Grave Robber Chase Reveals Ancient Holy Land Church: (I want this job!)

The pursuit of a gang of grave robbers has led to the discovery of an ancient church outside Jerusalem that may contain the burial place of the biblical prophet Zechariah, Israeli authorities said on Wednesday.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/348d50dd0764.jpg[/atsimg]
A view of a mosaic in the archaeological site where an ancient church was found in Hirbet Madras, central Israel. Israeli archaeologists say they have uncovered a 1,500-year-old church, including an unusually well-preserved mosaic floor with images of lions, foxes, fish and peacocks.

The hill-top church was destroyed by an earthquake some 1,300 years ago and lay partly buried until detectives from Israel's Antiquities Authority, pursuing a gang of antiquity thieves, noticed an elaborate doorpost poking through the earth. The robbers got away -- they were caught a few months later at a site nearby -- but after weeks of digging, archaeologists uncovered the remains of the church. It was about the size of a basketball court and contained fallen marble pillars and a nearly pristine 10-metre-long mosaic floor.

The claim, which a number of experts have based on Christian sources and an ancient diagram known as the Madaba Map, has not been proved and is still being studied, they said. "It's been years since we've made a find like this," said Amir Ganor, head of the Antiquities Robbery Prevention unit.

Ganor is an archaeologist who carries a handgun. His team spends much of its time trying to catch thieves, spending nights lying in ambush or setting up stings for crooked antiquities dealers.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/4b854274b0dd.jpg[/atsimg]
Source: www.foxnews.com...


Now how freaking cool would Mr. Amir Ganor's job be?

I think I would get a lot of satisfaction out of that job. Feel like you are doing some good.

A modern day Indian Jones type for sure.

Anyone ever hear of this guy or this line of work before?

and here i thought indiana jones was fiction. guess he is an inspiration to some people

reply to post by anon72


Amazing find and exciting job for real. The discovery seems kind of like a reward from the cosmos for being a protector of antiquities. It will be really fascinating if it is Zechariah.

reply to post by The GUT


Nicely put. Well then I hope he is able to get rewarded 10 fold for his efforts.

I hope this discovery leads to something much much bigger.

I will have to keep an eye out on this one.

Glad you liked the story