Todd Bolen, Author at BiblePlaces.com

Weekend Roundup

Aren Maier reports that he may have been the last archaeologist to see the excavations of Eshtaol.

But you can see a video of the site before it was buried.

Some are unhappy that the Palestinian Authority is excavating a Hasmonean fortress between Bethlehem and the Herodium.

Barry Britnell saw the Jerusalem movie and he declares it to be “fantastic.” You can see if it is in a theater near you here.

The Kathleen Kenyon collection is now on display at the Ian Potter Museum in Melbourne.

This travel piece may inspire you to do more on your next trip to Israel than ride on a bus.

If you expect to be touring Israel in late May, you should plan now to avoid the pope.

You can save an extra 30% on any print book at Amazon through Dec 1, 11:59pm. Enter “BOOKDEAL” at checkout under the “Gift cards & promotional codes.” Up to $10 off. I recommend this book (for an amazing $21.47 after discount. I’ll say more about this book later, but not before this deal expires. Preview here.)

HT: Charles Savelle, Joseph Lauer

Tagged Jerusalem, Museums, Resources, Shephelah, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Khirbet el-Maqatir Exhibit Coming to Houston

I would like to see this:

Khirbet el-Maqatir: History of a Biblical Site will be a year-long exhibit of 42 artifacts from excavations in Israel at Khirbet el-Maqatir, thought to be the site of ancient Ai from Joshua 7-8. The Civil Administration for Judea and Samaria has approved the loan of these artifacts for exhibit at the Houston Baptist University’s Dunham Bible Museum from January 21-December 19, 2014. In conjunction with the exhibit, a symposium will be held on February 8th, focusing on the role of archaeology in understanding ancient history and biblical studies as well, including critical reflection on the excavations at Khirbet el-Maqatir and what light they shed on the ancient, biblical world. Starting from Genesis 12-13 and moving toward Maqatir’s magnificent monastery, 4,000 years of history will be on display. Special attention will be given to the Late Bronze Age fortress (Ai of Joshua 7-8) and the Early Roman/New Testament village (perhaps Ephraim of John 11:54).

I don’t believe that these artifacts have been on public display before. Khirbet el-Maqatir has been excavated under the direction of Bryant Wood since 1995.

The website also announces a conference to be held in conjunction with the exhibit. Speakers include Bryant Wood, Eugene Merrill, and Leen Ritmeyer. All of the details are here.

Khirbet el-Maqatir (left) and valley of Joshua’s ambush
Photo from Samaria and the Center

Tagged Exodus-Conquest, Lectures, Museums, New Exhibits, Samaria

Chalcolithic Temple Discovered at Eshtaol

A report from the IAA describes a range of finds at a salvage dig being conducted on Highway 38 (aka “the Diagonal Route”) north of Beth Shemesh. The finds include a house from the Neolithic period with nine flint and limestone axes, some used for cultic purposes. Archaeologists also identified a Chalcolithic temple at the site.

In the archaeological excavation conducted at Eshta’ol an important and rare find from the end of the Chalcolithic period (second half of the fifth millennium BCE) was discovered in the adjacent area. During the course of the excavation six thousand year old buildings were exposed and a stone column (called a standing stone or mazzevā) was discovered alongside one of them. The standing stone is 1.30 meters high and weighs several hundred kilos. According to the excavation directors, “The standing stone was smoothed and worked on all six of its sides, and was erected with one of its sides facing east. This unique find alludes to the presence of a cultic temple at the site”. The archaeologists said, “In the past numerous manifestations have been found of the cultic practice that existed in the Chalcolithic period; however, from the research we know of only a few temples at ‘En Gedi and at Teleilat Ghassul in Transjordan.”

The site will be open to the public on Wednesday, November 27, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. The article does not state whether the site will be preserved, but given its location along the route of the highway expansion, it seems unlikely. The full story is here and high-resolution photos are available here. The story is also reported in Arutz-7 and The Times of Israel, both of which provide details for registering for the site visit.

Eshtaol is mentioned in the Bible in connection with the birth and burial of Samson (Judges 13:25; 16:31). Men from the tribe of Dan were sent from Eshtaol and Zorah to spy out the northern territory for settlement (Judges 18:2, 8, 11). The discoveries made are from earlier periods and are not at the ancient site of Eshtaol. For a brief discussion of the location of ancient Eshtaol, see our post here.

Eshtaol excavation
Photo by Yoli Shwarz, courtesy Israel Antiquities Authority

Tagged Discoveries, Shephelah

Weekend Roundup

The recent discovery of a large wine cellar at Tel Kabri is described in the New York Times.

Ran Shapira at Haaretz reports on the latest finds at Gezer.

Guy Steibel is commemorating the 50th anniversary of Yigael Yadin’s excavations of Masada with a tour for journalists. He reveals that the one big thing they haven’t found yet is a latrine.

The Jewish Press has more about the stone altar discovered at Shiloh, including a better photo.

Miriam Feinberg Vamosh has a feature article in Haaretz on women and their work in the ancient world.

Thanksgiving and Hanukkah are rarely celebrated at the same time. This article on the Chabad website explains when it last happened and when it may occur next (in 2070).

Oxford University Press has published The Ancient Near East: A Very Short Introduction by Amanda Podany. At 168 pages (and $9), this will be more appealing to some than the longer (and more costly) introductions.

The official trailer for Noah is out. I’m told by those who have seen more than the trailer that the movie is not faithful to the biblical story.

HT: Charles Savelle, Mark Hoffman, Joseph Lauer, Jack Sasson

Two women grinding in courtyard in front of home, mat04156

Two women grinding, 1930s
Photo from Traditional Life and Customs

Tagged Discoveries, Holidays, Israel's Coast, Resources, Samaria, Shephelah

Proposal for Huge Jesus Statue in Nazareth

From the Jerusalem Post:

Bishara Shlayan, a Christian Arab from Nazareth, is hoping to build a huge statue of Jesus on Mount Precipice, near his home city.
Shlayan told The Jerusalem Post in an interview that he has already begun fund-raising for the project and that he is getting positive feedback from the Israeli Arab Christian community as well as some Jews.
He sees the statue as being similar to but larger than the huge Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
[…]
Mount Precipice, also known as Mount Kedumim, is believed by some to be the place where the people of Nazareth attempted to push Jesus off the mountain after rejecting him as the messiah. In the end he was able to jump off and disappeared, according to Christian tradition.

The full story describes Shlayan’s political ambitions. The statue in Rio is 100 feet tall. The traditional hill is not the place where Jesus was nearly killed, for ancient Nazareth was not built on this hill.

They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff (Luke 4:29).

Traditional Mount of Precipitation in Nazareth
Photo from Galilee and the North

Tagged Galilee, Tourism

Stone Altar Discovered at Shiloh

Arutz-7 reports on the recent discovery of a stone altar at Shiloh that they are dating to the Iron Age.

An ongoing archaeological dig in the ancient Jewish village of Shilo in Samaria (Shomron) has turned up a stone altar dating back thousands of years.
The altar is believed to date back to the period from roughly 1,200 BCE to 600 CE known as the Iron Age.
More specifically, archaeologists dating it to what some Israeli researchers call the “Israelite era” – the period of time after the nation of Israel entered the land of Israel, and before the destruction of the First Temple.
The altar is 60 centimeters by 60 centimeters, with a height of 40 centimeters, and was found on the southern edge of the site of ancient Shilo.
It had been used in the construction of a Byzantine-era structure, however, markings on the stone indicated its use in religious ceremonies prior to its use as building material.

The dates above are incorrect; the Iron Age dates to 1200-600 BC/BCE. It appears that there is little evidence to date the altar. The broad range given suggests that this is a typological date, based on a comparison of this altar with other ancient altars.

The full story is here. The Hebrew version includes a photo. Another altar from the same time period was discovered one mile west of Shiloh, as described in an abstract of an article in PEQ.

HT: Joseph Lauer

Tagged Discoveries, Samaria