BiblePlaces Newsletter
Vol 19, #3 - August 26, 2024
A challenge in using photographs of biblical lands today is how much things have changed since ancient times. Construction intrudes and culture disappears. If only we had a time machine…
Not long after I started creating photo collections of the land of Israel, I recognized the tremendous value of older photos to “take us back in time.” That led to the creation of the Historic Views of the Holy Land. And while I love these old pictures, there’s a major drawback that makes them less useful and exciting…
That drawback is immediately obvious – the pictures are in black and white. What if, when we jumped in that time machine, we could take a color camera with us?
This is not a new concern. Eric Matson, one of the American Colony photographers, did some work in colorizing photographs to increase their interest for tourists who visited his shop in the Old City of Jerusalem. But the work was arduous and painstaking, the results mixed, and in the end, only a few were colorized…
This newsletter features American Colony photographs from 100 years ago that have been colorized using AI. In my opinion, the color brings life and a new dimension to the images. The best way to see this is through the PowerPoint that we created, where you can flip back and forth between 25 sets of black-and-white and color images.
What do you think? I think this has tremendous potential, though the technology is still in its early stages. The process is certainly faster than the old method of hand-coloring. It’s not yet ready for certain applications, but I can definitely get some good use out of these in the classroom.
Meanwhile, we are close to finishing another massive photo collection on a book that is extremely deserving of verse-by-verse illustration. Can you guess which one that might be? (Hint: it’s not one we’ve already finished.)
Todd Bolen
Photographer, BiblePlaces.com
Professor of Biblical Studies, The Master’s University
A Roundup Every Weekend
Every weekend I write about the latest discoveries and stories in archaeology, geography, and tourism related to the biblical world. Visit www.bibleplaces.com/blog to catch up or subscribe by email.
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A Photo Every Day
Featured BiblePlaces Photos: Fishing (in color)
The featured photos this month are from a new color update of the “Work Life: Fishing” set. In addition to the photos in this newsletter (below), you can download a free copy of the “Work Life: Fishing (Color)” PowerPoint, including 25 photos, to see the transformation that color brings to these historic images. You can also download all the high-resolution jpgs here.
For more cultural photos like these (in black and white), purchase the Traditional Life and Customs volume (600 photos for $20) or the complete American Colony and Eric Matson Collection (4,000 photos for $99).
Fishing on the Sea of Galilee
In 1908, E. W. G. Masterman wrote a fascinating article on fishing at the Sea of Galilee (online here). Several of the quotations included in this newsletter come from this article.
“Fishing off Tiberias is only followed to a considerable extent during the winter and early spring months. It is not nearly so important as that along the northern shore from Mejdel [Magdala] to el Bataihah [Bethsaida]. The bay at et Tabaghah [Tabgha] is, during the early months of spring, a wonderful place for fish; they swarm there, attracted by the copious hot springs which, loaded with vegetable débris, here pour their waters into the Lake. For about three months—mid-January to mid-April—the fisherman make this their head-quarters, erecting a few tents or reed huts on the shore, close to the mills. While the water a few yards out teems with larger fish, the shallows close in shore swarm with small fish-fry” (Masterman 1908: 41).
Casting the Net
In his work published in 1898, G. M. Mackie described the use of the cast net on the Sea of Galilee.
“The fisherman stands on the bank or wades breast-deep into the water, and skilfully throws the net which he had arranged on his arm into the water in front of him. It falls in the shape of a ring, and as the lead weights around the fringe drag it down, the net takes the shape of a dome or cone in sinking, and finally falls upon the fishes it encloses. The fisherman then dives down and draws the leads securely together, and carries net and fish to the bank. Favourite spots are the warm springs above Magdala, where the fish congregate in vast swarms, and the fisherman frequently flings in some bait to bring them to one spot, and near enough to the shore for his purpose.”
Letting Down the Nets
Masterman writes, “The m’batten can be laid in any depth of water as it does not touch the bottom, but as a matter of experience, the fishermen find that the biggest hauls are made usually not far from the shore. The net is paid out in a long line parallel to the shore, the fishermen then row their boats slowly along its whole length and back again—particularly on the landward side—in order to frighten the fishes. If there is a large catch, the net weighed down with its contents, sinks in the middle. When this happens it is immediately hauled on board the two boats. If there is no such result, the net may be left out from the middle of the night till daybreak. Before paying out the nets, the fishermen are often able, even in the darkest nights, to locate a shoal of fish by the sound of the fishes opening and shutting their mouths at the surface” (1908: 46).
Bringing in the Dragnet
“The fishermen consider it a matter of importance that when once the net has commenced to come in, there should be no pause in its progress. As the centre parts begin to come into shallow water some of the fishermen assist its progress by jumping or diving into the water and lifting the weighted lower side over the large stones. This is particularly necessary at Tiberias, where there are many large stones all over the bottom. Finally the net reaches the shore, having ‘gathered of every kind’ (Matt. xiii, 48). Clearly the net (σαγήνη) here described was the draw net” (Masterman 1908: 45).
Fishing at Caesarea at Sunset
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All contents © 2024 Todd Bolen. Text and photographs may be used for personal and educational use with attribution. Commercial use requires written permission.
