Tara and the Ark of the Covenant: A Search for the Ark of the Covenant by British-Israelites on the Hill of Tara (1899-1902)During 1899 and 1902, members of the British-Israel Association of London came to County Meath to dig up the Hill of Tara. These 'British-Israelites' believed they would find buried there the Ark of the Covenant, the chest said to contain the Ten Commandments inscribed on stone tablets. Their strange and unlawful activity provoked a protest from cultural figures such as William Butler Yeats, Douglas Hyde and Maud Gonne - who lit a bonfire and sang 'A nation once again' on Tara. The Press supported their protests, making this the first media campaign to save a national monument. This book tells the story of the British-Israelite excavations on Tara in its archaelogical, historical, cultural and political context. Who were the excavators? Was their mission entirely eccentric, or part of the deeper story of class acrimony and emergent nationalism? How successful was the backlash? Historian and archaeologist Máiread Carew pieces together the narrative of Tara and the Ark in lively and meticulous detail, showing how the clash between the British-Israelites and the cultural nationalists represented colonialism versus emergent nationalism. While the British-Israelites dreamt of sacred treasure, the Irish patriots battled to save a national monument, making this more than just a strange interlude in history. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Tararesuscitated Jerusalem or capital | 9 |
Preparing the ground 187599 | 59 |
Copyright | |
9 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
ancient Antiquaries of Ireland antiquities Archaeological Society Arthur Griffith Association of Ireland Association of London August Balfour Banner of Israel Barkun believed Betham biblical Board Briscoe's British Archaeological Association British Empire British-Israel Association British-Israelites campaign Celtic Charles Groom claimed Coffey council Covenant Daily Express destruction Douglas Hyde Dublin Earl Russell excavations explorations at Tara Freemasonry Freemasons Gustavus Villiers Briscoe Hebrew Hill of Tara Ibid Inghinidhe na hÉireann involved Ireland's past Irish history Israelites Journal JRSAI 5th series July June King land letter Lia Fáil Macalister Masonic Maud Gonne Meath millennialism millennium mound National Museum nineteenth century organisation permission Petrie Plate Raifeartaigh 1985 Ráith Rath regarded Reverend Healy Robert Cochrane Rolleston round towers Royal Irish Academy Royal Society RSAI Tara file secretary Sir John Dillon Society of Antiquaries stop the explorations Tara explorations trench United Irishman Vallancey W.B. Yeats Walton Adams Wright wrote