Ehud Netzer, the archaeologist who discovered Herod’s tomb and excavated most of Herod’s other sites throughout Israel, is lecturing (in Hebrew) this Thursday at Hebrew Union College, Jerusalem.
The details are:
Lecture: The Discovery of King Herod’s Tomb at Herodium (in Hebrew) with Ehud Netzer
Location: HUC/JIR, 13 King David Street
Date: Thursday, Dec 27, 2007 at 5 PM
Website: http://www.huc.edu/events/07/12/JE.shtml
HT: Joe Lauer
Those interested in the goings-on at the ASOR meeting in San Diego should look at the LMLK Blogspot of George Grena. In his first post, he discusses some of the scholars he met and the first session which was on Ramat Rahel. I’m in town for another conference but opted to not to go the ASOR meetings because of the high admissions fee (and the Biblical Archaeology Society conference was even more outrageously priced). You can see the ASOR program schedule here. Other highlights of the day that Grena noted in a posting to the ANE-2 list are:
2) Interesting ruffling of feathers between attendees at Chang-Ho Ji’s paper on Khirbat ‘Ataruz (Ataroth?) regarding the interpretation of 2 male figures (homosexual deities?) on a cult statue.
3) A heated exchange between the excavators of Beth Shemesh & Yosef Garfinkel & Saar Ganor of the IAA after their consecutive papers. The former pointed out the lack of evidence for an 8th-century earthquake, but suggested that a burnt layer relates to 2Kings 14:11-2; the latter identified Khirbet Qeiyafa as Biblical Azekah.
4) A 6-line ink-inscription ostracon found at Tall Jalul, presented by Randall Younker–note that this was a surprise change from the topic originally planned–you won’t find it in the abstracts program book.
5) A strong protest by Aren Maeir following the Zayit Abecedary session.
The 52nd Annual Archaeology Lecture Series is underway at Wheaton College, entitled “Ashkelon and the Ports of the Mediterranean.” The remaining lectures are:
Wednesday, Oct 31, 6:30pm
Brian Brisco, “The Persian Period at Ashkelon”
Billy Graham Center, Room 140
Wednesday, Nov 7, 6:30pm
Tracy Hoffman, “The Byzantine and Islamic Periods at Ashkelon”
Billy Graham Center, Room 140
The following lectures are free, open to the public, and held in the Breasted Hall of the University of Chicago, Oriental Institute.
Wednesday, Nov 7, 7pm-9pm
Allison Thomason, “Banquets, Baubles and Bronzes: Material Comforts in Neo-Assyrian Palaces”
Wednesday, Dec 5, 7pm-9pm
Scott Branting, “Mapping the Past”
Wednesday, Jan 9, 7pm-9pm
Harald Hauptmann, “Neolithic Revolution of the Ancient Near East”
Wednesday, Feb 6, 7pm-9pm
Terry Wilfong, “Anxious Egyptians: Personal Oracles as Indices of Anxieties in the Later Periods”
Wednesday, Mar 5, 7pm-9pm
David Schloen, “Excavations at Zincirli”
Wednesday, Apr 2, 7pm-9pm
Nadine Moeller, “Tell Edfu, Egypt”
Wednesday, May 7, 7pm-9pm
Larry Stager, “Excavating Ashkelon, Sea Port of the Phillistines”
Wednesday, Jun 4, 7pm-9pm
Stuart Tyson Smith, “Death at Tombos: Pyramids, Iron, and the Rise of the Nubian Dynasty”
The American Jewish University (formerly University of Judaism) is hosting the 18th and final series of lectures on biblical archaeology at their Los Angeles campus starting next week. The lectures are on Monday evenings, beginning at 8:00 p.m., and with a cost of $25 each. The lecture dates, topics, and speakers are:
October 15
Jerusalem in the Days of David and Solomon: What Do We See in Excavations and What Does It
Actually Mean?
Jane M. Cahill
October 22
Archaeology, History and the Patriarchs
Gary Rendsberg
October 29
The Exodus from Egypt and the Conquest of Canaan in Archaeology, Egyptology and the Bible:
What Do We Know for Certain?
James K. Hoffmeier
November 12
Death Styles of the Rich and Famous and of the Kings of Israel: An Archaeologist Examines the
Evidence and Arguments
Jodi Magness
November 19
Two Temples Stood in Zion: How New Excavations, Old Photographs, Recent Observations and
Ancient Texts Enable Us to See the Temples of Solomon and Herod
Leen Ritmeyer
November 26
The First Synagogues and Churches: What Can We Learn from Newly Excavated Sites About the
Beliefs, Organization and Origins of Early Christian and Jewish Groups?
Steven Fine
December 3
Cosmos from Chaos: the Creation of Heaven and the Search for Divine Presence in Israelite Religion
Ziony Zevit
This really is an outstanding program and if I didn’t have to jump on an airplane to attend, I would
go. If you have limited time or funds, the four that would be of most interest to me are Cahill,
Hoffmeier, Magness, and Ritmeyer. The last three have great books on their subjects which I
recommend to all. (Perhaps they would sign it if you brought it.) Those books are Hoffmeier, Israel
in Egypt ($30); Magness, Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls ($15); Ritmeyer, The
Quest ($60).
Dr. Gabriel Barkay is a distinguished archaeologist in Israel whose significant discoveries include the silver amulets from Ketef Hinnom. His current project is sifting the debris from the Temple Mount.
Barkay is lecturing this month in various places in the U.S.
Feb. 1 New Rochelle, NY—Beth El Synagogue
Feb. 4-7 Dallas, TX—Dallas Theological Seminary
Feb. 5 Fort Worth, TX—Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary 7pm
Feb. 8 Lubbock, TX—Lubbock Christian University, 7 pm
Feb. 9-10 Ashland, OH—Ashland Theological Seminary
Feb. 11 Silver Spring, MD—Jewish Center, 2:00pm
Feb. 12 Wheaton, IL
Feb. 13 Milwaukee, WI
Feb. 14 Madison, WI
Feb. 15-16 Springfield, MO—Missouri State University
Feb. 20 Atlanta, GA—Atlanta Museum, Emory University
Feb. 22 Southern California—UCLA and UC Riverside, 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM
Feb. 27 Nyack, NY—Alliance Theological Seminary, 6:30-9 p.m
If you have never heard Barkay speak, you can see a short sample taken by a student on a recent tour here. Of course, he’s better in person.
HT: Yehuda News
Update (2/10): The entry for Feb 15 was corrected and the lecture for Feb. 27 added.