see the break
667
00:36:51,870 --> 00:36:55,300
that took off about 1/3 of
the body of the pomegranate.
668
00:36:55,300 --> 00:36:57,680
- [Narrator] Most of the
inscription is intact,
669
00:36:57,680 --> 00:36:59,303
but a large chunk is missing.
670
00:37:01,330 --> 00:37:04,880
The letters that are supposed
to spell out house of God
671
00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:07,343
are just fragments on
the border of the break.
672
00:37:08,500 --> 00:37:10,803
It was these that caught
Goren's attention.
673
00:37:11,870 --> 00:37:14,680
He noticed that the
grooves cut by the engraver
674
00:37:14,680 --> 00:37:18,290
appeared to stop short of
the break, which was odd.
675
00:37:18,290 --> 00:37:21,060
He would have expected
them to be sliced cleanly
676
00:37:21,060 --> 00:37:23,050
when the pomegranate was damaged.
677
00:37:23,050 --> 00:37:26,740
- The lines are ending
before the edge of the break.
678
00:37:26,740 --> 00:37:29,330
which means that whoever
engraved it was very careful
679
00:37:29,330 --> 00:37:34,193
not to make other breaks
into the old break.
680
00:37:35,170 --> 00:37:37,410
- [Narrator] It looked to
Goren as if the inscription
681
00:37:37,410 --> 00:37:40,623
had been engraved after the
pomegranate had been damaged.
682
00:37:41,760 --> 00:37:44,680
- It is clear when you look
at it through the microscope
683
00:37:44,680 --> 00:37:47,350
that the inscription was engraved on it
684
00:37:47,350 --> 00:37:48,700
when it was already broken.
685
00:37:50,013 --> 00:37:52,880
- [Narrator] So, someone must
have added the inscription
686
00:37:52,880 --> 00:37:55,220
to boost the pomegranate's value.
687
00:37:55,220 --> 00:37:58,673
- It is probably a fake,
it's probably a forgery.
688
00:37:59,830 --> 00:38:01,950
- [Narrator] But Goren's
analysis makes no sense
689
00:38:01,950 --> 00:38:04,813
to the pomegranate's
champion, Professor Lemaire.
690
00:38:05,835 --> 00:38:08,490
- He make a mistake because
it is not his field.
691
00:38:08,490 --> 00:38:12,270
- Although the pomegranate
is authentic, it is ancient,
692
00:38:12,270 --> 00:38:17,200
the inscription was most likely
engraved in modern times.
693
00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:21,550
- Yuval Goren is working out of his field.
694
00:38:21,550 --> 00:38:24,070
And in this case, when even if it
695
00:38:24,070 --> 00:38:26,250
is a professor at a university,
696
00:38:26,250 --> 00:38:29,380
if somebody is working out of his field,
697
00:38:29,380 --> 00:38:33,610
out of his specialty, he is
not especially to be trusted.
698
00:38:33,610 --> 00:38:34,650
- [Narrator] But the man who first
699
00:38:34,650 --> 00:38:36,280
authenticated the pomegranate
700
00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:38,973
now finds himself in
a very small minority.
701
00:38:39,870 --> 00:38:42,650
The pomegranate has been declared a fake
702
00:38:42,650 --> 00:38:45,483
and removed from display
in the Israel Museum.
703
00:38:50,780 --> 00:38:53,463
But there's no let up in
the sensational claims.
704
00:38:54,700 --> 00:38:57,840
Jerusalem can prove a
nightmare for archeologist
705
00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:00,100
with major monuments of three religions
706
00:39:00,100 --> 00:39:01,693
crowding on top of each other.
707
00:39:02,798 --> 00:39:04,480
(peaceful music)
708
00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:07,600
And in a quiet residential
quarter called Talpiot,
709
00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:09,440
apartment blocks overlook one of the most
710
00:39:09,440 --> 00:39:11,963
contentious archeological
sites in the world.
711
00:39:13,950 --> 00:39:17,680
In a tiny rose garden,
a large concrete slab
712
00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:20,793
conceals the entrance to
a 2,000-year-old tomb.
713
00:39:23,230 --> 00:39:25,830
The crudely built structure offers no clue
714
00:39:25,830 --> 00:39:28,313
to the potential importance
of what lies beneath.
715
00:39:30,070 --> 00:39:31,820
Cut into the rocky hillside,
716
00:39:31,820 --> 00:39:35,290
the tomb was discovered
accidentally in 1980
717
00:39:35,290 --> 00:39:37,790
when the whole area was
still a construction site.
718
00:39:40,310 --> 00:39:42,910
Before it could disappear
under the new buildings,
719
00:39:42,910 --> 00:39:44,590
a small team of archeologists
720
00:39:44,590 --> 00:39:47,750
was allowed to examine
the tomb and its contents.
721
00:39:47,750 --> 00:39:51,253
Among them was Shimon
Gibson, then 21 years old.
722
00:39:52,140 --> 00:39:54,793
His job was to map the inside of the tomb.
723
00:39:56,870 --> 00:39:59,160
- Well under this cement slab is a shaft,
724
00:39:59,160 --> 00:40:04,160
which descends for a couple of
meters down into the ground.
725
00:40:04,680 --> 00:40:06,970
At the bottom of the shaft is an opening,
726
00:40:06,970 --> 00:40:10,530
which is situated here, which
leads into a burial chamber,
727
00:40:10,530 --> 00:40:12,030
which is still in tact.
728
00:40:12,030 --> 00:40:16,200
It's really nice, after 27
years, the tomb is still here.
729
00:40:16,200 --> 00:40:18,680
The tomb itself was full of soil,
730
00:40:18,680 --> 00:40:22,480
at least up to knee level,
at the time of excavation,
731
00:40:22,480 --> 00:40:25,440
which meant that the door
had been opened in antiquity
732
00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:29,760
and soil had flowed in to the cave itself.
733
00:40:29,760 --> 00:40:31,813
So, this wasn't an in tact tomb.
734
00:40:33,200 --> 00:40:36,060
- [Narrator] Questions about
when it was broken into
735
00:40:36,060 --> 00:40:38,140
have recently ignited speculation
736
00:40:38,140 --> 00:40:40,343
about what the tomb originally contained.
737
00:40:41,310 --> 00:40:44,410
Since they were discovered,
the ossuaries from the tomb
738
00:40:44,410 --> 00:40:47,580
have been kept at the
Antiquities Authority's store.
739
00:40:47,580 --> 00:40:50,723
And it was there, 27 years later in 2007,
740
00:40:50,723 --> 00:40:53,750
that the names inscribed on the ossuaries
741
00:40:53,750 --> 00:40:56,050
provoked intense media speculation
742
00:40:56,050 --> 00:40:57,650
about the occupants of the tomb.
743
00:40:58,540 --> 00:41:00,050
Most of the names are well-known
744
00:41:00,050 --> 00:41:02,700
from the New Testament of the Bible.
745
00:41:02,700 --> 00:41:05,550
Mariame, a form of Mary.
746
00:41:05,550 --> 00:41:07,740
Mary Magdalen perhaps.
747
00:41:07,740 --> 00:41:10,093
Yose, a short form of Joseph.
748
00:41:11,020 --> 00:41:13,390
Maria, another Mary.
749
00:41:13,390 --> 00:41:18,170
And then, most astonishing
of all, Yeshua bar Yosef,
750
00:41:18,170 --> 00:41:20,433
Jesus, son of Joseph.
751
00:41:21,310 --> 00:41:25,063
Could this be the resting
place of Jesus himself?
752
00:41:27,320 --> 00:41:29,680
The suggestion that this might be the tomb
753
00:41:29,680 --> 00:41:33,563
of the family of Jesus
received worldwide publicity.
754
00:41:35,940 --> 00:41:38,800
Now, the man involved in
the original excavation
755
00:41:38,800 --> 00:41:40,503
wants to examine the tomb again.
756
00:41:41,940 --> 00:41:43,770
- Anything which has sealed up
757
00:41:43,770 --> 00:41:46,730
creates a kind of sort of
atmosphere of conspiracy.
758
00:41:46,730 --> 00:41:48,430
So, I think opening up the slab
759
00:41:48,430 --> 00:41:50,759
and allowing cameras to go down
760
00:41:50,759 --> 00:41:53,523
and to have a look at the
tomb would be a good thing.
761
00:41:55,010 --> 00:41:58,100
- [Narrator] Permission has
been given to examine the tomb,
762
00:41:58,100 --> 00:42:00,160
but it soon becomes
clear that some residents
763
00:42:00,160 --> 00:42:03,712
don't want an excavation
in their back yard.
764
00:42:03,712 --> 00:42:07,629
(speaking in foreign language)
765
00:42:11,770 --> 00:42:15,020
- An area in which
there's a lot of emotion.
766
00:42:15,020 --> 00:42:16,450
- [Narrator] It highlights the problems
767
00:42:16,450 --> 00:42:18,830
that can arise for
archaeologists in a country
768
00:42:18,830 --> 00:42:21,268
where religious passions run high.
769
00:42:21,268 --> 00:42:22,660
- He says he's gonna call the police,
770
00:42:22,660 --> 00:42:25,577
that he doesn't want us excavating.
771
00:42:26,480 --> 00:42:28,244
And he's quite angry.
772
00:42:28,244 --> 00:42:30,740
(speaking in foreign language)
773
00:42:30,740 --> 00:42:32,500
- [Narrator] Pressing on now could provoke
774
00:42:32,500 --> 00:42:36,523
a worse disturbance, so the
Talpiot tomb remains sealed.
775
00:42:38,210 --> 00:42:41,620
But from the map Gibson drew
of the tomb when it was opened,
776
00:42:41,620 --> 00:42:43,220
we can still get a good idea
777
00:42:43,220 --> 00:42:45,955
of how the remains of
the family were laid out.
778
00:42:45,955 --> 00:42:48,830
(tense music)
779
00:42:48,830 --> 00:42:51,543
There were bones and
skulls lying on the floor.
780
00:42:52,500 --> 00:42:55,080
The ossuaries lay in small chambers
781
00:42:55,080 --> 00:42:57,210
cut into the walls of the tomb.
782
00:42:57,210 --> 00:43:00,540
They are bearing the
name Jesus son of Joseph
783
00:43:00,540 --> 00:43:04,023
was one of the smallest, tucked
in the back of a chamber.
784
00:43:08,270 --> 00:43:10,900
Most archaeologists are very skeptical
785
00:43:10,900 --> 00:43:13,450
that this could really have
been Jesus of Nazareth.
786
00:43:14,300 --> 00:43:17,010
- One thing I can tell you
for certain and that is
787
00:43:17,010 --> 00:43:21,157
that there were no remains of
a crucified man in this tomb.
788
00:43:21,157 --> 00:43:23,040
- [Narrator] And the
coincidence of the names,
789
00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:26,060
however striking, fails
to impress specialists
790
00:43:26,060 --> 00:43:27,443
in this period of history.
791
00:43:28,530 --> 00:43:30,480
- These names are extremely common
792
00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:34,350
among the local Jewish
population in the time of Jesus.
793
00:43:34,350 --> 00:43:35,750
It's also problematic
794
00:43:35,750 --> 00:43:38,480
because everything that we
know about Jesus and his family
795
00:43:38,480 --> 00:43:41,280
indicates that they were
a relatively poor family
796
00:43:41,280 --> 00:43:44,760
who could not have
afforded a rock-cut tomb.
797
00:43:44,760 --> 00:43:47,050
If they had owned a rock-cut tomb,
798
00:43:47,050 --> 00:43:50,390
presumably it would have been
in Nazareth, their home town,
799
00:43:50,390 --> 00:43:52,010
not in Jerusalem.
800
00:43:52,010 --> 00:43:53,530
We have good evidence for this
801
00:43:53,530 --> 00:43:57,620
from other wealthy families
around the country.
802
00:43:57,620 --> 00:44:00,630
- [Narrator] And while the
historical controversy rages,
803
00:44:00,630 --> 00:44:03,440
some scientists think
it would be a good idea
804
00:44:03,440 --> 00:44:05,010
to re-examine the ossuaries
805
00:44:05,010 --> 00:44:06,853
that came from the disturbed tomb.
806
00:44:07,860 --> 00:44:10,480
American researchers
now want to subject them
807
00:44:10,480 --> 00:44:12,620
to forensic-style scrutiny,
808
00:44:12,620 --> 00:44:14,840
especially the most controversial,
809
00:44:14,840 --> 00:44:17,859
Jesus son of Joseph inscription.
810
00:44:17,859 --> 00:44:20,330
- [Steven] 'Cause it looks
like these scratches are new.
811
00:44:20,330 --> 00:44:21,810
- [Narrator] They wonder whether dirt
812
00:44:21,810 --> 00:44:24,270
that's been impacted in the inscription
813
00:44:24,270 --> 00:44:27,230
could be concealing signs
of recent tampering.
814
00:44:27,230 --> 00:44:31,420
- We're actually trying
to remove some of the soil
815
00:44:31,420 --> 00:44:34,490
that's been impacted in the
inscriptions and scratches,
816
00:44:34,490 --> 00:44:37,360
not only that to try to
remove the soil safely,
817
00:44:37,360 --> 00:44:39,223
as not to destroy any patina.
818
00:44:40,233 --> 00:44:41,440
- [Narrator] The grooves
of the inscription
819
00:44:41,440 --> 00:44:44,720
contain traces of mud,
which have to be removed
820
00:44:44,720 --> 00:44:47,173
if they're to examine the
inscription in detail.
821
00:44:48,270 --> 00:44:50,570
It seems that Jesus son of Joseph
822
00:44:50,570 --> 00:44:53,730
may not be the only name
engraved on the box.
823
00:44:53,730 --> 00:44:55,640
- It appears that the name Yeshua,
824
00:44:55,640 --> 00:44:56,930
if this is the actual name
825
00:44:56,930 --> 00:44:59,080
because it's a very
difficult name to read,
826
00:44:59,080 --> 00:45:02,080
is not the original name on this ossuary.
827
00:45:02,080 --> 00:45:04,690
Yeshua appears to be super-inscribed
828
00:45:04,690 --> 00:45:08,420
over an earlier name that
appeared before that.
829
00:45:08,420 --> 00:45:10,730
It could be something like Yudan, Hanoon,
830
00:45:10,730 --> 00:45:13,080
or a number of possibilities,
831
00:45:13,080 --> 00:45:16,256
but the Yeshua was not the
first one in the ossuary.
832
00:45:16,256 --> 00:45:17,740
(tense music)
833
00:45:17,740 --> 00:45:21,930
- [Narrator] The name Yeshua
bar Yosef, Jesus son of Joseph,
834
00:45:21,930 --> 00:45:24,170
has been inscribed very crudely
835
00:45:24,170 --> 00:45:27,680
and incorporates some of
the underlying inscription.
836
00:45:27,680 --> 00:45:30,850
Could this have an innocent explanation?
837
00:45:30,850 --> 00:45:34,550
Or has Jesus been carved later
as a deliberate deception
838
00:45:34,550 --> 00:45:36,830
by adding a few extra strokes,
839
00:45:36,830 --> 00:45:40,018
then using mud to make them look older?
840
00:45:40,018 --> 00:45:41,337
- [Researcher] It's coming,
it's coming away there.
841
00:45:41,337 --> 00:45:42,670
- [Man With Blue Shirt] Maybe you're right
842
00:45:42,670 --> 00:45:46,950
about the mud here that was
put as a disguise, you know?
843
00:45:46,950 --> 00:45:48,170
- Yes.
- To cover up things,
844
00:45:48,170 --> 00:45:49,150
yeah.
845
00:45:49,150 --> 00:45:52,050
- The existence of this
hardened mud inside,
846
00:45:52,050 --> 00:45:54,180
we have to look for
some explanation for it
847
00:45:54,180 --> 00:45:56,680
'cause we don't really have
a good explanation yet,
848
00:45:56,680 --> 00:45:58,660
but that's what we're
in the process of doing,
849
00:45:58,660 --> 00:46:01,880
is trying to figure out
if this hardened mud
850
00:46:01,880 --> 00:46:05,560
was something that somebody
pressed into the inscription
851
00:46:05,560 --> 00:46:08,050
in order to make it look
better, or whatever.
852
00:46:08,050 --> 00:46:09,880
It's not, not very clear yet.
853
00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:12,780
- So, now you're starting to
get some of this patina away.
854
00:46:13,690 --> 00:46:16,380
- If we're able to remove
the mud successfully
855
00:46:16,380 --> 00:46:18,930
without damaging the inscription itself,
856
00:46:18,930 --> 00:46:23,310
this would hope to at least
dispel any ideas that this
857
00:46:23,310 --> 00:46:27,930
has any problems in terms
of some kind of tampering.
858
00:46:27,930 --> 00:46:29,680
See if we can get some of it, yeah.
859
00:46:30,520 --> 00:46:32,920
- [Researcher] An area that you'll notice
860
00:46:32,920 --> 00:46:36,593
has been unaffected by tape and the mud.
861
00:46:36,593 --> 00:46:38,890
(tense music)
862
00:46:38,890 --> 00:46:39,910
- [Narrator] But these questions
863
00:46:39,910 --> 00:46:42,093
are not likely to be answered just yet.
864
00:46:43,020 --> 00:46:44,440
Worried that removing the mud
865
00:46:44,440 --> 00:46:47,490
might risk harming the
ossuary's delicate patina,
866
00:46:47,490 --> 00:46:49,620
the Israel Antiquities Authority
867
00:46:49,620 --> 00:46:52,333
has now called a halt to
further investigation.
868
00:46:54,320 --> 00:46:57,550
But whatever the eventual
conclusions about tampering,
869
00:46:57,550 --> 00:47:00,240
the scientists' concerns are symptomatic
870
00:47:00,240 --> 00:47:02,700
of the widespread anxiety and alarm
871
00:47:02,700 --> 00:47:05,393
caused by recent revelations
of fakery and fraud.
872
00:47:06,635 --> 00:47:10,510
- I do think that the
recent sensational claims
873
00:47:10,510 --> 00:47:13,803
have made a mockery of the
discipline of archeology.
874
00:47:19,390 --> 00:47:23,450
When a real and important
archeological find is made,
875
00:47:23,450 --> 00:47:25,700
the public are unable to evaluate
876
00:47:25,700 --> 00:47:27,473
whether it's true or false.
877
00:47:29,360 --> 00:47:32,600
- [Narrator] In a country
where three powerful religions
878
00:47:32,600 --> 00:47:35,340
stake their claim to be
the heirs of history,
879
00:47:35,340 --> 00:47:37,600
where believers will seize on any evidence
880
00:47:37,600 --> 00:47:42,110
that backs up their faith,
archaeologists have a tough job
881
00:47:42,110 --> 00:47:44,053
separating fiction from fact.
882
00:47:48,790 --> 00:47:50,410
- This matters a lot to us
883
00:47:50,410 --> 00:47:52,890
if we ever want to live in a real world
884
00:47:52,890 --> 00:47:56,950
because what we have is fiction
invading the real world.
885
00:47:56,950 --> 00:48:00,990
- It stains archeological
research first of all.
886
00:48:00,990 --> 00:48:05,660
It stains the reconstruction
of biblical history.
887
00:48:05,660 --> 00:48:07,280
And there is a whole,
888
00:48:07,280 --> 00:48:10,840
a complete contamination of our research.
889
00:48:10,840 --> 00:48:15,030
- And I think that we need to
make a statement against this.
890
00:48:15,030 --> 00:48:16,870
- [Narrator] As scores of fake artifacts
891
00:48:16,870 --> 00:48:18,970
have been sold around the world,
892
00:48:18,970 --> 00:48:21,650
academic reputations have been trashed,
893
00:48:21,650 --> 00:48:24,470
and million of dollars have changed hands,
894
00:48:24,470 --> 00:48:27,600
but it's not just museums
and wealthy collectors
895
00:48:27,600 --> 00:48:28,800
who are being defrauded.
896
00:48:29,890 --> 00:48:34,380
Distorting history has profound
consequences for everyone.
897
00:48:34,380 --> 00:48:36,420
- You know, you feel betrayed,
898
00:48:36,420 --> 00:48:39,520
you feel that you were deceived.
899
00:48:39,520 --> 00:48:41,310
It's one thing to lie about something
900
00:48:41,310 --> 00:48:43,110
that is not important to people,
901
00:48:43,110 --> 00:48:45,770
and it's it's something
that's a lie about something
902
00:48:45,770 --> 00:48:49,131
that is intrinsic to their identity.
903
00:48:49,131 --> 00:48:51,631
(tense music)
904
00:49:07,611 --> 00:49:10,361
(dramatic music)
69350
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