First Person: The Poverty of Biblical Archaeology in America - The BAS Library
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First Person: The Poverty of Biblical Archaeology in America

Newly reopened gallery only highlights problem

By Hershel Shanks

The meager display of artifacts confined to three smallish rooms in the newly installed permanent exhibit of the Jewish Museum in New York only emphasizes how very little Biblical archaeology is on view in the United States. One would suppose that New York would have the richest collection of Biblically related artifacts anywhere in the country. And perhaps this is it. If so, the richest exhibit exhibits considerable poverty. Perhaps a closer look at the Jewish Museum’s exhibit will explain why. The first room, labeled “Forging an Identity,” covers the story of ancient Israel from its beginnings in the […]

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Footnotes

1.

For some important recent bullae, see Frank Moore Cross, “King Hezekiah’s Seal Bears Phoenician Imagery,” BAR 25:02. See also Robert Deutsch, “Seal of Ba‘alis Surfaces,” BAR 25:02, and “First Impression—What We Learn from King Ahaz’s Seal,” BAR 24:03.

2.

See Stephen Goranson, “7 vs 8: The Battle over the Holy Day at Dura-Europos,” Bible Review, August 1996.

3.

See Nahman Avigad,“Jerusalem Flourishing—A Craft Center for Stone, Pottery and Glass,” BAR 09:06.

4.

See Israel Finkelstein and David Ussishkin, “Back to Megiddo,” BAR 20:01.

5.

See André Lemaire, “Probable Head of Priestly Scepter from Solomon’s Temple Surfaces in Jerusalem,” BAR 10:01; “The Pomegranate Scepter Head—From the Temple of the Lord or from a Temple of Asherah?” BAR 18:03.

6.

Zvi Greenhut, “Burial Cave of the Caiaphas Family,” BAR 18:05; Ronny Reich, “Caiaphas Name Inscribed on Bone Boxes,” BAR 18:05.