10th Century Archives - Page 7 of 10

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Luke Chandler reports on the first week of excavations at Lachish. They made some significant finds in his square on each of the first three days.

They had a fantastic third week of excavations at Tel Burna.

A Roman theater (or amphitheater?) has been discovered in ancient Smyrna as the municipality demolishes a poor neighborhood. This may have been the place where Polycarp was martyred.

Beit Guvrin National Park has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Wayne Stiles captures the beauty and historic significance of Nahal Zin with photos, a video, and Google Street View.

“The truth about Jesus’ tomb, romance and the Holocaust” is a rather flashy title for an update of Simcha Jacobovici’s lawsuit against Joe Zias.

ABR has created a new video series, Is It Time To Throw Away Your Bible? They have now shared a couple of free episodes: King David and Solomon: Men or Myths? Part One and Part Two. The video set is on sale for only $20.

Robert Cargill reflects on the passing of Yuval Peleg.

Cave at Beit Guvrin National Park
Photo from Judah and the Dead Sea

Tagged 10th Century, Excavations, Negev, Resources, Shephelah, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Recent Archaeology and the Bible

How do recent archaeological discoveries relate to the Bible? Michael Grisanti addresses this issue in a detailed article published last year in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society and now available online. He begins with a statement from a critical scholar and then explains his own approach.

The archaeological evidence cited below and in any similar study never provides certifiable proof that a given individual lived or that a certain event took place. Our confidence in the accuracy and historicity of the people and events referred to in God’s Word draws on other evidence, primarily theological statements the Bible makes about itself. Regardless, one should recognize that the archaeological evidence does not rule out the people or events described in the Bible. As a matter of fact, archaeology provides a “picture” that points to the feasibility or plausibility that the people and events described in the Bible lived and occurred just as they are described.
[…]
Out of all the areas that could have received attention, I have narrowed my focus on two chronological periods: the Conquest of Canaan and the United Monarchy. For both I summarize the consensus of critical scholars and then consider the evidence that has been found. With regard to the Conquest of Canaan, the paper considers the recent discussion of an Egyptian pedestal with three name rings on it as well as the destruction of Jericho and the location and destruction of Ai. After surveying the heated debated concerning the United Monarchy with a focus on David and Solomon, the paper considers key archaeological discoveries found at Jerusalem, Khirbet Qeiyafa and the copper mines in southern Jordan. With each example I argue that the discoveries made at least allow for the historicity and accuracy of the biblical narratives describing those people and events.

Read it all here.

Jericho from the west
Photo from Samaria and the Center

Tagged 10th Century, Analysis, Exodus-Conquest

Conference: The Kingdom of David and Solomon

Though the lectures are in Hebrew and in Haifa, the subject matter merits re-posting this conference schedule from the Agade list.

THE KINGDOM OF DAVID AND SOLOMON IN LIGHT OF NEW EPIGRAPHIC AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA

UNIVERSITY OF HAIFA / FACULTY OF HUMANITIES Department of Biblical Studies and

Jewish History. Hecht Auditorium.

2013 Annual Meeting, Monday, December 2nd 2013

(All lectures will be presented in Hebrew)

08:30-09:00 OPENING SESSION

Greetings: Prof. Reuven Snir, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, University of Haifa

Opening Remarks: Prof. Gershon Galil, Head of the MA Program “The Bible and its World”, University of Haifa

0900-1050 1st Session: THE ARABAH, THE NEGEV HIGHLAND AND THE NORTH. Presiding: Prof. Sariel Shalev, University of Haifa

09:00-09:20 Dr. Erez Ben-Yosef, Tel Aviv University, Transparent Archaeology and Biased Interpretations in the Study of the United Monarchy: Methodological Insights from the Ancient Copper Mines of the Arabah

09:20-09:40 Dr. Moti Heiman, Israel Antiquities Authority and Bar-Ilan University, The Iron Age II in the Negev Highland: Material Culture, Economy and Population in A Desert Environment

09:40-10:15 Prof. David Ussishkin, Tel Aviv University, “Solomon’s Gate” at Megiddo: A Debate of Fifty Years

10:15-10:35 Dr. Doron Ben-Ami, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hazor in the Iron Age IIA: The Stratigraphical and Chronological setting of the First Fortified Town

10:35-10:50 DISCUSSION

10:50-11:00 BREAK

11:00-13:00 2ND SESSION: EPIGRAPHY, BIBLE AND ARCHAEOLOGY. Presiding: Prof. Shmuel Ahituv, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

11:00-11:20 Dr. Haggai Misgav, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The 10th Century BCE Inscriptions Reconsidered

11:20-12:00 Prof. Amihai Mazar, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Kingdom of David and Solomon and the Archaeological Research: An Ongoing Story

12:00-12:40 Prof. Gershon Galil, University of Haifa, Israel and Palistin in the 11th-9th Centuries BCE in Light of New Epigraphic and Archaeological Data

12:40-13:00 DISCUSSION

13:00-14:00 LUNCH

14:00-16:00 3RD SESSION: THE COAST, THE SHEPHELAH AND PHILISTIA. Presiding: Prof. David Ussishkin, Tel Aviv University

14:00-14:20 Dr. Ayelet Gilboa, University of Haifa and Prof. Ilan Sharon, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Capital of Solomon’s Fourth District? Israelite Dor

14:20-14:40 Mr. Saar Ganor, Israel Antiquities Authority, Seven Seasons of Excavation at Khirbet Qeiyafa

14:40-15:00 Dr. Madeleine Mumcuoglu and Prof. Yosef Garfinkel, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, New Light on Solomon’s Palace and Temple and on the Second Temple in View of the Shrine Model from Khirbet Qeiyafa

15: 00-15:30 Prof. Avraham Faust, Bar-Ilan University, Between Judah and Philistia: Settlement Dynamics and Changes in Material Culture in the 10th Century BCE

15:30-16:00 DISCUSSION

Tagged 10th Century, Lectures

King Solomon’s Mines, After All

A new study by a team from Tel Aviv University concludes that the copper mines at Timna, near Eilat, were in operation during the reign of Solomon. The new dating is based upon Carbon-14 studies which shift the peak of copper production down three centuries from the 13th century to the 10th.

Because of close similarities between the mines at Timna and those at Feinan (biblical Punon) further north, the scholars believe that the Timna mines were operated by the Edomites but not by Solomon.

Perhaps this is correct. Another possibility is that Solomon controlled both. The biblical texts do not identify either site as Solomonic, but the Israelite king did control territory as far south as Eilat.

1 Kings 9:26–28 (NIV) “King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber, which is near Elath in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. And Hiram sent his men—sailors who knew the sea—to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s men. They sailed to Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.”

During David and Solomon’s reigns, the Edomites were subject to Israel (2 Sam 8:11-14; 1 Kgs 11:14). Perhaps they operated the mines to pay the annual tribute.

If I had time, it would be interesting to go back through the literature and review the statements of those who used the absence of evidence at Timna from Solomon’s time as evidence against the biblical account. Once again we see why we should hold to the assured results of archaeological research lightly.

The full BASOR journal article is online as is a summary in Haaretz. A video from this year’s excavations is posted at YouTube.

HT: Joseph Lauer

Solomon’s Pillars near the copper mines of Timna
Photo from Negev and the Wilderness

Tagged 10th Century, Discoveries, Negev

Weekend Roundup

Leen Thobias has some impressive 360-degree images of Israel and Jordan here.

It must be a bit discouraging when you find in your sealed excavation locus a beer bottle cap. (Photos here.)

Theories about the identity of Khirbet Qeiyafa are discussed in this Haaretz article. The most helpful section is what everyone agrees on.

A Tel Aviv professor wants to know if a mound of stones in the Sea of Galilee marks the place where Jesus walked on water.

If you’ve been waiting to see the new Samson mosaic found last summer at the Huqoq synagogue, you should check out Jodi Magness’s new article in Biblical Archaeology Review, currently online for free.

The anarchy in Egypt has not been good for archaeological sites and museums.

Archaeologists have found evidence that cinnamon was produced on the northern coast of Israel in ancient times.

Fifteen foreign archaeological teams are preparing to begin fifteen projects in Saudi Arabia.

Foundation Stone shares a 7-minute video showing some results from this summer’s excavations at Azekah.

Leen Ritmeyer has created some new reconstruction drawings of Jerusalem throughout its history.

HT: Joseph Lauer, Jack Sasson

Tagged 10th Century, Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Museums, Resources, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

The best way to get up to speed on the major discoveries at Hazor from the Bronze Age is with Amnon Ben-Tor’s article on the ASOR Blog.

A brief report of the finds and surprises from the season at Gezer has been written by the excavators.

This year’s excavations of Gath are over, but Aren Maeir is making us wait for a summary of “one of the most productive, interesting and overall great seasons we have had since the project began (in 1996…).” Check out the rest of his blog for season-end photos.

Though most tourists skip Ashkelon, this Haaretz article reveals how the site is “a treasure full to bursting.”

I failed to note previously a couple of articles following up on the discovery of the “palace of David” at Khirbet Qeiyafa. A Baptist Press article provides some balanced coverage. And excavation volunteer Luke Chandler gives his personal perspective.

The theater in Assos is being renovated to accommodate events for up to 5,000 people.

Mark Wilson provides some background for 1 Corinthians 3:17 from the destruction of the Ephesian temple of Artemis.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Archaeology is now reduced to $235. It’s currently out of
stock, and I don’t know how long the discount will last. (This is an unusually large discount when compared with other Oxford sets such as OAENE, OEAGR, and OEBB.)

HT: Jack Sasson

The theater and acropolis of Assos
Photo from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, Western Turkey

Tagged 10th Century, Excavations, Galilee, Philistines, Resources, Shephelah, Turkey