The earliest archaeological evidence of a relationship between the land of Israel and China has been uncovered by chance in Jerusalem.
A fragment of a porcelain bowl was found on Mount Zion during an archaeological dig carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology (GPIA).
Underneath the object researchers found a rare 16th-century Chinese inscription, reading: “Forever we will guard the eternal spring”.
The joint excavation between the IAA and the GPIA has been underway at Mount Zion for the last three years, with most of the findings uncovered dating from the Byzantine period and earlier to the Second Temple period, which was well over 1,500 years ago.
So excavators from a team led by Professor Dieter Vieweger were amazed to discover the inscription on the same site, which belongs to a later period and has an unexpected origin.
During routine procedures in the summer for the upcoming excavation season, IAA archaeologist, Michael Chernin, spotted the colorful object sticking out of dirt which had been cleared away while the site was being prepared.
When Mr Chernin pulled the fragment out and washed it, he saw there was an inscription on the bottom. Pottery specialist, Dr Anna de Vincenz, identified the inscription as Chinese.
The vessel was then examined by Jingchao Chen, a researcher at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, who deciphered the inscription.
It dates back to 1520-1570 and originated in the Ming Dynasty, according to the experts. The researchers said ancient Chinese porcelain vessels have been found in Israel before, but this was the first to bear an inscription.
How did a dish make its way from China to Mount Zion? Historical writings suggest close 16th-century trade relations between the Chinese Empire and the Ottoman Empire, which ruled the Land of Israel at the time.
About 20 official Ottoman delegations visited the imperial court in Beijing during the 15th-17th centuries, according to Ming Dynasty records. Trade relations between the empires are also described in travel books written by merchants from the same period.
The writings of the Chinese scholar, Ma Li, from 1541 mention colonies of Chinese merchants in Lebanese coastal cities such as Beirut and Tripoli. The work even includes observations on other cities in the region such as Jerusalem, Cairo and Aleppo.
Israel Antiquities Authority Director, Eli Escusido, said: “In archaeological research, evidence of trade relations between merchants in the Land of Israel and the Far East is known even from earlier periods – for example, of various spices.
“But it is fascinating to meet evidence of these relations also in the form of an actual inscription, written in the Chinese language, and in an unexpected place – on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.”
