BiblePlaces Blog - Page 364 of 555

Sad News from Cairo Museum

Yesterday, Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities Affairs, Zahi Hawass, issued a press release reporting that several objects from the Cairo Museum were taken during the break-in. The items listed as missing are:

1. Gilded wood statue of Tutankhamun being carried by a goddess

2. Gilded wood statue of Tutankhamun harpooning. Only the torso and upper limbs of the king are missing

3. Limestone statue of Akhenaten holding an offering table

4. Statue of Nefertiti making offerings

5. Sandstone head of an Amarna princess

6. Stone statuette of a scribe from Amarna

7. Wooden shabti statuettes from Yuya (11 pieces)

8. Heart Scarab of Yuya

The press release also reports that an antiquities magazine was broken into yesterday at Dashur.

The press release is available in pdf format and at Zahi Hawass’ blog.

Tagged Egypt

Guest Bloggers

For the next month, I will be stepping away from this blog as I begin a series of exams in my studies.

I am very thankful for several friends who have volunteered to contribute to the blog in my absence. I have known these three men for up to 15 years, traveled in Middle Eastern and/or European countries with all of them at various times, and have greatly benefited from their knowledge and friendship over the years. I am grateful for their willingness to serve you and relieve me in the weeks ahead. I would like to introduce you to Chris, A.D., and Seth.

Chris McKinny is finishing up his M.A. thesis at the Jerusalem University College. Last semester he taught full-time at the Israel Bible Extension campus of The Master’s College. Chris has a particular passion for archaeology, and he has spent summers excavating at Tell es-Safi (Gath) and Tel Burna (Libnah?) in the Shephelah of Judah. Chris lives in Jerusalem with his wife Mindy (whose photographic work has been featured on this blog in the past). He blogs occasionally at Seeking a Homeland.

A.D. Riddle is studying ancient Near East history and languages in the PhD program at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He recently completed a certificate in GIS and cartography at the University of Wisconsin. A.D. really likes to spend his time around maps and pictures of the Bible Lands. One of his projects was the winner of the 2009 NACIS Student Web Mapping Competition (viewable online here). A.D. is married to his wife of 13 years and has two sons, ages 2 and 4.

Seth Rodriquez recently completed the PhD program in Old Testament Archaeology & History at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His dissertation was a detailed analysis of Iron Age weapons that examined both the biblical text and the archaeological record. He has earned two masters degrees in biblical studies and has studied long-term at both the Jerusalem University College and the Israel Bible Extension of The Master’s College. Seth lives with his wife and three children in northern Kentucky.

Oriental Institute Works Online

The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago continues to make available older but valuable resources in pdf format. In the next few weeks, all of the titles from the Oriental Institute series will be online. Some recent additions include:

The Sumerian King List. By Thorkild Jacobsen. Assyriological Studies 11. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1939

The Excavation of Armageddon. By Clarence S. Fisher. Oriental Institute Communications 4. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1929

The Annals of Sennacherib. By Daniel David Luckenbill. Oriental Institute Publication 2. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1924

The Babylonian Genesis: The Story of Creation. By Alexander Heidel. Miscellaneous publication. Second edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1951

The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels. By Alexander Heidel. Miscellaneous publication. Second edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1949

The full catalog is accessible here. The current issue of The Oriental Institute News & Notes is also
available.

HT: Agade

Tagged Resources

Grant Awarded for Research of Ancient Villages

Most archaeological work today focuses on the larger cities, such as Megiddo (15 acres) and Gath (100 acres). Smaller villages receive less attention, despite what they can contribute about the daily lives of more “average” ancient peoples. An archaeologist at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville has received a large grant from the National Endowment of Humanities to study villages in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages. From the University of Tennessee:

A University of Tennessee, Knoxville, archaeologist who excavates ancient villages in the Near East has received a grant to reshape the modern understanding of the region’s political, economic and social structure by studying its smallest rural settlements. J.P. Dessel, a UT Knoxville historian who specializes in Bronze and Iron Age villages of ancient Israel, has received a $50,000 award from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) that will allow him to integrate his own research with other studies to show how rural villages affected the social landscape of ancient Israel, otherwise dominated by major cities like Jerusalem and Megiddo. "I hope to rebuild our understanding of the biblical region from the village up," Dessel said. "Most of what we know about the ancient Near East in the Bronze and Iron ages is the result of studying major urban areas, cities that represent the social and economic elites of the time. "By looking at small settlements, I expect to show that rural villages were just as vibrant and dynamic as some of the city-states in their midst." […] Dessel’s own excavations have focused on two tiny village sites near Nazareth — Tell el-Wawiat and Tell ‘Ein Zippori — that were occupied between 1550 and 1000 B.C.E., but his yearlong study will include a review of other archaeological data from village sites. His focus on a rural heartland will offer a contrast to urban-focused archaeology that emphasizes ancient texts and elite culture. "This project will show that these villages were diverse and culturally complex entities rather than simple sites focused on agricultural production," he said. "We’ll be able to understand the culture of the region against a backdrop of an extensive rural settlement that spanned both the late Bronze Age and the early Iron Age."

The full press release is here.

Tagged Galilee

Archaeology in Saudi Arabia with Google Earth

NewScientist reports on a recent article in the Journal of Archaeological Science:

Indiana Jones, put down your whip. To scour the globe for archaeological sites these days all you need is a desktop computer.
Almost two thousand potential archaeological sites in Saudi Arabia have been discovered from an office chair in Perth, Australia, thanks to high-resolution satellite images from Google Earth.
“I’ve never been to Saudi Arabia,” says David Kennedy from the University of Western Australia, Australia. “It’s not the easiest country to break into.”
Instead Kennedy scanned 1240 square kilometres in Saudi Arabia using Google Earth. From their birds-eye view he found 1977 potential archaeological sites, including 1082 “pendants” – ancient tear-drop shaped tombs made of stone.
According to Kennedy, aerial photography of Saudi Arabia is not made available to most archaeologists, and it’s difficult, if not impossible, to fly over the nation. “But, Google Earth can outflank them,” he says.

The story continues here.

HT: Agade

Tagged Technology

The Temple Altar and the Dome of the Chain

Construction work in the Dome of the Chain on the Temple Mount gets attention from Arutz-7.

Muslim religious authorities are concluding a clandestine eight-month dig on the Temple Mount that is intended to erase traces of the Jewish Temple’s Altar, Temple activists charge.
The digs have been taking place under the Dome of the Chain, believed to have been built over 1300 years ago. For eight months, the dome – which has a diameter of 14 meters – has been surrounded by a metal fence and black cloth, which hide whatever activity has been going on there from outside inspection. The Muslim Waqf religious authority has claimed the activity is simply a refurbishing of the structure, but refuses adamantly to let Jews or tourists near.

The article includes a couple of additional brief paragraphs along with five photographs. Several months ago a reader wrote to me about this activity and I replied with speculation that the work consisted of no more than the repair of tiles. That seems to be confirmed by the photographs. It’s unfortunate that the Muslims are so secretive, as such only contributes to the suspicion that they are damaging Jewish antiquities. On the other hand, the charge that the Muslims’ intent is to erase traces of the Temple’s altar is not supported by evidence and seems intended to stir up animosity.

I have located my response mentioned above and am including a portion of it here:

Why was it necessary even to build the plastic construction for a 2nd time so that even the “half cm’s” openings would be closed?

They do the same thing on many Jewish excavations in Jerusalem. Everyone is just so sensitive. It doesn’t have to be a problem, just the thought of a problem. Given the dust-up a couple of years ago with the digging of a trench for a water pipe, I’m not surprised they take every precaution, even if it’s just to replace a few tiles (which is what I bet it is).

Why aren’t we allowed to have a look at least?

Because you might be a biased journalist and write some half-cocked story. No one is safe from journalists.

What is there to get angry about if I want to take a picture of an open door and a floor with tiles?

See above.

Are they digging under the Dome of the Rock?

Certainly not. The Dome of the Rock is built on bedrock. If they wanted to dig under the Dome, they’d do it from inside. It’s possible they could be accessing some underground cavities (cisterns), but I’d really be surprised if they were doing more than superficial repairs.

How is it possible that Israel cannot go on with their openly work on the ramp to the Mughrabi gate outside the Temple compound, and nobody worries about secret ‘works’ near the Rock itself? What are they ruining there that we are not allowed to see?

This question seems to suggest that you believe that Middle Eastern matters are treated fairly in the court of world opinion. That’s as far from the truth as could be. Why aren’t the Israelis doing something? My guess is that the cost isn’t worth the gain. Why cause a fuss over something relatively insignificant that you’re not going to win anyway?

Finally, Leen Ritmeyer explains why he believes that the altar was not located under the Dome of the Chain. His illustrations will help you put it all together.

Dome of the Rock with smaller Dome of the Chain (left) in the 1930s (Source)

Tagged American Colony Photos, Jerusalem, Temple Mount