BARlines
Peace Between Jordan and Israel: A New Era for Archaeologists?
We sat on the White House lawn watching—and celebrating—the end of nearly a half century of war between two neighbors, Jordan and Israel. We heard His Majesty King Hussein and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin declare an end to the fear and the killings. The psychological and security wall between the Israeli and the Jordanian peoples, the limits on commerce and the awkward tourism would be a thing of the past.
Our thoughts turned to archaeology: The relationship between scholars studying the ancient past of these lands has also been distorted by this long conflict. Israeli scholars have not been able to meet Jordanian colleagues in their universities and at their archaeological sites; Jordanian scholars have not made the short drive from Amman to Jerusalem to attend international meetings and to visit Israeli excavations. Sites such as the baths of Hammat Gader in Israel and the contemporaneous city of Gadera that overlooks them from Jordan have not been studied in their natural relationship.
“We are on our way now truly,” said King Hussein, “towards what is normal in relations between our peoples.”
We hope that BAR too will benefit from this new era of normality: That archaeologists digging in Jordan will no longer fear that they jeopardize their careers by writing for BAR, where Israelis write and where the focus is on the Bible; that Israeli and Jordanian scholars will travel freely back and forth across open bridges and land links and exchange ideas that will eventually appear in BAR; that when the editors of BAR visit Israel in October we will be invited to drive to Amman and be shown the highlights of excavations in Jordan; and that new insights will emerge as joint Israeli-Jordanian expeditions explore their shared history in what is essentially one archaeological region.
Aharon Kempinski, A Personal Reminiscence
Lean, irascible, witty, sharp-tongued, opinionated, brilliant, demanding, sarcastic, haughty, sometimes insufferable with a wry smile, Aharon Kempinski was at bottom warm-hearted and friendly. Complex, yes, but a good man. Now he’s dead.
Aharon Kempinski died July 2 after a long illness. He was 55 years old. A senior archaeologist with Tel Aviv University’s Institute of Archaeology, Kempinski co-directed excavations at Tel Masosa and, at his death, was the director of excavations at Tel Kabri near the Sea of Galilee. He was a founding member of the IAA (Israel Association of Archaeologists), a group that was often at odds with mainstream Israeli archaeologists, and, until recently, he served as a member of BAR’s editorial advisory board.
Aharon joined BAR’s editorial advisory board in 1975, during our first year of publication; we were friends for a long time. He was a bachelor, so I could call him at odd moments when I was in Jerusalem and go over to chat, even late at night. He seemed to welcome this sort of familiarity. It was always a spirited conversation, punctuated with his rapier-sharp observations. We often disagreed, but that was no obstacle to our friendship.
We worked together on several articles, one still unpublished, and the road was often bumpy. I always wanted him to clarify his thoughts, which he insisted were already crystal clear. “Are BAR readers schoolchildren?” he would ask. Wouldn’t they be interested in the same arcana that fascinated him?
In 1991 he resigned from the board. His resignation came while I was being attacked for demanding the release of photographs of the unpublished Dead Sea Scrolls and for publishing unauthorized scroll texts. I was being vilified as unethical, a bootlegger, a thief, a yellow journalist. An Israeli scholar named Elisha Qimron had sued me in Israel and had obtained a judgment against me for almost $50,000 for publishing a 120-line text he had reconstructed.
I felt that by his resignation Aharon had kicked me when I was down. Enough was enough. I decided that I would not call him on my next trip to Jerusalem—and I didn’t even though I knew he had been very ill.
Just as I was about to leave Israel, Qimron obtained a court-order preventing me from leaving the country.b I could not leave until the court lifted the order after a hearing, which was not held until the day I was supposed to leave. But the judge reserved judgment until the following day. I couldn’t make my scheduled departure. Not knowing if or when I would be permitted to leave, I had at least one free day on my hands, a day in which I had planned nothing—but also a day of some of apprehension.
With nothing to do but walk and enjoy the city, I decided, what the hell, I would call Aharon, just like the old days.
Looking back on it, I can only be grateful for the order’s preventing me from leaving. Aharon and I had a superb dinner together. I was honest with him about how his resignation had hurt me. But he assured me he had meant nothing by it, that he only felt I was not consulting the board enough. We passed on to other matters. He was all the things with which I started this obituary. We spent a warm, wonderful evening. Neither of us seemed to want to end it, as if we both knew this would be the last time. It was. I shall always cherish the memory. Zichrono lebracha. May his memory be a blessing.
More Fragments from ‘David’ Stela Found at Dan
Tel Dan excavation director Avraham Biran of Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem sent us the following fax directly from the field:
“Last summer a startling inscription was found at Tel Dan that mentioned the “House of David” and “King of Israel” (“‘David’ Found at Dan,” BAR 20:02). This season (Summer 1994), two additional fragments of the stela have been recovered.
“In these two fragments are the name of the Aramean god Hadad, as well as a reference to a battle between the Israelites and the Arameans.
“One of the new fragments was found on June 21, almost a year to the day after the main fragment was discovered. It was found about 50 feet northeast of the earlier fragment, on top of debris covering the pavement. When our Druze worker Nabil was removing the excavated material into the wheelbarrow, area supervisor Malka Hershkovitz noticed writing on the basalt stone.
“The second new fragment was found by Gila Cook (who also found the main fragment last year) when she was setting a measuring rod into the ground. This new fragment had been used in the pavement that reaches the bottom of the Israelite city wall, built in the mid-ninth century B.C.E.
“This pavement along the city wall extends farther east, and there we discovered five more standing stones, mazzeboth. These newly uncovered five mazzeboth are similar to those already found last year and described in “‘David’ Found at Dan,” BAR 20:02.
“Between the two groups of mazzeboth, a bama was uncovered with three mazzeboth of different sizes, the largest over 3 feet high. A basalt bowl on top of a decorated pedestal lay in front of the largest or main mazzebah. The basalt bowl showed signs of fire; the ashes within the entire area indicate that offerings were made here.
“It appears that the cult activities at the entrance to Dan and between the city gates were quite elaborate during the 9th and 8th centuries B.C.E.
“Warm regards and Shabbat Shalom.
“Avraham Biran”
Ephraim Stern Wins 1994 Percia Schimmel Award
Israel’s most prestigious archaeological prize, the Percia Schimmel Award for outstanding achievement in Archaeology of Eretz Israel and Biblical Lands, has been bestowed on Ephraim Stern. The honor is presented annually by the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Stern is Bernard M. Lauterman Professor of Biblical Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and associate editor of Qadmoniot, the Hebrew journal of the Israel Exploration Society. Judges for the 1994 award were Joseph Aviram, director of the Israel Exploration Society; Avraham Biran, director of the Tel Dan excavations and director of the School of Biblical Archaeology at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion; and Ya’akov Meshorer, chief curator of archaeology at the Israel Museum. The judges cited Stern’s numerous academic achievements, including The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in Israel (Simon and Schuster, 1993 [reviewed in Books in Brief, BAR 19:06]), which he edited.
Early in his career Stern became interested in Phoenician influence on Mediterranean culture and determined to investigate how that heritage had survived centuries of change. He has directed some of the most important excavations in Israel—Gil’am (1966), Tel Kedesh (1968), Tel Mevorakh (1973–1976) and Tel Dor (1980-present).
A frequent contributor to BAR, Stern’s articles include “Excavations at Tell Mevorakh,” BAR 05:03, a memorial tribute to fellow excavator Yigal Shiloh (
Lorraine Schultz, BAS Chapter Founder, Retires (Again)
In 1977, at age 62 and after 22 years as a Nazarene missionary in Mozambique, Lorraine Schultz retired to focus her energies on Biblical archaeology. Her second career has included 12 visits to Israel, six Biblical archaeology seminars and participation in the excavation of Tel Qasile; a lengthy list of lectures delivered and articles; and the founding of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Biblical Archaeology Society.
The first meetings of what became the Los Angeles Chapter took place at Schultz’s house, until attendance averaged 45 to 75 people and meetings had to be moved to the community room of a local bank. For the past 13 years Schultz has served as vice president. The chapter has organized monthly seminars with such scholars as Yigael Shiloh, James Sanders, James Strange, John Trever and Bruce Zuckerman; events attract between 200 and 300 people. At the more informal annual potluck, held at Schultz’s home, chapter members lead discussions. A frequent traveler and photographer, Schultz has spoken at four of these in the last six years.
Schultz has written two volumes on Biblical Archaeology for Teens (San Diego: Rainbow Press, 1990) and a booklet in Portuguese, Old Ruins Still Speak Today, used as a textbook at the Mozambique school at which she was the principal. Her publications also include articles in Illustrated Bible Life on such subjects as “History of the Excavations at New Testament Jericho,” “Clay Letters and Seals of Jeremiah’s Day,” “Building During the Period of the Kings in Israel” and “Digging Up Ancient Synagogues.” Her slides from Bible Lands have been bought by publishers and chapter members alike. Schultz now retires to her home in Nampa, Idaho, where she plans to continue writing. We wish her all the best.
(For information on the Los Angeles BAS Chapter write: BAS/LA Chapter, Box 842, Alhambra, California 91802).
Book Prize Announced
Ben-Gurion University of Beer-Sheva, Israel, has announced the Irene Levi-Sala Prize for the best books on the archaeology of Israel. The prize carries a $10,000 award and is named for the late Dr. Irene Levi-Sala, a dedicated archaeologist who maintained a keen interest in Israel’s culture and archaeology. The prize in her honor is an international award for books focused on the archaeology of Israel, in English or another international language. To qualify, a publication must deal mainly with the traditional period of Biblical archaeology, from the early Bronze Age to the classical period, preferably in the wider context of Near Eastern history and archaeology.
Two kinds of works may be submitted: (1) a popular non-fiction book that combines scientific accuracy with accessibility in its presentation for general readers, and (2) a substantial scientific publication, such as a final site report or a monograph dedicated to a specific study. The prize of $10,000 will be offered every other year. If the judges so decide, it may be shared by more than one winner, or postponed for the following year if no book is found worthy in a particular year.
Only works published within the three years prior to the date of the award ceremony will be eligible. Five copies of the publication must be submitted not later than December 31, 1994. The first award ceremony will take place in early May 1995. All correspondence should be addressed to: Professor Eliezer D. Oren, Chairman, Irene Levi-Sala Book Prize Committee, Archaeology Division, Ben Gurion University, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.
Los Angeles Lectures Focus on Great Figures of the Past
Legends surround Hammurabi, King Tut, Alexander the Great and Jesus, some of the subjects of an upcoming lecture series on “Historical and Mythical Figures in the Ancient World of the Bible.” The eight-part series, to be held this fall in Los Angeles, will feature such well-known scholars as William Hallo of Yale, Burton Mack of Claremont Graduate School and William Dever of the University of Arizona.
The series begins on October 3 with Hallo’s “Hammurabi of Babylon: His City and His Empire” and continues with Geoffrey Martin’s “Tutankhamun and the Amarna Religious Revolution” (October 10), Mark Smith’s “The Life and Times of Baal: Canaanite Myths from Ugarit” (October 17), David O’Connor’s “Osiris, Deified King and God of the Afterlife” (October 24), Tikva Frymer-Kensky’s “The Goddess of Love Ishtar: the Undomesticated Woman” (November 1), Stanley Burstein’s “Alexander the Great: the End of an Era” (November 7), Burton Mack’s “In Quest of the Historical Jesus” (November 15) and William G. Dever’s “Bar Kochba, First President of Israel: Revolutionary or Hothead?” (November 22). The series is supported by a generous grant from the Simmons Family Charitable Foundation and is co-sponsored by the California Museum of Ancient Art and the University of Judaism Department of Continuing Education.For further information, call (818) 762-5500.
J. Maxwell Miller to Head Albright Institute
The W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem has named J. Maxwell Miller, professor of Old Testament at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, as president. Miller has excavated in Israel, Jordan and Syria and has written widely on Palestinian archaeology and the history of the Biblical period. A member of the Candler faculty since 1971, Miller has served as president of the Southeastern Region of the Society of Biblical Literature and was the national program chair for the “History of Israel” section from 1975 to 1988. Miller will remain a full-time member of Candler’s faculty.
Sinai—A Farewell for Peace Finds from the Excavations
Through September 12, 1994
Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Marking the final phase of the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace accords, Israel, by the end of this year, will give to Egypt all artifacts excavated in Sinai while it controlled the peninsula following the 1967 Six-Day War.c
The materials, many of which are on public display for the first time, span 5,000 years—from the fourth millennium B.C. to the 14th century A.D.—and are presented in the current exhibit at the Israel Museum within a reconstructed desert setting.
Highlights include an inscription carved by Semitic workers at the mid-second millennium B.C. copper mine at Serabit el-Khadem. It spells the name El, the chief god of the Canaanite pantheon and one of the names for God in the Hebrew Bible. The inscription is written in Proto-Sinaitic script, the earliest known alphabet.
The exhibit also contains a full-scale reconstruction, complete with burial gifts in preparation for the afterlife, of a 5,000-year-old circular stone family tomb called nawamis, the world’s oldest construction with preserved roofs. Some of the jewelry found still adorned the skeletons.
Other items on display include scarabs and seal impressions from Late Bronze Age fortresses in the northern Sinai; colorful funerary masks, basketry and textile fragments; and oil lamps decorated with Jewish, Christian and pagan symbols from the Nabatean town of Qaswaret. Curators for the show are David Mevorach and Sylvia Rosenbery.
MLA Citation
Footnotes
“The Dead Sea Scrolls and the People Who Wrote Them,” BAR 03:01; “The Historical Importance of the Samaria Papyri,” BAR 04:01; “Phoenicians in Brazil?” BAR 05:01.
See “The Sad Case of Tell Gezer,” BAR 09:04.