Inside BAR

004

In 996 B.C. or thereabouts, King David captured Jerusalem, a last stronghold of Canaanite power. Next year Jerusalem will celebrate its 3,000th anniversary as the capital of Israel—though, as we point out in “Sprucing Up for Jerusalem’s 3,000th Anniversary,” 1996 A.D. is not exactly 3,000 years after 996 B.C.

The anniversary celebrations will showcase Jerusalem’s magnificent archaeological sites. But, unfortunately, some of those sites have been badly neglected. A number of the elegant burial caves in Akeldama—the traditional “potter’s field” where Judas hanged himself—are today filled with garbage and debris, and a portion of ancient Jerusalem’s city gate, in excellent condition only 30 years ago, has since crumbled into a heap of rubble. We urge the Israel Antiquities Authority to restore these and other sites in preparation for the celebration of David’s victory, 3,000 years (or so) ago.

After reigning for 33 years in Jerusalem, King David went “the way of all earth” and was buried in the City of David, the Bible tells us (1 Kings 2:2, 10, 11). Early in this century, while excavating David’s city, French archaeologist Raymond Weill discovered what he described as nine tombs, located right where the Bible says David and the kings of Judah were buried. The most magnificent—a 52-foot, tunnel-like cavern—may even have been David’s tomb, although many scholars have since disputed this identification. Sadly, this site has also been sorely neglected. Only further excavation and scientific study will answer the question: “Is This King David’s Tomb?”

The Bible describes King Jehu, who ruled the northern kingdom of Israel from 841 to 814 B.C., as a usurper who murdered the descendants of King Omri. Yet the famed Black Obelisk, erected by the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III, identifies one of the tribute-paying kings depicted on its registers as “Jehu son of Omri”—that is, a descendant of Omri. Scholars have traditionally explained this anomaly by arguing that “son of Omri,” for the Assyrians, meant any Israelite. Tammi Schneider takes a different view, suggesting that the Assyrians knew the history of Israel’s kings full well and would not have referred to Jehu as a descendant of Omri unless he was just that. Schneider combs through Biblical passages to show that Jehu might well have been a “son” of Omri, if only through a line different from that of those he massacred, leading her to ask, “Did King Jehu Kill His Own Family?”

Schneider, who received her Ph.D. in ancient history from the University of Pennsylvania, is assistant professor of Old Testament Studies at the Claremont Graduate School in Claremont, California. She has served as co-curator at the University of Pennsylvania Museum and in various capacities at the excavations at Tel Miqne/Ekron, including assistant field director.

If snow, slush and sleet have gotten you down, here’s news to warm your freezing bones: It’s time to think about joining a dig this spring or summer. Let thoughts of sifting through warm Middle Eastern sand melt fears of that oncoming blizzard. In “Between a Rock and a High Place,” we describe 27 digs that could use your services in a variety of capacities, from trowel wielder to pottery washer. And even if you’re not planning to volunteer, the dig guide can serve as a handy summary of the work being done this year in Israel and Jordan.

Last year we awarded four scholarships to help defray travel costs for people who wanted to participate on digs. Three winners, Pastor Dennis Diehl of the Worldwide Church of God, Loyola University student Pamela Francis and Wake Forest University student S. Vida Grubisha, share their tales of volunteer life in “BAR Dig Scholarships.”

The highlight of any excavation is a remarkable discovery, one so unique that we call it a “Prize Find.” The excavations at 005Tel Dor and Bethsaida can each boast one such find: At Bethsaida this past summer archaeologists uncovered the figurine featured on our cover, described by dig director Rami Arav in “Prize Find: An Iron Age Amulet from the Galilee.” For its part, the dig at Dor in 1993 was marked by unearthing a beautifully engraved scapula (cow collarbone), bearing not only an inscription (rare in itself) but also a detailed harbor scene depicting a “Prize Find: Priestly Blessing of a Voyage.” Dig director Ephraim Stern tweaks apart the Egyptian, Phoenician, Assyrian and Cypriote cultural elements contained within the scene.

Excavation leader at Hazor, Ein-Gedi, Beersheba and Tel Dor, Ephraim Stern is Bernard M. Lauterman Professor of Biblical Archaeology at the Berman Center of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He published Dor—Ruler of the Seas (Israel Exploration Society [IES]) last year. Stern is editor of The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land (Simon & Schuster, 1993). His three-part article, “The Many Masters of Dor,” appeared in “The Many Masters of Dor,” BAR 19:01; “The Many Masters of Dor, Part 2: How Bad Was Ahab?” BAR 19:02; and “The Many Masters of Dor, Part 3: The Persistence of Phoenician Culture,” BAR 19:03.

If you think volunteering on a dig means only doing tedious tasks, think again: Mindi Epstein-Goldin began as a volunteer at Dor in 1992. By the following year she was a square supervisor in the right place at the right time: She provides “A First-Hand Account of the Dor Prize Find.”

Epstein-Goldin worked for an advertising firm in San Francisco until she joined the Dor excavation. Six weeks later she decided to remain in Israel and pursue a graduate degree in archaeology at Hebrew University. Now an Israeli citizen, she recently accepted a position in the conservation department of the Israel Antiquities Authority. She also does freelance editing and writing in archaeology and for the Center for Jewish Art.

In 996 B.C. or thereabouts, King David captured Jerusalem, a last stronghold of Canaanite power. Next year Jerusalem will celebrate its 3,000th anniversary as the capital of Israel—though, as we point out in “Sprucing Up for Jerusalem’s 3,000th Anniversary,” 1996 A.D. is not exactly 3,000 years after 996 B.C.