A Temple at Dor

023

Again the telephone rang. An antiquities dealer was calling the professor. From previous calls, Professor Nachman Avigad of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem knew the antiquities dealer. The two men had come to like and trust each other. Each knew what the other wanted and each was willing to supply it.

The professor wanted the opportunity to see what the antiquities dealer had, to study it, to photograph it and to publish it, so that it would not be lost forever to the scholarly world. The antiquities dealer wanted the professor to tell him if the article was a fake, and if it was genuine, what in fact it was or said. Finally, the antiquities dealer wanted the professor to publish the results of his study because this would add considerably to the object’s value on the market.

This time the antiquities dealer had a seal. From it, Professor Avigad would learn of a hitherto unknown Israelite temple which probably lies buried beneath the sands of ancient Dor (see illustration).