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Book: Flights into Biblical Archaeology

This looks like fun. The description is from a press release from the Israel Antiquities Authority:
Albatross Aerial Photography Ltd – the photographer Dubi Tal and pilot Moni Haramati – has published a new book in cooperation with the Israel Antiquities Authority: Flights into Biblical Archaeology, which combines aerial and land photographs of the sites together with photographs of ancient artifacts and artistic creations that have not yet been made public. The unique texts that accompany the photographs were written by Shimon Gibson, professor of archaeology at the University of North Carolina.

The book Flights into Biblical Archaeology is a journey into the colorful past of the Land of Israel; a journey across thousands of years of history which is both a visual and spiritual experience.

The breathtaking aerial photographs allow the reader to participate in the experience of exposing the past and discovering details and meanings which can no longer been seen by the eye of the observer on the ground. While at the same time the special stories of the archaeological sites that conceal the historical secrets of the country are laid out before the reader.

In addition to their aesthetic value, the pictures provide a great deal of important information about the archaeological compounds and the environment in which they are located. Next to each site mentioned in the book is a map with a dot that denotes its location and provides the reader with a point of reference relative to the site.

The book, which was conceived and edited by Dubi Tal, is a sort of a professional encyclopedia on the one hand, and popular photographic album on the other, which the reader can easily use. It is meant for the general public and is an asset worthy of lovers of artistic photography, scholars and professional people, as well as tourists and the simply inquisitive.

256 pages

Price: 160 NIS ($38; shipping is $5-10)

Available for purchase at the Israel Antiquities Authority website and by telephone: +972-2-
6204611

UPDATE (10/9): You can now get the book from Eisenbrauns a bit faster and cheaper.

Photos from Temple Mount "Dig"

The Biblical Archaeology Society has some new photos from the Temple Mount ~~Excavation~~ Destruction. It’s not unbelievable that the Muslim authorities of the Temple Mount would do this; it’s unbelievable that the Israelis would allow it.

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem, Temple Mount

Egyptian Fortress Discovered in Israel

An interesting discovery was made in the southwestern area of Israel on the edge of the Nahal Besor not far from the Gaza Strip. Qubur el-Walaydah has the remains of a early Iron Age Philistine farming village. Beneath it, excavators from Ben Gurion University discovered a large, well-preserved Egyptian settlement from the Late Bronze Age. The article refers to what they found as an “Egyptian residence,” suggesting that it is similar to other such buildings found at Aphek and Beth Shean. For more, see the Jerusalem Post.

Tagged Discoveries

Mount Zion – New Excavations

Excavations were resumed in June on Mount Zion after a long hiatus (since 2000). The “Mount Zion Archaeological Expedition is directed by Shimon Gibson and James Tabor and looks very promising.

After only five days of fieldwork this summer, they report the discovery of:

Well-preserved houses from the 1st century A.D.
Clear abandonment of the area during the Late Roman period (c.70-330 A.D.)
Preservation of the area during construction of the Nea Church (c. 530 A.D.)

You can read a 5-page report about the site and excavation (pdf, via Dr. Jim West). Two seasons are planned for 2008 and it sounds like they will accept students as volunteers. There are not many excavations in Jerusalem that are open to volunteers, so you might want to see what you can do to get in on this one. I can personally testify that working in an excavation with Shimon Gibson is interesting and rewarding.

Mount Zion from southeast

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem

Bible Lands Poster Collection

This is probably your last chance to get the best posters of biblical sites in the Holy Land that I know of. Each poster in the set of 8 has 16-20 spectacular photographs by Richard Cleave. BibleLandPosters.com has the “last in existence” for $72 including shipping. I have my own photos, but you can’t print them this cheap, so I bought the poster set and recommend it to others. If you don’t want to plaster your house with these, they could be ideal for a church or school classroom or hallway. Before you order, you can see exactly what you’re getting.

Tagged Resources

Archaeologists Talk about Temple Mount Destruction

A couple of Jerusalem archaeologists have audio interviews/conference calls online. A 34-minute conference call with Gabriel Barkay is at www.onejerusalem.org. Eilat Mazar is interviewed by Arutz-7 (direct link here; doesn’t seem to work in Firefox; 15 min. long).

On another subject, Ehud Netzer talks about his discovery of Herod’s tomb here (audio version here).

Tagged Jerusalem, Temple Mount