What did decorated bronze censers do for incense and vessels for pouring wine, in a hiding system from the days of the Bar Kochba revolt in the Judean lowlands? Investigators from the Antiquities Authority estimate that spectacular archeological finds seized by the Lev HaBira police last week from antiquities dealers were in fact part of a loot taken by Bar Kochba rebel fighters in battles with Roman soldiers.
Last week, detectives from the Lev HaBira police station in Jerusalem noticed during a routine activity in the Musrara neighborhood, in a vehicle traveling in the direction of the sign. This aroused the suspicion of the detectives, and they detained the vehicle and its occupants for inspection.
To their amazement, detectives found a crate in the trunk, containing impressive and unusual archeological finds.
Inspectors from the Antiquities Authority’s Robbery Prevention Unit who were called to the police station immediately understood that these were finds from the Roman period, in an exceptional state of preservation.
Among other things, two 2000-year-old decorated bronze censers were seized, which were used to incense incense in rituals and were used in Roman noble houses and temples. In addition, a bronze jug that was used to pour wine was discovered. The vessel depicts a scene of a Roman banquet; A human figure lies and turns for pleasure, holding a jug of wine in her hand. In addition, a decorated stone bowl with three legs, Roman pottery candles, and hundreds of coins, dating to the Late Roman period – 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, were seized.
The exposed bronze items are relatively rare in the country. This is because, as of today, metal was an expensive material, which used to be smelted for reuse. Such items are found at archeological sites in circumstances where they were deliberately hidden, or taken as part of a host of war to the hiding systems in which the fighters of the Bar Kochba revolt hid.
The discovery of the findings led to the opening of a criminal investigation by the Antiquities Authority against the three suspects who were in the vehicle.
The investigation raised suspicions that the items were brought to Jerusalem with the aim of selling them to an antiques dealer. The Robbery Prevention Unit believes that the ancient items were robbed from a hiding system from the days of the Bar Kochba revolt, which has been under surveillance in recent months.
The Robbery Prevention Unit explains that the idea that the tools were taken as booty by Bar Kochba fighters – and not used by Jewish fighters, stems from the fact that the tools are typical cult tools for Romans, carrying pagan figures and symbols (as opposed to the Jewish ban on making statues and masks).
In addition, in the days of the Bar Kochba revolt, the Temple was no longer standing, so there was no longer a Jewish ritual of offering offerings or smoking incense. When the Jewish warriors wanted to use such tools, they used to cut off the tip of the figures in order to abolish the ban on foreign labor.
Amir Ganor, director of the Antiquities Authority’s Anti-Robbery Unit: “Recently, near the Tarkumiya crossing, we identified unauthorized archeological excavations at the site from the time of the Bar Kochba revolt. The information was passed on to the IDF and the Archeology Command Unit in Judea and Samaria. These, went on an operation to capture suspects, but unfortunately, the robbers managed to escape. During their escape, they left behind in the excavation ancient finds, similar to finds now seized in the possession of the suspects. We believe that the findings that have now been seized in Jerusalem came from this site. “