BARlines

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Honored

Israel Prize Awarded to Israel Exploration Society; Joseph Aviram’s Contributions Specially Noted

The prestigious Israel Prize for 1989 has been awarded to the Israel Exploration Society (IES). The award makes special mention of the Society’s distinguished leading light, Joseph Aviram.

The three judges, Judge Moshe Landau, Professor Anita Shapiro and Mr. David Benvenisti, cited IES as “the principal and most effective institution furthering knowledge of the archaeology and history of [Israel] both at home and abroad since it was founded 75 years ago.” The citation praised the contribution of Joseph Aviram during his 50 years with IES, years in which he was “the initiator, planner and organizer of all the Society’s activities.”

The IES was founded in 1914 as the “Society for the Reclamation of Antiquities.” Its activities were interrupted by World War I and did not resume until 1920, when it became known as the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society. With the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the organization acquired its present name and, in the years since, IES has been in the forefront of archaeological field work, research and publication in Israel. Working in concert with the Department of Antiquities and Museums and the Institutes of Archaeology at Israel’s universities, the IES has co-sponsored excavations at sites that are a roster of the great Biblical and post-Biblical places, now known and visited by people from all over the world. The list includes Beth She‘arim, Tell Qasile, Ramat Rachel, Hazor, the Judean Desert Caves, Masada, Arad, Lachish, Dor, Yoqne‘am and Jerusalem—at the Temple Mount, the Jewish Quarter and the City of David.

The Jerusalem Prize citation also noted another IES contribution: annual conferences and study trips in all parts of the country, with both scholars and laymen participating. In 1990 in Jerusalem, IES joins the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in sponsorship of the Second International Congress of Biblical Archaeology, marking the 75th anniversary of IES. This colloquium of scholars from all over the world will be the destination of next summer’s BAS Israel Seminar. At that time many readers of BAR will have an opportunity to honor the IES and Joseph Aviram and to enjoy yet another memorable IES achievement in the dissemination of the work of scholars to the public.

Summer Circuit

Three Conferences—Two Great, One So-So

Scholarly conferences come in all shapes and sizes. Last summer we attended three very different ones, two in Israel and one in Copenhagen.

Israel has the decided advantage of being able to combine lectures with site visits and artifact exhibits. There is simply nothing like seeing the evidence before your eyes, especially when guided by the people who dug it up.

The First International Conference on Galilean Studies in Late Antiquity was held at Kibbutz Hanaton in lower Galilee.^a Three fantastic archaeological sites were all easily accessible—the burial caves at Beth Shearim, the great city of Scythopolis (Beth-Shean) and Sepphoris of the famous mosaic that graced the cover of the January/February 1988 issue of BAR (BAR 14:01). The excavators showed us the sites and lectured about them.

This was combined with lectures on a variety of other topics relating to the subject of the conference—for example, “Early Christianity in the Galilee,” “Urban-Rural Relations in Third-Century Galilee,” “The Rabbis and the Ancient Synagogue: The Galilean Evidence.” Each lecturer was a mature scholar, specifically invited to give a particular lecture. The lectures covered broad topics and presented fresh, but responsible, new ideas. Abstracts were provided in advance. Each lecture was followed by a stimulating discussion between the lecturers and experts in his (unfortunately, no women) own and related fields—archaeologists, linguists and historians. The whole experience was an intellectual feast.

It was especially exciting to listen to an international array of senior Christian and Jewish scholars jointly digging, literally and figuratively, into the origins and development of both Christianity and rabbinic Judaism—people like Howard Kee, Anthony Saldarini, Shaye Cohen and Lawrence Schiffman from the United States, Sean Freyne from Ireland, Martin Goodman from England, Lee Levine, Uriel Rappaport and Avigdor Shinan from Israel and, of course, the archaeologists who showed us the sites—James Strange and Eric Meyers from the United States and Ehud Netzer and Gideon Foerster from Israel. What a way to learn!

The importance of site visits leads me to recommend that anyone with a serious interest in Biblical archaeology attend the Second International Congress on Biblical Archaeology scheduled for June 24 to July 4, 1990, in Jerusalem.

A tentative program has just been provided to us and it looks terrific. If you can attend only one conference in the next few years, this should be it. The scheduled site visits are an added bonus, and virtually all the giants in the field from all over the world will be there. A word to the wise: Don’t miss it. (BAR is taking its own group to the conference, and all 006BAR subscribers are welcome to join—end of advertisement.)

The second conference we attended was the Tenth World Congress of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. In a week’s time, approximately 900 lectures in at least five languages were given. Again, senior scholars from all over the world offered their wares. Expert questioning followed each lecture. Held at the beautiful Mt. Scopus campus of the Hebrew University, the conference provided some of the world’s most spectacular views—the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount on one side and the Judean desert on the other. The comfortable, isolated campus makes the most of rough limestone boulders, gnarled pines and hardy green shrubs. Despite its size, the conference was friendly and even cozy. It was easy to jump from room to room, with assistants stationed strategically to offer guidance to anyone who looked puzzled.

The opening ceremonies of the conference were held in an outdoor amphitheater from which we could see—or at least we thought we could—the Dead Sea. As the afternoon breeze blew over us, we were greeted by Israel’s prime minister Yitzchak Shamir and Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek. Simultaneous translation from the Hebrew was provided. A delicious outdoor reception followed.

In addition to the regular lectures of twenty minutes and half an hour, a number of major talks were held in the auditorium. One that especially impressed us was given by Bernard Lewis, director of the Annenberg Research Institute, who spoke on the mutual influences of Islam, Judaism and Christianity on one another.

With 900 lectures to choose from, you could easily find five or more to interest you at any one time. Even those on the Bible and archaeology more than filled the schedule, to say nothing of sessions on medieval Judaism, Jewish folklore, Jewish mysticism, Yiddish, Zionism and on and on.

The International Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature was held in Copenhagen, Denmark. What a wonderful city—charming, walkable, on a human scale, sophisticated, full of elegant 19th-century buildings, brisk sunlit air and gourmet food. Exploring all this with old friends as well as with friendly young scholars was a delight—from Tivoli, to the botanical gardens, to a boatride to Sweden for dinner. As for the conference itself, I have previously commented on its strengths—and weaknesses.^b It still has a great unrealized potential.

Judges Announced

Fellner Awards to Honor Best Articles in BAR and Bible Review

After a year’s absence, the Fellner Awards are returning with increased funding in the form of an additional prize. Begun in 1986 by the Leopold and Clara M. Fellner Charitable Foundation, the awards honor the year’s best articles in BAR and its companion magazine, Bible Review. The first-prize winners will each receive $500, and the winners of the newly established, second prize will each receive $250.

Four distinguished judges have been selected to choose the recipients of the 1989 Fellner Awards. The judges for BAR will be Joe D. Seger, professor of Middle Eastern archaeology at Mississippi State University’s Cobb Institute of Archaeology, and Dan P. Cole, professor of religion at Lake Forest College, in Lake Forest, Illinois. The judges for Bible Review will be Nahum Sarna, professor emeritus of Biblical studies at Brandeis University, and J. Cheryl Exum, associate professor of Old Testament at Boston College.

Seger, a member of BAR’s Editorial Advisory Board, is the organizational director and field director of the Lahav Research Project at Tell Halif. He also directed the Hebrew Union College excavations at Tell Gezer in the early 1970s and worked as a staff member and later as field director at Tell Balatah (Shechem) in the 1960s.

Cole, also a member of BAR’s Editorial Advisory Board, is best known to BAR readers for the detailed caption booklets he wrote to accompany three BAS slide sets, “Biblical Archaeology,” “Jerusalem Archaeology” and “New Testament Archaeology” (these may still be ordered; see back cover). His excavation experience coincidentally parallels Seger’s, as he has served as a staff member at Tell Balatah and Tell Gezer, and as associate director and field supervisor at Tell Halif.

The Fellner Foundation was established by Leopold and Clara Fellner to perpetuate the memory of their parents. The trustee of the foundation is Frederick L. Simmons. The winners of the third Fellner Awards will be announced in the next issue of BAR and in the February Bible Review.

New Excavation

Volunteers Needed for Dig at Tel Jezreel

A new excavation at Tel Jezreel, on a spur of Mount Gilboa, at the edge of the valley of Jezreel, holds the hope of some exciting discoveries in the years to come. Jezreel was built, either by King Omri (882–871 B.C.) or by King Ahab (871–852 B.C.) and his wife Jezebel, as a second capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. It served primarily as a winter residence for the royal family. This was the place where Naboth was framed by Jezebel and executed so that Ahab could take possession of his vineyard, as a result of which Elijah cursed Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 21). Later, during his coup d’etat in 842 B.C., Jehu took over Jezreel and there killed Jezebel and King Jehoram, Ahab’s son.

Small preliminary excavations—carried out by the Department of Antiquities when a development project exposed some ancient remains—have already located two monumental corners of structures built of ashlars and a moat hewn in rock. These could well be the remains of the royal enclosure of Ahab and Jezebel.

The new dig will make a systematic study of the site, with special emphasis on the period of the Israelite monarchy. The work will be directed by David Ussishkin and John Woodhead, with the participation of Gaby Barkay. The first season of excavation will run from June 24 through August 3, 1990. Persons interested in volunteering should contact David Ussishkin, Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.

BAS Activities

Los Angeles Chapter Will Staff BAS Booth at the 1989 Annual Meeting

The Biblical Archaeology Society will display its educational aids in an exhibit booth at this year’s Annual Meeting, the yearly, combined convention of the Society of Biblical Literature, the American Academy of Religion and the American Schools of Oriental Research. Scheduled for November 18–21, the Annual Meeting will be held in Anaheim, California. The booth will feature various BAR teaching aids, including our five slide sets; replicas of the Siloam inscription, Gezer calendar, ancient oil lamps and coins; a new text, Archaeology from the Lands of the Bible—The Best of BAR; and a great Christmas/Chanukah gift idea, the new BAS family game, “Exodus—Getting to the Promised Land.” Volunteers from BAS’s thriving Los Angeles chapter will be in charge of the booth.

The Los Angeles chapter meets regularly, at 7:30 p.m. on the first Friday of every month, to hear outstanding scholars—many of whom are BAR authors—speak about their recent research. At the L.A. chapter’s November 3 meeting, Dr. Bruce Zuckerman of the Northwest Semitic Epigraphy Project 008will discuss what can be revealed by applying his unique photographic techniques to the reexamination of the Copper Scroll and other Dead Sea Scrolls. A special meeting on November 17 will feature BAR Editorial Advisory Board member Dr. James F. Strange, who will present an illustrated talk on his six seasons of excavation at Sepphoris in the Galilee. And on December 1, Reverend Garry Mohr will describe the 1989 excavations at Caesarea Maritima. For further information, contact Lorraine Schultz, 635S North Oak Avenue, #18, Temple City, CA 91780.

Exploration

Search for Scrolls in Judean Desert Enters Second Season

Inaccessible caves that pock the limestone cliffs in the Judean Desert served as the repository of the Dead Sea Scrolls, found in 1947–1948, and as a refuge for Jewish revolutionaries and Christian ascetics in the first and second centuries A.D. Now volunteers have a chance to participate in a genuine adventure of discovery and excavation, as archaeologists continue to explore the Judean desert caves.

From December 28, 1989, through January 21, 1990, the Judean Desert Exploration and Excavation Project will attempt to locate and explore additional caves and to excavate pockets in landslides in the hope of finding more scrolls and artifacts. Leading the project are Professor Robert Eisenman, chairman of the Department of Religious Studies at California State University, Long Beach, and Dr. Joseph Patrich of Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology. Some of the results of their work were featured in the “Hideouts in the Judean Wilderness,” BAR 15:05.

Volunteers will be enrolled in a three-unit extension course given by California State University, Long Beach. The course will provide instruction in excavation techniques, methods of cave and desert exploration, Jewish/Christian sects, scroll research and Second Temple history.

The $2,250 cost for volunteers includes transportation, tuition and board. Participants must supply their own hardhat, dustmask and sleeping bag. Persons who wish to join the group in Jerusalem may deduct approximately $850 from the cost. In addition to fieldwork, the project has scheduled tours of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Israel Museum, the Shrine of the Book and important sites in the Judean desert.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old and in good physical condition, and they should have university or other experience. A nonrefundable fee of $10 must accompany all applications.

Contact Professor Robert Eisenman, Dept. of Religious Studies, #304, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840-2409; phone: (714) 962-0548.

Dig Opportunity

Expedition Seeks Philistine Remains Near Ashkelon

The ancient city of Ashkelon, about 50 miles south of Tel Aviv, was a famous Philistine port frequently mentioned in the Bible—the place where Samson killed 30 men (Judges 14:19) and whose doom Zephaniah prophesied (Zephaniah 2:4). But what do we know of the Philistine villagers who lived from 1200 to 600 B.C. in the countryside surrounding the city? Seeking the answer to this question, a two-week expedition in December 1989 will survey the area for traces of past habitation. Mitchell Allen, a Ph.D. candidate in UCLA’s Department of Archaeology, will lead the expedition. He hopes to “locate where people lived, farmed and placed their industrial installations,” and he invites volunteers to take part in the search. Exact dates and costs are not yet available.

For more information, contact University Research Expeditions Program, Desk K04, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720; phone: (415) 642-6586.

Senior Scholars

New Dorot Research Professorship

The American Schools of Oriental Research seeks applications for the Dorot Research Professorship at the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeology in Jerusalem. Intended for senior scholars in a broad range of ancient Near Eastern studies, the annual appointment, effective July 1, 1990, provides an award of $30,000. Applications must be postmarked no later than December 15, 1989. For further information, contact ASOR (phone: 301-889-1383; FAX: 301-889-1157).

Correction

The drawing in “Shishak’s Military Campaign in Israel Confirmed,” BAR 15:03, should have been credited to The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.

Honored