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THE MENTION of the place name Valley of Rephaim brings immediately to mind dramatic events in the life of the people of Israel, particularly the wars with Israel’s mortal enemy, the Philistines, who suffered two decisive defeats here by the Israelite armies under the leadership of their great warrior-king, David, but not before he had first sought the guidance of the God of Israel with the question: “Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt Thou deliver them into mine hand?” (2 Sam. 5:19). David’s unshakeable faith in his God ensured that the issue would never be in doubt: “And David did so, as the LORD had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer” (2 Sam. 5:25). The Valley of Rephaim is about four kilometres southwest of Jerusalem.

The Australian archaeologist, David K.Down, writes in his archaeological journal Diggings of discoveries made by him and his team of workers during their labours in the Valley of Rephaim from 1986 to 1989. It is most interesting to read in Diggings that the eastern side of the valley is dotted with stones; and the archaeologists had no doubt that this was a result of the clearance of the land to prepare it for cultivation, as stated in Isaiah 5:1,2: “My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: and he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein . . .”.

The excavations revealed that a number of stones from collapsed houses of the era 1400- 750 B.C. had been piled up in heaps by Roman farmers of a later period, and these had to be removed, together with the topsoil that had accumulated. It was then that the underlying stonework came into view, and also a “high neat wall”. One of the finds in a floor level of packed earth was “the top half of a delicate perfume jar”, which was likened to that used in the anointing of the feet of Jesus (Lk. 7:37), the difference being that the one used there was made of alabaster. The nether stone of a hand mill and also a portion of the upper stone were also unearthed. Before David Down and his helpers arrived a quern (hand mill) used in the grinding of grains and spices had been found.

It seems that querns were often made of conglomerate stone, the rough surface of which was ideal for grinding the grain. The stone, however, disintegrates gradually in the process of grinding so that some of the gritty particles would, inevitably, amalgamate with the bread; this explains why so many of the skulls discovered revealed badly worn teeth.

One group of workers on a nearby site discovered ancient glass, the surface of which had become translucent with age and reflected the colours of the rainbow. Also found were Roman coins and a mortar buried in the floor. In regard to millstones and mortars David Down draws attention to what Moses wrote concerning the manna: “And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills (handmills, NIV), or beat it in a mortar...” (Num. 11:8). Another interesting find was that of painted pottery, with colours that were still clearly defined despite having been buried for more than 3,000 years. Yet another striking discovery was that of a surgical instrument made of bronze, confirming previous knowledge that surgical operations have been performed from earliest times. Excavations at Jericho revealed skulls with “a neat square hole cut in the top of the skull”; and evidence that such patients continued to live was seen in the fact that “the edges of the holes had begun to grow together again”.

The archaeologists were somewhat puzzled at the discovery of animal bones, which proved to be those of pigs and mice; and, although David Down could not readily see the connection between pigs and mice, he had recourse to the Scripture record, and for him the explanation lay in what the prophet Isaiah denounced as a pagan practice among a section of the people of Jerusalem: “They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD” (Isa. 66:17).

It was quite obvious that the partaking of “swine’s flesh” and “the mouse” was part of a pagan ritual, practices which had been strictly forbidden by the God of Israel. David Down and his assistants then excavated an area which they found to have been terraced, and there, clearly, was evidence of orchards having been on the site, which convinced them that this was the location of “the gardens” and “tree” alluded to by the prophet Isaiah in the previous paragraph, the very site where the pagan rites of the eating of “swine’s flesh” and “the mouse” took place. Proof that this was a cult site was forthcoming in the discovery of the foundations of a temple only about forty metres from the bones of the pigs and mice, a place of worship being indicated in the size of the rooms, which were distinctly larger than those of the usual houses unearthed in the area, and also because of the fact that “in the centre of the main room of this structure was a neat hole about 2 metres in diameter lined with stones, and in this hole was the skeleton of a pregnant sheep. The bones of a foetal lamb were found beneath the rib cage”.

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