Product Description

Discover the hidden secrets of Solomon's Temple and King Herod's expansion of the Temple Mount.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #448545 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 166 pages

Customer Reviews

Flawless methodology
The Ritmeyers have combined a flawless methodology with clear, cogent presentation in this careful, systematic analysis of physical evidence and historical testimony concerning the Temple Mount, the Solomonic and Herodian Temples, and even the proposed location of the Holy of Holies. Although they are honest and straightforward in presenting their own conclusions, the reader is left to his/her own evaluation of the sparse but compelling testimony of key physical landmarks and architectural structures on and around the Temple Mount. A must read for that rare breed of "new archeologists" who are willing to abandon rehashed scholarly tradition in preference for revisiting the oldest, best, and most reliable forensic evidence.

Archeology of the Temple Mount
Initially I was a little disappointed in this booklet because I thought that the "secrets" that it portended to reveal would pertain to how Muslims explain how they have an inalienable, perpetual political and religious "claim" to the Temple Mount (as that was the issue I was researching). Instead, this book is Ritmeyer's archeological analysis of the construction and remodelings of the Temple Mount. From that perspective, this short, small paperback booklet is a very informative analysis as to the various peoples who worked in developing the Temple Mount over several centuries (Jews, Romans, Muslims, Seleucids, Turks). There are numerous photographs that are very helpful in noting the various construction differences, and location maps showing how the Temple Mount and the Muslim Platform were laid out, and nice 3D drawings depicting how the Jewish Temples might have looked -- based upon the stone foundations. Also of interest is some detailing as to how the buildings were constructed; how different stones were used during different periods. Some nice history is presented by explaining the excavations occuring during the 1880s. Ritmeyer's analysis is great, but his claiming that he can show where the "Ark" itself rested does require more "faith" than what he provides as "proof." Only 116 paperback pages of text, but each one is very informative, from an archeologist's perspective.

Interesting look at temple mount and locating Holy of Holies
Ritmeyers prepare a good study and start from the outside rather than the inside and show using maps and charts how the temple mount used to look compared with the appearance of the temple mount today. Facinating read ending up with locating the Holy of Holies.