Object: To make a facsimile of The Jehoash Inscription that will fool the experts.
The recently disclosed Jehoash Inscription has divided the scholarly world. If it is authentic, it would be the first royal Israelite inscription ever found. Some experts, primarily epigraphers and linguists, are sure it is a fake; others, primarily geologists, are just as sure that it is authentic. Those who claim it is a fake say that the patina, which coats even the cracks in the stone and the incisions of the letters, can be manufactured so that it would fool the experts (see First Person).
If you, or a group, are ready to take up this challenge, please contact us, stating your team’s qualifications and plans. We will choose the most qualified application or applications and provide up to $4,000 to cover the costs of producing the fake, including the cost of obtaining a stone and reasonable travel expenses. The fake should replicate all aspects of The Jehoash Inscription, including the inscription itself, the cracks and the patina. Portions of the prize money will be awarded for four different aspects of the reproduction. If there is more than one winner, the prize money will be divided among the winning applicants. (See detailed rules at below.)
You have nothing to lose, so start planning your application today. Applications must be submitted by November 1, 2003. Submit yours to:
FAKE
Biblical Archaeology Society
4710 41st St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20016
We are grateful to Joseph G. Hurley, Davia Solomon and Lia Marie Solomon of Acton, California, for their generous support of this project.
Create a Fake Contest Rules
1. All applications must be submitted by November 1, 2003. Applications must identify all members of the applicant’s team and their qualifications, and provide a protocol as to how the team proposes to create the fake, including the patina. The object is to reproduce the inscription on a visually and petrographically similar stone, making it at least as good—textually and paleographically—as The Jehoash Inscription and to reproduce on the replica the patina inside the letters and crack in The Jehoash Inscription.
2. Judges appointed by BAR will (at their sole discretion) select one or more teams (but no more than three) to enter the contest based on their qualifications. Each team will have access to up to $4,000 in out-of-pocket costs to conduct the experiment. No funds will be provided for the use of space or equipment or for time spent. Funds may be used for necessary travel expenses.
3. The fake must be submitted to BAR on or before November 1, 2004.
4. The $10,000 prize will be awarded in categories as follows:
A. $1,000 for engraving a text at least as accurate paleographically and roughly the same length as The Jehoash Inscription.
B. $1,500 for creating a basic patina that would fool the experts.
C. $2,500 for creating a patina that includes charcoal and gold globules, like the patina on The Jehoash Inscription.
D. $5,000 for creating letters that go through a crack in the stone so that they look like they were inscribed before the crack formed and for creating a patina in these letters and in the crack.
A team may win in one or more categories. If more than one team successfully achieves one of the objectives, the prize money applicable to that achievement will be divided equally among the successful teams.
5. The decision of the judges will be final.
6. All fakes submitted as entries in this contest shall become the property of the Biblical Archaeology Society.
7. Applicants may be requested to allow filming of their activities in connection with creating the fakes. If requested, they will permit such filming.
Object: To make a facsimile of The Jehoash Inscription that will fool the experts.
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