The latest issue of DigSight from the Institute of Archaeology at Southern Adventist University reports on a recent survey of Socoh (Kh. Shuweikeh) near Khirbet Qeiyafa as well as summaries of recent related lectures.
The New York Times has a good article about the current drilling project in the center of the Dead Sea.
Reports from recent excavations at Jericho by the University of Rome are now available online.
A rabbi has recently forbidden visits to the Western Wall on Shabbat because the security cameras violate Jewish law.
Stephen Carlson has posted his NTS article, “The Accommodations of Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem: Κατάλυμα in Luke 2.7” (pdf). He also links to Mark Goodacre’s podcast on the same subject, “Was Jesus Born in a Stable?” For my brief thoughts on the issue, see this post from several years ago. One correction to that post: the 2005 TNIV translates the word as “guest room.”
Studies of minerals at Timna Valley in southern Israel indicate that “slag left over from Iron Age copper smelting shows the Earth’s magnetic field was stronger and more variable than scientists ever imagined.”
The Second International Conference of the Jeselsohn Epigraphic Center of Jewish History is entitled “Epigraphy and Daily Life – From the Bible to the Talmud” and dedicated to the memory of Professor Hanan Eshel. Leen Ritmeyer has listed the schedule and Aren Maeir posts a link to the
program (pdf).
Zvi Ben-Dor Benite has some interesting thoughts on the “ten lost tribes” at The Bible and Interpretation.
The Explorations in Antiquity Center in Georgia (USA) is building a Roman theater and forum.
Their newsletter is available here (pdf).
The best photographs of the Roman statue found in the sea at Ashkelon are in this article at the Daily Mail.
HT: Jay Baggett and Steve Ulrich
3 thoughts on “Weekend Roundup”
Quick FYI to anyone interested in the Shuweikeh excavation. There has been some speculation since Amihai Mazar reported on a similar survey that recovered a batch of LMLK handles, as to whether this site could be not just the "Socoh" of the Bible texts, but also the SUKE of LMLK inscriptions (as opposed to the other Shuweikeh southwest of Hebron; by the way, this is the first time I've heard this site northwest of Hebron referred to by this name; usually it's 'Abbad). Since the ones from Mazar's survey are MIA (lost as far as I'm concerned), I was thrilled to see a new one in this issue of DigSight. Using my hi-res templates of the original seal designs, I was able to make an immediate, positive identification with … (to be continued on my LMLK blog later this week; I'm currently working on a review of Aren Maeir's recent publication of Tau/TRUME jar handles in JAOS).
G.M. – Khirbet es-Shuweikeh is a ruin on the low southern end of Khirbet Abbad. The former has Roman-Byzantine remains, while the latter is the Iron Age tell. The Roman site preserves the name of the Iron Age city of Socoh.
Source: The Sacred Bridge, page 147.
Thanks for gathering all this info in one place. Amazing how you keep up with it all. Some good points in the "kataluma" article, including the idea that Joseph and Mary were betrothed when they arrived in Bethlehem, and married in Bethlehem. And a piece of wood below the floor of the Dead Sea…it will be fun to hear their dating on that 🙂