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Weekend Roundup

The archaeological site on Mount Gerizim has re-opened, 12 years after political conditions hindered tourists from visiting the area.

A new drainage system in Giza has some hydrologists concerned that the erosion of bedrock could cause the Sphinx to collapse.

A complaint has been lodged with Israeli police over the building material and scaffolding placed on the “rock” of the Dome of the Rock.

The Holyland Magazine, designed especially for North American evangelicals, is now online. Earlier editions are also available.

Several readers have asked recently about the “HT” that is often at the end of a post. Wikipedia provides a concise explanation:

In the 2000s, the term “hat tip” (often abbreviated to “HT” or “h/t”) rose to prominence in the blogosphere to acknowledge someone who has made a significant contribution toward an effort, or someone who drew attention to something new or interesting. It is considered good netiquette when sharing a link or news item to give a hat tip to the person from whom you learned of the item.

HT: Jack Sasson, Joseph Lauer

Archaeological site on Mount Gerizim, looking north

Tagged Egypt, Jerusalem, Samaria, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup

Two Winners of The Holy Land Revealed

Congratulations to Coleman B. and Jimmy R., winners of The Holy Land Revealed, produced by The Great Courses.

We plan to have giveaways of other resources in the weeks to come and you’re invited to enter those drawings. Thanks to all who entered.

I see that The Holy Land Revealed is still available for 70% off at www.thegreatcourses.com, in both DVD and video download formats.

Tagged Giveaway, Resources

Excavations and Museum at Sidon

The Daily Star (Lebanon) reports on the continued excavations in the port city of Sidon.

Excavations led by a delegation from the British Museum at the Frères’ archaeological site in the old city of Sidon unearthed more important antiquities during their 14th year, it was revealed Tuesday.
Preparations also got under way for the construction of a museum to display the findings at the site. The construction is due to begin in September.
Discoveries at the site since excavations began in 1998 have revealed artifacts from the Early Bronze Age, which began around 3,000 B.C., through to the Iron Age, which covered around 1,200-539 B.C.
Among the latest discoveries was a particular type of Phoenician architecture, which the archaeologists said was not commonly found in Lebanon, consisting of stones cut for the construction of walls or floors.
Over 50 amphorae were also found, as well as a stunning Attic vase, depicting two riders going to war wearing white tunics and holding spears.

More details of the discoveries are given in the full story.

Sidon, Sea Castle and causeway (photo source)

Sidon is mentioned many times in the Old and New Testaments. Some passages indicate that Sidon was intended to be the northern border of Israel (Gen 10:19; 49:13; Judg 1:31; 2 Sam 24:6), and in the days of Zerubbabel cedars were imported for the Second Temple (Ezra 3:7). Both Jesus and Paul visited the city or area of Sidon (Matt 15:21; Acts 27:3). Though prophets condemned the city (Isa 23:2-12; Jer 47:4; Ezek 28:21-22; Joel 3:4), Jesus declared that Sidon would fare better on the day of judgment than Chorazin and Bethsaida (Matt 11:21-22).

HT: Jack Sasson

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Lebanon, Museums

Wednesday Roundup

Leen Ritmeyer posts photos and discusses recent damage to the walls of the Temple Mount. “It is clear that the time bomb is ticking louder. It is only a matter of time when large sections of the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount will collapse.”

Wayne Stiles reflects on the relevance of archaeology to faith in the reign of Hezekiah. “I have a faith rooted in history—not mystery. The words on the pages of Scripture are supporting by simple elements we can dig out of the ground. They prove nothing, but they support it all.”

The Tall el-Hammam Season Six (2011) Report is available online.

Matthew Kalman’s article on Oded Golan after his acquittal is now available (and no longer behind the paywall).

The Star-Telegram features a gallery of photos of the new Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit in Fort Worth.

This looks like a nice tour of Turkey to sites that most first-time visitors don’t see, but you won’t believe the price.

One man has made a model of the Roman Colosseum using 200,000 Legos.

HT: Craig Dunning, Tim Graham, Explorator

Tagged Dead Sea, Excavations, Forgery, Italy, Jerusalem, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Giveaway: The Holy Land Revealed

The timing of this giveaway is ideal for two reasons: (1) Yesterday Jodi Magness announced the discovery of a mosaic depicting Samson in a synagogue she is excavating in Galilee; (2) the DVD course we are giving away is now on sale. (Last week when a friend wrote and asked about the course, we checked and it was available for $375. Today it is $99.95.)

We gave The Holy Land Revealed away when it first was created more than a year ago and we would just echo some of our comments there.

The instructor of The Holy Land Revealed is Jodi Magness, professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This video DVD course includes 36 half-hour lectures on 6 DVDs. You can see a complete list of the lectures in the right sidebar on this page, but I’ll just note a few of particular interest here:

Biblical Jerusalem’s Ancient Water Systems
Samaria and the Northern Kingdom of Israel
Discovery and Site of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Herod as Builder—Jerusalem’s Temple Mount
Monumental Tombs in the Time of Jesus
Masada—Herod’s Desert Palace and the Siege

A quibble: the course is entitled “The Holy Land Revealed.” This is a potentially ambiguous title. I was expecting more of a geography-type course. But this is clearly focused on archaeological discoveries that illuminate the land’s history. Not only that, you should know that it is not evenly balanced across the periods. This is not surprising if you know Magness’ expertise. Naturally she is going to teach at greater length what she knows best.

The Holy Land Revealed is not something produced or sold by BiblePlaces.com, but we believe that it is a useful resource that our readers would enjoy. The course does include dozens of photos licensed from our collection, but we receive no royalties from sales.

We have two copies to give away. One will be given away to entrants who use the email form. The other will go to those who enter with PunchTab. You can enter either or both. If you cannot see the forms below, click here. The giveaway ends this Friday at noon Eastern Time. We have no idea how long the sale will last.

(We need your email address to notify you if you win. We will not use it for anything else.)

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Tagged Giveaway, Resources

Samson Mosaic Discovered in Galilee Synagogue

A colorful mosaic depicting Samson and a pair of ignited fox tails has been discovered in the excavation of a Byzantine-era synagogue in Galilee. The depiction of Samson is accompanied by two female faces and a Hebrew inscription that speaks of rewards for those who do good.

The Israel Antiquities Authority has issued a press release:

Huqoq is an ancient Jewish village located approximately two to three miles west of Capernaum and Migdal (Magdala). This second season of excavations has revealed portions of a stunning mosaic floor decorating the interior of the synagogue building. The mosaic, which is made of tiny colored stone cubes of the highest quality, includes a scene depicting Samson placing torches between the tails of foxes (as related in the book of Judges 15). In another part of the mosaic, two human (apparently female) faces flank a circular medallion with a Hebrew inscription that refers to rewards for those who perform good deeds.
“This discovery is significant because only a small number of ancient (Late Roman) synagogue buildings are decorated with mosaics showing biblical scenes, and only two others have scenes with Samson (one is at another site just a couple of miles from Huqoq),” said Magness, the Kenan Distinguished Professor in the department of religious studies in [University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill] College of Arts and Sciences. “Our mosaics are also important because of their high artistic quality and the tiny size of the mosaic cubes. This, together with the monumental size of the stones used to construct the synagogue’s walls, suggest a high level of prosperity in this village, as the building clearly was very costly.”

The site is being excavated by Magness along with David Amit and Shua Kisilevitz of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The IAA has released three photos (direct link) of the mosaic floor, but none of them show Samson or the fox tails. Amit describes the scene: the “mosaic contains a description of the biblical Samson and two pairs of foxes with a flaming torch connecting their tails.” The story is recorded in Judges 15:3-5.

Jodi Magness, David Amit, and Shua Kisilevitz, co-directors of the Huqoq Excavation, with the mosaic. Photo by Jim Haberman.

Huqoq mosaic with female face and inscription. Photo by Jim Haberman.

Female face in Huqoq mosaic. Photo by Jim Haberman.

The story is reported by the Jerusalem Post, Arutz-7, and others. A volunteer working at the excavation this summer posted his experiences on a blog, but he does not mention the synagogue or Samson.

Tagged Discoveries, Galilee