Negev Archives - Page 21 of 25

Weekend Roundup

This video captures the “streams in the desert” during a recent flash flood in the Nahal Zin.

The spring season of excavations at Tel Burna has concluded.

The Times of Israel suggests “five glorious places from which to look out over Jerusalem.”

Mark Hoffman describes the new Google Maps Gallery and National Geographic Lands of the Bible Maps.

Larry Mykytiuk is on this week’s edition of The Book and the Spade discussing 50 Real People of the Bible, Confirmed by Archaeology (direct links to part 1 and part 2).

Seetheholyland.net now covers 100 sacred sites (Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Baha’i) and other places of interest for Christian pilgrims to the biblical world.

Ferrell Jenkins comments on the attempted donkey sacrifice at Nebi Samwil.

BibleX links to an article on the Living Torah Museum in New York.

Popular Archaeology summarizes the recent excavations at Abel Beth Maacah and includes many photos.

The Rose Guide to the Temple is now $3.99 for the Kindle.

Tagged Excavations, Jerusalem, Museums, Negev, Resources, Shephelah, Tourism

Weekend Roundup

Haaretz profiles the late archaeologist Nahman Avigad on the anniversary of his birthday. Leen Ritmeyer shares some personal reflections.

Mark Hoffman shares a Google Maps Exercise for Biblical Geography.

Many ancient leopard traps have been discovered in Israel’s Negev.

What if Cyrus had not freed the Jews? The Jewish Journal asks the question.

Adam Zertal’s theory about Gilgal is detailed in Israel HaYom.

Lior, the lion king of Jerusalem, has died at the age of 16.

HT: Charles Savelle, Jack Sasson

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem, Negev, Resources, Samaria, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

This week’s edition of The Book and the Spade features Matthew Adams in a discussion of new excavations east of Megiddo (direct link here).

BibleX provides links to a new resource called ASORtv.

Ferrell Jenkins provides a new illustration for the story of the serpents in the wilderness.

Derbe is one of the last sites on Paul’s itinerary to remain unexcavated. That has now changed with a new project by Selçuk University.

A preliminary report of the 2013 excavation season at Tel Kabri is now available.

L. Y. Rahmani and Robert J. Bull died this week.

HT: Jack Sasson

Derbe from the west
Photo from Eastern and Central Turkey

Tagged Excavations, Negev, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

King Solomon’s Mines, After All

A new study by a team from Tel Aviv University concludes that the copper mines at Timna, near Eilat, were in operation during the reign of Solomon. The new dating is based upon Carbon-14 studies which shift the peak of copper production down three centuries from the 13th century to the 10th.

Because of close similarities between the mines at Timna and those at Feinan (biblical Punon) further north, the scholars believe that the Timna mines were operated by the Edomites but not by Solomon.

Perhaps this is correct. Another possibility is that Solomon controlled both. The biblical texts do not identify either site as Solomonic, but the Israelite king did control territory as far south as Eilat.

1 Kings 9:26–28 (NIV) “King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber, which is near Elath in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. And Hiram sent his men—sailors who knew the sea—to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s men. They sailed to Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.”

During David and Solomon’s reigns, the Edomites were subject to Israel (2 Sam 8:11-14; 1 Kgs 11:14). Perhaps they operated the mines to pay the annual tribute.

If I had time, it would be interesting to go back through the literature and review the statements of those who used the absence of evidence at Timna from Solomon’s time as evidence against the biblical account. Once again we see why we should hold to the assured results of archaeological research lightly.

The full BASOR journal article is online as is a summary in Haaretz. A video from this year’s excavations is posted at YouTube.

HT: Joseph Lauer

Solomon’s Pillars near the copper mines of Timna
Photo from Negev and the Wilderness

Tagged 10th Century, Discoveries, Negev

Answer: Most-Eroded Site in Israel

The site identified as the most eroded site in Israel is Tell Jemmeh, located on the bank of the Nahal Besor about 7 miles (12 km) due south of the city of Gaza. The site was identified as biblical Gerar by W. J. Phythian-Adams and Sir Flinders Petrie. Benjamin Mazar’s suggestion that Tell Jemmeh is Yurza is now commonly accepted. Yurza is mentioned in Egyptian and Assyrian texts but not in the Bible. The source of the quotation is the “Jemmeh, Tell” article by the late Gus W. Van Beek in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, volume 3, page 677.

We had a number of good responses in the comments yesterday, all of which show that there are many severely eroded tells in Israel. The correct answer was given by Dr. Carl Rasmussen, but if you’re feeling bad that you lost out, you can take comfort in the fact that you lost to someone who has written one of the best Bible atlases!

Tell Jemmeh side washed out by Nahal Besor, tb050701352

Tell Jemmeh, showing erosion caused by the Nahal Besor.
Photo from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, volume 5

Tagged Challenge, Negev

New Video: The Locusts

Today is Passover and SourceFlix has released a new video short entitled “The Locusts.”

Recently, I sat down in the early morning to enjoy a cup of coffee and my newspaper. The headline of the Jerusalem Post read “Swarm of Locusts Crosses Sinai Border into Israel”. I leaped out of my chair, grabbed my camera gear, jumped in my car and raced towards the Egyptian border. Within three hours locusts were bouncing off my windshield! The estimated swarm of 120 million had been devastating Egypt for several days, but Israel was ready for them with pesticide-loaded planes and helicopters. So, while I didn’t get to see them in their full force, it was yet another experience in Israel that brought the pages of the Bible to life! I will never forget seeing these locusts carried in on the wind, eating everything in their path.

Click here to watch the 2-minute video.

Tagged Egypt, Negev