(Post by A.D. Riddle)

We have been following the journey of the “Roads of Arabia” exhibition since its opening in 2011. (Previous posts can be seen here, here, and here.) It is now being shown at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, until March 9. An article in the Houston Chronicle describes the exhibit and provides hi-resolution images of some of the highlights. Further information can be found at the Museum of Fine Arts website and at the Roads of Arabia exhibition website.

Roads of Arabia: Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia examines the impact of ancient trade routes that traversed the Arabian Peninsula, carrying precious frankincense and myrrh to Mesopotamia and the Greco-Roman world and allowing for a vibrant exchange of both objects and ideas. With the later rise of Islam, pilgrimage roads converged on Mecca and gradually replaced the well-traveled incense roads.

This unparalleled exhibition features objects excavated from more than 10 archaeological sites throughout the peninsula. Among the works on view are alabaster bowls and fragile glassware, heavy gold earrings, and monumental statues. These objects testify to the lively mercantile and cultural exchange between the Arabs and their neighbors, including the Egyptians, Syrians, Babylonians, and Greco-Romans.

The surprising discoveries on display in Roads of Arabia open a new window onto the culture and economy of this ancient civilization. The unprecedented assembly made its U.S. debut at the Smithsonian Institution’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in 2012 before traveling to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. An earlier version of the show was exhibited in Barcelona, Berlin, Paris, and Saint Petersburg.

 Sandstone statue of Lihyanite ruler from Al-Ula.
4th-3rd centuries B.C.
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(Post by A.D. Riddle)

January 8, Wednesday, 7:00 pm

The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago presents a lecture by Hartmut Kühn on “The Collapse of the Assyrian Empire and the Evidence of Dur-Katlimmu.” The event begins at 7:00pm. Registration is free and can be completed here.

The collapse of the Assyrian Empire was the prelude to the end of the Mesopotamian domination of the Ancient Near East in 539 BC to be followed by the Persian hegemony. The metropolitan core region of Assyria laid waste, as is known from extensive excavations in the Assyrian capitals; neither the Babylonian nor the Median successors cared for a reconstruction program. But how did the Assyrian home provinces survive the collapse? This poorly known chapter of history is now elucidated by the long term excavations at Tell Sheikh Hamad (Syria), the Assyrian provincial centre of Dur-Katlimmu. In historiography long thought to have vanished, the Assyrians prove to have lived on, as the archaeological evidence unmistakably demonstrates.

January 18, Saturday, 7:00 pm

The Lanier Theological Library is hosting a lecture by James K. Hoffmeier and Stephen O. Moshier on “Moses Did Not Sleep Here! A Critical Look at Some Sensational Exodus and Mt. Sinai Theories.” Go here for more information and to register for the free event.

Over the past 10-15 years there have been a number of sensational ideas advanced for where and how the Red Sea crossing occurred as the Hebrews departed Egypt and where Mt. Sinai is located. Many of these are known from popular TV programs on the History, Learning, Discovery and National Geographic Channels. Some of these theories, such as the one that has the Israelites crossing the Gulf of Aqaba and landing in Saudi Arabia will be examined biblically, archaeologically (Hoffmeier) and geologically (Moshier). Was Mt. Sinai a volcano? Is there any basis for identifying Mt. Sinai with the traditional site, Gebel Musa? These and other questions will be treated, using film clips, slides and maps.

 Jebel Musa, traditional Mt. Sinai.


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(Post by A.D. Riddle)

About four years ago, we were happy to see the arrival of Barry Beitzel’s revised atlas, The New Moody Atlas of the Bible.

And now, this year, the atlas has been translated into Dutch, Italian, and German—for those who know a missionary, a mother-in-law who does not speak English, an overseas pen-pal, or a graduate student who has to learn foreign languages. (This list is not exhaustive. Some humor is intended.)

The newest translation which just appeared is the German Großer Atlas zur Bibel for €49,95. (Note that the link is to Amazon Germany, not Amazon USA.)

For the Dutch speaker/reader in your life, there is De grote Bijbelatlas for €35,28. (Note that the link is to Amazon Germany, not Amazon USA.)

For those seeking Italian, there is Nuovo atlante biblico (we could not find a link for ordering).

In the coming months, we have heard that the atlas will also be translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, and Chinese.

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(Post by A.D. Riddle)

Accordance Bible Software has been one of the best Bible software packages for Mac users for almost 20 years. Today, Accordance announced the release of Accordance for Windows.

Native Code 

Accordance for Windows is fully native and does not require the use of an emulator. Our developers also chose not to use a compatibility layer, even though this would make it much easier to code for multiple platforms. Instead, Accordance for Windows is based entirely on native Windows code to ensure that Windows users experience the same speed and reliability that Mac users have enjoyed for almost 20 years. 

Fast & Efficient 

While we are on the topic of speed, Accordance for Windows is fast. Really fast. Even complex Greek and Hebrew searches deliver results that feel instantaneous. Even better, you do not need to buy a brand new computer with maxed out specs in order to experience this speed because Accordance for Windows is an efficient program that will not bog down your system. 

Backwards Compatible 

Accordance runs on many different versions of Windows. The full compatibility list includes Windows 8 (including the Surface Pro tablet), Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. 

Universal License 

All you need is one Accordance 10 license to run Accordance on up to five separate Windows, Mac, or iOS devices. If you already own Accordance 10 for Mac, no additional purchase is necessary to run Accordance 10 on your Windows PC. Just download the app, enter your user name and password, and begin downloading your Accordance modules.

The link takes you to videos about the Windows software and its features, as well as a FAQ.

Accordance offers six packages (Starter, Bible Study, Original Languages, Essential, Advanced, and Ultimate) which range in price from $49.99 up to $1,999.99.

We take advantage of this opportunity also to remind readers that two volumes from the Historic Views of the Holy Land collection are available in Accordance: “Views That Have Vanished: The Photographs of David Bivin” and “The American Colony Collection.”

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There are a few free lectures coming up for those in the Chicago area.

On October 2, Wednesday, Ian Morris of Stanford University will give a lecture at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago on “Why the West Rules — For Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future.” The lecture begins at 7:00 pm and is followed by a free reception. Information about this event can be found here. Future events are listed here.

A Malaysian lawyer told a British journalist: “I am wearing your clothes, I speak your language, I watch your films, and today is whatever date it is because you say so.”

Do chaps or maps drive history? Human brilliance and folly, or geography? Or maybe genes, or culture? Ian Morris goes a level deeper than Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel to determine why the standards of Europe and North America now prevail in the world when it was the East that dominated for the 1,200 years between 550 and 1750 CE. Why did that happen, and what will happen next?

On October 3, Thursday, Ted Lewis from Johns Hopkins University will give a lecture on “Magic in Ancient Israel: Incantations in the Hebrew Bible and Archaeology.” This appears to be the final lecture in this year’s Wheaton College Archaeology Lecture Series. The lecture begins at 7:00 pm and will take place in the Billy Graham Center room 534. The information can be found here.

On October 5, Friday, Lisa Heidorn will present a lecture on “Dorginarti Island: The Fortress of the Lord of Eternity” at the meeting of the Chicago Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt.

The lecture will begin at 5:00 pm and will take place at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. More information can be found here. The site is located at about 21.829665°, 31.249143° (the island is now covered by Lake Nasser).

The fortress of Dorginarti, located in the northern part of the 2nd cataract, was excavated in 1964 by an Oriental Institute team; however, the excavations were abandoned after a few short months because rising waters behind the new High Dam at Aswan made continued work impossible. The fort was originally dated either to the Middle Kingdom because of its architecture, or to the late New Kingdom because of its objects and pottery. This ambiguity was due to the uncertainty in the 1960s about the dating of late New Kingdom and Third Intermediate pottery. Over the last two decades, great strides have been made in the identification of pottery to the periods after the New Kingdom, which now allows a more precise interpretation of the site. This ARCE Chicago lecture will give a recap of the fortress and its reasons for existence, in addition to the presentation of new material that is in preparation for the Oriental Institute’s publication of the site.

We noted before that on October 23, Wednesday, Gabriel Barkay will be giving a lecture on “Recent Archaeological Discoveries in Jerusalem” at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. This lecture is noted along with other speaking engagements at Barkay’s new website.

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(Post by A.D. Riddle)


This blog has on occasion mentioned schools or programs where one might go to study biblical archaeology. Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL has for over a decade offered an M.A. in Biblical and Near Eastern Archaeology and Languages. Now, beginning with this year’s catalog, the school also offers a Ph.D. in Theological Studies with a focus in Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern History, Archaeology, and Languages. Whew! One wonders if the diploma will have to be enlarged to fit the degree title.The list of required courses for the Ph.D. includes:

Literature of the Ancient Near East
Religions of the Ancient Near East
History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East I
History and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East II
9 hours of Ancient Near Eastern languages
Old Testament Studies I: Pentateuch and Historical Books
Old Testament Studies II: Poetic and Prophetic Books

Trinity’s faculty features several individuals whose names have appeared before on this blog: James Hoffmeier, Lawson Younger, Richard Averbeck, Barry Beitzel, John Monson.

This past summer, students and faculty from Trinity joined the first season of excavation at Abel Beth Maacah (and here). Later this fall, Trinity will feature two speakers in the Trinity Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology Lectures. On Monday, September 23, Samuel Wolff of the Israel Antiquities Authority will speak on “Recent Excavations at Gezer.” On Wednesday, October 23, Gabi Barkay will speak on “Recent Archaeological Discoveries in Jerusalem.” Both lectures are free and open to the public. They begin at 7:00 pm and will take place at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Hinkson Hall in the Rodine Building.

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