Aharoni to the reign of Athaliah and identified it as the "House of Baal" recorded in 2 Kings 11:18. One of many important artifacts discovered at Ramat Rachel are numerous stamp impressions. Among these are LMLK seal impressions. Archaeologist Gabriel Barkay, who excavated the site in 1984, says the ancient name of the site may have been MMST, one of four enigmatic words that appear on the handles. Archaeological excavations resumed in 2004 under the direction of Oded Lipschits (Tel Aviv University) and Manfred Oeming (Heidelberg University). According to Lipschits, the site was a palace or administrative center with a water works system "unparalleled in Eretz Israel." Lipschits says agricultural produce was collected there as a source of government tax revenue. A large number of arrowhead finds from the site suggest the presence of a Babylonian garrison during the sixth century BCE, consistent with evidence of its function as a major administrative center during this period. In July 2008, archeologists discovered a cooking pot from the 1st century CE containing 15 large gold coins. The pot was found under the floor of a columbarium. Sculptures and environmental art A grove of 200 olive trees planted on the outskirts of the kibbutz leads up to the Olive Columns, three 33-foot high pedestals topped by live olive trees, the work of Israeli artist Ran Morin. In the hotel garden is a sculpture of the biblical matriarch Rachel, who personifies the nation. The sculpture is inscribed with a Hebrew Bible verse from Jeremiah 31:17: "Your children will return to their own land." In the Book of Jeremiah, Rachel is depicted as a woman surveying the horizon as though waiting for others. See also Archaeology in Israel Beit HaKerem (Biblical) Discovery of citron pollen Tourism in Israel References External links Ramat Rachel Revisited: An Interview with Oded Lipschits Damqatum 1 (2006): 1-4. Kibbutzim Kibbutz Movement Populated places established in 1926 Economy of Jerusalem Ancient sites in Jerusalem Populated places in Jerusalem District 1926 establishments in Mandatory Palestine