Deep in the TIP (p. 1)

If a picture's worth a thousand words, here's 3,000:





The Israel Philatelist, a 36-page bi-monthly technical journal published by The Society of Israel Philatelists, vol. LVII No. 3, June 2006, cover & pp. 100-3: "Part 1 (Flying Scroll) Digging Deeper Into the 1948 Festival Stamps".

To the best of my knowledge (which is extensive on this subject, but not yet exhaustive), this is the first time an actual LMLK handle has been photographed & published alongside the 1948 postage. I love this color photo, but unfortunately, the printer's resolution was not clear enough for you to discern that the blue 20-mil under the handle on the right contains the "ISR'AEL" error (1 out of every 300 20-mils had it). I added a close-up of this rarity to the Postage page of the LMLK Research site last week.

Since the editor could not assure me that the photo would be included in this issue (especially on the cover), the article does not state the provenance of the 2 Z2U handles, but they're ID numbers 53 & 47 from the Redondo Beach collection. (Note that Robert Deutsch has recently offered what I believe to be the best-known Z2U specimen [LMLK Dotcom ID# 90].)

Section headings:

"In the Beginning"
"LMLK Handles for Dummies"
"Type Z2U = Ziph, 2-Winged Icon, Undivided Inscription"
"Let's Make a Date"
"Let There Be (Winged) Light"
"Can You Handle This?"
"What's in a Name?"
"Examine Your Collection"

I only received 1 copy (& quite banged up at that), but hope to obtain several extra copies soon & make them available from The LMLK Dotcom Shop.

I have no way of knowing at this point whether Part 2 will appear in the next issue, but all 3 parts were submitted back in January.

Song of the week: "Una Tarde de Verano" by Sarband (click here for a 29-second sample; 359kb).
G.M. Grena

Pour Some More!

This week's article seems to continue where July 1st's Kosher Congress left off.

"The Israeli wine revolution continues & is strengthening, crossing political lines & geographic terrain in search of depth of taste" &, "preparing for the day that wine libations are once again offered in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem," according to a report by Ezra HaLevi this week in Arutz-7 entitled "Fruit of the Land - Israel´s Wine Revolution":

Producing kosher wine, by definition, necessitates not only Avoda Ivrit (Hebrew labor) - that Jews perform every step of the process - but that the winemakers be intimately in touch with the soil, rainfall & topography of their vineyards.

(Excessively redundant plug for pp. 75-6 & 377-8 of my book.)

The article features 8 vintners, but 3 in particular caught my attention being near 2 important LMLK sites: Beth Shemesh & Hebron.

The Ella Valley Winery is located near ancient winepresses in the Gush Etzion-Beit Shemesh region (a depiction of the ancient wine-presses appears on their labels). It is 7 years old & the winemaker said it takes 4 or 5 years for grapes to reach a maturity necessary to produce wine. In any event, according to Jewish law, fruit of the tree & vine cannot be used in the first 3 years as it has the Biblical status of "orla".

(Note: 1 LMLK handle was found at Nes Harim, which is the primary vineyard of Ella Valley east of Beth Shemesh. Details of it have never been published.)

Wine was a crucial part of the services & sacrifices in the Holy Temple, & the regions north & south of Jerusalem were covered with vines & speckled with wine-presses. Winemaker Yoram Cohen of Tanya Winery, was "infected with the wine bug" after helping his father produce wine from grapes harvested by local Jewish farmers in the southern Hevron Hills. The grapes used by Cohen were grown in the Hevron Hills & Gush Etzion, as well as the Samarian towns of Dolev & Har Bracha. The vines in Har Bracha are on the side of the highest mountain in the region, overlooking Shechem & Joseph's Tomb. The grapes are all harvested at night to ensure that the fermentation process does not begin prematurely.

Another winery whose popularity has taken the market by storm by proudly marketing its location in the center of the Biblical heartland is the Noah/Hevron Heights Winery, the brainchild & inspiration of a group of dedicated and committed French Jewish immigrants to Israel - to bring kosher winemaking back to the original site of Jewish habitation in the Land of Israel. They produce wines with names like "Isaac’s Ram" & "Makhpelah Special Reserve", made with grapes grown near Hevron’s Makhpela Cave of the Patriarchs where the Jewish patriarchs are buried. Hevron Heights Winery's "Isaac's Ram Cabernet" depicts the ram sent by God to Abraham to sacrifice instead of his son Isaac.

It's way cool to see the traditions continuing despite so many historical obstacles such as the present conflict surrounding Israel!

(Late-breaking news: I just received my copy of the latest Israel Philatelist magazine featuring my article with a color cover photo! Details next week...)

Song of the week (leftover from last week): "Summer's Rain" by Savatage (click the song title to visit Amazon; click here for a 23-second sample; 284kb).
G.M. Grena

Israel's Upside-Down Defense

You've probably already heard something like this by now:

this is the truth

if Israel turns things upside down

they can't be the best country in the world

I would be lying to you if I said

that they have a great future ahead

that they will live in safety

that their economy will be strong

that their children will be healthy, get an education, & have jobs

above all else you must know

their country does not deserve such things

& I am convinced of this because I know the Israeli people

corruption & hypocrisy are in their nature

I refuse to believe under any circumstances that

they could be a great country to live in

thanks to the Israel Defense Forces

Israel is sinking to new depths, but

there are even more surprises to come

Israel has only one destiny

& whether you like it or not

this is the truth

you should know that I, G.M. Grena, believe exactly the opposite

this is the truth

& whether you like it or not

Israel has only one destiny

there are even more surprises to come

Israel is sinking to new depths, but

thanks to the Israel Defense Forces

they could be a great country to live in

I refuse to believe under any circumstances that

corruption & hypocrisy are in their nature

& I am convinced of this because I know the Israeli people

their country does not deserve such things

above all else you must know

that their children will be healthy, get an education, & have jobs

that their economy will be strong

that they will live in safety

that they have a great future ahead

I would be lying to you if I said

they can't be the best country in the world

if Israel turns things upside down

this is the truth

(Note: I apologize for the brief departure from a "royal" theme, but I read the above this week tailored for a political election in the country of Argentina, & could not resist adapting it to Israel. The verses could easily be adapted for just about any other country, but somehow seemed more appropriate due to the renewed attacks on Israel reported this week.)

Song of the week: "Lawyers, Guns, & Money" by Warren Zevon (click the song title to visit Amazon; click here for a 26-second sample; 324kb).
G.M. Grena

Barakat Brick

I saw this 14.5" x 14.5" inscription in person in Beverly Hills a couple of years ago, & noticed that it's still available for sale on the Barakat Gallery website:



My picture is just a negative grayscale version of the color photo on their website so that it can still be available here for viewing in case they sell it & remove it from their website.

At first I doubted whether the gigantic cuneiform letters actually say what the dealer says it does:

"Shalmanessar, great king, mighty king, king of the world, king of Assyria, son of Assurnasirpal, great king, mighty king, king of the world, king of Assyria, descendant of Tukulti-Ninurta, king of the world, king of Assyria, [brick for] the erection of the ziggurat of the city of Kalhu."

This is attributed to Shalmaneser #3, the one to whom the Israelite king, Jehu, bowed on the famous Black Obelisk found at Nimrud (ancient Kalhu) in northern Iraq, now at the British Museum; it's not the same guy (Shalmaneser #5) usually associated with 2Kings 17:3.

The "brick" looks & sounds more like a stela fragment; it's made of stone. Also, this doesn't resemble bricks from the later Babylonian kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar I've seen, which are much smaller, & actually made of clay rather than stone. Here are some samples of excellent specimens that sold on eBay over the past few years:



"Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, provisioner of Esagil & Esida/Ezida, prime son of Nabopolassar. King of Babylon I am. Ebabbara, the temple of Shamash in Larsa, I restored as it was before for Shamash, my lord."

Makes me wonder if inscriptions like this were the inspiration for Dr. Seuss' Sam-I-Am. Anyway, as strange as Barakat's brick first seemed to me when I walked into their gallery, I found a reference to other specimens of it at the British Museum &, oddly enough, the Library of Congress! A comparison of the photos indeed shows the same letters!

Song of the week: "Lost Temple" by David Arkenstone (click the song title to visit Amazon; click here for a 28-second sample; 347kb).
G.M. Grena

Kosher Congress

News you're not likely to read on any other blogs related to Biblical archeology (courtesy of Martin Davidson, Director of Communications, Royal Wine Corp):

Jay Buchsbaum, VP of Marketing for Royal Wines, premiered a hosting of kosher/Israeli wines to members of the Senate and House of Representatives last week. Prominent politicians such as Joe Lieberman & Henry Waxman joined with Bermuda's governor in applauding the quality & sophistication of the wines served.

Buchsbaum communicated the subtleties required in koshering the wine & explained the remarkable facelift experienced by Israeli wines in the marketplace, thanks to improved techniques, enhanced skills, & quality care. Members of the House Committee Wine Caucus readily concurred in toasting the new standards carved by Royal & Herzog wines, domestically & the current portfolio of modern Israeli wines.

This was a rare occasion where there was unanimous agreement without the bi-partisan divisions usually found in the House!

(I can't resist inserting a plug for pp. 75-6 & 377-8 of my book here.)

Meanwhile, 5,000 miles away in an unrelated event, Israel hosted Terravino 2006 in Tel Aviv--the first international wine competition ever held in Israel.

Song of the week: "How Much Is Enough?" by The Fixx (click the song title to visit Amazon; click here for a 27-second sample; 335kb).
G.M. Grena