The Israeli ambassador to Portugal, Ehud Gol, visited the city of Silves yesterday (June 20). Accompanied by the Mayor Isabel Soares and the Political Counselor of the Israeli Embassy in Portugal, Lior Keinan, the diplomat toured the Municipal Archeology Museum, where he was guided by Maria José Gonçalves (Head of the Division of Historical-Archaeological Heritage and Museums) and by Joana Pires, technician of the municipality.
The Israeli delegation also had the opportunity to see a recent find, made by archaeologists from the University of Friedrich-Schiller (Jena, Germany), near São Bartolomeu de Messines (Silves), which will be the oldest archaeological evidence of Jewish Culture in the Iberian Peninsula. It is thought to be a funerary headstone, probably dated to a period no later than 390 AD.
The 40cm x 60cm marble plate, on which, according to the investigators, the name “Yehiel” can be read, followed by other letters that have not yet been deciphered, was the main reason for the coming of Israeli diplomats to Silves, having aroused enormous interest and curiosity on the part of the members of this delegation.
The find was classified by Ehud Gol as "deeply interesting" and "of the greatest importance".
The ambassador also wanted to know details about the history of Silves, his connection to Jewish culture, as well as many other aspects, namely linked to its demography and economic activities.
He also revealed that he was very impressed with the amount of existing archaeological remains, as well as with its diversity of origins and periods, which reveals that Silves has always been an economic center of great importance and a truly multicultural space.
The visit to the city ended with a trip to the Castle, where, curiously, the ambassador was able to contact a couple of Israelis who were visiting there.
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