Biblical Archaeology Uncovers Truths

The Arab line following the creation of the state of Israel was that Israel was a colonialist foreign entity plopped down in the Arab Middle East. Nothing exposes the fallacy of such an argument as powerfully as archaeological finds that literally lay bare the Jewish presence here from ancient times. It must have been thrilling for the early Zionists who made their way to Israel in the late 19th century and early 20th to see newly uncovered archaeological finds attesting to Jewish life here 1,500 to 2,000 years earlier.

One of my favorite spots is the ancient mosaic synagogue floor at Beit Alfa in the north. A miniature replica of the mosaic is embedded in the floor of the lobby of the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beachwood. The synagogue is located in the Beit She’an region, which is twinned with the Cleveland Jewish community.

The splendid mosaic, which features biblical motifs along with Hebrew inscriptions, was discovered in the late 1920s, when members of the kibbutz on the site were digging irrigation infrastructure and hit a layer that turned out to be the floor of the synagogue. It is not hard to imagine the elation that the Jews in the 1920s must have felt, not only over their discovery, but over this tangible link with Jews from ancient times.

Archaeological finds regularly make the news here, not only over the discovery of Jewish artifacts, but also Muslim and Christian ones. Just this week, the press reported a stash of gold coins found at the ruins of a Crusader-era Apollonia fortress on cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean about 15 minutes from where I live. The coins were found in a broken pottery vessel, and archaeologists think they were hidden there hastily while the spot was being captured by invading Muslims in the year 1265.

One of the most contentious archeological digs in the country is in Jerusalem’s City of David, south of the Temple Mount, in the area of the Arab village of Silwan. This is thought to be where Jewish Jerusalem was initially established about 3,000 years ago. The authorities are interested in expanding the archaeological site, but Arab residents in the area have objected to the expanded Jewish presence there and to an urban renewal plan involving demolition of some Arab homes.

For Jews, however, the site holds the promise of finding the oldest remnants of a Jewish presence in Jerusalem. Eilat Mazar, an archaeologist working in the area, claims to have found structural remains from the time of King Solomon that she says prove the grandeur of the city at the time. Other experts remain skeptical.

Development of the City of David site remains a cause of friction between Jews and Arabs, but the earth itself in Israel has no political agenda. It yields up evidence of Jewish, Christian and Muslim artifacts and leaves it to the people living above ground to figure out how to coexist.

Source: Cleveland Jewish News

Archaeology News: November 21, 2011

Elad, the Jerusalem-based group that operates the City of David archaeological park, has begun a new initiative to map, photograph and record all of the Jewish tombstones from the Mount of Olives, some of which may date back several millennia.

New CT scans revealed a deep incision on the right eye of Ötzi the Iceman. Experts disagree about whether an arrow wound killed the Iceman, or if a fall or blow to the head did him in.

Graffiti daubed on the walls of a flat by the Sex Pistols' Johnny Rotten could be as important as the discovery of early Beatles recordings - or even the prehistoric Lascaux cave paintings.

A study of human bones from the ruins of Harappa has revealed signs of lethal interpersonal violence and challenged current thinking that the ancient Indus civilisation was an exceptionally peaceful realm for its inhabitants.

A man has been arrested for bulldozing the Priddy Circles, a set of Neolithic earthworks in southwestern England. “What has happened is outrageous, this sort of vandalism is shocking. It is serious, we will never be able to get this back,” said MP Tessa Munt.

In northeastern Poland, skeletal remains of some 350 people have been found in a forgotten cemetery during the construction of a new road. Some are thought to have been soldiers who died after Napoleon marched on Moscow in the early nineteenth century.

A large kitchen area stocked with over-sized cooking tools has been unearthed at the Maya site of Kabah in southeastern Mexico. “We think large quantities of food were cooked in palaces,” said Lourdes Toscano of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History.

A seal stone made of red jasper was uncovered at the Minoan sanctuary at Vrysinas on the Greek island of Crete. It is carved on all four sides with Minoan hieroglyphs.

The search for a colonial-era tavern in south-central Pennsylvania yielded more than 30,000 artifacts, including copper and silver coins, a religious medal, pottery, plaster, window glass, and iron nails.

In 1962, Philip Smith of the University of Toronto discovered rock art on the banks of the Nile River while looking for ancient Egyptian settlements ahead of the construction of the Aswan Dam. “They were everywhere on the rock. But we weren’t able to date it directly. At that time there was no way of dating art on the cliffs themselves,” he recalls. American and Belgian scientists recently dated that rock art to between 15,000 and 19,000 years old.

Jericho Unearthed - Bible Confirmed Once Again

Can archaeology prove the accuracy of the Bible? In this video, we hear from archaeologists about what is required to make an honest and intelligent assessment about the accuracy about the Bible.

Jericho Unearthed is a new documentary which assesses the validity of the Biblical record and the archaeological evidence, using incites from Garstang, Kenyon, and many other experts.

In the 1920’s archaeologist John Garstang concluded that he had matched evidence at the site to the stories in the Bible. His conclusions were challenged by archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon who explained that when the Israelites attacked Jericho as described in the Bible, there were no walls and no city.

Historian Sharon Woods explains that there has never been any archaeological evidence of the Bible in Jericho. For that matter, the wall that does exist is Middle Bronze Age and not Late Bronze Age.
Archaeologist Bryant Wood explains that “you have to come to a conclusion based on the evidence, not on what the authority figure says”.

What all of these archaeologists, scientists, and historians seen to have in common is that, you have to use concrete evidence and not the stories in the Bible to arrive at your conclusions.

Paul Barford: British Archaeologist Explains How Archaeology In Britain Is Conveyed To The Public

Paul Barford, a British archaeologist living in Warsaw, Poland, just published a fascinating post about British Archaeology Dropping the Ball .

The premise of the article explains that British archaeology is not being represented accurately in the public eye through media. What most individuals few as archaeology may not be the more agreeable professional opinion, however media outlets are spinning information received from metal detecting as true and undeniable facts.

Barford stresses his concern:

The way the legislation is framed in the United Kingdom makes archaeology very much more dependent on public opinion than in many other countries. For this reason, surely it is very important that we should be very careful how archaeology is presented to the public. It is on the basis of what they pick up from the media (rather than professional publications) that the wider public forms an opinion on what archaeology is, what kind of archaeology Britain needs. This is especially important when more and more elements of the system existing a few years ago are being shed under the umbrella of the financial state the country is in and the necessary cutbacks. Who is going to protest the loss of an HER somewhere if most of the people in the area have no idea what it is, what it does and that they ever had one?

Please check out Paul's article entitled British Archaeology Dropping the Ball

Paul Barford Bio: 

Since the early 1990s a primary interest has been research on artefact hunting and collecting and the market in portable antiquities in the international context.

Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues