The man in the wall

Man in wall in Nahal Kziv

The man in the wall is a unique relief of a Roman soldier curved in an Hellenistic style into a cliff wall near the Temple cave above Nahal Kziv, by the settlement of Abirim.

Description

The relief is engraved into the rock at a height of about 3 meters to the right of the entrance of the Temple cave (Al-Jalila cave). located on the steep northern slope above Nahal Kziv, about two kilometers west of the settlement of Abirim. 

The relief depicts a male figure, probably a Roman warrior, dressed in a typical pleated dress draped over his arm. His legs are muscular and his right hand is raised forward. To his left is a dagger sheath, and on his head is probably a helmet. The height of the figure is about one and a half meters. It is not known who is depicted in the relief and who engraved it, but according to the pottery found in the nearby Temple cave, the relief dates to the Hellenistic period in the Land of Israel. Similar reliefs were discovered in Lebanon and Syria, but not in Israel.

History

The relief was discovered in 1985 by Shmuel Beer who conducted an archaeological survey of the caves in the Nahal Kziv cliff. After discovering the relief, he described his feelings while surveying the site:

"... I breathe in and out as I climb the steep slope towards it, walking on a goat path, holding onto roots and rock protrusions, with a backpack on my back and hope in my heart. What excites me so much? A strange feeling haunts me as if someone is watching me. I arrived and sat in the shade of the cliff to rest from the climb and drink from my canteen and plan the next step... First, I surveyed the large central cave, which occasionally houses goat herds. I squeezed into all the holes and tunnels, shining a flashlight on the walls and ceiling. The cave floor was filled with pottery shards from different periods. I continue and move to the niches above the cave, climbing a tiring and frightening climb on the cliff wall. I need to concentrate well and pay attention to where I place my hands and feet, and then it happened... Like in a thriller movie, my eyes had already reached the edge of the cliff, but my mind was stuck halfway because I thought I saw something. Quickly, I refocused my lenses on the same spot on the cliff that my mind reported, and what my eyes saw was a life-sized figure of an ancient man, carved clearly and completely into the cliff rock, standing upright and proud, extending one hand forward, with the excess of the cloak wrapped around his waist resting on his left forearm. His appearance was European, bald, clean-shaven, and barefoot, his face turned westward, towards the cave openings. So it was he who was watching me, and I almost went home without discovering this revelation..."

For several years the location of the relief was kept a secret, but eventually a trail was marked to it by the trail marking committee and it became public domain. In 1992, a copy of the relief was prepared by the Israel Antiquities Authority.