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I may get in trouble for this one, but with limited time, it’s either this or nothing today.  And it is ostensibly related to biblical places.  Published at Arutz-7, this feature is entitled “Do You Know Your Geography of Israel?”  You can take the test by identifying the locations of thirteen photos.

UPDATE 9/6: I regret posting this “quiz.” I was first intrigued by a “geography quiz” of Israel and then surprised at the “answer.” I posted it more for amusement value than as a declaration in support of certain “truths.” I have no knowledge that the claim of this quiz is accurate and no interest in promoting it as accurate (even if it is). But this was certainly not clear in my original posting. 

Deleting this post would halt my continued perpetuation of this “story,” but it would not provide the opportunity for the clarification that I am making now. For some specifics of the problems with this “story,” see Tom’s second comment below.

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I think that for a certain subset of this blog’s readers, photo challenges are enjoyable.  I’ll tell you a little and you can tell me the rest.  This photo is part of the Jerusalem volume of The American Colony and Eric Matson Collection and it was taken in approximately 1900.

jerusalem_challenge

The best answer in the comments below wins a free copy of the Jerusalem CD (or your choice of another if you already have it).  An important part of the answer is why it is impossible to take this same photo today.

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I correctly identified Heather’s choice of Hippos (Sussita), Israel in the latest round of “When on Google Earth,” and that gives me the privilege of challenging my readers to identify this site and its major period of occupation in the comments below.

woge73

The rules of When on Google Earth are as follows:

Q: What is When on Google Earth?

A: It’s a game for archaeologists, or anybody else willing to have a go!

Q: How do you play it?

A: Simple, you try to identify the site in the picture.

Q: Who wins?

A: The first person to correctly identify the site, including its major period of occupation, wins the
game!

Q: What does the winner get?

A: The winner gets bragging rights and the chance to host the next When on Google Earth on his/her own blog!

You can follow along on the Facebook group.  Here is a list of previous sites and winners:

# Host: Victor: Site: Period:
1 Shawn Graham Chuck Jones Takht-i Jamshid / Persepolis terrace, Iran Achaemenid period
2 Chuck Jones PDD Church of Saint Simeon at Qalat Siman, Syria 5th-6th c. CE
2.1 Chuck Jones Paul Zimmerman Qal’at al-Bahrain 16th c. CE
3 Paul Zimmerman Heather Baker Baraqish (Yathill), Yemen Minaean (1st millennium BCE)
4 Heather Baker Jason Ur Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan ca. 2600-1900 BCE
5 Jason Ur Dan Diffendale Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico 1st-5th centuries CE
6 Dan Diffendale Claire of Geevor Mine Segontium, Caernarfon, Wales 77ish to about 390 CE
7 Claire of Geevor Mine Ivan Cangemi Carn Euny, UK ca. 500 BCE-100 CE
8 Ivan Cangemi Southie Sham Monks Mound (Cahokia), IL, USA fl. 1050-1200
9 Southie Sham Dan Diffendale Gergovia, France fl. 1st c. BCE
10 Dan Diffendale Dorothy King Kastro Larissa/Argos, Greece ca. 1100 CE
11 Dorothy King Daniel Pett Utica, Tunisia C8th BCE– C2nd CE
12 Daniel Pett Neil Silberman Caesarea Maritima, Israel 1st century CE–Present
13 Neil Silberman Chuck Jones Graceland, Memphis, TN, USA 1939 CE–Present
14 Chuck Jones Aphaia Bam Citadel, Iran pre-C 6th BC–C19thCE
15 Aphaia Daniel Pett Myrina, Lemnos, Greece Classical Greek–present
16 Daniel Pett Paul Barford Dambulla Cave Temple, Sri Lanka 1st century BCE
17 Paul Barford Scott McDonough Rosetta (Rashid), Egypt Ptolemaic, Mamluk
18 Scott McDonough Lindsay Allen Ani, Turkey Medieval, C10th-14th CE
19 Lindsay Allen Heather in Vienna South Shields, England, UK Roman Imperial
20 Heather Scott McDonough Suomenlinna/Sveaborg fortress, Finland 1748-present
21 Scott McDonough Chuck Jones Derbent, Republic of Dagestan Sasanian-present
22 Chuck Jones Paul Barford Amphitheatre of Aquincum, Hungary Roman
23 Paul Barford Geoff Carter The Cursus, (Stonehenge) Wiltshire Neolithic
24 Geoff Carter Ferhan Sakal The Heuneburg, South Germany Iron Age
25 Ferhan Sakal Lindsay Allen Sura, Syria Roman
26 Lindsay Allen Andrea Kay Bannerman Castle, Hudson River, US C20th
27 Andrea Kay David Powell Taposiris Magna, Alexandria, Egypt C1st BCE
28 David Powell Billy Ross Abbey, Galway, Ireland Medieval
29 Billy Geoff Carter Great Zimbabwe, Africa C11th – 14th CE
30 Geoff Carter Heather Elsdon Castle, England C11th – 12th CE
31 Heather Geoff Carter Volubilis, Morocco Roman
32 Geoff Carter Paul Barford Su Nuraxi, Barumini, Sardinia C15th – 6th BCE
33 Paul Barford Ferhan Sakal Arkona, Germany Medieval
34 Ferhan Sakal Heather Arslantepe, Turkey Chalcolithic – Byzantine
35 Heather Ferhan Sakal Mahabodhi Temple Complex, India 3rd century B.C. – 6th CE
36 Ferhan Sakal Billy Borobudur, Buddhist shrine, Indonesia 9th century B.C. – 6th CE
37 Billy Ferhan Sakal Browns Island, New Zealand c. 13th century – 1820
38 Ferhan Sakal Andrea Kay Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn, Oman 3rd millennium B.C.
39 Andrea Kay Matt B. Serabit el-Khadim, Egypt 2nd millennium B.C.
40 Matt B. Andrea Kay Valsgärde grave field, Sweden Swedish Vendel /Iron Age
41 Andrea Kay Lindsay Allen Siwa oasis, Egypt fourth century B.C. -Roman
42 Lindsay Allen David Gill Castle of Pont Steffan, Wales, UK Medieval
43 David Gill Nigel Hay Castle, Wales, UK 12th century
44 Nigel Heather Olympos, Turkey Hellenistic – Roman
45 Heather Ferhan Sakal Carnuntum, Austria Roman
46 Ferhan Sakal Troels Myrup Knossos, Greece Bronze Age
47 Troels Myrup Alun Salt Aggersborg, Denmark Viking
48 Alun Salt Geoff Carter Marsala, Sicillia. Punic/Roman
49 Geoff Carter Matt B Springfield Lyons, UK LBA (/Saxon)
50 MattB Geoff Carter Kalkriese in Osnabrück, Germany Roman
51 Geoff Carter Ferhan Sakal Grimes Graves, Norfolk, UK Late neolithic
52 Ferhan Sakal Oliver Mack Heraqla, ar-rashid,syria Late C8 CE
53 Oliver Mack Matt B Welzheim, Germany Roman
54 Matt B Geoff Carter Birka, Sweden Viking
55 Geoff Carter Heather Nemrut Dagi, Turkey C1 bce
56 Heather Geoff Carter Choirokoitia, Cyprus. Neolithic
57 Geoff Carter Jaime Woodhenge, UK Late Neolithic
58 Jaime Geoff Carter Gorgora Nova, Ethiopia, C17th (CE).
59 Geoff Carter Nathan T.Elkins Firouabad, Iran C3rd CE
60 Nathan Elkins Paul Barford Portus, Italy Roman
61 Paul Barford Heather Delos, Greece Classical-Hellenistic Greek
62 Heather Geoff Carter Gordion, Turkey 1500-700 BCE
63 Geoff Carter CFeagans Vix, France 6th-5th C BCE
64 CFeagans Alun Salt Newark Great Circle, OH 100 BCE
65 Alun Salt Eloy Cano Agra, India 1556-1658
66 Eloy Cano Troels Myrup Göbekli Tepe, Turkey 10-8th millennium BCE
67 Troels Myrup Heather Kanhave canal, Samsø, Denmark 8th c. CE/Viking
68 Heather Troels Myrup Butrint, Albania 10th c. BCE-18th c. CE
69 Troels Myrup Paul Zimmerman Birketain, Jordan Roman
70 Paul Z. Oliver Mack Cueva de Menga/Viera, Spain 3rd mill BCE
71 Oliver Mack Heather Dur-Kurigalzu, Iraq 14th-12th c BCE
72 Heather Todd Bolen Hippos, Israel Roman-Byzantine
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Let’s do this post a little differently than the previous ones, with a little reader interaction.  Instead of me describing the photo, I’ll give you the opportunity.  Write in the comments below as much as you can about this picture, including its name(s), major features visible, and anything else that indicates why this photograph is useful today for understanding the geography and history of ancient Israel.

Aerial photo with stones, dirt, trees, water

The answer I deem best wins the Northern Palestine CD, volume 1 of The American Colony and Eric Matson Collection, with 600 high-resolution photos of Acco, Benjamin, Caesarea, Caesarea Philippi, Capernaum, Ephraim, Galilee Hill Country, Haifa, Huleh, Jaffa, Jezreel, Mount Carmel, Mount Hermon, Mount Tabor, Nazareth, Samaria, Sharon, Shechem, Sea of Galilee, Tabgha, Tel Aviv, and Tiberias.

P.S. Searching on the Library of Congress website won’t really help you, because the name of this place is not given in the description.

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