1181-1183 Yuval Goren: Iron Age Seal Impressions

I first heard of Yuval Goren in connection with the James Ossuary investigation. He's the one who marshaled the evidence that the inscription was a forgery. That conclusion is still open for debate, since the issue is still being hashed out before a judge in Israel.

So depending on who you read, he may be seen as a villain (Hershel Shanks and BAR) or a hero (Nina Burleigh in her book Unholy Business). I showed up for his public lecture at Harvard University last November and found him much friendlier than expected (based on what I'd read and his official photo, above). He gave me permission to record his lecture and gave an excellent presentation on his research into Iron Age seal impressions (or bullae, as they're called).

More and more of these seal impressions have been turning up in recent years, some bearing the names of people who are found in the Bible, in part because there's a lot of archaeology going on in some of the oldest areas of Jerusalem. In fact some of the bullae are being found in or near the very area where some archaeologists (like Eilat Mazar) believe the palace of King David was located.

So in these three programs we present some very informative comments by Yuval Goren on a very current issue in Biblical Archaeology.

880 - The Roots of Writing with Denise Schmandt Besserat

The story of how writing developed in Mesopotamia became a little clearer through the research of Denise Schmandt Besserat. As she relates in this program from our Book & The Spade archives, she was researching clay and she kept finding these little tokens all over the place. Eventually she realized that understanding the use of the tokens shed light on the development of writing.

The photo above was taken at a display on writing at the University of Chicago Oriental Institute Museum.

1180 - Shroud of Turin Gap Explained

This program looks at a recent news story that offers an explanation for one of the gaps in the story of the Shroud of Turin. We also spend some time discussing what's happening in the politically sensitive City of David area, right outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.

1179 - eBay's Impact on Archaeology and Looting

As with most innovations, the internet has been a mixed blessing. But on this program we discuss an internet innovation that many thought would be a curse on archaeology but has instead turned into a blessing: eBay. Here's the article. We also discuss Babylon, open to visitors once again, as well as the catacombs of Rome and Bethlehem.

And here's some program news: We are making improvements in our online distribution of The Book & The Spade. If you've had trouble downloading our programs through iTunes, try it again. With the help of listener Jerry Gassie we've updated our podcast program and it should work better now. Also, watch for a new website with improved functionality, coming soon. One final note, we're now on Facebook, for those who want to communicate through social networking.

1178 - Foot-shaped stone structures and the world's longest aqueduct

Some intriguing stories discussed on this program. The first item is a series of discoveries of early Iron Age stone structures in the shape of a foot, which may have something to do with the relationship of the foot to the ownership of land (See Ruth 4:7). At least that's what archaeologist Adam Zertal is suggesting.

The second half of our program focuses on an example of Roman engineering at its finest, a second century aqueduct that stretched for 66 miles, across mountains and valleys, from a marsh in Syria to some of the cities of the decapolis in what is today the nation of Jordan.

1177 - Matt Waters on Cyrus the Great

A few months back we mentioned that the tomb of Cyrus the Great was being reconditioned. (Here's a recent update.) On this program we have a chance to learn a little more about Cyrus and what made him so great. Our guest is Matt Waters, a professor of ancient history at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

The Cyrus Cylinder, a monumental inscription by Cyrus the Great, is on display at the British Museum. This article has a new translation of the cylinder and also points out that Cyrus the Great was the world’s first secular leader who championed human rights and freedoms. In the Bible, he championed the rights of Jews and other peoples to return to their homelands, after being captured and exiled by the Assyrians and the Babylonians.

1174-1176 Ancient Synagogues of Israel with Jodi Magness

Jesus spoke often in the synagogues of the Galilee [Matt 4:23]. They were a part of Jewish life in the first century. But where and how they developed is still a mystery to scholars. In this series of programs, archaeologist Jodi Magness of the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill, discusses the information that is available on ancient synagogues, including the synagogue in Capernaum, which is probably not as old as many scholars believe. Jodi Magness is one of the top scholars of Biblical Archaeology in the U.S. and this is an insightful series of conversations. It's always fun to talk with her because of the energy and passion she brings to her conversations and lectures on archaeolgy.

For a short summary of her presentation, here's a story on her lecture before the Madison Biblical Archaeology Society.



Last winter we talked with Timothy Harrison about his lectures at Tel Tayinat in southeast Turkey, near the area which later became Antioch on the Orontes. He's just announced the discovery of an important ancient temple on the site.

1173 - Byzantine Mosaics

This weeks program features a discussion of the beautiful art of Byzantine mosaics, with reference to some recently discovered and restored mosaic floors. (Shown, an element of the "Mona Lisa of the Galilee" floor at Sepphoris.)

1172 - Roman Theater at Tiberias

Excavations have begun at the Roman Theater on the south edge of Tiberias. This promises to be a major new archaeological attraction to this area. Excavations have been going on here for a decade and a half but now they're finally getting around to the theater. This should be very interesting.

1171 - Abraham's Gate at Dan

News reports say that Abraham's Gate at Tel Dan is now open to the public, and it's the oldest arched mud brick gate in the world. Well, not so fast. First of all, what does open to the public mean? Can the public walk through the gate? No indication of that. As far as we know the far side of the gate is still covered with fill, after being originally excavated three decades ago. It seems as if the gate today is just as open as it was a year ago when we visited it during out 25th anniversary Book & the Spade tour. Oops, just added the photo from last year and I guess it wasn't as open as I thought. Let's say it's now as open as it was the previous time we visited, about ten years ago. They've done some work on it to protect it from the elements, but still, I don't think you can walk through this gate like you can the remains of the mud brick arched gate at Ashkelon.

And that brings up the other issue, Ashkelon also claims to be the oldest mud brick arched gateway in the world. Both date to approximately 1750 B.C. Which is oldest? We put the question to archaeologist Ross Voss, who has worked at both sites. He says the Ashkelon gate that you see at Ashkelon today is one of a succession of four gates, and the Ashkelon gate that is seen is slightly older than the Dan gate, by a decade or two. Which isn't much when we're talking almost 4,000 years ago.

The final issue, Abraham probably didn't go through that Dan gate. The Bible says he chased the kidnappers of Lot to the area of Dan, but doesn't necessarily say he went through the gate. Many Bible scholars would date Abraham a century or two previous to the Dan gate, also.

So that's what we talked about this week.

1167-1170 Walter Kaiser - Archaeology and the Bible

Walter Kaiser has taught the Old Testament to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of America's pastors. He taught at Wheaton College, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has written or contributed to over 50 books. Although now retired he still holds the position of President Emeritus and Distinguished Professor of Old Testament and Ethics at Gordon-Conwell.

We were privileged to have Dr. Kaiser come and lecture on The Top Archaeological Finds of the Biblical Periods. This lecture is a great introduction to Biblical Archaeology, as is Dr. Kaiser's book, The Old Testament Documents, Are They Reliable and Relevant? published by InterVarsity Press. The lecture as a whole can be downloaded from our website, http://www.radioscribe.com/bknspade.htm.

1165 - 1166 Randy Smith - Tel BeerSheva

From Dan to BeerSheva, the Bible says, about the length and breadth of ancient Israel. We've gone to Tel Dan numerous times. The last time we were in Israel was the first time we included Tel BeerSheva on the itinerary. And there was a surprise waiting there for us, a newly excavated water system. Our commentary is from professor Randy Smith of the Christian Travel Study Program. Our tour intersected with professor Smith's tour several times (not surprising since we used his travel agent) and we profited from his expertise greatly.

On the second segment professor Smith discusses two more unusual features of Tel BeerSheva, a reconstructed horned altar that was discovered on the site, and the ancient well at the city gate, the deepest well in ancient Israel.

1164 - Timothy Harrison on Madeba

In the floor of St. George's Church in Madeba, Jordan, is one of the oldest maps of the Middle East. The sixth century Madeba map is referenced from time to time, in part because it's one of the most accurate ancient depictions of Jerusalem. Occasionally we also mention some of the other beautiful mosaics in Madeba (it's known as the City of Mosaics).

Seldom do we mention the archaeology of Madeba. But now excavations are underway and Timothy Harrison brings us up to date on what archaeologists are starting to find at this ancient, Biblical city, mentioned in Numbers 21:30 and Joshua 13:9.

This is the last of three programs with Timothy Harrison, a professor at the University of Toronto, and the president of the American Schools of Oriental Research.

1162-1163 - Timothy Harrison, Tel Tayinat

Tel Tayinat is an important Bronze Age site in Turkey, in the same neighborhood as Antioch, which also became a very important site in the following centuries. This interesting excavation is uncovering new information about the Hittites as well as the Philistines.

In addition to being Professor of Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto and the Project Director of the Tell Tayinat Project in Turkey, Timothy Harrison is the president of the American Schools of Oriental Research, the main professional organization for archaeologists working in the Middle East.

HISTORICAL NOTE: It has come to our attention that The Book and The Spade was also the name of a movie made in 1967, focusing on a Jordan River Valley excavation by Dr. James Pritchard, of the University of Pennsylvania. The movie has been converted to video and is now online.

1160-1161 The 2009 Excavation Season

One of our longest running traditions is our annual review of plans for the upcoming excavation season. The Biblical Archaeology Review compiles a list of excavations every year. They used to print the list in their January-February issue, but now they have a website where the list is made available, findadig.com.

We always encourage our listeners to consider experiencing an excavation first hand. Archaeology is one of the few scientific disciplines that relies on the contributed labor of ordinary men and women. And therefore, some of the biggest discoveries are made by ordinary men and women, although usually it gets credited to the head archaeologist who announces the discovery.

Some interesting excavations are planned for the year ahead. Who knows what great discoveries lie ahead? A year ago we were hardly aware of the excavation at Khirbet Qeiyafa. Now we're calling it one of the most important excavations of the decade.

1159 - Herod's Tomb Update, Sepphoris Temple and Magdalan Vases

More information for our radio listeners on recent stories of Biblical Archaeology in the news. We lead off with reports from archaeologist Ehud Netzer, revealing more information from the ongoing excavations at Herod's Tomb at Herodion, just outside Bethlehem. (Shown, Netzer admiring the Roman-style fresco from a structure that preceded the tomb's emplacement on the Herodion hillside.)

Other reports include: a Roman temple discovery in downtown Sepphoris, the ruins of a major city just over the hill from tiny Nazareth; sealed vases containing gooey remains of ancient substances found in Magdala, the ancient home town of Mary Magdalene, a sarcophagus fragment from the tomb of the son of a high priest, and restoration completed on the Tomb of Cyrus. Yes, we cover all of these stories, in an attempt to bring you up-to-date information on all of the new discoveries and developments in Biblical Archaeology. I'm joined by my co-host professor Keith Schoville, discussing these discoveries and reminiscing of our visits to many of these locations during last year's Book & the Spade Tour.

1158 - Jerusalem Water Tunnel & Temple Tax coin discoveries

It's been a long time since Professor Schoville and I sat down to discuss the latest discoveries and developments. Not since last summer actually, because of a number of timely interviews that have been featured since then. So we have a lot of catching up to do. On today's program we cover several more of the announcements made at the end of last October, as well as even more recent developments: A Jerusalem Water Tunnel, A Hasmonean City Wall excavation, a half-shekel coin used for the Temple Tax and the latest discovery of a seal with a Biblical name (pictured).

1157 - A Theologian Looks at Biblical Archaeology

N.T. Wright, the Bishop of Durham, taught at several universities, including Oxford, before entering the Anglican church hierarchy. He has written 30-some books and Newsweek called him the world's leading expert on the New Testament. In this interview he discusses his perspective on Biblical Archaeology and its value in theological studies.

1156 - Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity

On this program, for Christmas 2008, we are revisiting Bethlehem. We were in Bethlehem during out 25th Anniversary Book & The Spade Holyland Study Tour. Professor Randall Smith, whose tour intersected with ours at a number of points, briefed us on the archaeology and history of Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity.

For further background, note this article by Gordon Franz.

Also note that I have just written an article for Christianity Today on the Star of Bethlehem.

1154-1155 Thomas Levy and Khirbat en-Nahas

Another of the late October announcements dealt with excavations at Khirbat en-Nahas, a copper smelting site in Jordan, located about 30 miles south of the Dead Sea. The excavations date to the time of Solomon and hence could add a lot of new information about this currently controversial era of Biblical Archaeology. Our guest for these two programs is archaeologist Thomas Levy, of the University of California San Diego.

1152-1153 The Elah Fortress at Khirbet Qeiyafa

In my opinion, the most exciting archaeological discovery of the new century so far is at Khirbet Qeiyafa, the site that is now being called the Elah Fortress. It's not just the apparent oldest example of a Hebrew text that was found there (still being translated), but the implications for the big debate over the historical roles of Kings David and Solomon. It was one of the five major major discoveries and developments that we reported being announced in the same week one month ago.

So when The Book & The Spade had a chance to talk with head archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel, during a visit to Harvard University, we got the latest details, including a report on some additional excavations done in early November that located a new gate in the city wall and a possible identification for the site.

Post Script: When I talked with Professor Garfinkel, one of the next steps on his schedule was the photographing of the pottery sherd with the ancient Hebrew inscription that he discussed on these programs. The Los Angeles Times now has a story on one of the teams responsible for the photography.

1150-1151 - Nina Burleigh's Unholy Business

Continuing with our series of reports on the major archaeology stories from the last week of October, these two programs are on the James ossuary. Nina Burleigh, a writer for People magazine, has written a People-style story about the ossuary, focusing on the people instead of the artifacts. In so doing she's given us some insight into the personalities involved in the legal but shady antiquity trade in Israel.

The story, as we have reported, is that the judge in the case has told the prosecution that they have not proven that the inscription in the ossuary is a fabrication, as charged. He suggests they decide whether they want to continue or not. Of course, this still doesn't mean that the ossuary is genuine, it just means that the Israeli officials have failed to prove it's fake.

UPDATE: Nina Burleigh offered this commentary to the Los Angeles Times on the news from the Israeli courtroom that postdate publication of her book.

1149 - An incredible week for archaeology

What a week for archaeology. It used to be that major announcements were sometimes saved for the annual meetings of archaeologists and Bible scholars that happen every year in mid-November. Now it looks as if archaeologists are releasing their discoveries in advance of the meetings to insure more news coverage.

News coverage is important for archaeologists because it helps with fund-raising, a very important element of modern excavating. Each of these discoveries and developments is a major announcement. It's incredible to have them happen in the same week. We'll be discussing these developments for weeks to come in our Book & the Spade programming. Read the stories now, and stay tuned in.

• James Ossuary trial teetering - October 30, 2008


• Ancient Hebrew text from the Valley of Elah - October 30, 2008


• Possible seal of army commander found in Jerusalem - October 30, 2008


• Water tunnel found in Jerusalem - October 29, 2008


• Copper smelting ruins in Jordan link to Solomon - October 27, 2008

In a nutshell, here's what's so important about each of these discoveries.

#1 - The James Ossuary is a first century stone burial box for bones with the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." The ossuary is unquestionably authentic but the inscription is controversial. The Israel Antiquities Authority has pronounced it a fake and accused its owner of forging antiquities. It may still be a fake inscription, but it doesn't appear as though the IAA can prove it in a court of law in Israel. The IAA was hoping to put a big dent in the antiquities trade with this case. It doesn't look like it's going to happen. For a fascinating, behind-the-scenes tale about this artifact and others like it, check out the new book Unholy Business, by Nina Burleigh. The book will raise more questions in your mind, but doesn't officially take sides in the controversy. Maybe it really was the repository for the final remains of Jesus' brother, James.

#2 - The Khirbet Qeiyafa excavation is going to be a major excavation in Israel because it's a single period site (at least around the tenth century, there's also occupation during a later Helenistic period). And it's dated right smack dab in the middle of the time of greatest controversy in Biblical Archaeology right now, the time of David and Solomon. This could be a benchmark site for that era and clear up a lot of controversy. The discovery of an ossuary (pottery sherd with writing on it-shown above) may provide further evidence for the state of the Israelite kingdom at that time. In addition to the link above, there's more background in this blog post by one of the dig directors. The excavation also has two websites. One is at www.elahfortress.com. And the other is here, with lots of photos.

On our Book & the Spade tour last winter we crossed the Valley of Elah twice, stopping the first time to discuss the famous battle between David and Goliath that occurred there. Little did we know it would be the scene of probably the most important archaeological discovery of the year, if not the decade.

#3 - Another seal found in Jerusalem with the name of a Biblical figure. These seals and seal impressions have been popping up with increasing frequency in the various digs going on around Jerusalem lately, giving us an incredible hands-on connection to the Biblical world. This one not only has a name on it, it has a beautiful engraved archer depicted, a true work of art.

#4 - The water tunnel found in Jerusalem also seems to date from the time of the Davidic kingdom. It's location suggests in may be the water conduit used by David's army to conquer the seemingly impregnable Jebusite city. It was once thought that Warren's shaft was that water conduit but recent archaeology has disproven that idea. This water feature bears further study.

#5 - Another discovery that may bolster the case for David and Solomon, particularly Solomon, being the kind of powerful kings depicted in the Bible. This discovery is in Jordan and further investigation may yield additional evidence.

For some good commentary on some of these discoveries I also recommend the weblog of my friend Todd Bolen.

1147-1148 - The Great Temple at Petra

Although not mentioned in the Bible, Petra's presence is within the Bible's shadow. The traditional site of Mount Hor, where Aaron came to final rest, is right next to Petra. King Aretas IV, who ruled Petra in the first century, is mentioned in Paul's Second letter to the Corinthians. And it was Aretas' daughter that Herod Antipas cast aside to marry Herodias, in the soap opera that ended up in the beheading of John the Baptist. Aside from all of that Petra is just one of the most intriguing places to visit in the entire Middle East. And there's been some interesting archaeology going on there. In these two programs we talk with Martha Joukowsky of Brown University about her excavations at the Great Temple in Petra.

1146 - Pompeii's Biblical Painting

The latest issue of Biblical Archaeology Review has a fascinating story about a painting of a Biblical scene that was excavated from a home in Pompeii. It's the famous scene where Solomon establishes his reputation for wisdom by deciding between two women who both claim the same child is their own.

The article makes a compelling case for the portrayal in the crowd of Socrates and Aristotle, two of the wisest men of ancient Greece, showing their respect for Biblical wisdom. It also says that this is the oldest painting known which depicts a Biblical scene. So we spend some time discussing this article on today's program, as well as a news report of tuberculosis researchers using bones dug up in Jericho to study the devastating disease.

1145 - Columbarium Coins

During our Book & The Spade tour earlier this year we packed a bunch of dig-site visits into our last day, including a visit to the excavation area at Ramat Rachel. One of the features of the excavation area was the entrance to an underground columbarium (dovecote). There was no digging going on at the time, but when the excavations resumed later in the year, there was an exciting discovery at the columbarium, some first century coins.

This was one of 3-4 columbaria that we visited on this tour. Why were they so common in Biblical times? Doves were a good source of food, for one thing. But they were also used for sacrifices in the temple.

1144 - Remembering Avraham Biran

Just a year or so ago we were talking about Avraham Biran on this program as we prepared for our 2008 25th Anniversary Book & the Spade Holyland Study Tour. Our meeting with professor Biran at the city gate of Tel Dan in 1992 was one of the most memorable moments of all our holyland tours.

Now comes word that professor Biran has passed away just a month short of his 99th birthday. So on today's program we remember once again this remarkable archaeologist who excavated one of the great cities of the Bible. I don't have any good photos but I do have a very nice audio recording of our time with professor Biran at the Dan city gate. This photo was taken the day before that meeting, when we were with Biran in his office and he invited us to meet him the next day at the city gate of Dan.

POST SCRIPT: One of the next generation of archaeologists who we would like to interview on The Book & The Spade is Eilat Mazar, who is excavating in the City of David area, the oldest part of Jerusalem. Until that day we do have a short profile that's just run in The Jerusalem Post.

1143 - A Jewish Mausoleum in Jordan and Jewish Temples in Egypt

This week's program looks at some archaeology related to the time between the destruction of the first Jewish Temple and the time of Jesus. The first part of the program discusses a Tobaid mausoleum just east of Amman. Tobiah figured prominently in the story of Nehemiah, although this structure was built by one of his descendants. The second part of the program discusses two Jewish temples that were built in Egypt, one in northern Egypt and one on the Elephantine island at the first cataract of the upper Nile River.

Tour Note: The website with reports of our 2008 Book & the Spade Tour, written by tour members, is finally online.

1141-1142 Developing Biblical Vision

These two programs come from our 25th anniversary Book & the Spade Holyland Study Tour earlier this year. Our first night in Israel professor Randy Smith gave us a short orientation lecture on how to think Biblically. It was a good reminder that even though we had traveled thousands of miles from the U.S. to the Middle East, we also needed to travel 2,000-3,000 years back in time to understand the perspectives of the Biblical writers.

Professor Smith is also pastor Smith. He leads a church in Florida these days, but he's spent most of the past three decades living and studying in Israel. He had his own study group which was traveling in Israel at the same time as our tour. We felt privileged to be able to intersect with his group at several points along the way, to take advantage of professor Smith's teaching. We hope to feature some more of his teaching on our program in the weeks ahead. In the past we have also offered DVD's of professor Smith's teaching.

We booked out tour through professor Smith's organization, the Christian Travel Study Program, and were ably cared for by crack travel agent Joan Meyer Keane.

Tour Note: The website with reports of our 2008 Book & the Spade Tour, written by tour members, is finally online.

1139-1140 The Temple Mount Sifting Project

On our 25th Anniversary Holyland Study Tour earlier this year we did something that we haven't done on our earlier tours, we actually did some archaeology. On our free day in Jerusalem, ten of us made our way to the Emek Tzurim Park on Mt. Scopus to participate in the sifting of the dirt that was removed from the Temple Mount in 1999.

Before we started sifting the dirt we were briefed on the history of the Temple Mount and the background of the sifting project by a member of the project crew.

These two programs come from the informational briefing that preceded our hands-on sifting. What did we find? Well, nothing that will revolutionize archaeology: a couple of coins, some Roman glass, a few rusty nails, some mosaic tesserae, and of course. But we did have a unique, hands-on experience and joined in the camaraderie with other volunteers who have participated in the same project.

Tour Note: The website with reports of our 2008 Book & the Spade Tour, written by tour members, is finally online.