Weekend Roundup Archives - Page 167 of 171

Weekend Roundup

Two articles that I contributed made it to the “Most Viewed” list over at The Bible and Interpretation. Both articles are brief and challenge current thinking:

An Ignored Contradiction between the Merneptah Stele and Archaeological Data
Not in the Theater: Challenging Josephus’s Location for the Place of Herod Agrippa’s Death

Probably the most important work of historical geography ever written is The Sacred Bridge, by Anson F. Rainey and R. Steven Notley. At $100, you may need convincing that it’s worth the sacrifice. I look at it this way: take the number of years left in your life and divide $100 by that. It is worth a few bucks a year to have such an extensive reference tool at arm’s length. Leen Ritmeyer has posted a brief review of the book on his blog. If you don’t need the original languages, you can cut the price in half by purchasing Carta’s New Century Handbook and Atlas of the Bible.

If you’d like a free classic to offset the expensive purchase, you can download the entire work of George Adam Smith’s Historical Geography of the Holy Land (pdf). This is the 4th edition (of 26!), but as far as I know, the content is largely the same. I am not sure if residents outside the US have access.

Tagged Resources, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

A couple of fragments of a cuneiform tablet were found recently at the excavations of Hazor. Details released thus far are limited, but the tablet is from the Middle Bronze Age (2000-1500 BC) and has parallels to the Law Code of Hammurabi. The excavators’ notice of the discovery is online here. I have heard that the find was made on the surface, and that publication won’t take long.

Roman period tombs have been discovered in Petra with skeletal remains and ancient artifacts.

A small basalt statue dating from about 4000 BC has been found in Jordan near the border of Saudi Arabia.

Stephen Gabriel Rosenberg has written an “Archaeology in Israel Update,” including summaries of the medieval aqueduct in Jerusalem, graves in Ashkelon, MB artifacts near Jokneam, MB tombs in Nazareth, and the 18th anniversary of the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem.

New excavations begin today at Shiloh and the team is looking for volunteers (article in Hebrew).

If you prefer to “experience” excavations without getting dirty, take a look at the live video feed from Gath (during working hours only).

HT: Roi Brit

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Jordan, Samaria, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

The area of Adullam where David hid in a cave will be destroyed by oil prospectors, according to a group of concerned citizens.

If you haven’t visited the Pool of Siloam recently (or ever), you may not have seen this artist’s reconstruction of what it looked like.

USC has an article on how new photographic methods and computer technology are helping in the deciphering of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Book and the Spade radio program has a new website.

Robert Cargill notes that National Geographic TV will be airing a special entitled “Writing the Dead Sea Scrolls” on July 27. You can see a preview online. I confess that I still have a lot of trouble believing that the primary reason for the placement of the scrolls in the Qumran caves is that fleeing Jerusalemites were hiding them from the Romans. If that was the case, one would not expect to find all of them within a very small geographic area (not far from a settlement).

The Ancient World Online has updated its extensive list of open access journals. Among those that might interest readers here are Hadashot Arkheologiyot and the Bulletin of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society (1933-1967).

The May 2010 issue of BASOR is now online for subscribers. Non-subscribers can see the table of contents and abstracts.

Hershel Shanks talks a little bit about his new autobiography in front of the camera. He seems to relish his conviction as a thief. Elsewhere, William Varner reviews the book quite favorably.

What did Jesus look like? Justin Taylor revisits an article from a few years back that provides some background to the reconstruction made using “forensic anthropology.”

Logos Bible Software has a pre-publication special on the 22 volumes of the Babylonian Talmud and the 28 volumes of the Jerusalem Talmud (Neusner’s translation). Both for $160 (for a limited time).

By the way, Neusner has written or edited 900 books, which averages out to two a month for the last 37 years.

Tagged Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

The first excavation season at Tel Burna has concluded. They had a fantastic season, and they would be most grateful for some support. They’ll have aerial photos taken and posted on the blog next week.

Robert Cargill has written an insightful essay on the “Misuse of Archaeology for Evangelistic Purposes,” specifically with reference to the recent “discovery” of Noah’s Ark.

In his recent Asia Minor Report 9, Mark Wilson (Seven Churches Network) notes that the Black Sea Studies series has been made available online for free by the publisher. In particular, he points to volume 7 as providing useful background on the early Christian communities mentioned in 1 Peter 1:1.

Analysis of the Temple Scroll suggests that it was written at Qumran.

The Israeli army is keeping the ruins of the Samaritan temple closed to the public because they say it is too dangerous. The Samaritans are unhappy because of the entrance fees they could be charging.

The July/August issue of Biblical Archaeology Review is available, and the article on the destruction of Pompeii is online for free. I’m looking forward to reading the article on Jezreel.

The Magdala Center is the Catholic plan for a Galilee pilgrimage center, the “Notre Dame of the Galilee.” They plan to complete excavation of the on-site “synagogue” (see previous post) in one year and the rest of the city in three years.

If you’ve ever taken a series of photos with the intention of stitching them together to create a panorama, you might check out the free Microsoft Research Image Composite Editor (ICE).

Tagged Dead Sea, Galilee, Italy, Shephelah, Technology, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

Yesterday was the first day of excavation in the history of Tell Burna (Bornat). They have already uncovered fortifications. Maybe one of these days someone will go back to Azekah. There must be treasures untold there.

Last week’s LandMinds show was entitled “Mystery: Who Built Ramat Rahel?”

The Wall Street Journal runs a brief article on the display on James Henry Breasted at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.

Hershel Shanks has written an autobiography, but it is entitled Freeing the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Adventures of an Archaeology Outsider. My bet is that it’s an interesting read. Whatever you think of his ideas and approach, Shanks has had a significant impact on biblical archaeology. The NYT has a brief article in connection to the book’s release.

Logos Bible Software has a prepublication special entitled “Travels through Bible Lands Collection” (now $130). The description claims that “these fifteen volumes embody some of the best travel writing of the nineteenth century.” That could be, though I’ve never heard of the majority of the authors or titles.

Perhaps you didn’t know that you could subscribe to the BiblePlaces Blog on the Kindle. This blog is reviewed in that context at the Kindle Blog Report.

HT: Joe Lauer

Tagged Judah, Resources, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

The latest LandMinds program features Wheaton professor Daniel Master concerning his excavations of Ashkelon. This year they are focusing on periods before and after the Philistine occupation.

Another recent LandMinds program interviews Amnon Ben-Tor, excavator of Hazor. The second part of the show features the directors of the survey and excavation team of Tel Burna (Bornat), possible biblical Libnah.

Over on PaleoBabble, Michael Heiser has announced a new online institute in which you can study the Bible, the ancient languages, ancient history, and more for a very low price.

In Jeremiah 32, the Lord tells the prophet to purchase a plot of land even though the Babylonians are about to conquer the city. If you want to see how archaeological background can help us to understand the details of a biblical story, check out Gordon Franz’s “archaeological exposition” of the passage.

360Cities has some beautiful panoramas from Egypt, including the Pyramids in Giza and the Karnak Temple in Luxor.

If you haven’t had a chance to walk through the sewers of ancient Jerusalem, Ferrell Jenkins is guiding tours today.

Tagged Egypt, Jerusalem, Resources, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup