Jerusalem Archives - Page 163 of 195

Weekend Roundup

Glo is reviewed in Newsweek. I’d like to say more about this Bible software some time. In some ways, it’s better than being on-site.

David Padfield has reviewed unfavorably the BAS Photo Archives Complete Set.

Arutz-7 Radio has posted a couple of interviews (mp3) this week that may be of interest to readers here. The first half of part one is an interview with Bernie and Fran Alpert, founders of Archaeological Seminars, which for decades has run the “dig for a day” program. They say that one million people have come through their programs, the main one of which is digging for a few hours in Hellenistic caves at Bet Guvrin.

Part two is a 50-minute interview with Eilat Mazar concerning her initial interest in archaeology, some of her previous excavations, and now her work in the City of David. She gives some reasons for why she believes the large stone structure must date to the time of David. I found myself nodding off in the middle, but it was worthwhile to listen to the end.

The real Snake Path is not at Masada, but in San Diego.

Tagged Jerusalem, Resources

Weekend Roundup

Salvage archaeology is the unplanned kind which occurs when construction reveals ancient remains. In a city like Jerusalem, modern builders uncover the past far more than they would like. This Jerusalem Post article gives some good insight into the challenges and rewards.

Archaeologist Yoram Tsafrir is unhappy that the Israel Antiquities Authority is planning to build a three-story museum over the ruins of the Roman “Valley Cardo” on the western side of the Western Wall Plaza.

Stephen G. Rosenberg writes in the Jerusalem Post on two synagogues in the Golan Heights at Ein Nashut and Yehudiya.

An American geologist argued in a recent lecture that David chose the city of Jerusalem because of the karstic limestone formations. The brief article in the Jerusalem Post only covers the basics and doesn’t reveal what he has contributed to the discussion. An abstract of the article can be read here.

Case Western Reserve University has about 300 out-of-copyright books on the Ancient Near East available on their website.

The Jerusalem Post has a 3-minute video on the recent story (previously noted here) on the Western Wall tunnels and new discoveries made there.

Bridges for Peace sent me their 2010 calendar because they used one of my photos on the cover. The calendar is full of beautiful photographs and I see that they are for sale here for $10.

HT: Joe Lauer, Mondo Gonzales, David F. Coppedge

Tagged Jerusalem, Resources

Double-Decker Plaza at Western Wall Planned

From Arutz-7:

Israel is planning a major archaeological dig under the Western Wall (Kotel) plaza, opposite the Temple Mount, officials announced Thursday. The excavations will create an archaeological park directly underneath the area where worshippers currently stand while praying at the Kotel.
The current prayer area will remain open, supported by pillars, while a new area will be added underneath, at the level at which worshippers at the ancient Temple stood in the past.

Don’t expect the Arab leaders to miss this opportunity.

The dig may be met with harsh reactions from Muslim and Arab leaders in Israel and the Palestinian Authority, many of whom have accused Israel of attempting to damage the Al-Aksa Mosque on the Temple Mount. Jerusalem-area Muslims recently rioted for several days after it was rumored that “Jewish settlers” had planned to pray on the Temple Mount.

You can see an artist’s sketch of what the area will look like here. The full article is here.

The present plaza level was lowered in the 1960s, as I noted with this interesting photo comparison.

Tagged Excavations, Jerusalem, Temple Mount

Engineer: Excavations Do Not Undermine Temple Mount

From the Jerusalem Post:

Despite recent accusations to the contrary, the chief site engineer for the Western Wall tunnels declared on Thursday that Israeli archeological excavations were not being done under the Temple Mount, were in no way detrimental to the structural stability of the mount or its surroundings, and were actually improving such stability "tenfold." "There’s been a lot of talk about instability [based on ongoing archeological excavations in the area], and let me reassure you, we have improved the structural stability here tenfold over the last few years and have actually strengthened areas where there was danger of further collapse," the chief engineer, Ofer Cohen, said during a Government Press Office-sponsored tour of the tunnels on Thursday afternoon. Standing in a section of the tunnels known as the "Hall of Ages" – so named because the archeological and subsequent reinforcement work there spans from the First Temple period until today – Cohen and the tour’s participants were dwarfed by a series of huge steel beams that had been set up to prevent the walls from caving in. "To those who say that our work here is causing structural instability, the exact opposite is true," Cohen asserted.

The rest of the story is here.

Tagged Jerusalem, Temple Mount

Jerusalem vs. Pompeii (in Google Earth)

There are not many computer programs that I am wildly ecstatic about, but Google Earth qualifies even if no others do. If you haven’t yet downloaded it, I recommend it.

I’ve been doing some reading recently on Pompeii. I think my fascination with the city may in part be owing to my “discovery” of the site years after I thought I had been to the most important ruins of the Middle East and Mediterranean world. When I visited, I felt that I had been cheated for years.

Why had no one sat me down and told me in a most serious tone that I must discard all other travel plans and get myself to Pompeii? Apparently I do not have friends who love me enough.

Sadly I learned very little from my delay in visiting Pompeii in Real Life, for I have done no better in visiting Pompeii in Google Earth. I had no idea what a treat was awaiting me. At least for those used to staring at the fuzzy, low-resolution imagery of Israel, Pompeii is a beautiful contrast. (To find Pompeii quickly, paste these coordinates in the “Fly To” box: 40.750262°14.486046°).

Here is a comparison, with screenshots taken in Google Earth from the same elevation above the sites.

Dome of the Rock, in Jerusalem

Forum and Temple of Augustus, in Pompeii

I don’t know what it’s going to take before we see high-quality satellite imagery in the Middle East.

Tagged Italy, Jerusalem, Technology

Conference: Archaeology of Jerusalem and Vicinity

Hebrew University will host the third annual conference on the Archaeology of Jerusalem and its Vicinity this Thursday, October 15th, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Mount Scopus, Social Sciences Building, Room 300. The conference will include three sessions on Jerusalem and vicinity before a closing session on the Qeiyafa inscription. The conference is co-sponsored by the Israel Antiquities Authority, Hebrew University, and the Moriah Company. A brief announcement is posted on the IAA site (Hebrew).

HT: ANE-2

Tagged Jerusalem, Lectures, Shephelah