Jerusalem Archives - Page 167 of 199

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

Name That Place: Jerusalem in 1900

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.

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.

Tagged American Colony Photos, Challenge, Jerusalem

Jaffa Gate Closure

Recently a friend alerted me to a discussion online about major renovations to be started soon in the vicinity of Jaffa Gate. Among other things, this will close the gate off to vehicular traffic. If they dig anything up, chances are very high that they’ll find something of significance, which will slow their progress down even further. A source in Jerusalem relates the following:

1. The gate is being closed to car traffic due to road renovations.

2. They may leave one lane open for one-way traffic.

3. The gate is supposed to close soon after Succot (which ended a few days ago).

4. A Muslim policeman “who isn’t trustworthy” said that the gate would NOT reopen ever.

5. Shop owners are concerned about how they will receive supplies.

This is not the first time the authorities have done major work on the road here.

Jaffa Gate area from east, with Crusader moat of Citadel visible in foreground. Date of photograph: 1898-1907. From the new Jerusalem CD.

Tagged American Colony Photos, Jerusalem, Then and Now

Book Sale: Jerusalem in Original Photographs

Eisenbrauns has a terrific sale this weekend on Shimon Gibson, Jerusalem in Original Photographs, 1850-1920. Gibson not only had access to some rare photographs, but his knowledge of the subject is extraordinary. Only $15 at Eisenbrauns. ($48 at Amazon)

Tagged Jerusalem, Resources

Midweek Roundup

A Second Temple period hall near the Western Wall has been excavated and restored. The “Hall of Ages” is scheduled to be opened to the public in a few weeks. HT: Joe Lauer

The Baptist Press has a story on the “Joseph coins,” in which they quote Steven Ortiz and Robert Griffin as skeptical.

G. M. Grena has some comments about the upcoming ASOR meetings at his LMLK blogspot, including this note of interest to Qeiyafa watchers:

By the way, Prof. Garfinkel will have some interesting photos of jar handles with special impressions that in many ways parallel the LMLK phenomenon.

BAS reports that from January to August 2010 the Oriental Institute will launch a new exhibit
“Pioneers to the Past: American Archaeologists in the Middle East, 1919-20.”

James Henry Breasted had received a large donation from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. to establish the Oriental Institute in 1919 and quickly organized an expedition to travel across the Middle East to acquire objects for the Institute and identify sites for excavation. World War I had just ended, the political map of the Middle East had not yet been redrawn, and it was a dangerous time to be travelling through the region. The exhibit will present the incredible adventure story of the Breasted expedition through photographs, excerpts from letters, original documents from the archives, and objects purchased on the trip.

BAS is now offering a free e-book entitled “Israel: An Archaeological Journey” (requires quick registration if you haven’t already). The contents include:

The Fury of Babylon: Ashkelon and the Archaeology of Destruction, by Lawrence E. Stager
Vegas on the Med: A Tour of Caesarea’s Entertainment District, by Yosef Porath
How Jewish Was Sepphoris in Jesus’ Time?, by Mark Chancey and Eric M. Meyers
Where Masada’s Defenders Fell, by Nachman Ben-Yehuda
A New Reconstruction of Paul’s Prison, by Ehud Netzer

Tagged Egypt, Jerusalem, Shephelah, Temple Mount