fbpx

From Haaretz:

We often hear about how Jerusalem is holy to followers of the three major monotheistic religions. But what is less well-known is that the surrounding Judean hills were home to pagan ritual sites involving Greco-Roman gods. One such site, linked to the harvest goddess Demeter, has been identified at the Twins Cave, according to a study released by the Yad Ben-Zvi historical research institute last week. In Greek mythology, Demeter’s daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped by Hades, king of the underworld. After Zeus intervened, Hades agreed to send Persephone back aboveground – but first he convinced her to taste the seeds of the pomegranate, an underworld fruit. Once she tried them, she could not remain completely cut off from Hades’ realm, to which she had to return for three months every year. And how do you reach the underworld? In Greco-Roman thought, dark, deep pits or caves were considered gateways to hell and were often used for rituals dedicated to pagan gods, say Boaz Zissu, who teaches classical archaeology at Bar-Ilan University, and Eitan Klein, one of Zissu’s graduate students. Zissu and Klein said in the study that the Twins Cave was used for just such pagan rituals between the second and fourth century C.E. The 42 clay lamps from the late Roman period discovered in the cave were used as part of a pagan rite, apparently meant to guide Demeter’s way as she searched underground for her daughter, they said.

The full story is here. For directions to the cave located east of Beth Shemesh, see here.

Share:

To judge from the titles listed at the Eisenbrauns April sale, one might think they were partly influenced by recent recommendations on this blog. Among the nearly 100 titles for which you can get 30% now and later, these books are of particular interest:

The Horsemen of Israel: Horses and Chariotry in Monarchic Israel (mentioned here last month)

The Fire Signals of Lachish: Studies in the Archaeology and History of Israel in the Late Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Persian Period in Honor of David Ussishkin (mentioned here in December)

Unearthing Jerusalem: 150 Years of Archaeological Research in the Holy City (mentioned here in 
December)

There are many other books that we haven’t mentioned but that are of great interest. (There are also a few we wish had never been published!) Here are three not yet mentioned here:

Cities through the Looking Glass: Essays on the History and Archaeology of Biblical Urbanism
image

Confronting the Past: Archaeological and Historical Essays on Ancient 
Israel in Honor of William G. Dever

Critical Issues in Early Israelite History

The full list is here.

By a 30% discount “now and later,” we’re referring to the immediate 30% discount plus the 30% credit that one gets towards future purchases.

Share:

The theme of the month at the ASOR Blog is “Fakes, Looting, and Artifacts Lacking Context” and the first few posts are up:

At Christianity Today, Gordon Govier reviews the recent Easter archaeology stories of the Talpiot Tomb and the James Ossuary verdict.

Joe Yudin provides a history of the temple as preparation for Passover.

Ferrell Jenkins remembers the Passion Week of Jesus with posts on the Via Dolorosa and Reclining in the Upper Room.

Lois Tverberg offers a free download of “A Taste of Passover” through the end of the month.

If you didn’t sacrifice an animal at the temple yesterday, even though such is commanded for Passover, it is very difficult to understand the price that must be paid for your redemption. The Sacrifice video ($10) by SourceFlix will help.

Samaritan Passover, slain lamb, tb041106729

Sacrifice of lambs at Samaritan Passover
Share:

There seems to be a new push by the folks at ASOR to get more attention. In addition to the more active blog, they have designated themes for appointed guest editors for the month, and now they are offering free access to the last four years of ASOR journals via JStor.

I have no inside information on what goes on over there, but my thoughts often go back to the survey in about 1997 when they asked readers of Biblical Archaeologist if they should change the name of the magazine. A resounding majority (85%?) said no, but the administration told the readers to shove it and changed the name anyway to Near Eastern Archaeology. I suspect that subscriptions have been declining ever since. At one point they had about 3,000 subscribers compared to some 200,000 for Biblical Archaeology Review.

In any case, their publications have always been essential resources for the field and this is a great opportunity to get more acquainted with them if you are not.

The American Schools of Oriental Research is excited to announce free access to the current content of all three of our publications during the month of April. You are now able to access all content published in Near Eastern Archaeology, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research and the Journal of Cuneiform Studies over the last four years! Simply follow the instructions outlined below. If you decide to take advantage of this promotion we ask that you like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ASOR.org

All the details are at the ASOR Blog.

Share:

Hundreds of pilgrims celebrated Palm Sunday in Jerusalem.

Wayne Stiles visits the Jerusalem of Hezekiah’s time and writes, “I have a faith rooted in history—not mystery. The words on the pages of Scripture are supported by simple elements we can dig out of the ground. They prove nothing, but they support it all.”

The Israel Museum has joined the Google Art Project and “online users will be able to view high-resolution images of 520 pieces from the museum’s collection.” That future tense should be changed to present, as you can see the images here. Beautiful.

A restaurant in Capernaum has been accused of dumping raw sewage into the Sea of Galilee. “This is one of the most serious cases of coastal environmental damage that the Kinneret has encountered thus far,” said a prosecutor.

Cyprus and Israel are collaborating to form a database for archaeology. There is more in common between the pasts of the two countries than many people know. The article does not explain the reason for why this cooperation is occurring only now: a downturn in the relations between Israel and Turkey.

The Mughrabi Bridge saga continues with Israel’s Supreme Court ruling that planning committees have to consider the women’s prayer area as well as security issues in their decisions. An Islamic petitioner claims that the Western Wall plaza falls under the authority of the Waqf. Jordan’s crown prince made a surprise visit to the Temple Mount today to see the Mughrabi Gate.

Turkey is asking for the return of artifacts from the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Cleveland Museum of Art and Harvard University’s Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. “‘Turkey is not trying to start a fight,’ said Murat Suslu, Turkey’s director general for cultural heritage and museums. ‘We are trying to develop…cooperation.’”

The Israel Antiquities Authority recently recovered the covers of two sarcophagi smuggled out of Egypt.

For one week, the Teaching Company is offering a free video lecture by John R. Hale, “Central Turkey—Ankara, Konya, Cappadocia.”

HT: Joseph Lauer, Jack Sasson

Kourion theater and coast, tb030405137

Theater of Kourion, Cyprus
Share:

Larry Hurtado brings attention to what may be the earliest Christian graffito, suggesting that the find is extraordinary but that because the author “doesn’t have a TV production company behind him, we haven’t seen this item in the daily news.”

The inscription was found in Smyrna, home of a first-century church (Rev 2:8-11), and dates to AD 125/26. The writing includes the words “Lord” and “faith,” but you’ll need to get the forthcoming book by Roger Bagnall or read Hurtado’s summary for the details.

HT: Arne Halbakken

Smyrna, Izmir, modern city from acropolis, tb041405528

View of Smyrna (modern Izmir) from acropolis
Share: