02x12 - The Curse of the Maccabee Tomb

[bunniefuu]

What does it all mean?

This is where the archeology was found.

Hi how are you?

I need a planter.

A shrine to a bellybutton.

Is this a rock of salt?

Look a that!

Nobody gets in here?

Whoa! Don't take me too far.

Now that's naked archeology.

[theme music]

[SIMCHA] What do a split skull,

the Roman Empire, a m*rder mystery,

and the survival of Western Religion have in common?

You know, that's a question

people have been asking themselves for years.

[SIMCHA] The answer?

This house in an ordinary Jerusalem neighbourhood.

Because under it is a Tomb with a two thousand year old

m*rder victim. The owner of the house

thinks the Tomb belongs to the last King of Israel.

I'm on a quest to discover who is buried in this tomb,

and to find out about the family dynasty

that ruled Israel

and saved Western Religion from extinction.

In BCE ancient Israel was occupied

by the Syrian Greek Empire.

A series of rulers were gradually choking off Judaism

and replacing it with Greek pagan worship.

Monotheism, the worship of one God,

was threatened with extinction.

But in the city of Modi'in, not far from Jerusalem,

a Jewish priest named Matityahu

was asked to perform a sacrifice to the Greek gods.

He refused. I asked archaeologist Alex Weinreb

what the historical sources say happened next.

One of the king's men came to Modi'in

and he said listen Mr. Matthiew

I'll make you a rich famous man,

just give me your offering to our Emperor...

and he disagreed.

One of the guys in his city started to go ahead

to the alter and Matityahu decided it's now or never

and he k*lled the guy and he k*lled all the messengers

from the king and ran off to the hills

and decided we're going to revolt we have no choice.

A peoples revolt.

A peoples revolt.

He and his five sons went to the hills

and led this revolt.

[SIMCHA] The five brothers are known as the Maccabees.

And with a small band of followers...

They fought against the might of the Syrian Greek Empire,

and they won.

They liberated ancient Judea, they liberated Jerusalem

and they reconsecrated the Temple of Jerusalem

to the God of Israel.

[SIMCHA] Every year the Maccabees are celebrated

at Hanukah because without them

the Greeks would have extinguished Judaism,

that would mean Islam and Christianity

would have never happened.

Matityahu's oldest son, Judah,

led a band of against the massive Syrian Greek army.

He regularly ambushed and defeated forces

of or more and would then vanish back into the wilderness.

Judah son of Matityahu is sometimes credited

with inventing guerrilla warfare

and he was so fierce that he was given the nickname

"the hammer", or in ancient Aramaic: Maccabi.

Judah and his forces defeated the Greeks,

expelled them from the Holy Temple

and laid the foundation for a hundred year dynasty,

the Hasmonean Dynasty,

which would protect Judaism from extinction.

But even they couldn't resist the might of Rome.

A hundred years after Judah Maccabee

and his revolt the Romans occupied Jerusalem

and eventually hunted down all the remaining Hasmonean Royalty.

The last King of Israel, Matitiyahu son of Judah,

was exiled to Babylonia, modern day Iraq, where,

according to some sources,

he was ex*cuted by a blow to the back of the head

which split his skull in two.

Two thousand years after the death

of the last Hasmonean king,

Rafael Dilarosa found a tomb in his basement.

A tomb that he believes is connected

to the Hasmonean Dynasty.

Under your house, that's what you have?

This is an amazing looking... this is no ordinary person.

This is a very fancy work. Right?

Right.

[SIMCHA] I wanted to see where the ossuary was found.

Unbelievable

[SIMCHA] Because Rafael tells me

that what was inside the bone box

surprised even the archaeologists.

This is where the beautiful ossuary was found, right here.

[SIMCHA] Could the m*rder victim in this Tomb

be the Last Hasmonean King?

But Matitiyahu son of Judah was k*lled by the Romans

in Babylonia. How did he get to Jerusalem?

If I'm going to connect this tomb to the last Maccabee,

who d*ed a wretched death,

I want to see the Tomb of the first Maccabee

who lived a glorious life.

Every year at Hanukah thousands of pilgrims

travel to the modern city of Modi'in

to pay their respects at the tomb of Judah Maccabee.

Alex Weinreb showed me the tomb.

This is the place that 'til today

all the Israelis and the tourists come,

there's a sign outside the street

saying this is the graves of the Maccabees.

There are about twenty graves here.

Look right there...

What period are we talking about?

It's a late Roman Byzantine type of burial system,

about fifth, sixth century.

So this is like almost years after the Maccabees.

Correct.

But if this is Byzantine it's not even Jewish.

Right.

So you're telling me all these people are coming in Israel,

lighting torches , crying their little eyes out

and they're really crying over some monk

who lived in the seventh century.

The tourists and the Israelis continue to come here

every Hanukkah until we find the real place.

It's good enough. It's in the area called Modi'in.

Look at it, look at it do you want to see a Byzantine grave?

[SIMCHA] This isn't really the Tomb of the Maccabees.

So, now I have two mysteries to solve.

Where are Judah Maccabee and his brothers buried?

And is the m*rder victim in this Tomb

really a Maccabean king?

[police sirens]

[SIMCHA] I'm on the trail of a year old m*rder mystery.

Does the split skull in the Tomb under Rafael Dilarosa's home

belong to the last Maccabee king?

I've also discovered that the Tomb

where everyone celebrates Hanukah

isn't the Tomb of the Maccabees after all.

So I'm looking for the real tomb of the first Maccabee.

The Maccabees forced out Greek occupiers,

but more importantly they fought

and defeated Jewish collaborators

who were assimilated

and were working hand in glove with the Greek Syrians

to help crush monotheism.

In a way, the Maccabean revolt was really a Jewish civil w*r.

The Historian Josephus writes

that Judah Maccabee was finally k*lled in battle in BCE.

And when his brother Simon took over

he built a family Tomb for the five brothers and their father.

I asked Alex Weinreb if Josephus left us any clues

concerning the Tomb.

There it's written that Shimon built

after his brothers got k*lled and his father d*ed

a monumental grave, on the graves of the forefathers

in the city of Modi'in that was high with seven pyramids

that you could see it from the ocean.

That was known all through history

until the crusader period.

We had Osevious in the fourth century

and Heronomous in the fifth and the Madaba maps...

It was a monumental structure, pyramids,

over the graves of the Maccabees.

It was huge.

It's huge.

For hundreds and hundreds of years.

years at least it's been written down

that it's been noticed so where is it today

people want to know, people want to go back to their routes.

I want to know.

I want to know too.

[SIMCHA] So Josephus tells us

we're looking for a monumental tomb.

He also says it had an ocean view.

And Alex Weinreb mentioned a map, the Madaba Map,

which might also have a clue. So I drove to Jordan.

Here in Madaba is a mosaic map

made in the sixth century, the oldest map

of the holyland in existence.

Dr. Konstantinos Politis showed me evidence

that the mapmakers knew exactly

where the tomb of the Maccabees was.

There is not other map of this period which helps us,

and some of the buildings within Jerusalem

and many other smaller towns, cities...

So this shows the graves of the Maccabees.

See Ma-cca-beo... and you see these towers?

Exactly like Josephus says

and it says Modi'in here, right? Modi'in.

[SIMCHA] This ancient map shows

the Tomb of the Maccabees was monumental,

and it's right next to ancient Modi'in.

Ancient Modi'in wasn't just a tiny village.

It was a city with a synagogue

where the Maccabee revolt began.

The problem is no one knows where ancient Modi'in was.

But Josephus and the Talmud say that Modi'in

should be sixteen miles Northwest of Jerusalem.

So now I know what I'm looking for.

Lost! One monumental Tomb...

with an ocean view.

Sixteen miles Northwest of Jerusalem

next to the city of Modi'in!

Using this check list I found three candidates

for the Tomb of the Maccabees.

All of them the right distance from Jerusalem.

And to my surprise, the first one was actually

a pyramid shaped tomb, just as Josephus describes.

This is an Arab mosque for somebody called Sheik,

Sheik Irbali of the West... and the stones they took,

look at the stones, this is the entrance of a door,

this they took to build the sheiks place,

it could be a Hasmonean entrance.

These stones were taken from a previous building nearby.

[SIMCHA] This obviously isn't the tomb of the Maccabees.

But if the sheik took these stones from an earlier tomb,

maybe he also took the design that he saw here,

the pyramid shape described in Josephus.

The answer to this question may be right next door

at the second candidate for the tomb of the Maccabees.

A pillar stood here, no question.

Yeah there's giant stones all over the place.

You can see behind you.

I mean this is not a small little house

for a person living.

This is a big building or a big grave.

The distance is okay.

You can see the ocean when the trees weren't there.

I'm sure you could see from here.

I'm sure you could see the ocean.

I think it's a very good candidate,

an extremely good candidate.

But there were always problems with this.

The distance is a little too far,

and there were no real artifacts to be found.

I think it's a very good candidate.

[SIMCHA] There's one thing missing:

Ancient Modi'in.

And there's no sign of an ancient city

anywhere near here.

So this isn't the Tomb of Judah Maccabee

and his brothers.

But is this the Tomb of Matityahu,

the last royal descendent of Judah?

When archaeologists tried to find out

who the bones belonged to

they discovered that the tomb may be cursed.

[SIMCHA] I'm trying to find the Tomb of Judah Maccabee,

where everyone should be celebrating Hanukah.

I'm also trying to discover the identity

of the m*rder victim buried under this Jerusalem home.

Is the victim the last Hasmonean King?

The last of the dynasty founded by Judah Maccabee?

But before I continue

Rafael Dilarosa wants to warn me of something

that he thinks might stop my investigation.

But nothing stops the Naked Archaeologist.

Well, almost nothing.

It seems that when archaeologists took the bones

to the University for analysis

strange things began to happen...

[SIMCHA] But that wasn't all.

A second archaeologist was called in

to take the place of the first.

[SIMCHA] It's not that I'm worried about a curse.

But before I go back into the Tomb,

there's one other thing I want to check out...

So far I've examined two candidates

for the Tomb of the Maccabees.

The first belonged to an Arab Sheik.

The second looked good, but ancient sources say

it should be next to ancient Modi'in.

And Ancient Modi'in was nowhere to be found.

But in the modern city of Modi'in was expanding

and bulldozers found an ancient structure.

Alex Weinreb showed it to me.

Look at this. Look at this stone,

I'm walking over monumental,

you could see a monumental building

and these are monumental... you saw it opened.

You go down into an arched entrance to the grave.

I have a picture here for you.

This is a big grave. This is big.

This is one single person's?

This is probably a family grave.

I think they went on the top of the hill

and built up there a giant monumental grave

but the actual bones were buried here

in the family grave.

Would you see the ocean from on top of the hill?

You'd see the ocean from up there.

I was excited at the other candidate,

but you can't argue with monumental structures like this.

[SIMCHA] This tomb seems to have it all...

And if it is the Tomb of the Maccabees,

the ancient map at Madaba suggests

that the long lost ancient city of Modi'in

should be right across the road.

And when archaeologists looked they found ruins,

which seemed to date to Hasmonean times.

You have here streets and you have here houses.

You have here a bathhouse.

You have here a synagogue

which is the oldest synagogue pre-temple destruction period.

We even found the micvah that we're gonna go to in a minute...

And they declare that this is ancient Modi'in.

Micvah is a pool, a pool for purification.

A ritual bath, right?

Where's the synagogue?

I'll take you there right now.

Let's go to the micvah. Imagine Friday afternoon.

On a Friday afternoon Yehuda Maccabee and his brothers

would go to the synagogue and first they would

purify themselves from their week's duty

and they would go down.

This is incredible...

Wow. This is incredible.

A ritual bath from Maccabean Hasmonean times...

You purify yourself, you come out,

you pray in the synagogue and you go to battle...

I mean Judah the Maccabee and his brothers

may very well have purified themselves in this ritual bath.

[SIMCHA] Is this where the Maccabean revolt started?

Archaeologists now believe that it is.

And if this is Modi'in, then this may well be the Tomb

of Judah Maccabee and his brothers.

So if we now know where the Hasmonean Dynasty started,

is this the cursed Tomb where it all ended?

Let's go. Comon guys.

[SIMCHA] Rafael Dilarosa found a tomb containing a skull

split in two right under his house.

A two thousand year old m*rder mystery.

Is this the tomb of Matityahu son of Judah,

the last king of Israel who was m*rder*d in Babylonia?

By the time the Romans took over

and Matatyahu was exiled the Hasmonean dynasty

had become as Greek as the occupiers

they overthrew more than a hundred years earlier.

But they did accomplished one critical task.

They rescued Monotheism.

And so at Rafael Dilarosa's home, archaeologists kept looking.

[SIMCHA] Through the secret passage,

And in that room, an ancient inscription.

The inscription is written by a priest named Abba

who traveled from Jerusalem to Babylonia.

The mission, he says, is to bring back the bones

of Matityahu, son of Judah, and bury him here, in Jerusalem.

And this is, this is where the inscription is.

[SIMCHA] The archaeologists were mystified.

Where was the priest, Abba?

There was a niche for his bone box, but no bone box.

If the priest wasn't buried here was the inscription true?

Maybe the bones in the other room

belong to Abba and the King isn't here at all.

The archaeologists searched for six months and found nothing.

They closed the investigation and went home.

For the next decade

Rafael Dilarosa wondered what they had missed.

It's hard to tell whether its solid or not.

But twelve years after the archaeologists left,

haunted by the mystery, Rafael returned to the tomb.

This is amazing.

[SIMCHA] If he could find what archaeologists had not,

he might be able to prove that under his house

lies the last Maccabean king of Israel.

This is really amazing.

There's a false bottom here everybody's looking up there.

Ya.

Ya right they're looking at the inscription

I'm buried here, there's a niche right over there.

You'd expect it to be there. The archeologist's are fooled.

Ehm.

You come in here.

I come in here.

You find it.

Nobody take it. I find it, why? I don't know.

[SIMCHA] For two thousand years

the remains of the last Hasmonean king of Israel

were lost.

But Rafael Dilarosa's astonishing discovery,

more than a decade after the archaeologists gave up

seems to confirm the identity of the bones in this tomb.

After Rafael pleaded for more than ten years,

archaeologists returned the bones of Matityahu

and Rafael reburied them here,

where a faithful priest had carefully laid them to rest

two thousand years ago.

The curse was lifted, and life went back to normal,

in this not so ordinary Jerusalem neighbourhood.

As for the Maccabees, the founders of the dynasty?

Well, without them, Judaism might have disappeared.

And with it, Christianity and Islam.

So this year I decided to take my family

to the real ancient Modi'in and celebrate Hanukah

and remember the band of brothers

who saved western civilization.