Earliest Known Chinese Inscription in Israel – From Approximately 500 Years Ago, Discovered in Jerusalem
The earliest archaeological evidence of the relationship between the Land of Israel and China was uncovered in Jerusalem on Mount Zion in an archaeological dig jointly conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Protestant Institute of Archaeology. A rare 16th century CE Chinese inscription was discovered on a porcelain bowl fragment, reading: “Forever we will guard the eternal spring.”
For the past three years, a joint excavation project between the Israel Antiquities Authority and the German Protestant Institute of Archeology (GPIA) has been underway at Mount Zion. Most of the findings uncovered in the excavation, led by Prof. Dieter Vieweger, date from the Byzantine period and earlier to the Second Temple period – well over 1,500 years ago. Against this background, the excavators were amazed to discover this inscription on the site, which belongs to a later period and has an unexpected origin.
This past summer, during routine procedures for the upcoming excavation season, Michael Chernin, an archaeologist at the Israel Antiquities Authority, suddenly spotted a colorful object sticking out of the dirt that had been cleared away while preparing the site. When Michael pulled out the object and washed it, he recognized that there was an inscription on its bottom. Dr. Anna de Vincenz, pottery specialist, identified the inscription to be Chinese. At this point— the vessel was examined by the Hebrew University in Jerusalem’s researcher Jingchao Chen, who deciphered the inscription as reading, “We will forever guard the eternal spring.”
The bowl dates back to 1520-1570, and originated in the Ming Dynasty. “Ancient Chinese porcelain vessels were previously found in Israel, but this is the first to bear an inscription,” say the researchers. How did a dish make its way from China to Mount Zion? Historical writings indicate close 16th century trade relations between the Chinese Empire and the Ottoman Empire, then ruling the Land of Israel. According to Ming Dynasty annals, about 20 official Ottoman delegations visited the imperial court in Beijing during the 15th-17th centuries.
The trade relations between these empires are also described in travel books of merchants from this period. Thus, the writings of the Chinese scholar Ma Li from 1541 note colonies of Chinese merchants in Lebanese coastal cities such as Beirut and Tripoli. The work even mentions other important cities in the region such as Jerusalem, Cairo and Aleppo.
According to Israel Antiquities Authority Director Eli Escusido, “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!”
