Ten discoveries that rewrote history

155 Pages·2007·3.383 MB·English

by  Hunt, Patrick

TenTopBiblicalArchaeologyDiscoveries
Cover
©2011BiblicalArchaeologySociety 1
TenTopBiblicalArchaeologyDiscoveries
Ten Top Biblical Archaeology Discoveries
Production and Design Staff:
Joey Corbett – Editor
Robert Bronder – Designer
Susan Laden – Publisher
©2011
BiblicalArchaeologySociety
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©2011BiblicalArchaeologySociety i
TenTopBiblicalArchaeologyDiscoveries
About the Biblical Archaeology Society
The excitement of archaeology and the
latest in Bible scholarship since 1974
TheBiblicalArchaeologySociety(BAS)wasfoundedin1974asanonprofit,
nondenominational,educationalorganizationdedicatedtothedisseminationofinformationabout
archaeologyintheBiblelands.
BASeducatesthepublicaboutarchaeologyandtheBiblethroughitsbi-monthly
magazine,BiblicalArchaeologyReview,anaward-winningWebsite
(www.biblicalarchaeology.org),booksandmultimediaproducts(DVDs,CD-ROMsandvideos),
toursandseminars.Ourreadersrelyonustopresentthelatestthatscholarshiphastoofferina
fairandaccessiblemanner.BASservesasanimportantauthorityandasaninvaluablesourceof
reliableinformation.
Publishing Excellence
BAS’sflagshippublicationisBiblicalArchaeologyReview.BARistheonlymagazinethat
connectstheacademicstudyofarchaeologytoabroadgeneralaudienceeagertounderstand
theworldoftheBible.CoveringboththeOldandNewTestaments,BARpresentsthelatest
discoveriesandcontroversiesinarchaeologywithbreathtakingphotographyandinformative
mapsanddiagrams.BAR’swritersarethetopscholars,theleadingresearchers,theworld-
renownedexperts.BARistheonlynonsectarianforumforthediscussionofBiblicalarchaeology.
BASproducedtwootherpublications,BibleReviewfrom1985–2005,andArchaeology
Odysseyfrom1998–2006.Thecompleteeditorialcontentsofallthreemagazinesareavailable
onTheBASLibrary.TheBASLibraryalsocontainsthetextoffivehighly-acclaimedbooks,
AncientIsrael,AspectsofMonotheism,FeministApproachestotheBible,TheRiseofAncient
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everyoneatwww.biblicalarchaeology.org/library.Thiscomprehensivecollectionofmaterialsis
alsoavailabletocolleges,universities,churchesandotherinstitutionsatwww.basarchive.org.
Widespread Acclaim
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©2011BiblicalArchaeologySociety ii
TenTopBiblicalArchaeologyDiscoveries
Also from the Biblical Archaeology Society
DoyouwanttolearnmoreabouttheamazingsitesandartifactsfeaturedinTenTopBiblical
ArchaeologyDiscoveries?CheckouttheseBASproductstoseehowtheseandotherdiscoveries
arechangingthewayarchaeologistsandscholarsviewtheworldoftheBible.
How Archaeology Illuminates the Bible:
FromthePatriarchstotheBabylonianDestruction
AStudyCoursebyWilliamG.Dever
DidtheIsraelitesescapeslaveryinamassexodusfromEgypt?
WasthereaKingDavidwhoestablishedtheUnitedMonarchyin
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TheLectures
-AnOrientationtoBiblicalArchaeology:History,AimsandMethods
-PatriarchsandMatriarchs:HistoryorFiction?
-WhoWeretheEarlyIsraelites,andWhereDidTheyComeFrom?
-TheRiseoftheIsraeliteState:the“UnitedMonarchy”
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-Israel’sNeighborsintheLightofRecentArchaeologicalResearch
-TheAssyrianandBabylonianDestructions:TheEndortheBeginning?
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©2011BiblicalArchaeologySociety iii
TenTopBiblicalArchaeologyDiscoveries
Dirt, Bones, Potsherds and Stones:
ArchaeologistsProbetheGalileeintheHellenisticandRoman
Periods
AStudyCoursebyJamesF.Strange
Everyoccupationoflandinanyperiodleavesitshumanimprint.
Whatlooksatfirsttobeachaoticscatterofbitsandpieceswithin
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TheLectures
-The“HouseofSt.Peter”atCapernaum
-TheEarliestSynagogueBuildingsinIsrael
-WhatDoesthisBuildingInviteMetoDo?
-TheCaseofNazareth:AJewishChristianCenter?
-SettlementofGalileeintheMaccabeantoRomanPeriod
-TheRecoveryofJudaismandtheResettlementofGalileeafter135C.E.
-TheCaseofSepphoris:AMajorCityinGalilee
-TheArchaeologyof“JewishChristianity”
-TheTombofJesusinTalpiot
-IsanArchaeologyofthePhariseesPossible?
DVD,3disks,Totalrunningtime:7hours,57minutes,$99.95
©2011BiblicalArchaeologySociety iv
TenTopBiblicalArchaeologyDiscoveries
Table of Contents
VI Introduction
1 The Nag Hammadi Library
Nag Hammadi Codices Shed New Light on Early Christian History
by James Brashler
12 The 'Ain Dara Temple
The New 'Ain Dara Temple: Closest Solomonic Parallel
by John Monson
31 The Tel Dan ("David") Stela
"David" Found at Dan
47 Mona Lisa of the Galilee
Mosaic Masterpiece Dazzles Sepphoris Volunteers
52 "Yahweh and His Asherah": The Kuntillet 'Ajrud Ostraca
Did Yahweh Have a Consort?
by Ze'ev Meshel
68 St. Peter's House
Has the House Where Jesus Stayed in Capernaum Been Found?
by James F. Strange and Hershel Shanks
86 The Siloam Pool
The Siloam Pool: Where Jesus Cured the Blind Man
by Hershel Shanks
94 Ashkelon's Arched Gate
When Canaanites and Philistines Ruled Ashkelon
by Lawrence E. Stager
118 Jerusalem's Stepped-Stone Structure
Jerusalem in David and Solomon's Time
by Jane Cahill West
137 Jerusalem's Babylonian Siege Tower
Found in Jerusalem: Remains of the Babylonian Siege
by Suzanne F. Singer
142 The Authors
143 Notes
©2011BiblicalArchaeologySociety v
TenTopBiblicalArchaeologyDiscoveries
Introduction
ThiseBook,developedbytheeditorsattheBiblicalArchaeologySociety,featurestenof
themostimportantandexcitingarchaeologicalfindscoveredinthepagesofBiblicalArchaeology
Review(BAR)overthepastthreeandahalfdecades.Itisbynomeansanexclusivelist;others
wouldperhapsmakedifferentselectionsfortheirtopten.Takentogether,these“topdiscoveries,”
fromthenearly4,000-year-oldarchedgateofAshkelontothelostfourth-centuryC.E.
manuscriptsofNagHammadi,offeraminicourseinBiblicalarchaeology.
ThiseBookincludestheoriginalBARarticlesinwhichthefindswerepublished,many
authoredbytoday’smostprominentBiblicalarchaeologists.Theirarticlesnotonlyhighlightthe
historicalandBiblicalsignificanceofthesedramaticdiscoveries,butalsoplacethemintheir
appropriatearchaeologicalcontext.In“WhenCanaanitesandPhilistinesRuledAshkelon,”for
example,LawrenceStagerprovidesathoroughoverviewoftheportcity’sextensiveBronzeand
IronAgeremains,includingthemassivewallsandrampartsthroughwhichpassedtheworld’s
oldestarchedgateway.Similarlyin“TheSiloamPool,”BAReditorHershelShanksdetailsthe
recentdiscoveryofamonumental,first-centuryC.E.JerusalempoolthatfunctionedasaJewish
ritualbath(miqveh)andmayhavebeentheplacewhereJesuscuredtheblindman(John9).
Inthesearticles,youwillalsolearnhowthemostimportantarchaeologicaldiscoveries
areoftenmadecompletelybyaccident.In“‘David’FoundatDan,”you’llreadhowGilaCook,an
archaeologicalsurveyorworkingatthesiteofTelDaninnorthernIsrael,accidentallystumbled
acrossaninscribedstonecontainingthefirsthistoricalreferencetoKingDavidoutsidetheBible.
Likewise,inJamesBrashler’sarticleontheNagHammadicodices,you’lllearnhowthis
invaluablecollectionoffourth-centuryC.E.Gnosticwritingsandlostgospelswasfoundnotby
archaeologists,butratherbytwofarmerslookingforfertilizeralongthebanksoftheNile.
Wehopethiscollectionofarticlesnotonlyallowsyoutodivedeeperintotheworldofthe
Biblicalarchaeology,butalsoreflectontheamazingdiscoveriesthataremadeintheBiblical
landsyearafteryear.
JoeyCorbett
AssistantEditor,BiblicalArchaeologySociety
2011
©2011BiblicalArchaeologySociety vi
TenTopBiblicalArchaeologyDiscoveries
The Nag Hammadi Library
Nag Hammadi Codices Shed New Light on Early Christian History
By James Brashler
InstituteforAntiquityandChristianity,Claremont,California
TheNagHammaditextswerecontainedin13leather-boundvolumes,orcodices,
discoveredbyEgyptianfarmersin1945.Datedpapyrusscrapsusedtostrengthenthe
bindingsofthebookshelpeddatethevolumestothemid-fourthcenturyC.E.Thelibrary
containsmorethan50texts,ortractates,thatexploretheviewsofahereticalChristian
sectknownastheGnostics,whowereinconflictwithorthodoxChristianauthorities.
©2011BiblicalArchaeologySociety 1
TenTopBiblicalArchaeologyDiscoveries
CourtesyoftheNagHammadiArchiveoftheInstituteforAntiquityandChristianity
Papyrus-linedcoverofCodexVII.ThecoversoftheNagHammadiCodicesnotonly
preservedthe1,240pagesoftexts,keepingmostofthemintactafter1,600years,butthey
alsoprovidedakeytodatingthisarchaeologicaltreasure:Eachleathercoverwas
stiffenedbylayersofpapyrus.Manyofthesepapyriwerethediscardedpersonaland
businessdocumentsofmonksfromthenearbyPachomianmonasteriesandoften
containedspecificnamesanddates.Thisparticularcodexcoverwasmadeinpartfrom
businessdocumentsbelongingtoamonknamedSasnos,whohadchargeofthe
monasteryherds.Thesedocumentsrefertotheyears333,341and348,indicatingthat
codexVIIwasputtogetherinthemiddleofthefourthcentury.
ItisalongwayfromtheNileValleyofEgypttothefrontpageofTheNewYorkReviewof
BooksbutthefascinatingstoryofTheGnosticGospels(RandomHouse,1979)byElainePagels
hastraveledthatfar.
Bookswrittenbygoodscholarsseldomachievebestsellerstatus.Whenthebookis
aboutalittle-knowncollectionofmanuscriptsassociatedwithhereticalreligioussectsandwritten
inadeadlanguagethatfewpeoplehaveevenheardof,bestsellerstatusisevenmore
remarkable.ItisatributetotheskillandingenuityofProfessorElainePagels(witha“g”asin
gelatin),formerlyofBarnardCollegeandnowonthefacultyofPrincetonUniversity,thatherbook
TheGnosticGospelshasbeensowellreceivedbythepublishingestablishmentandthereading
public.SummarizedinaseriesofarticlesinTheNewYorkReviewofBooks,offeredasaBook-
of-the-MonthClubalternateselection,andtranslatedintoseveralotherlanguages,herbookisa
lucidlywrittenaccountofthesignificanceoftheCopticGnostic1documentsfoundin1945near
NagHammadi,Egypt.
©2011BiblicalArchaeologySociety 2
TenTopBiblicalArchaeologyDiscoveries
MapshowinglocationofNagHammadi.
ThestorybehindthediscoveryandeventualpublicationoftheNagHammadi
manuscriptshasalltheingredientsofaspythriller.Thediscoverers,MohammedAliandhis
brotherKhalifah,livedinavillagenamedel-KasrinUpperEgypt.Whilediggingformineral-rich
soilatthebaseofthecliffsalongtheNilenearthevillageofHomraDom,theydiscoveredalarge
sealedpotteryjar.Hopingforburiedtreasure,theybrokeopenthejaronlytofindacollectionof
oldbookswritteninalanguagetheycouldnotread.Theycarriedthebooksbacktotheirhome,
wheretheirmotherreportedlyusedsomeofthepagestolightthefireinheroven.
Notlongafterthediscoveryofthemanuscripts,itwasrumoredthatMohammedAliand
hisbrothersmurderedthesonofthesheriffofHomraDominreprisalforthedeathoftheirfather
somesixmonthsearlier.OneresultofthisfeudwasthatMohammedAliwasafraidtoreturnto
thesiteofthediscovery.Fearingthatthebookswouldbefoundbythepolice,MohammedAli
placedtheminthecareofaCopticpriest.Thepriestgaveonetoarelative,whobroughtitto
Cairo.Therestofthebooksweregraduallysoldtootherresidentsofthevillageforsmallsumsof
money,andtheyinturnsoldthemanuscriptstoantiquitiesdealersinCairo.
©2011BiblicalArchaeologySociety 3