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.