BAR Interview: Yigal Shiloh—Last Thoughts, Part II

Yigal Shiloh, director of the City of David Excavations in Jerusalem from 1978 to 1985, died last November at the age of 50. Less than five months before his death, Shiloh was interviewed by BAR editor Hershel Shanks. In Part I of the interview (“BAR Interview: Yigal Shiloh—Last Thoughts,” BAR 14:02), which appeared in our March/April 1988 issue, Shiloh revealed details of his courageous two-year battle against stomach cancer. He also discussed his excavation methods and the spectacular finds from his Jerusalem dig. Printed below is part II of this interview.—Ed.

HS: One area I’m very curious about is the bullae house where you found 51 inscribed bullae. But you had to stop without excavating the whole building. You couldn’t go farther down eastward, down the slope. I wonder what’s in the rest of that house.

YS: We had to stop for a simple reason. This was the border of our excavation. Forget about the conflicts with the religious authorities. This was the border of our excavation, between the land owned by the state and by the Moslem religious authorities. And I am a man of law. I really care.