TheBookAndTheSpade

A Step Ahead

2010-07-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

I think this just might be my last post on this blog. I've been wanting to move to another platform and decided now is the time. One of the reasons is that the new location offers more flexibility. But I've also just begun using new software for audio editing of The Book & The Spade, so there are lots of developments. Check out the new place and let me know what you think.

1233 - Fishing Banned on the Sea of Galilee

2010-06-22T19:33:00.001-07:00

Recent news reports have said that the Sea of Galilee has been over fished, and therefore commercial fishing has been banned for the next two years. On this program, some archaeological perspective on the Sea of Galilee fishing industry.

The second half of the program we discuss the latest information available on the oldest and largest commercial beekeeping operation discovered at Tel Rehov three years ago. Now there's news that the bees were imported. And why would someone want to house a million bees in the middle of a city. We have a few ideas.

Late breaking news: CNN has a story with photos on the discovery of the earliest known images of the apostles Andrew and John, found in Roman catacombs.

1232 - Scott Carroll: Writing in the First Century

2010-06-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

An article in the New York Times has information on plans for a national Bible museum, being put together by the folks who run Hobby Lobby. The Bible expert who will be the executive director of this museum is Scott Carroll, who was a guest on our show back in 1998. So this week we're featuring another program from our archives, as we listen once again to Scott Carroll talk about his research into the state of writing in the first century, when the Gospels were written (according to the traditional view).

No definitive word yet on whether the Bible museum will be located in Dallas or Oklahoma City. But so far they have acquired 30,000 Bibles and related objects. That seems to be quite a collection.

1229-1231 Leen Ritmeyer - Jerusalem's Temple Mount

2010-05-26T18:06:00.001-07:00

If you're studying a drawing of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as it looked in the time of Jesus, or some other historical period, chances are that drawing was made by Leen Ritmeyer.

Ritmeyer is a Temple Mount explorer who ranks right alongside Charles Warren, Charles Wilson and Edward Robinson. They got the jump on him, they were 19th century explorers. But our advantage is that Ritmeyer is still active and publishing his work.

About 13½ years ago I had a chance to talk with Ritmeyer about his work. This series of 3 programs from our archives replays that interview. Leen has a website which offers some examples of his work, as well as a blog with some of his commentary.

VIDEO REPORTS

Here are some archaeological video reports, on the discovery of 3,500-year old cultic items in northern Israel, and a time lapse report on archaeology at Khirbet Al-Maqatir which may be the site of Ai.

1227-1228 Mark Chavalas - Women of the Middle Bronze Age

2010-05-18T19:11:00.000-07:00

It's always a treat to have Mark Chavalas on the program, a professor of ancient history from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Mark always provides fascinating background information on the cultures of northern Mesopotamia (modern Syria). In the past we've talked about some of the important sites of the region. In these two programs we switch our focus to information gleaned from cuneiform tablets about the lives of the women of the Middle Bronze Age. In the Biblical chronology, this is the period of the patriarchs and women like Sarah, Hagar, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. We talk about how things have changed for women since then, and in some ways very little has changed.

1226 - The Dead Sea Scrolls Documentary

2010-05-04T19:25:00.001-07:00

Twelve years ago, for the 50th anniversary of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery, I produced a documentary program featuring comments from William F. Albright, Yigael Yadin and others. At about that time I had inherited a collection of tapes from University of Wisconsin professor Menahem Mansoor featuring interviews done during production of a public radio documentary on the scrolls.

This week, in honor of the two museum displays currently being featured in Milwaukee and St. Paul, I am once again featuring that documentary, telling the story of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery and relating its importance.

1224-1225 Lawson Younger: Aramean Astral Religion

2010-04-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

These programs focus on a fascinating artifact, a bronze 8th century B.C. bowl, inscribed with celestial images that offer clues into Aramean astral religion, and hence some of the cult worship described in the Old Testament. Our guest is Lawson Younger, a professor of Old Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield IL.

1223 - Study Tour Plans for 2011

2010-04-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

This is the program in which we announce our next Book & The Spade Holyland Study Tour. It will take place in February 2011, and include Egypt, Jordan and Israel.

We start where the Exodus starts, follow the route through the Sinai, jump ahead into Jordan, cross over to the Galilee and end up in Jerusalem. It's a comprehensive review of the Biblical landscape, with particular attention to the archaeological evidence for our Biblical roots.

We'll see some of the most breath-taking views that we can share with our Biblical forefathers: the pyramids of Egypt, the rose-red city of Petra, Moses' view of The Promised Land from Mt. Nebo, the Sea of Galilee, and the holy city of Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives. And so much more. Details are online at www.radioscribe.com/itinrar4.htm.

1222 - How the Alphabet was born

2010-04-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

The roots of the world's first alphabet seem to be located in the Sinai peninsula, at a place called Serabit al-Khadem. The Sinai is also the territory where our monotheistic religious roots were incubated. No direct links have been identified but the commonalities are intriguing.

On this program we review an article by professor Orly Goldwasser, an Israeli Egyptologist at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, who suggests that the role played by hieroglyphics in the development of the alphabet may have been more important than previously suspected. She also identifies the person who may be responsible for inventing the alphabet.

1221 - Solomonic Wall in Jerusalem?

2010-03-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

The day after we did our interviews with professor James Hardin on the 10th century problem (programs 1219 & 1220) and the archaeology related to Jerusalem in the time of David and Solomon, Israeli archaeologist Eilat Mazar announced the discovery of a wall in Jerusalem that she credited to the reign of Solomon.

So in this program professor Keith Schoville and I discuss the discovery as well as some questions that have been raised about the discovery. It's a perfect example of the debate over the 10th century problem and it will be interesting to see if the identification sticks, as more and more archaeologists take a look at the evidence.

We also spend a few minutes discussing reports of vanishing 3,000-year old timbers on the Temple Mount. An archaeologist who has studied timbers used in Temple Mount construction says some of them date back to the time of of David and Saul. But after his work was published, the timbers have disappeared.

1219-1220 - James Hardin and the 10th Century Problem

2010-03-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

What does the lack of archaeological evidence for 10th century B.C. Jerusalem have to say about the reigns of David and Solomon, which were supposed to have taken place at that time? That's one of the issues that archaeologists have been arguing about for the past decade or two. James Hardin, a professor at Southern Mississippi State University, takes some time to explain why the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, as the saying goes.

BREAKING NEWS - The details of our planned 2011 Book & The Spade Holyland Archaeological Study Tour are now out in a preliminary form. You can get that information by going here. We'd love to have you join us.

1218 - Shrouded Hinnom Burial

2010-03-10T19:25:00.000-08:00

Back around 2000 archaeologist Shimon Gibson made one of the most intriguing archaeological discoveries of the last decade, a 2,000-year old shrouded corpse in a tomb in Jerusalem's Hinnom Valley. There was no news release at the time, Gibson wanted some research done on the remains first. Now, finally, the results of the investigation into this shrouded 2,000-year old burial are finally being released. That's the topic on this episode: some new information about leprosy in Bible times and a new perspective on the Shroud of Turin.

1217 Jaffa Gate Excavations

2010-03-02T19:10:00.000-08:00

Archaeologists have been working on the street just inside the Jaffa Gate on the west side of the Old City of Jerusalem. On this week's program we discuss their findings: remains of a Byzantine street and a Herodian aqueduct. We also spend some time discussing the Byzantine period, when Christians ruled the Holyland.

We've talked in the past about some of the exciting new discoveries in the City of David area of Jerusalem. This week CBN News has a report on two developments which we have discussed previously.

1214-1216 Donald Wiseman 1918-2010

2010-02-09T18:24:00.000-08:00

One of the most distinguished British scholars we've been privileged to have on our show was Donald Wiseman. In 1986 we featured remarks from a lecture he'd given and we've pulled those old files out of our archives upon hearing about the passing of this gentleman. He's talking about Nineveh on the first program and Babylon on the second program.

Alan Millard, another distinguished British scholar, has a nice tribute to his colleague on the website of Tyndale House, where we found this photo. The photo shows Wiseman with Agatha Christie, her husband Max Mallowan (another distinguished archaeologist) and Neville Chittick.

Update: The London Telegraph has posted an obituary of Donald Wiseman.

In our third and final program in this series, prof. Schoville and I add some additional details about the legacy of prof. Wiseman. Program 1216 also includes some information about Dead Sea Scrolls museum exhibits this spring in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

#1212-1213 The Upcoming 2010 Dig Season

2010-01-26T18:30:00.000-08:00

On these two programs, as we do at the beginning of every year, we roll out the long list of the year 2010 planned institutional excavations in Israel. We also discuss some of the past findings and some of the Biblical links to these sites. We encourage our listeners to actually participate in archaeology and volunteer at one of the sites we discuss. Information on excavating at these sites is online and readily accessible. From Ashkelon (shown) to Zayet, there are all kinds of opportunities available. Who knows what exciting finds the 2010 season will bring?

1210-1211 - The Khirbet Qeiyafa Ostracon (Seth Sanders & Chris Rollston)

2010-01-16T09:31:00.000-08:00

Interest in the Khirbet Qeiyafa ostracon jumped this month with the release of a new reading by professor Gershon Galil of Haifa University. Galil says his translation confirms that the Kingdom of Israel existed in the 10th century B.C. (the time of King David), and that the Biblical scriptures were written centuries earlier than many modern scholars believe.

Christianity Today asked me to investigate the claims and do a short article (link posted as soon as it's online). With the help of a friend who knows a little bit about the Hebrew language I was able to get hold of Seth Sanders, author of the new book The Invention of Hebrew. Seth referred me to another expert on Semitic languages of this period, Chris Rollston, of Emmanuel School of Religion in Johnson City TN.

Chris has posted some of his thoughts online. Both interviews of this series are now on my website. And here's my article.

1209 - House Discovery in Nazareth

2010-01-07T15:26:00.000-08:00

One of the least archaeological spots in Israel seems to be Nazareth. As a tiny village in Jesus' time, there aren't many remains to be found. Archaeologists recently announced the discovery of a house that dated back to the first century, an apparent neighbor of Jesus' family. They called it the first house from Jesus' time to be excavated in Nazareth. We had some questions about that assertion, and reviewed what we know about archaeology in Nazareth, done at a few other excavation sites at and near the Church of the Annunciation.

This house that has been excavated is just across the street from the Church of the Annunciation. While walking through this area during our last tour, my attention was attracted to the vacant windows in the third floor of one building. Just guessing, but I think this building is the one that was razed for this construction project to build the new International Marian Center of Nazareth. Or else it's the one right next to it.

LOCUSTS: I've read about locusts in the Bible but don't really know much about them. Now my friend Todd Bolen has a photograph and some background information on locusts in the Holyland on his Bibleplaces blog.
Fascinating.

1208 - Sepphoris, the Forgotten City

2010-01-01T15:12:00.000-08:00

For 15 years now, we've been visiting Sepphoris on our Book & The Spade Holyland Tours. Just over the hill from Nazareth, this capital city no doubt had a huge influence on life in that little village where Jesus grew up. Richard Batey was one of the Bible scholars who initiated archaeology on this important site. We talked with him back in 1993, just after a book he wrote about the Sepphoris archaeology was published. A number of excavations have taken place at Sepphoris over the years, and work continues there still. Richard Batey retired from his position at Rhodes College last summer, at the end of a 40-year teaching career.

1207 - Christmas in the Holyland

2009-12-25T06:46:00.000-08:00

In the early days of The Book & The Spade, we would annually receive a recorded program from the Israel Broadcasting Service called Christmas in the Holyland. They were always well-done and offered great archaeological and cultural background information about the sacred holiday.

Unfortunately only a few of these great programs were saved. This is one from the archives, dating back to 1992. It features Helga Abraham, talking with James Fleming, Father Jerome Murphy O'Connor, and Suzanne Bartel. It's focused on the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Political conditions have changed in Bethlehem since then, but the church still stands and it's story is fascinating.

As a special Christmas gift to blog followers, here's a short video of the discovery of a tomb in Egypt that has not been disturbed for 2600 years.

Play

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1206 - Tall Jalul and Khirbet Omrit

2009-12-15T19:06:00.001-08:00

On this week's program we discuss the excavations at Tall Jalul in Jordan, part of the Madeba Plains Project, as well as the Roman ruins at Omrit, possibly the remains of a temple that Herod built to honor Augustus Caesar. These are two excavations that are slightly off the beaten path, but very important for Biblical Archaeology.

1205 - Western Wall Excavation Plans

2009-12-10T18:47:00.000-08:00

In 2004, the last time I talked with Jerusalem archaeologist Dan Bahat, he told me about his plans to excavate under the western wall plaza. It seemed like a pretty ambitious plan, but now there are reports that the excavations just might happen. People would still be able to pray at the wailing wall, a platform would be cantilevered out over the excavation area. If the plans proceed as outlined, the first century street that runs along the western wall may be uncovered from the SW corner all of the way to the Via Dolorosa. Meanwhile, other excavations near the Pool of Siloam are revealing the other end of the street. Perhaps it will be uncovered all of the way from the Pool of Siloam to the western wall at some point.

1204 - Hammurabi in Egypt

2009-12-03T19:13:00.000-08:00

An exciting find at an ongoing excavation in Egypt. Austrian archaeologist Manfred Bietak has dug up a seal impression connected to the reign of Hammurabi in Babylonia in his excavation at Tel Al-Dabaa in the Nile delta. Tel Al-Dabaa is a very important excavation of the Egyptian capital city once called Avaris and later Pi-Ramses, located in the land of Goshen area where the Israelites had settled.

Also on this program, discussion of an additional find linking the Jordan River Valley and Galilee shore area with Egypt going back to 3,000 B.C.

1202-1203 Top Ten Most Important And Exciting Excavations in Israel

2009-11-22T14:29:00.000-08:00

I've never done this before on The Book & The Spade, presented a condensed audio version of one of MY talks on Biblical Archaeology. But the Milwaukee Area Biblical Archaeology Society was kind enough to invite me and I put together a presentation for them covering some of the most important excavations we've featured in recent months on The Book & The Spade and in the pages of ARTIFAX magazine.

It might not be hard to guess what is the top dig on my list: the recently launched excavation at Khirbet Qeiyafa, also known as the Elah Fortress. As I say in my talk, the line between fact and legend in Biblical Archaeology seems to pass through the tenth century, the time of David and Solomon . This is a tenth century site that seems to have a lot of potential to address that debate. No big new discoveries there in 2009, as far as I'm aware, but nonetheless I think this is the most important dig going right now. For the rest of the Top Ten, give a listen, and let me know what you think I've left off.

1201 - Shasu of Yahweh

2009-11-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

Even earlier than the Merneptah stele, there's evidence of the Israelites in Egyptian inscriptions. Two tomb inscriptions dating to the reigns of Ramses II and Amenhotep III mention Shasu of Yahweh. Professors Charles Aling and Clyde Billington, my colleagues in producing ARTIFAX, our quarterly magazine, discuss their article on this topic which appears in the latest issue. This information is strong evidence for the early date of the Exodus.

Here's an interesting article:

Excavations have been taking place at Bethsaida, near the NE shore of the Sea of Galilee for almost 25 years. This interesting first century site also has important remains from 1000 B.C., when it may have been the city of Geshur, home of the mother of Absalom. Rami Arav of the University of Nebraska Omaha directs the excavation. UNO has an annual archaeology conference. Here's a report on the most recent conference.

1200 - One million artifacts on display in Israel

2009-11-05T18:57:00.000-08:00

A news item got my attention, "One million artifacts on display in Israel." That's where we start our discussion this week. Israel's archaeological riches are on display all over the country, not just in the big museums in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. For instance, I mention a visit to Kibbutz Ein Shemer to do an interview with archaeologist Adam Zertal a number of years back. We sat in a corner of a museum at the kibbutz (shown) that was dedicated to Zertal's archaeology. The rest of the museum focused on Ein Shemer's agricultural history. The Alon museum at Kibbutz Ginosar features "The Jesus Boat," the remains of a 2,000-year old boat found along the shore of the Sea of Galilee in 1986. Just a couple of examples of what's on display all over Israel. Israel has dozens and dozens of museums, which are catalogued on this page.

On this week's program we also discuss recently announced plans by the Israel Antiquities Authority to have private antiquities collectors register their collections with the government. There may be a flood of important archaeological discoveries to come from these collections, numbering around 100,000, IF collectors allow the IAA access to their collections. Not sure how they're going to accept this idea. It'll be interesting to watch.

1199 - The Lost Tribes of Israel, and the ruins of Cyrene

2009-10-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

This week's program ranges east and west of the traditional Holyland to look at archaeology and what it has revealed about the Lost Tribes of Israel, who were carried off by the Assyrians and then the Babylonians. And then we turn our attention to the ruins of Cyrene in eastern Libya. Jews from Cyrene played an influential role in the early Christian church. It wasn't just Simon of Cyrene, who carried the cross for Jesus on the way to Golgotha. Cyrene is mentioned several tims in the book of Acts, residents of which played an important role in establishing the Christian community in Antioch. Cyrene today is waiting for comprehensive archaeological investigation that could reveal important information on the Jewish community of the first century A.D.

One major component of archaeology in Israel is salvage archaeology (as opposed to institutional archaeology--that planned and carried out by college professors and volunteers). Salvage archaeology is often done in front of bulldozers. It takes place wherever construction is planned or in-progress. The Jerusalem Post has a great article explaining salvage archaeology, called Guardians of the Underground.

1197 - Khirbet Qeiyafa inscription and Lod Mosaic updates

2009-10-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

Some late breaking news items popped up just as we prepared to record some more programs, so we have the details on this week's program. The Khirbet Qeiyafa inscription is one of the oldest examples of Hebrew writing. It was discovered a little over a year ago and now finally we have some idea of what it says, thanks to Aren Maier's weblog. Aren reported on a conference in Jerusalem where the inscription was discussed, and then provided a rough translation.

We also focus in on a report on what was found when the Lod mosaic was raised: footprints that were 1700 years old. It's amazing that the technology of raising a mosaic to move and preserve it is so precise that scholars can now study what was underneath the mosaic.

1196 - BAR's 200th issue

2009-10-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite sources of information, ever since we began doing this program, is Biblical Archaeology Review. In fact, when we first started doing this program, it was about our only source of information, outside of the international edition of The Jerusalem Post and a few stray articles in the newspaper. We don't always agree with BAR, but it takes Biblical Archaeology seriously, and we like that.

The latest issue, the 200th issue, has some articles that are worthy of comment, including Gabriel Barkey's roundup of the results of the Ketef Hinnom excavation. There was a lot more than a couple of amulet scrolls containing the oldest known Bible texts found in those burial caves. Another article is a Top Ten review of some of the top discoveries of Biblical Archaeology. The list doesn't include the Dead Sea Scrolls, but maybe the DSS transcends such a list.

Some great articles, and BAR makes a great companion to The Book & The Spade and our own magazine, ARTIFAX.

This issue of ARTIFAX also recognizes some of the top recent books about Biblical Archaeology, including Eric Cline's From Eden to Exile, a book we discussed with Eric a year and a half ago.

In the book Eric does a great job in summarizing what archaeology has to tell us about a number of Biblical scenarios. He does it again in an online article focusing on whether David and Solomon existed, and what archaeology has to say. He sums it up rather clearly.

1196 - Alexander the Great Gemstone and Jerusalem's Canaanite Wall

2009-10-06T18:05:00.000-07:00

A great adventure story for a young lady named Megan Webb, who decided to go to Israel as a volunteer on the Tel Dor excavation. Digging in a dusty corner of a Hellenistic era building, Megan turned up the most exciting find of this past summer's dig season, a gemstone with the image of Alexander the Great. Archaeology, one of the few sciences were complete amateurs can make major discoveries.

This week's program also discusses the discovery of a major Canaanite wall, dating back to nearly the time of Abraham, in excavations neat the Gihon spring. The excavation of a 2,000-year old Mikva ritual bath in the area of the Western Wall tunnel has turned up remains of some major 2,000-year old buildings, including what may have been the home of the Sanhedrin. Lots of exciting discoveries to report on this week's program.

1195 - Magdala synagogue and menorah

2009-10-04T16:22:00.000-07:00

Archaeologists have been excavating at Magdala, the ruins of an ancient village along the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Magdala is the traditional home of Mary Magdalene. The 2,000-year old synagogue they are excavating is no doubt one of the synagogues visited by Jesus during his ministry in Galilee, it's just a couple of miles from Capernaum. The menorah found at this site is the oldest depiction of a menorah that has ever been found, and may more closely resemble the menorah depicted in the famous Arch of Titus in Rome. This is an exciting discovery, a location we will certainly expect to visit in future Holyland study tours.

We also discuss some coins found by archaeologists that date to the time of the Bar Kochba revolt, 130-133 A.D., and reports of ancient coins uncovered in the Egyptian Museum that are linked to the patriarch Joseph. The latter story sounds highly suspicious to us, there are a lot of unanswered questions regarding its claims. When a discovery of this nature sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

1193-1194 Matthew Kalman: The James Ossuary Trial continues

2009-09-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

The trail over the authenticity of the James Ossuary inscription ("James the son of Joseph, brother of Jesus) is heading into its fourth year in Jerusalem. Only one journalist has sat through the almost 100-courtroom sessions so far, and he is our guest on these programs.

Is the James Ossuary the only archaeological discovery that's connected to Jesus Christ? Or is it an audacious fabrication? Will we ever know? This trial may not settle the question but it does have some interesting things to say about archaeology. I think you'll enjoy hearing the insights of Matthew Kalman, as he discusses the courtroom action and personalities. You can also read his reports on the ossuary trial (including the recent TIME magazine article), on his James Ossuary weblog.

1192 - Tel Tayinat Update

2009-09-12T18:03:00.001-07:00

Earlier this year we talked with Timothy Harrison about the Tel Tayinat excavations, in the same general area as Antioch. But Timothy Harrison is excavating in an earlier period, an Iron Age temple in fact, where he's found some cuneiform tablets, according to the latest reports.

We also mention excavations at another Turkish site, Laodicea (one of the seven cities of Revelation), as well as Sidon, a Lebanese city just north of Israel.

1191 - Another Jerusalem update

2009-09-12T17:33:00.000-07:00

A seemingly large proportion of archaeology in Israel is taking place in Jerusalem these days, in particular the oldest part of Jerusalem, which is called Silwan, or the City of David.

On the latest update, we're talking about Roman mansion found in the dig at the Givati Car Park construction park. There's a report of a street collapse in Silwan from the Palestinian media, not a lot of additional information available. And then there's word from the excavation along the city wall on Mt. Zion that we visited during last year's tour. They found a stone cup with an Aramaic inscription. The content of the inscription hasn't been released yet.

1190 - Hippos-Sussita, Ramat Rahel, and the Mistress of the Lionesses

2009-08-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

Some of the results of the 2009 excavation season are reported in this week's program, as well as a 2008 discovery we haven't had a chance to discuss yet. And, it just so happens, we were able to visit the excavation sites of Hippos-Sussita and Ramat Rahel for the first time during our 25th Anniversary Book & The Spade Study Tour a year and a half ago. (Pictured, the Hippos-Sussita Forum)

1188-1189 Luke Chandler: Volunteer at Khirbet Qeiyafa

2009-08-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

Since we started doing this weekly program 26 and a half years ago, we have continually encouraged our listeners to get involved and do archaeology themselves. On occasion we have talked with some who have actually volunteered, and that's what these two programs are about. Luke Chandler has a blog where he's written about his excavation experience this past summer at Khirbet Qeiyafa, otherwise known as the Elah Fortress. And since that's probably where I would have gone had I chosen to work on an excavation this summer, clearly one of the most important digs now underway, I decided I'd like to talk with him about his experiences. So, listen to the programs, read the blogs, and experience what digging was like at Khirbet Qeiyafa during the summer of 2009.

Uncovering history can be a very transcendant experience. Describing what it was like to open up the second city gate of Khirbet Qeiyafa (most cities had only one gate), Luke told me: "After moving a lot of the stones and making it somewhat passable, I went inside to get a break with my co-worker. And it occurred to me as we were going through the gate, that we were the first two people to pass through that gate in well over 2,000 years."

For another perspective on archaeology and volunteerism, check out the Jerusalem Post article on the Ramat Rachel excavation.

1187 - Eric Cline: Tel Kabri, Archaeology and Social Media

2009-08-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

Eric Cline filled us in on his excavations at Tel Kabri last year (he also digs at Megiddo on alternate years). The dig at Kabri wrapped up just a few days ago and we checked in with Eric to see how it went. Tel Kabri is one of the sites where it was possible to follow what was going on through social media, specifically through the excavation's weblog. Hundreds of photographs of the excavators at work, posted on Facebook, can be accessed through the weblog site. It gives a pretty realistic portrayal of what it's like to be a volunteer on an excavation. We also spent some time talking about social media, such as Facebook, Weblogs and Twitter, speculating on what impact they may have on archaeology. These unique communications tools are just starting to be used by archaeologists (professionals and volunteers).

Mosaic Museum and the Beautiful Lod Mosaic

2009-07-28T18:58:00.000-07:00

The discovery of one of the largest and most beautiful mosaics ever found in Israel was announced 13 years ago, during one of our Book & The Spade tours. We missed seeing it then, the itinerary wasn't flexible enough, but now we're looking forward to seeing it during a future tour. After being covered up for more than a dozen years, Israeli officials are finally preparing to refurbish the mosaic and then put it on display. This beautiful mosaic graces the cover of the latest issue of our ARTIFAX magazine, and is one of our main topics of discussion on this week's program.

But there's more. It was announced just a few weeks ago that a mosaic museum, highlighting some of the beautiful mosaics found around Israel, is now open on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. If you're ever been on that road, you probably remember there's not much there, except for a few bedouin tents and the building they called the Inn of the Good Samaritan. Well that building and its environs has an interesting history (even if it wasn't the Inn of Jesus' parable), and now it has been converted to a mosaic museum.

We also spent some time on the programming discussing how our coverage of archaeology has changed over the past 26 years. When we started there were only a couple of sources we were able to rely on. Now the internet gives us all kinds of options, including social media like Facebook and Twitter.

Learn more about some of this season's excavations by checking these websites:

The Elah Fortress

Blogger at Elah Fortress dig

Tel es Safi-Gath

Tel Kabri

Ashkelon

Mt. Zion/Jerusalem

Khirbet El-Maqatir

Tall Jalul in Jordan

Other excavations have websites also, but these are the ones (except for the Tall Jalul story) that seem to be updated more frequently.

1185 - Sarcophagus of Paul and Seal of Saul

2009-07-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

Recent news stories have reported on discoveries related to Paul and Saul. One is the Paul of the New Testament, the other is someone named Saul who lived about 800 years earlier.

The Vatican recently announced details of the latest archaeological investigation into the traditional burial place of the Apostle Paul, under the altar at the St. Paul Outside the Walls church in Rome. At almost exactly the same time, it was announced the oldest image believed to depict the Apostle Paul had been identified in the catacombs of St. Thecla. Both of these announcements marked the end of the Pauline year, declared by the Roman Catholic church to mark the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of St. Paul.

In other recent archaeological news, there was a story of a bone seal found in Jerusalem, with the name of Saul engraved on it, dated to roughly the 9th century B.C. The identity of this particular Saul is not known but this is another example of the many seals and seal impressions that are surfacing in the many archaeological excavations in Jerusalem. These are the kinds of finds that would be extremely rare elsewhere in Israel, but in Jerusalem they are not rare.

1184 - New Quarries Sited

2009-07-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

Several reports of discoveries of ancient quarries are discussed on this program. One is an underground quarry just north of Jericho. The other is in Jerusalem, one of three quarries discovered in the last few years that have been linked to the building of the Second Temple under Herod. These Jerusalem quarries are linked to the temple in part by pottery and coins that are found that date to that era, but also because of the massive size of the stones that seemed to have been quarried there. No other site in Jerusalem needed stones that big.

I had a chance to visit one of the other of those three quarries during last year's trip to Jerusalem. It was in an area called Ramat Shlomo, the Heights of Solomon. Hence, the photo.

1181-1183 Yuval Goren: Iron Age Seal Impressions

2009-06-26T19:11:00.001-07:00

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

2009-06-16T18:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-21T18:18:00.001-07:00

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

2009-04-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-01T09:45:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-17T14:37:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-04T17:58:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-23T17:58:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-12T19:34:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-05T18:16:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-23T17:28:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-20T13:06:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-25T15:18:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-31T18:25:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-16T18:22:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

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.

1138 - The Dead Sea Scrolls at 60

2008-08-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

A conference was held in Jerusalem earlier this summer, marking the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The occasion gives us the opportunity to review the status of Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship, and explain once again why the Dead Sea Scrolls are one of the most important discoveries in Biblical Archaeology.

With impeccable timing, the Israel Antiquities Authority has just posted a 7-minute video with the story of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

1137 - Gedaliah, son of Pashur

2008-08-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

More and more names mentioned in the book of Jeremiah are being found in seal impressions recovered from the oldest area of Jerusalem. Archaeologist Eilat Mazar reports the discovery of a bulla bearing the name of Gedaliah, son of Pashur, who is mentioned in Jeremiah 38:1 in excavations in the city of David area. Also on this week's program, we review archaeology in relation to the seven cities of the book of Revelation.

1136 - The Sanhedrin and the Priests

2008-08-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

On this week's program we review news reports relating to the revival of the Sanhedrin and the Jewish priesthood. The discussion includes a mention of the Temple Institute, which is working towards the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.

1135 - The "Gabriel's Vision" inscription

2008-08-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

A rare 2,000-year old inscription, written in ink on stone, is starting to generate some interest among Bible scholars, especially after one of them said "it will change our concept of Christianity." It's been called the "Gabriel's Vision" inscription, and it's also been called a Dead Scroll in stone. It dates to the same era and has many stylistic similarities to the Dead Sea Scrolls. To asses its significance, I talked with two of the top New Testament scholars, Darrell Bock of Dallas Theological Seminary and Ben Witherington of Asbury Theological Seminary.

1134 - Underwater archaeology update

2008-07-20T15:49:00.001-07:00

Several years ago it seemed as though underwater archaeology, particularly deep underwater archaeology, was going to be the next trend. We haven't heard much about underwater archaeology in the last couple of years but a report on the excavation of a shipwreck off Cyprus gives us a chance to do an update on the topic.

1133-Sea of Galilee Rock Mounds

2008-07-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

The Sea of Galilee is at one of its lowest levels ever, according to media reports. Sometimes low levels can lead to exciting archaeological finds, such as in 1986 when the Galilee boat (also sometimes called the Jesus boat) was found. In fact there are reports of mysterious man-made mounds of stones turning up along the southeastern shore of Lake Kinneret (as it's also called). That's the topic for this weeks program.

Last week's program, #1132, was on the discovery of a stone tablet with ink writing on it. It's been called Gabriel's Vision or Gabriel's Revelation.

1131 - The Shroud of Jericho and the Shroud of Turin

2008-07-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

A shroud that wrapped an ancient warrier buried in a cave near Jericho, discovered in 1993, may offer new understanding of the Shroud of Turin. The Shroud of Jericho, as it may be called, was seven meters by three meters, about twice as large as the Shroud of Turin. The Shroud has been dated to 4,000 B.C. , which means its three times as old as the Shroud of Turin if the Shroud of Turin is really the burial shroud of Jesus, as many people believe. The hope is that by studying the Shroud of Jericho, and comparing it to the Shroud of Turin, new information may be obtained that could re-date the Shroud of Turin. For the last several decades the scholarly consensus has been that the Shroud of Turin is of medieval origin, due to some radiocarbon testing. However, critics of the testing have offered a number of explanations for why the radiocarbon testing could have been inaccurate and that the Shroud of Turin is actually older. Stay tuned.

1130 - Oldest Seed and Oldest Church

2008-06-25T17:19:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, in our conversations about archaeology, we not only talk about old but oldest. There's something special about that claim, particularly when it involves a living seed that is 2,000 years old. On this week's program we revisit Methusaleh, the name given to a date palm seedling that is thriving at an undisclosed location in Israel. The seed that was planted for Methusaleh was part of a cache recovered from the excavation of Masada by Yigael Yadin, 40 years ago. It was planted five years ago. Prior to Methusaleh the oldest seeds that had been successfully planted were 1300-year old Lotus seeds discovered in China almost 100 years ago.

Also on this week's program we review press reports of claims that the world's oldest church has been discovered at Rihab in northern Jordan. We join the archaeological experts who are skeptical about this claim, since there's been little real evidence to back up this claim. We agree with archaeologist Stephen Pfann, who says the best evidence for the oldest church in the world was dug up a few years ago under the floor of a prison near the famous archaeological site of Megiddo. It's sometimes called the Armageddon Church.

852 - Rami Khouri and the Temple at Pella

2008-06-18T16:57:00.000-07:00

This program from the Book & the Spade archives goes back to 2002, an interview with Rami Khouri on the archaeology of Pella. Pella is known in history as the place of refuge for first century Christians who fled Jerusalem when it was attacked by Rome during the first Jewish revolt. But within the last ten years quite a bit of archaeology has been done there, delving into earlier periods. And one of the things they found is a very large pagan temple.

Rami Khouri is a highly respected journalist who is currently editor-at-large for the Daily Star of Lebanon. He writes about Middle Eastern politics mostly, these days, but his real love is archaeology.

1129 - James Ossuary Trial update

2008-06-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

After 70 witnesses for the prosecution, the defense has begun to offer its arguments in the case of the Ossuary of James, the brother of Jesus, which has been litigated in a courtroom in Israel for several years now. On today's program, a trial update. Also, some reflections on efforts by two archaeologists to resolve some of the differences between Jews and Palestinians.

853-854 Semitic Inscriptions and the Roots of the Alphabet

2008-06-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

From the Book & the Spade archives, a set of interviews from 2002 featuring Frederick Dobbs-Allsopp, a professor of Old Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary. As I say in the introduction, the beginnings of the alphabet are tied to the story of the Bible: same time, same place, same people (roughly). Photos of Professor Dobbs-Allsopp and colleagues, working on the Wadi Al-Hol inscriptions, are available at the West Semitic Research Project website.

1128 - Pseudo Archaeologists

2008-05-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

On this week's program we discuss magazine items. That includes my column in the May issue of Christianity Today on pseudo-Archaeologists and several articles in the May-June issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. We also talked about pseudo-Archaeologists during our recent series of discussions with Eric Cline. The BAR discussions concerned the articles on Nebi Samuel, a mountain top site overlooking Jerusalem, and Engedi, a beautiful desert oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea with a fascinating archaeological history.

1127 - The Oldest Arched Gate in the World

2008-05-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

The headline on the story we discuss to start this week's program is "The Oldest Arched Gate in the World." It's about the mudbrick gate at Ashkelon, which dates to about 1850 B.C., the Canaanite period, before the Philistines arrived. However, the Ashkelon Gate is not the only Bronze Age Mudbrick Arched Gate in Israel. There's also a gate at Tel Dan which is just about as old, maybe older.

On the second half of the program we discuss plans to create an archaeological park at Tiberias, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

1124 - 1126 Eric Cline: Pseuo-archaeologists, Megiddo and Tel Kabri

2008-04-30T16:09:00.000-07:00

Eric Cline is the Chair of the Department of Classical and Semitic Languages and Literatures at George Washington University. He has written commentaries attacking pseudo archaeologists,
as have I (May issue of Christianity Today, not online yet). Eric has also written a new book that also addresses the issue, called From Eden to Exile.

He doesn't write from an evangelical perspective, obviously. He's opposed to those who, let's see how should we put this, abuse the connection between the Bible and archaeology. As am I. I think he would probably draw the line of distinction a little differently than I would. But unlike some archaeologists, Eric does not disparage the Bible as a source of reliable information about the ancient world. His book focuses on what we know from the Bible and from archaeology, and I think an honest and trustworthy source of information is always commendable. So that's what we talked about in the first program of this series.

The second program is about Megiddo and Armageddon. Eric is an associated director of the latest Megiddo excavation and can be seen in a nice little video on the dig website. Eric has also written a book called The Battles of Armageddon. As he points out, the plain outside Megiddo is probably the scene of more battles than any other site on earth, except for Jerusalem. The first battle recorded in history was fought there. And, of course, the last battle is prophesied to be fought there. More fascinating conversation.

And then in our last program we discuss another site that Eric is working on, Tel Kabri. We've mentioned it several times on the program in years past. It's not a Biblical site, as far as is known, but it has a fascinating story. Archaeologists have discovered the remains of Minoan frescoes dating back to around the 18th century B.C. There was a large palace at this site, just a few miles northeast of the coastal city of Akko. In fact two palaces have been found, one on top of the other. There's lots more work to be done here.

1122-1123 Father Jerome Murphy-O'Connor

2008-04-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

If you're going on an archaeological trip to Israel, your best resource is a good guide. And a good guidebook can also be very handy. If you don't have a guide, or even if you do, Father Jerome Murphy-O'Connor's guidebook will be helpful.

Actually, one thing it might come in handy for is keeping your guide honest. Some guides are better than others in their archaeological knowledge.

On our most recent 25th anniversary trip to Israel we paid several visits to the Ecole Biblique, which has a number of archaeological distinctives. First of all it's the home of a large Iron Age tomb complex, within which are buried (still) the bones of many Byzantine monks who lived at St. Stephen's monastery (as it's also known). A more modern area of the complex is a mortuary for 19th and 20th century Dominicans who lived at the monastery, many who are well known in the annals of Biblical Archaeology, such as Roland DeVaux, the excavator of Qumran.

The first non-French Dominican to join the faculty of the school, as a professor of New Testament, was Father Jerome Murphy-O'Connor. He is a much-sought-after authority on Biblical Archaeology, in large part because of the archaeological guide book he authored, called The Holy Land. In addition to his gifts as a teacher and scholar, he has at his disposal one of the best archaeological libraries in Israel at the Ecole Biblique.

So, with the assistance of one of our Jerusalem correspondents, Tom Powers, we were able to arrange an interview with Father Jerry, as he is known. He told us the story of the guide book and offered some additional archaeological insights, for which we were very appreciative.

1121 - Ancient Seals Found in Jerusalem

2008-04-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

While we were in Israel on our Book & the Spade tour we spent more time than in the past in the area of the Temple Mount and the City of David. The reason is that there's more archaeology going on there than there has been for a number of years. And in two of the digs in that area, seals were recently found, adding to the growing number of names of important officials from Biblical times.

Sometimes seals that are found contain the names of men who are known from the Bible, sometimes not. In these two cases, the seals' owners were not previously known. One of the seals was found in an excavation along the western edge of the western wall plaza, where a number of finds from the First Temple period have been discovered, preserved under a later Roman-era street. The seal owner was Netanyahu ben Yaush (shown). The other seal was found along with a number of seal impressions, near the Gihon spring.

1119 - 1120 The Book & The Spade 25th Anniversary Holyland Study Tour review

2008-03-19T17:06:00.001-07:00

Within a few years of the time we started doing this program we have been offering our listeners the opportunity to come with us and see what's happening at many of the archaeological sites that we discuss on the program. Our first tour was in 1985. This was our seventh or eighth tour, our first in seven years, and we had a great time. I've been calling it our Tells, Tombs, Tunnels and Treasures tour, because of all the things we were able to do and the places we were able to see (many of which we hadn't been able to include in earlier tours). We review the highlights of the tour on these two programs, and you can see some of my photos in the slide show.

1118 - Gibson and Tabor's Dig on Mt. Zion

2008-03-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

This is the first of the programs that we recorded during our Book & the Spade 25th anniversary Holyland Tour. We were in Jerusalem on the first day of the UNC dig along the southern wall of the Old City, between Zion gate and the Dung gate and had a chance to talk with the head excavators about their plans for the site. More information can be found at their dig website.

1116-1117 Reversing a Seal and Search for Sodom

2008-02-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

While the Book & the Spade 25th Anniversary Study Tour is underway, I've posted online the next few weeks programs. I won't be traveling with a computer. On program #1116 Professor Schoville and I discuss the recent seal discovery in the City of David area that was first read backward, and then read properly. Program #1116 also contains a discussion of the recent conference in Jerusalem on the excavation of the "Tomb of Jesus."

Then on to program #1117, an interview with Steven Collins, of Trinity Southwest University on his excavations of Tall el-Hammam in Jordan. Steven believes he had discovered the authentic site of the biblical city of Sodom near the northeastern shore of the Dead Sea. This is a different location than has been suggested by archaeologists in the past, and he makes a compelling case for it. However, no actual archaeological evidence confirming his hypothesis had been excavated to this point.

1114-1115 Celebrating 25 Years of Biblical Archaeology

2008-02-13T18:16:00.001-08:00

Just before embarking on our 25th Anniversary Book & the Spade Holyland tour, Dr. Schoville and I recorded a pair of programs to review our first 25 years as one of Christian radio's most unique news and interview programs. We reviewed some of the high moments of the past 25 years of news maker interviews and news story reviews.

805-807 Stops on the tour 2001

2008-01-23T18:50:00.000-08:00

From the Book & the Spade archives, three programs collected on our last Holyland tour in 2001. Program 805 looks at the archaeology of the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth (and an unusual connection to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem). Programs 806 and 807 are about a small museum at kibbutz Ein Gev called The House of Anchors.

1112-1113 Archaeology Plans - 2008

2008-01-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

Almost every year since we started doing The Book & the Spade radio program, 25 years ago, we have begun by reviewing the excavation plans for the coming year as printed in Biblical Archaeology Review. The last couple of years the magazine has cut back on the printed schedule and posted information online, at a site called findadig.com. It looks like a robust schedule of excavations are on tap for this year, including Ashkelon. Ashkelon's head excavator, Larry Stager of Harvard University, was among those who pulled back when the intefada kicked up in 2000. Now the dig is back in the field, apparently under the co-direction of one of his students, Daniel Master, who is now at Wheaton College. Harvard and Wheaton, working together. Not a bad idea. There's a lot of dig sites, all with opportunities for volunteers. The application deadlines are coming up soon, so get your application in early. You too can be involved in cutting edge scientific research in the field of Biblical Archaeology.

#1111 - The Archaeology of Jerusalem with professor Keith Schoville

2008-01-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

More archaeological activity in Jerusalem, all within a little more than a stones throw of the same area. In this week's program we review digs and discoveries near the Temple Mount and the City of David area, the oldest area of Jerusalem.

1110 - Nehemiah's Wall with Edwin Yamauchi

2007-12-25T11:06:00.000-08:00

Professor Edwin Yamauchi is professor emeritus at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He's also the president of the Near East Archaeological Society, a professional organization for evangelicals involved in Biblical Archaeology. I wanted to talk with him about some of the recently reported discoveries in Biblical Archaeology, including the re-identification for an ancient wall in Jerusalem, connecting it with Nehemiah, the wall-builder. We also discussed one of the top ten archaeological discoveries of the year, according to the judgement of Archaeology magazine.

928-930 The Archaeology of Music

2007-12-03T16:52:00.000-08:00

Revisiting The Book & The Spade archives, just for the holiday season, we're pulling out a three part series we did 4-5 years ago with the San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble, SAVAE. Christopher Moroney talked with us about their new (at that time) project, attempting to reproduce the music of the Bible. It was one of the best series we've ever done, and most interesting, in my view.

1109 - Georgia's Legacy Center Museum

2007-11-26T18:51:00.000-08:00

For the last few weeks The Book & the Spade has been on the air in the Atlanta area, over WIMO in Bethlehem, Georgia. Our local partner is The Legacy Center Museum in Lawrenceville, which is having its grand opening on Sunday, December 2nd. In this program we talk with museum director Ed Bez about the mission of the museum and its history.

There aren't that many places in the U.S. where you can go to get the story of Biblical Archaeology, just a handful of museums, usually associated with a university or seminary. So the residents of the Atlanta area are fortunate to have this facility. We send congratulatoins and best wishes for their grand opening.

1108 - Tour Highlights 1985

2007-11-26T18:39:00.000-08:00

Our first Book & the Spade tour in 1985 featured a visit to the Albright Center in Jerusalem, the home of the American Schools for Oriental Research. ASOR is the main professional organization for U.S. archaeologists who work in Israel and the Albright Center has an illustrious history, going back to the time when William F. Albright was its director, in the early 20th century.

The director for the past quarter century plus has been Si Gitin. During our visit he gave us an off-the-cuff history of archaeology in Israel, highlighting the key role played by Dr. Albright in establishing the ceramic chronology which is the foundation for understanding everything else.

Dr. Gitin himself was involved in a key archaeological excavation of the Philistine city of Ekron, the site known as Tel Mikne. He discusses the excavation, which was just getting underway at that time. We visited Tel Mikne 11 years later, during out 1996 excavation, during its last season.

1107 - Tour Highlights (1992)

2007-11-17T17:03:00.000-08:00

On this program Professor Schoville and I revisit one of the most exciting moments of our Book & the Spade tours, our 1992 visit to Tel Dan with Avraham Biran, one of Israel's most distinguished archaeologists. We ended up sitting at the city gate as Professor Biran explained the importance of the city gate in the history of ancient Biblical cities.

Professor Schoville worked with Biran at Dan for a several years. Through Biran we have a direct connection to some of the most distinguished names in Biblical Archaeology, such as William F. Albright, Nelson Glueck and even Sir William Flinders Petrie. He was a student of Albright, worked with Glueck and knew Petrie.

1106 - 25th Anniversary Holyland Tour Details

2007-11-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

We've been referencing our upcoming 25th anniversary Holyland Tour for the past six months; on this week's program we get down to details. It's been seven years since our last tour, 15 years since our last tour together (Dr. Schoville and I) and 22 years since our first tour. All because we like to offer our listeners the opportunity to see what we're talking about, walk where Jesus walk, and experience the biblical landscape. If you'd like to join us, tour details are posted online.

1105 - Brook Besor Bronze Age village

2007-10-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

An update on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and also an excavation at Nahal Besor (also known as Wadi Besor and in the Bible as the brook Besor).

There's an even fresher story related to the Temple Mount situation that we didn't get in time for inclusion in this program. Click here.

1104 - The Seal of Queen Jezebel

2007-10-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

One scholar believes that a seal found 40 years ago is the royal seal of the wife of King Ahab. But not everyone agrees. Nonetheless, there was only one Jezebel in history, so anything remotely connected with her is compelling.

The story can be found in the Jerusalem Post and Haaretz. There's also scholarly reaction from Chris Rollston of the Emmanuel School of Religion.

Also, there's breaking news from the Temple Mount. See details in this article from National Geographic. As I often say, there's always something going on in Biblical Archaeology.