Another High Tech Tool

[Minimalist]

https://aleteia.org/2020/05/15/high-tec ... -accuracy/

High-tech Israeli research lab carbon dates with extreme accuracy

The Weizmann Institute’s good works have already made an impact on what we know of history. A 2017 report from Phys.org records an instance where the Dangoor AMS machine was able to change the known date of a Jerusalem tower by nearly a millennium. They wrote:

Based on pottery and other regional findings, the archaeologists had originally assigned it a date of 1,700 BCE. But new research conducted at the Weizmann Institute of Science provides conclusive evidence that the stones at the base of the tower were laid nearly 1,000 years later.

[Simon21]

Sounds extremely dodgy. What tower in Jersulalem was dated to 1700 BC in the first place? And such a misdating would be obvious surely - cultural context etc.

[Minimalist]

The bible thumpers have an inherent desire to constantly try to date everything as early as possible.

Redating to the 8th century would put the building solidly in line with the expansion of the city under King Hezekiah which took place as Judah became part of the Arabian trade network of the Assyrian empire. Archaeologists have already noted a rapid increase in population at that time.

[Simon21]

That would put it in the "could be" category.


Unfortuantely one has to be sceptical of anything that comes out of nationalist Israel - as with other countries such as India frantically trying to rearrange their past toi suit a particular ethnic group.

One is reminded of the highly embarrasing incident under Yigael Yadin where a "martyr of Massadda" was given a state burial, only for years later for it to be established that he had probably buried a Roman soldier who had conquered the place.

[Minimalist]

The whole Masada story has holes in it wide enough to drive a truck through.

But Flavius Silva's ramp is still there.