Forging Ahead: Biblical Archaeology’s Expanding Frontier

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The boundaries of archaeology have expanded greatly over the past five decades, opening up exciting new frontiers in our understanding of the biblical world. Today, archaeologists grapple, as they always have, with the complexities of the past, but recognize that responsible archaeology requires engagement with a broader range of questions, geographies, specializations, and participants. Here, I summarize some of these key developments and how they have helped to foster a more dynamic and sustainable field for the future.

Studying the Past

While excavations continue to shed light on important political events and biblical figures, the past 50 years have revolutionized how we study ancient daily life. New theories and methodologies have helped scholars engage foodways and textile production, helping us better understand the lives of everyday people and how they are portrayed in the biblical text.^a This same attentiveness to the study of flora and fauna and the incorporation of scientific techniques such as isotope analysis and residue analysis have fundamentally improved our understanding of ritual activities in homes, temples, and shrines. And research has focused increasingly on the often-overlooked members of ancient communities, such as women, children, laborers, and the enslaved, drawing our attention to family dynamics, the interactions of family units in larger political and economic systems, and the role of power and hierarchy in daily life.

Our knowledge of the biblical world has also been impacted by the broadening of our geographical horizons. Although it is still common to learn about the Levant, Mesopotamia, Cyprus, Egypt, and the Mediterranean, archaeologists have reached into more distant regions such as the Caucasus to help us better understand Levantine trade networks and supply chains. Expanding archaeology in the Arabian Peninsula has impacted our appreciation for regional interconnections from the Bronze Age through the Islamic period. A renewed focus on Nubia, Ethiopia, and East Africa has vastly improved our understanding of the Intermediate and Late Periods in Egyptian history, the development of Christianity, and trade and commerce across the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.

Moreover, archaeologists now regularly study the ways objects are excavated, preserved, curated, and displayed, helping us better understand our own motives and how they impact our presentation of the past. By analyzing the role archaeological parks and museums play in modern contexts, we can become more intentional about the way archaeological findings are presented to the public and how excavation and tourism impact the lives of people living near archaeological sites. Important research has shed light on the way archaeology has been understood by scholars and tourists within Middle Eastern communities and the impact of archaeological projects on modern regional politics and ideologies. This research has also clarified the role archaeology plays as a type of soft diplomacy, its place in national economic strategies, and its contributions toward both conflict and compromise.

Preserving the Past

Studying the contemporary setting of archaeological research has fueled major shifts in the way archaeologists approach the provenience of artifacts. Although scholarly societies have long debated how to approach artifacts coming from the antiquities market and objects looted during war, most archaeologists today agree that an artifact’s find spot is incredibly important for our ability to understand its meaning in the past. A figurine carefully excavated in the room of a house alongside other datable artifacts tells us far more about the ritual lives of the inhabitants than a figure acquired in an antiquities shop. But scholars also have come to study the process of looting, how artifacts enter the market, and the economics of the market itself, as well as the place of antiquities in international law.

With greater consensus on the dangers of looting and unprovenienced artifacts, archaeologists have changed the way they publish. Journals and scholarly meetings often require authors to provide details on the history of ownership for unprovenienced materials and may choose not to publish certain artifacts. Non-traditional publications, such as blogs, have also become important as scholars seek to identify fakes, forgeries, and looted materials. Although these outlets aren’t peer reviewed, they allow scholars to inform the public much more quickly about artifacts that might be problematic or presented in a misleading way.

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These same commitments to cultural preservation are visible in the ways archaeologists partner with host communities. Concerns for sustainability and the impact of excavation on local communities may mean some projects focus on non-destructive or non-invasive research methods. Similarly, host countries are likely to be concerned about the costs and logistics of preserving excavated remains. To that end, projects interact with a variety of governmental departments to preserve what is excavated and make sure the archaeological data are available in the host country. Laws governing excavation aim to ensure that archaeological projects do not leave sites open to destruction, but instead articulate clear plans for preserving what is uncovered and, where relevant, developing sites for tourism.

Given the fact that archaeological sites are a non-renewable resource (once you dig them, they are gone!), archaeologists may choose to focus on the archives of unpublished excavations or legacy museum collections. For example, the 1993 publication of Nelson Glueck’s excavations at Tell el-Kheleifeh (1938–1940) helped scholars engage questions concerning Edomite, Judahite, and Assyrian control over southern Israel and Jordan in the late Iron Age (ninth–sixth centuries BCE).^b Similarly, the forthcoming publication of past excavations at ‘En Hatzeva (1972–1995) will profoundly impact the way we understand the territories of Edom and Judah, the southern trade routes, and shrine sites in the Negev.^c The study of museum collections, like cylinder seals, figurines, and statuary, has improved our understanding of literacy, scribal cultures, ancient iconography, and ritual practices, without requiring new excavations at all.

Communicating the Past

Archaeology has always embraced communication with the public. Early explorers to the Middle East were frequently featured in magazines, newspapers, and popular memoirs. Continuing this trend, the past 50 years have seen an expansion in how archaeologists communicate. BAR itself is a great example! Archaeologists are now taking full advantage of all media forms; today you can find them in film, TV, podcasts, websites, and social media. Archaeologists are even using virtual reality and video games to preserve cultural heritage and engage an ever-broadening public.

Of course, with the popularization of archaeology comes the need to study the impact of media representations and, when appropriate, hold media outlets accountable for the way archaeology and archaeologists are depicted. Thus, a number of conferences, workshops, and publications have examined the way archaeology is portrayed in both print and digital media, whether in tourism advertisements, documentaries, movies, museum displays, signage at archaeological sites, or in the news.

NATHAN STEINMEYER, BAS

The way archaeologists communicate with each other has changed as well. Open access publishing has created new possibilities for who should have access to academic work, making sure that people across the globe, especially in the communities where excavations are located, can access the outcomes of research. Many scholarly organizations now host both in-person and online meetings, expanding who can hear reports, discussions, and debates. Archaeologists increasingly have looked for ways to circulate their data, hosting excavation archives online so that other researchers can access the data. International collaborations also seek to integrate different data sets or create publicly curated websites that allow anyone, for example, to search Sumerian or Akkadian terms, access banks of iconographic objects, or compare and contrast ritual sites.

Who Studies the Past

Finally, more people than ever before are participating in archaeological research. Although women, such as Olga Tufnell, Kathleen Kenyon, and Crystal Bennett, have long played key roles in Levantine archaeology, female excavation directors in even greater numbers have led projects that enhance our understanding of the biblical world, from wine production in the story of Naboth’s vineyard, to Galilean synagogue mosaics, to the archaeology of the Nabateans, to Roman-Byzantine Jerusalem.^d

At the same time, professional organizations, such as the William Leo Hansberry Society and the Society of Black Archaeologists, have improved access to careers in archaeology and encouraged the study of societies in Africa and the African diaspora. Early career archaeologists, such as Erika Brown and her YouTube channel Just So You Know, are bringing biblical archaeology to a younger and wider audience through social media. Some museums, such as the Badè Museum of Biblical Archaeology, are engaging a much greater array of contemporary scholarship, with presentations and exhibits focused on topics like ancient Nubia, labor in archaeological fieldwork, and women and gender in archaeology. Publication outlets have also embraced a broad range of scholars and topics. For example, the recently launched Res Difficiles, the Journal highlights scholarship on the classical Mediterranean world that focuses on the intersection of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability, and class.

PHOTO COURTESY ERIKA BROWN

Archaeologists continue to improve their integration with government antiquities authorities, and projects regularly train archaeology students from host countries, interact with heritage professionals from tourism industries, and partner with in-country researchers. Archaeologists from host communities and institutions have taken the lead in international research partnerships, often creating multinational research teams. These partnerships not only excavate in more sustainable ways, but they also create employment across multiple sectors, and they engage local communities as participants in excavation projects and as allies in preservation efforts. Similarly, scholars are also increasingly focusing on the often-unsung contributions of workers in the early 20th century. For example, at sites like Tell ed-Duweir (Lachish), workers excavated remains that changed the way we understand the Assyrian army, biblical accounts of the time of Hezekiah, and the siege of Jerusalem.

PHOTO COURTESY NAVA PANITZ-COHEN

Archaeologists today have also taken strides toward improving the field school experience, particularly how to make the dig experience safe and welcoming for all team members. Archaeological societies, including the Biblical Archaeology Society and the American Society of Overseas Research, have expanded their financial support for student participation, greatly improving access to this life-changing experience. As a result, on today’s excavations you are likely to meet participants from an incredible array of backgrounds, jobs, and ages, producing top-quality research through collaboration.

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Building on elements that have long characterized the field—ingenuity, collaboration, public outreach, technical improvisation, and intercultural exchange—the archaeology of today recognizes the complexity of the past, the present, and the future. Archaeologists have embraced new methods, examined old presuppositions, and imagined new ways of studying the ancient world. These developments, I believe, will help ensure the field’s success for the next 50 years and beyond!