Top 10 Discoveries of 2009 - Rubaiyat Pot - Jerusalem, Israel

Rina Avner of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) didn't initially know what to make of an unusual ceramic fragment unearthed at a housing construction site in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. Not only was the sherd covered with a brilliant turquoise glaze and scrolling black floral designs, but it also was inscribed with a line of text. At first, Avner and her team assumed it was in Arabic or Turkish, since both languages were used in the city. But the text was Persian and, once translated, found to be a line from the Rubaiyat, a collection of four-line verses (rubaais) written by Omar Khayyam (A.D. 1048-1131), the renowned medieval Persian poet, mathematician, and astronomer. The Rubaiyat is considered his masterpiece and the central work of Persian literature.

[image]

(Clara Amit, Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)

Although vessels inscribed with Persian verses have been found elsewhere in regions once under ancient Persia's cultural influence, this is the first time such a discovery has been made in Israel. "The surprise lies in the content of this particular find," says Yuval Baruch, IAA Jerusalem district archaeologist. "Usually in archaeology, we don't find things that so directly speak to the lyrical or literary soul of Jerusalemites during this period." The vessel, which may have been decorative or used to store oil, dates from the 12th or 13th century a.d. and was made in Persia. It was discovered together with some coins in Middle Ages construction fill, leaving Avner to explain exactly how this vessel ended up in Jerusalem. Was it imported by merchants for sale in the bazaar or a gift to a lover? Is the story of its journey to Jerusalem as romantic as the lines of poetry painted on its surface?

More Top Discoveries of 2009