Shephelah Archives - Page 50 of 64

Discoveries at Khirbet Qeiyafa in 2011

The Spring/Summer 2011 issue of DigSight has just been released by the Institute of Archaeology of Southern Adventist University. The newsletter includes a good primer on biblical minimalism and its shifts in the last two decades. Another article discusses “Evident Silence or Silenced Evidence” in defense of the historicity of Daniel 5.

The lead article summarizes the major tasks and discoveries of the 2011 team:

Completion of excavation of 4th-century BC large building with olive press
Discovery of early 10th-century BC stone quarry that continued in use in Hellenistic and/or Roman times
Excavation of three Iron Age rooms with some partially restorable vessels and a standing stone (signifying a cultic area?)
Discovery of best-preserved example of Iron Age floor at the site.
Significant small finds including a faience scarab seal, a bone seal with lion and man, an iron ring, and a portion of an Aramaic ostracon
Excavation of more than 25,000 pieces of pottery in Area D alone

The newsletter notes that the Institute’s three-year excavation of Qeiyafa has now concluded and the next two years will be used for publishing the final results.

The quality of the newsletter is superb but reading it in the issuu format has its drawbacks. Unlike previous issues, downloading the newsletter in pdf format requires login and the only login I could see to use was Facebook. (And I don’t know yet what adverse effects there may be from that.)

Tagged 10th Century, Discoveries, Excavations, Shephelah

Weekend Roundup

The Associated Press reports on the restoration of the Old City walls of Jerusalem.

The Wadi Rum in Jordan has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Eldad Keynan refutes Joes Zias’ insinuation that Jacobivici’s nails were used to seal the ossuary of Caiaphas.

Wayne Stiles makes a good case that Lachish was the second-most important city in the kingdom of Judah.

Eric and Carol Meyers will answer questions about their archaeological work, Jewish history, and controversies on the Duke Ustream channel on September 1, noon Eastern Daylight Time.

The Biblical Archaeology Society 2011 Publication Awards Winners have been announced.

Plans for a wastewater reservoir near Gezer are moving forward after a judge rejected a petition by local communities.

On a lighter note, you can see how zoo animals in Jerusalem cool off in the summer. One of the animals even has an air-conditioned home.

HT: Joseph Lauer

Syrian Brown Bear at Jerusalem Zoo

Tagged Jerusalem, Jordan, Resources, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup

Summer 2011 at Tel Zayit

Tel Zayit is a small site in the Shephelah of Judah best known for the 10th-century abecedary discovered in 2005. Tel Zayit is 5 miles (8 km) south of Gath (Tell es-Safi), 6 miles (9 km) southwest of Azekah, and 4.5 miles (7 km) north of Lachish. The excavator, Ron Tappy, has suggested that Tel Zayit is biblical Libnah, though for that identification Zayit is competing with Tel Burna (pdf), only 2.5 miles (4 km) to the east.

Gordon Franz joined the Tel Zayit team this summer and he has posted some of his personal reflections and experiences on his blog.

There were no spectacular small finds at Tel Zayit this summer. The most important discovery, however, was a clearer understanding of the stratigraphy of the site. In K-20 it was the newly discovered Persian period level as well as another phase of the Roman period. In O-19 all indications point to the abecedary being clearly dated to the 10th century BC. If this date is correct, it would demonstrate that Israelites living in this out-of-the-way city were literate and, therefore, not a bunch of hillbillies living in some little cow town!

I’ve heard that the team will not be in the field next summer, but you may want to consider joining as a volunteer in 2013.

Important sites in Shephelah. Source: Google Earth. For other images with marked routes, see Chris McKinny’s blog.

Tagged Excavations, Shephelah

Weekend Roundup #1

Archaeologists are saying that they found the best-preserved Israelite building in excavations at Tel Shikmona near Haifa. In addition to the 9th-8th century BC four-room house, excavators also found a seal with an inscription in Hebrew or Phoenician. The University of Haifa press release has more photos.

That oil spill in Nahal Zin has become Israel’s worst-ever environmental disaster. This week the government ordered the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company to halt clean-up because they were only making the problem worse.

Tel Burna Archaeological Project has some post-season balloon photos of the site and excavations.

Click on the images for high-resolution. It’s amazing what lies just below the surface.

Several significant discoveries were made in Egypt in recent days, including the first Roman basilica in Alexandria, a gate from 700 BC near the Karnak Temple, and a depiction of the king from Dynasty 0.

The PEF has posted several dozen photos of Qumran from the excavations in the 1950s. The collection posted at Flickr combines old views with their modern counterparts. More details about the images are posted at the PEF site.

HT: Paleojudaica

Tagged Egypt, Excavations, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup

CNN on Archaeology’s 10th-Century Debate

CNN has a four-minute report on Khirbet Qeiyafa’s contribution to the 10th-century debate. As with most of these matters prepared for public consumption, it is assumed that no one will pay attention to the piece unless the subject is sensationalized, the reporter interrupts the archaeologist, and it begins with a silly unrelated introduction that made me wonder if this is the effect of affirmative action in the TV world. (But does using an Egyptian female for the unintelligent parts help or hurt the cause?)
Garfinkel is on camera claiming that his site is one of only three main cities in the kingdom of David: Jerusalem, Hebron, and Qeiyafa. Don’t believe it for a second.

The CNN title of the video, “Finding the City of David,” and the tagline is inaccurate:
“Archaeologists in Israel believe they have found the remains of the legendary City of David.” The story has nothing to do with the “city of David” (Jerusalem), but is all about one border site which appears to date from David’s lifetime. It is hardly legendary. Since the mistake will increase viewers, I wonder if it was unintentional and I doubt it will be corrected.

There seems to be no way to embed the video, so you’ll need to click through to watch it.

Tagged 10th Century, Shephelah

Weekend Roundup #1

The Tel Burna Excavation has a season wrap-up, noting discoveries especially from the 13th, 8th, and 7th centuries. The previous post features many photos. Robert Cargill explains what the “Miriam, Daughter of Yeshua, Son of Caiaphas” inscription means as well as what it does not mean. The first piece of oil shale was extracted this week from a drilling site in the Elah Valley. The site of David’s victory over Goliath could become the place where Israel achieves oil independence. Wayne Stiles explains the pagan and biblical significance of Caesarea Philippi. Danny Herman leads viewers on a video tour of the Hasmonean channel in the Western Wall Tunnels. “Google Earth, circa 1570” is an article at Haaretz about the reprint of a 16th century book with 363 colored historical maps. ASOR has a roundup of news throughout the world of archaeology. If there’s not enough there to satisfy you, see also the lengthy list published last week. The Biblical Archaeology Society can tell you what’s brand new and most popular this week. Tomorrow we’ll have links to more stories from this past week.

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup