Gabriel Barkay, archaeologist who found early biblical texts, dies at 81

Gabriel Barkay, one of Israel’s leading biblical archaeologists, died on Sunday in Jerusalem at 81, his daughter Naama Barkay said. She said he died in a care facility from complications of an autoimmune disease. Dr. Barkay spent more than 50 years leading digs in and around Jerusalem and earned a reputation as the "dean" of biblical archaeologists.

In the late 1970s he examined burial caves where he found a pair of silver amulets from the mid-600s B.C. that contained scrolls; after years of careful work the Paleo-Hebrew text was opened and translated in 1986 and contained a priestly benediction from the book of Numbers. He said the find was the oldest instance of writing from the Bible and argued it showed Old Testament writing began earlier than many historians had thought.

He described himself as a "maximalist" in debates over ancient Jerusalem, using burial-site placement to argue the city had been larger than some scholars claimed. Dr. Barkay was a public-facing scholar, appearing on television and in documentaries, giving frequent public lectures and training tour guides.

Key Topics

World, Gabriel Barkay, Jerusalem, Temple Mount, Silver Amulets, Paleo-hebrew