Todd Bolen, Author at BiblePlaces.com

New Evidence for Israel in 1400 BC

Over at biblearchaeology.org, Bryant Wood presents some new evidence for the existence of Israel in an Egyptian inscription dating to about 1400 BC.

The first two names are easily read—Ashkelon and Canaan. The name on the right, however, is less certain. Görg restored the right name as Israel and dated the inscription to the reign of Ramesses II (ca. 1279–1212 BC) in the Nineteenth Dynasty, based on a similarity of names to those on the Merenptah Stela (ca. 1210 BC).1 Görg also concluded, based on the spellings of the names, that they were copied from an earlier inscription from around the time of Amenhotep II (ca. 1453–1419). Israeli Egyptologist Raphael Giveon (1916–1985) previously dated the inscription to the reign of Amenhotep III (ca. 1386–1349 BC) (1981: 137). If these two scholars are right, this extra-Biblical Egyptian inscription would place Israel in Canaan at about the time of the Biblical date for the Conquest.

Wood then goes on to describe the results of a new published study by three European scholars who confirm this reading. He also notes an objection by James Hoffmeier. Wood and Hoffmeier have previously debated the date of the exodus and conquest in a series of articles in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society.

Tagged Egypt

Conference: Olive Trees, Olive Oil, and Their Products

A conference will be held at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev (Beersheba) on January 19th, 2012. Entitled “‘In the Shadow of the Olive Trees’ – Olive Trees, Olive Oil and Their Products,” the conference is being organized by the Southern District of the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Department of Bible, Archaeology and Near Eastern Studies of the Ben-Gurion University in the Negev.

This announcement was circulated on the Agade list. Presumably all lectures are in Hebrew. For more information, contact the sponsors.

9.30-11.00 First session.

The olive and the production of olive oil.

Chairman: Dr. Gideon Avni.

Prof. Nili Liphschitz. The domestication of the olive in the land of Israel

Dr. Ianir Milevski. The barter of olives during the Early Bronze Age

Prof. Avigdor Horowitz. “I have been anointed with fresh oil” – The oil in the Bible and the Ancient Near East

Prof. Avi Faust. The Assyrians and the introduction of the olive industry from the north

11.15-12.30.

Second session.

The olive press and the products of the olive oil.

Chairman: Prof. Steve Rosen.

Mr. Yeoshua Drei. The evolution of the oil presses

Dr. Eitan Ayalon. The two screw oil presses in the land of Israel

Dr. Akiva London. Did olive tree nurseries exist during the Roman and Byzantine periods in the land of Israel?

Mr. Tawfiq Da`adli. Soap and soap factories during the Ottoman period

13.30-14.30.

Third session.

Panel and general discussion.

Prof. Nili Liphschitz, Dr. Eitan Ayalon, Dr. Yigal Israel.

14.45-16.00.

Archaeological news in the southern district.

Chairman: Dr. Peter Fabian.

Dr. Hayim Goldfus. The excavations at Horbat Zalit.

Dr. Daniel Varga and Mr. Vladic Lipshitz. Underground houses in Beersheva during the
Byzantine period

Mr. Gregory Seri and Prof. Yulia Ustinova. The excavations of Ashkelon, Neve Yam D neighborhood, and the Greek inscriptions

Dr. Gunnar Lehmann. News from the excavations at Qubur el Walaydah

Mr. Oren Shmueli. An arched building and an underground oil press at Horbat Anim

Olives in the Shephelah (late November)

Tagged Lectures

Wednesday Roundup

On Sunday the Mughrabi bridge was closed. Hamas called the closure a “declaration of religious war.” The mayor of Jerusalem called the bridge “ugly and dangerous.” Today the bridge was re-opened with a fire truck standing by.

Gordon Franz has written an detailed guide to the “Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Biblical Times” exhibit in New York City. He has made it available for free on his blog.

The Jerusalem Post has a story and video about the solid gold menorah on display in the Jewish Quarter.

One government committee approved the construction of a hotel complex in the Timna Valley, but an Israeli cabinet minister has vowed to stop it.

It could take 100 years to restore Israel’s rivers, according to the State Comptroller. The report looks at 31 of the country’s major rivers and streams.

The Herodium reminds Wayne Stiles of the Christmas story that never appears on Christmas cards.

Antiquities thieves plundering a second-century site near Shaar HaGai (Bab el-Wad) have been arrested.

The ASOR Blog has links to news in the broader world of archaeology.

The latest issue of DigSight is online.

The Megiddo Expedition is recruiting volunteers for the 2012 excavation.

HT: Joseph Lauer

Tagged Excavations, Jerusalem, Judah, Museums, Tourism

Largest Nativity Scene in the World

From MSNBC:

MEXICO CITY – City authorities have set up a nativity scene — certified by Guinness Records as the largest in the world — as part of their Christmas festivities.
The nativity scene, which cost $2 million to create, sprawls across the parking lot of the giant Azteca stadium.
The scene, which covers 215,000 square feet — larger than four football fields, has 5,000 figures portraying 57 biblical passages related to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
Organizers said that it took architects, engineers, designers and historians 70 days to create the project, which was unveiled by Mayor Marcelo Ebrard on Wednesday, 17 days before Christmas.

The full story and a photo is here. NTD has a two-minute video news report. They expect more than one million visitors in the next month.

HT: BibleX

Tagged Holidays

Christmas-Related Posts

Some of our Christmas-related posts from previous years may be of interest to readers who were not with us then or who may enjoy a review.

“No Room in the Inn” – there is no “inn” in the story of Jesus’ birth

The Star of Bethlehem – an attempt to explain why the church ornament has 14 points

Bethlehem Booked for Christmas – last year there was no room in the inn

Top Ten Things To Do in Jerusalem in Winter – you might also consider watching the sun rise over the Mount of Olives from atop the “Tower of David”

Watching Their Flocks by Night – a pastoral scene recalling the angelic announcement

Merry Christmas – a nativity scene from Bethlehem in the early 1900s

Tagged Holidays, Jerusalem

Weekend Roundup

A new study suggests that the Dead Sea nearly dried up in the ancient past.

As of December 1, the water level of the Dead Sea was 1,361 feet (425.36 m) below sea level. The Sea of Galilee is still 27 inches (69 cm) below the red line.

A blogger reports that the Tell el-Hammam team is preparing to announce that their site must be Sodom because it was wiped out in a “heat event.”

Will Varner has posted a PowerPoint presentation of the Messianic Hope of the Hebrew Scriptures.

He utilizes a number of our Christmas-related photos and welcomes readers to use the presentation as they wish.

A 3.8 magnitude earthquake was felt in the Galilee earlier this week.

A medical doctor in western Galilee has been arrested for leading a ring of antiquities thieves.

One group is unhappy with Israel’s plans to develop a national park east of the Mount of Olives.

Leen Ritmeyer has a roundup of recent stories of Jerusalem in the news.

Wayne Stiles expected to be disappointed by his visit to Nazareth Village.

Shmuel Browns explains why hiking is a national pastime in Israel. He gives his recommendations on the best hikes.

Leon Mauldin shares a video of a potter fashioning vessels on the island of Rhodes.

The concrete of ancient Rome is weaker than the modern version, but it lasts longer. One of the secret ingredients was volcanic ash.

Claude F. Mariottini links to ten places to visit in Bethlehem. (Though worthy spots, half of them are not in Bethlehem.)

$12 will get you a beautiful 2012 calendar of the Lands of the Bible.

HT: Charles Savelle, Joseph Lauer, Jack Sasson

Tagged Dead Sea, Galilee, Italy, Jerusalem, Tourism