Daily Archives: July 18, 2011

Jim Joyner shares some photos of an exhibit at the Hecht Museum, University of Haifa, in Haifa, Israel. These photos show a reconstructed primitive vertical loom.

Weaving Loom with weights from Yodefat. Hecht Museum, Haifa. Photo by J. Joyner.

Yodefat (Jotapata, and various spellings) was the home of Josephus, commander of the Jewish forces in Galilee. The loom weights and whorls were excavated at Yodefat and Gamla. Most of the weights are made of clay, but a few are made of clay and lead.

Loom weights from Yodefat and Gamla. Hecht Museum, Haifa. Photo: J. Joyner.

Yodefat was one of the first towns to feel the terror of the Roman army in A.D. 66 when they entered Galilee. The map below from BibleAtlas.org marks the site of (Khirbet) Cana (not traditional Kerf Cana). Note Jotapata a few miles west of Cana.

Note location of Jotapata and (Khirbet) Cana. Map by BibleAtlas.org.

For those who might have an interest in following up on the site of Jotapata (Yodefat, Yodfat), I suggest you begin at Bible Walks here. References to the account by Josephus in the Jewish Wars are also given.

Thanks, Jim.