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More Sounds of the Shofar

I have received, via Jack Sasson’s list, notice of a book accompanying the exhibition at the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem. Sound the Shofar – A Witness to History
Filip Vukosavovic (ed.)
ISBN – 965-7027-23-3
Paperback, 72 pages (55 English, 15 Hebrew)
Price: $20 From the Introduction:

The shofar is a natural sound-producing wind instrument made out of Bovidae horn. It has been a part of human history for thousands of years and is probably among the earliest musical instruments played by mankind. Moreover, the shofar is one of the oldest and most recognizable symbols of Judaism, which has been in continual use in a wide variety of circumstances for more than 3,000 years. In this catalogue, which accompanies the exhibition Sound the Shofar – A Witness to History, at the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem, we examine the shofar not only as an artifact, but as an integral and everlasting part of Jewish history, faith and tradition. Throughout the ages, the shofar has been a powerful witness to the tumultuous history of the Jewish people in times of rejoicing and triumph, as well as sadness and catastrophe. The catalogue, like the exhibition, is divided into two parts. In the first section we discuss the zoology and anatomy of the animal horn from which a shofar is created. In the second section we explore the history, iconography and function of the shofar in Judaism from its earliest attestation in the Bible until the present day.

It appears that shipping to addresses outside of Israel costs $10. The book is published by the museum and does not seem to be available via regular book channels. Reader Paul Mitchell has sent along some comments and links to more sounds of the shofar.

We read in the Bible of "horns," and in English this is sometimes interpreted as a "trumpet." Usually the instrument wasn’t metal (maybe never, I’m not sure) but was a ram’s horn (a foot long, curved), and sounds like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Epf_ylf6Pk&feature=related …or that of an ibex with a curly 3-4 ft long horn, and sounds like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb4gKuoxXxI&feature=related You have to wonder if anyone figured out cutting holes in it might make it more versatile, like a flute. When I was in Israel I bought both a ram’s horn, and, an ibex horn. Both are in the congregational resources room now, and used to show the kids mostly what these horns from the Bible are like. But the best sound I could ever replicate was a sad moan you might hear from an asthmatic goat who had just been stepped on while in his deathbed. Here is a short clip that shows the ibex horn can be played quite expertly (the example is disappointingly short): http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Video/Article.aspx?id=237645 The horns were used for signaling various things, from warnings to battle orders, to temple commencements. Here is an expert Jewish cantor, in robes, giving varied riffs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jR20-0sy1Y&NR=1 Josh 6:5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him." You might get a small idea of this ancient sound of horns and shouting at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8xxXYq3IVM&feature=related (these guys blow the horn as good as I do… a herd of my comrade asthmatic goats). If someone in your congregation is PC-savvy, these clips might be good to save to a sound-file for classes. 1 Kings 1:34 There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel; and blow the horn, and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 2 Kings 11:14 When she looked, there was the king standing by a pillar according to custom; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Ps 98:6 With trumpets and the sound of a horn; Shout joyfully before the LORD, the King. UPDATE: Someone replied with this link, and man oh man can this guy blow!! Imagine you are in the city of Jericho and a whole nation of horns are blowing this at you, unsheathing their swords etc. GULP. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXw3LgmGUI8&feature=related

Blowing the shofar at the Western Wall

Tagged Museums

Wednesday Roundup

A 600-lb metal anchor from the Byzantine period has been discovered off the coast south of Tel Aviv. The find led investigators to two others in the area. Photos are available from the IAA in a zip file. The Sound the Shofar exhibition opened last week in Jerusalem with more than 140 of the horns on display at the Bible Lands Museum. The story includes a two-minute video. The Jerusalem Post has more information about Google Street View in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa. Wayne Stiles takes readers on a visit to Shiloh, the longtime home of the tabernacle. The Archaeology of Libya is discussed in this week’s radio program at the Book and the Spade. (Here’s the direct link to the mp3 file). ATS Pro Terra Sancta has plans to renovate “the Holy Place of Sebastia.” I certainly support improving the conditions at the ancient city of Samaria, though it strikes me as odd to consider as holy the place where Ahab built a temple for Baal worship and Herod built another for the worship of the Roman emperor. An inscription in Aramaic and Greek on a stone lintel has been discovered in the area of ancient Sepphoris. The report is in Hebrew and includes a photograph. A Roman-era style bathhouse was constructed in the middle of a Early Islamic period fortress, say archaeologists excavating at Yavneh-Yam on Israel’s coast. HT: Joseph Lauer, Jack Sasson Yavneh-Yam

Tagged Discoveries, Galilee, Jerusalem, Museums, Samaria, Technology, Weekend Roundup

Update on the Grand Egyptian Museum

Today the museum committee begins reviewing bids for the construction of the main exhibition halls.

The new museum is scheduled to open in March 2015. The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is located near the pyramids of Giza.

From Al-Ahram Online:

Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud supervisor of the GEM pointed out that the first and second phases of the GEM project have been completed and included construction of the labs, storehouses, power station and fire fighting unite.
He told Al-Ahram Online that until now 10,000 objects were transferred to the GEM from archaeological galleries all over Egypt and before the opening of the museum set for March 2015, the other 80,000 objects will be transferred.
Among the objects on display are the unique funerary objects of Tutankhamun, Hetepheres, mother of the Pharaoh Khufu, Yuya and Thuya, the grandfathers of Pharaoh Akhenaten, Senedjem, the principal artist of Pharaoh Ramses II, the royal mummies and the treasures of Tanis.
Mohamed Abdel Fatah secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) said that the museum will also house a conference centre with an auditorium for 1,000 to cater for theatrical performances, concerts, conferences and business meetings. The main auditorium will be supplemented with seminar rooms, meeting halls, a multi-purpose hall, along with an open plan gallery for accompanying exhibitions. A special section for children will be created in order to encourage young people to learn about their heritage.

The full story includes two illustrations.

Tagged Egypt, Museums

Tuesday Roundup

Masada is profiled by Elad Benari and accompanied by a five-minute video produced by Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

CitySights has created a one-minute wordless video of the Ramparts Walk atop the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The accompanying article includes a few statistics:

The walls stretch for some 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles), rising to a height of up to 15 meters, (49 feet), with an average thickness of 3 meters (10 ft). Along the course of the walls are 11 gates to the Old City, seven of which are open: New Gate, Damascus Gate, Herod’s Gate, Lions’ Gate, Dung Gate, Jaffa Gate, and Zion Gate.

Ferrell Jenkins uses one of his aerial photos to make a powerful point about what is “known but mostly unknown.”

A five-year old boy and a 25-year-old woman drowned in separate incidents in the Sea of Galilee earlier this week.

The Israel Museum has welcomed one million visitors since the renovated campus reopened last year.

HT: ShalomIL, Paleojudaica

Tagged Galilee, Jerusalem, Museums, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Egypt’s Desire for a Statue in Boston

The construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo has authorities seeking to bring back the most impressive items that have left the country. Yesterday’s story in the Boston Globe reveals some of the inner workings in the case of the bust of Prince Ankhhaf now in Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. It’s an interesting read, particularly if you are concerned with the movement to repatriate antiquities. Unlike some other cases, no one disputes the legality of Boston’s ownership.

In a smoky office a short drive from the Pyramids of Giza, Mohamed Saleh, once the director of Cairo’s Egyptian Museum and now the man in charge of the collections for a planned $550 million Grand Egyptian Museum, is asked how much he knows about the bust of Prince Ankhhaf. The precious 4,500-year-old statue, 20 inches tall, left Egypt decades ago and is now on prominent display at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.
Saleh nods, smiles, and opens his laptop. Just a few clicks, and the stoic ancient face pops onto his screen. Four words are all Saleh needs.
“It is a dream,’’ he says.
The dream is the idea of the Ankhhaf bust returning from Boston, where it has rested since 1927. The Egyptian government is demanding the statue’s return, and the MFA has refused.
But this conflict – one of many the MFA has faced over works in its permanent collection – has been further complicated by the recent tumult in the Egyptian government. And while some claims for ownership of works can be made on legal grounds, this one treads on murkier terrain. The bust of Ankhhaf was given to the MFA by a previous Egyptian government, so the current government has no legal case. Any appeal must be made on moral grounds: that the piece is part of Egypt’s patrimony, and belongs at home.

The story continues here, but you must go to the museum’s website for photos.

HT: Jack Sasson

Tagged Egypt, Museums

Weekend Roundup

The Ancient World Online (AWOL) has several posts of map resources this week. The Digital Atlas of Roman and Medieval Civilizations is a work-in-progress by students and faculty at Harvard. The Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem has now made available online the Eran Laor Cartographic Collection. For more historic maps, start with the Links page at this site.

Tom Powers reports that you can now walk underground (on the street and through the drainage channel) from the Pool of Siloam to the Givati Parking Lot opposite the entrance to the City of David. He also has photos of the new exit for the passage just below Robinson’s Arch. (The unsightly railing smack in the middle of the first-century street will cause distress for those who haven’t already taken photographs of this historic site.)

The Jerusalem municipality is promoting a “Take two days in Jerusalem” campaign this summer, and the list of cultural events is extensive:

The International Festival of Light, Knights Festival, International Film Festival, Puppets Theater Festival, Opera Festival, Balabasta Festival in Mahane Yehuda Market, Jerusalem Beer Festival, Arts & Crafts Festival, End of Summer Celebration Festival, Wine Tasting Festival, Shalem Dance Festival, Ziggy Marley, Infected Mushrooms, Matisyahu, Eyal Golan, Renee Fleming and more!

Arutz-7 is reporting illegal construction activity at Gibeah of Saul.

Recent events in the Middle East may have a downside: “The ‘Arab Spring’ may have facilitated trade of a treasure trove of stolen assets in the world’s art and antiquities markets.”

The Ashmolean Museum at Oxford will be opening new wings for ancient Egypt and Nubia in November.

Amihai Mazar will be giving a public lecture in Sydney, Australia in September.

HT: Joseph Lauer, Jack Sasson, BibleX

Bird’s Eye View of the Holy Land, engraved from A. J. Marks lithograph, 1880s. Source: Eran Laor Cartographic Collection.

Tagged Jerusalem, Lectures, Museums, Resources, Weekend Roundup