December 5 2007 – 25 Kislev 5768
The Elad foundation announced the discovery of Queen Helene’s of Adiabene’s palace in Jerusalem, in the Givati excavation just north of the City of David. More conservatively described as the home of a wealthy first century Jerusalemite, the discovery was nevertheless a perfect opportunity to highlight the personality of Queen Helene, a Jewish convert and queen mother of the kingdom of Adiabene in Asia minor in the first century.
Jewish historian of the period Josephus devotes whole chapters to the story of Helene and her son King Monbaz II, both of whom converted and came to Jerusalem as pilgrims. Finding the city suffering under a famine, they distributed aid, helped the needy and fixed Helene’s abode in Jerusalem. She’s mentioned in the Mishna for having donated a gold chandelier to the Temple, while Monbaz is commemorated for having the handles of all the Temple vessels used on Yom Kippur dipped in gold (Tractate Yoma ch. 3). Helene’s sukkah, where she entertained the sages, is also mentioned in Tractate Sukkah.
One of the tombs in the nearby Kings’ Tombs area next to the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood is said to belong to the royal family of Adiabene, including Helene and Monbaz. Helene Street in Jerusalem is also named for the righteous queen.
Tamar HayardeniFirst century residence in the City of David excavation