Graffiti of knight from Middle Ages discovered in King David’s Tomb

JERUSALEM POST STAFF

IAA researchers discovered an inscription bearing the name and family emblem of a Swiss noble who made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1466.

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An inscription bearing the name of Swiss noble Adrian von Bubenberg, discovered in King David’s Tomb in Jerusalem / (photo credit: SHAI HALEVI / ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY)

A piece of graffiti bearing the name of Knight Adrian von Bubenberg along with his family emblem was discovered on the wall of King David’s Tomb on Mount Zion, in Israel’s capital of Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Thursday.

Found as part of the IAA’s research project documenting pilgrims’ inscriptions, the researchers discovered the graffiti bearing the name of the Swiss noble, who was dubbed a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre following his pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1466.

More than 40 inscriptions belonging to both Christian and Muslim pilgrims, in several languages, were discovered during the IAA’s project.

The research results were announced in a conference titled New Archaeological Studies in Jerusalem and the Vicinity, jointly held with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University on Wednesday.

Who was Adrian von Bubenberg?

Bubenberg, born in 1424, was labeled a Swiss national hero for military conquests across Europe, specifically in the Battle of Morat, fought as part of the Burgundian Wars of the 15th century.

He died in 1479 and was buried in the Bern Minster, the cathedral of Switzerland’s de-facto capital Bern, where he was mayor for three separate terms.

A bronze monument displaying the likeness of von Bubenberg can be found in the Swiss capital’s old city, in the Bubenbergplatz Plaza, named after the Middle Ages nobleman.

Statue of Adrian von Bubenberg, in Bern, Switzerland (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Why was his name inscribed on the walls of King David’s Tomb?

The IAA project leaders, Michael Chernin and Shai Halevi, explained that “in the Mamluk period [of control of the Land of Israel], the building complex adjacent to the traditional tomb of King David was owned by the monks of the Franciscan Catholic Order.

“The building served as a monastery and a hostel for the Western pilgrims, who left their mark on the walls,” they said, noting that “technological methods developed today enable reading the faded inscriptions.”

These technologies use multispectral photography, the IAA said. By using different wavelengths invisible to the human eye, these ancient inscriptions that have since faded and been erased can be viewed.

“Believers, pilgrims and visitors seeking to make contact with sanctified Jerusalem, left traces that the IAA researchers reveal and record on a daily basis,” according to authority director Eli Escusido. 

“All these remains contribute to the fascinating picture,” he said: “Research carried out in Jerusalem embraces religions and cultures worldwide.”

‘Diplomatic Achievement’: Israel Signs Lebanon Border Agreement, Ending Decades-Long Dispute

Sharon Wrobel

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid at a signing ceremony for the Israel-Lebanon Maritime Border Argreement Credit: Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO)

Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday signed the US-mediated maritime border agreement with Lebanon resolving a decades-long dispute over territorial rights and the exploitation of gas reserves in the Mediterranean Sea.

“This agreement strengthens Israel’s security and our freedom of action against Hezbollah and the threats to our north,” Lapid remarked at the start of the special cabinet meeting for the approval of the maritime agreement. “There is rare consensus in the security establishment regarding the necessity of this agreement.”

Lapid noted that Defense Minister Benny Gantz, the IDF, the Mossad, and the security establishment backed the agreement and its necessity for Israel’s security and operational needs. The breakthrough of the landmark deal mediated by US envoy Amos Hochstein comes just days before Israel is headed to its fifth election within three and a half years on Nov. 1.

The signing ceremony was held at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem after Israel’s cabinet convened to vote on the approval of the maritime boundary agreement between the two countries which don’t have diplomatic relations. Earlier Lebanese President Michel Aoun signed a letter approving the deal in Baada.

Lapid hailed the agreement as a “historic” and “tremendous achievement” by the government contributing to national “security, economically, diplomatically, and in energy.”

“It is not every day that an enemy country recognizes the State of Israel, in a written agreement, in view of the international community,” Lapid asserted. “It is not every day the United States and France stand behind us and provide security and economic guarantees for an agreement.”

During the ongoing indirect talks leading up to the formulation of the agreement, the head of Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization Hassan Nasrallah escalated threats to attack Israeli targets in the Karish gas field, located south of the previously contested sea border area, if there is no understanding on the maritime border demarcation.

According to Orna Mizrahi, a senior analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies, the agreement is a compromise but serves the interests and benefits of both countries in terms of regional stability and security that in turn may attract more investment to develop gas reserves.

A permanent demarcation of the maritime border between two countries can be viewed as Lebanese recognition of Israel, according to Mizrahi.

“Despite the indirect talks and the Lebanese effort to prevent any sign of normalization, due to Hezbollah’s determined opposition, the agreement reflects a fundamental change in the relations between the two states,” Mizrahi said. “It pulls the rug out from under Hezbollah’s claims that Israel is an illegitimate entity that should not be recognized; proves that Hezbollah is not omnipotent in Lebanon and is also forced to compromise; and may contribute to a positive change in the Lebanese public’s perception of Israel and create an opening for future progress in relations.”

News From Israel- October 26, 2022

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