Join My Tour of Italy this Fall

I am leading a group tour to Italy from October 30th through November 9th of this year. We will visit some of the best places to see in Italy, including Venice, Florence, Pisa, Pompeii, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast, and Rome. Our tour company has organized tours for more than 60 years. Professional tour guides will take us to magnificent archaeological and historical sites, galleries that hold some of the world’s greatest art and sculpture, and some of the principal places associated with Church history.

I love visiting Italy. It is rich in so many things that illustrate the talent and beauty God put into Creation. Italy is a place where one may touch, smell, see, and feel multiple eras of civilization. This kind of trip is an investment in your understanding of the things that shaped who we are today. If you love history, archaeology, art, religious history, food, nature, architecture, travel, or any combination of these, this trip is designed for you.

You can learn more about this tour here. Just send me your name and mailing address, I will send a brochure with complete details and a registration form. My contact information is on the tour web site.

Tidbits for the Trip: Did you know…?

• The Sistine Chapel was built to the same dimensions as Solomon’s Temple in the Bible. (Think about that the next time you stand inside.)
• The formal name of the Colosseum in Rome is the Flavian Amphitheater. “Flavius” was the family name of Vespasian and his sons Titus and Domitian. All three of them were successive Caesars in the late 1st century. They built the massive amphitheater on prime land Nero had appropriated for himself after the Great Fire of Rome. In building the theater, they returned the land to the people.
• The Flavian Amphitheater’s more popular name, “Colosseum,” comes from a colossal statue of Nero that once stood nearby.
• Venice was once a powerful and influential city-state. Venice directed the Fourth Crusade to attack a rival, the Byzantine capital of Constantinople. (The city had defeated every attacker since its founding some 900 years earlier by Constantine.) The Crusaders took the city and much of the loot found its way back to Venice. St. Mark’s cathedral is still decorated inside and out with statues, columns, and art taken from Constantinople in the year 1204.
• The Leaning Tower of Pisa is actually a bell tower for the nearby Romanesque cathedral. Architects began constructing bell towers as separate structures upon discovering that sound vibrations from the large bells were damaging cathedral superstructures.
• Some of Italy’s best gelato (the especially creamy Italian-style ice cream) can be found along the streets of Florence.
• In 1938, American archaeologist Indiana Jones visited Venice and was caught up in an incident involving assault & battery, vandalism, arson, destruction of artifacts, desecration of tombs, theft, discharge of firearms in public, and the destruction of property by explosions that resulted in the deaths of multiple individuals. Remarkably, no charges were ever filed against Dr. Jones or others involved.

One side of the Colosseum in Rome (aka the Flavian Amphitheater). To give an idea of the massive size of this nearly two-millennia old structure, I am leaning against a column at the bottom center of the photo. Impressive, no? The Colosseum has begun to undergo a multi-year restoration. Ancient frescoes and graffiti are coming to light again inside the theater.

New Khirbet Qeiyafa Video Coming June 1st

Peter Hagyo-Kovacs is a filmaker who holds an M.A. in Archaeology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has produced a short educational film about the significance of Khirbet Qeiyafa to understanding Judah in the early Iron Age (the beginning of the biblical United Kingdom). Peter has previously produced the documentary “Inside Jerusalem.”

The new 20-minute film debuts June 1st. You will be able to watch it here on this blog. Come back soon with your curiosity and some popcorn.

Mysterious stone structure discovered underneath Sea of Galilee

This one is no April Fool’s joke. A basalt-boulder structure, wider and taller than Stonehenge, sits under the water near the SW coast of the lake.

The structure was discovered in 2003 during a sonar survey. The structure consists of basalt boulders around 3 feet (1 meter) long. The entire structure has a diameter of around 230 feet (ca. 70 meters) and its central cone rises 32 feet (ca. 10 meters) from the structure’s bottom.

[The researchers] say it is definitely human-made and probably was built on land, only later to be covered by the Sea of Galilee as the water level rose.

The total weight of the structure is estimated at around 60,000 tons. For perspective, a fully-loaded Iowa-class battleship such as the USS New Jersey is roughly the same weight. That is *a lot* of stone for ancient people to transport and assemble. Very impressive.

For such an impressive monument, scholars don’t yet know what it is, who built it, or even when it was built. (It could be a cairn – a pile of stones to commemorate a burial.) They hope to undertake an underwater excavation to gain answers to these questions.

An article on the discovery is here. You can see a photo gallery of the discovery here.

HT: Joe Lauer

Khirbet Qeiyafa inscription deciphered. Refers to next-gen “Solomonic” gate design

An astonishing new technology is bringing damaged and faded ancient texts to light. Scientists demonstrated its potential by scanning and translating the Khirbet Qeiyafa inscription during a news conference this morning.

Researchers at MIT have developed the Subatomic Ultra-Parsing Epigraphic Resolving Digital Uranium-Potassium Electrical Rotoscoping Chemical Oscillating Orthographic Laser computer scanner that can reconstruct any ancient inscription whether faded, damaged, or even missing completely.

Broken and faded inscriptions have confounded scholars for generations. Now, a group of graduate students under the supervision of MIT Professor Q. Rutherford “Scotty” Dufenschmirtz have created a machine able to detect microscopic chemical elements in the writing surface. The machine analyzes the variations caused by ink or chiseling marks and displays patterns on a screen, permitting people to “see” the shapes of ancient letters.

The new method is so precise, it even detects tiny particles that originated from missing/broken portions of a writing surface. By studying these patterns we can now reconstruct texts that are no longer physically present. This has tremendous implications for our understanding of the ancient past.

Epigraphers have struggled to translate the 3,000 year-old Khirbet Qeiyafa inscription ever since its discovery in 2008. Many of the ink letters have faded with time, making it nearly impossible to understand apart from a few isolated words or phrases. Several translations have been offered but none has gained significant traction in the scholarly community.

Researchers chose to demonstrate the new technology with the five-line Qeiyafa inscription. Scholars were surprised to discover that the text refers to a new gate design that is similar to the “Solomonic” gates discovered at Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. These three cities are listed together as building projects by King Solomon in 1 Kings 9:15, though none of them are mentioned as being inhabited by Israel or Judah prior to this time.

Here is the stunning translation from this morning, revealed after three millennia:

1. Do not build the old gates of your servant.

2. Judge between four or six chambers

3. plead for the new gate as for the infant

4. it secures the poor and the widow as well as the king;

5. the slave will be a stranger from Hazor, Megiddo, or Gezer

This appears to be a message to the king or to a royal administrator, advocating a next-generation gate design. The reference to the number of chambers recalls the gate design shared by Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer, sometimes referred to as “Solomonic” based on the dating offered by Yigael Yadin. This inscription advocates for the “new” 6-chamber design in place of the earlier 4-chamber style found at Qeiyafa and elsewhere. The text also hints at a plan to utilize forced labor from the original [Canaanite?] inhabitants of these cities. The implications for our understanding of the political, socio-economic, architectural, and military culture of the 10th century B.C. southern Levant are nothing short of incredible.

The Khirbet Qeiyafa ostracon. (Courtesy of the Khirbet Qeiyafa excavation)

Information on the second Qeiyafa inscription coming later this year

A few people have inquired about the new Khirbet Qeiyafa inscription discovered in the 2012 season. I asked Yossi Garfinkel about it last week when I drove up to Chattanooga (from Tampa!) to catch his presentation at Southern Adventist University. He said they have made good progress on it and may publish something in a few months. He wouldn’t release any details about it during his presentation but told me beforehand that the results are “very interesting.”

I saw the new inscription when it was found last summer. It is from the late-11th/early-10th century Iron Age level at Qeiyafa. It is readable. I’ll post details here as soon as they are released to the public.

Why is such an inscription important? Some scholars have questioned whether Judah or Israel were literate societies in the 10th century B.C. This hypothesis was based on a lack of known inscriptions from that period. If writing was rare to non-existent, it would be unlikely for those societies to produce history, religious texts, written poetry/Psalms, or written records (important for a centralized government).

At least three inscriptions have been discovered since the literacy question was raised. Two of them are from Khirbet Qeiyafa and date to the period in question, the late-11th/early 10th century. (This is the biblical period of Saul and David.) The first inscription found at Qeiyafa is a long ink inscription on a large piece of broken pottery. The ink has faded with time and is difficult to read, though a few words are legible.

The second inscription may not be as long as the first one, but it may attest to a functionally literate society. The existence of even a simple inscription indicates that 1) someone is able to write it, and 2) others are able to read it.

A replica of the Gezer Calendar inscription, discovered at Tel Gezer in the early 20th century. It is probably around 3/4 of a century younger than the Qeiyafa inscriptions. (Photo by Luke Chandler)

Khirbet Qeiyafa excavation ending. Garfinkel’s next dig site is…

The Khirbet Qeiyafa excavation is wrapping up this summer and excavators Yosef Garfinkel and Michael Hasel have just announced their next dig site. The excavation is moving to Lachish. They will proceed with surveying and test pits this summer followed by several years of full excavation seasons beginning in the summer of 2014.

Iron Age gate at Lachish, partially reconstructed. Notice how a enemy assaulting the gate is forced to expose his unshielded side to defenders along the wall during his approach. If he succeeded in getting through the outer gate, he would have to turn right and try to force an inner gate, subjecting himself to fire from multiple angles by defenders stationed on the second level and in the towers. The Assyrians knew this and chose to assault the city via an earthen ramp they built against a different part of the wall.. (Photo by Luke Chandler)

Lachish was the second city of Judah during much of Iron IIB – the Divided Kingdom period. It guarded Judah’s southwest border and projected royal power at a fair distance from the capital. The biblical text states that Rehoboam fortified it as part of his building program following the division of the Israelite kingdom.

The ramp constructed by the Assyrians during their siege of Lachish. They succeeded in storming the wall via this ramp and took the city. (Photo by Luke Chandler)

The Assyrian king Sennacherib took Lachish during his late-8th century campaign in the reign of Hezekiah. (2 Kings 18:13ff)His conquest of Lachish (not Jerusalem!) was lavishly displayed in reliefs along his palace walls. These panels can be seen today in the British Museum in London.

Panel from Sennacharib’s depiction of the siege of Lachish. Judahite archers fight against the Assyrians from atop a tower. Jewsih captives are seen carrying their belongings as they leave the captured city via the gate. (Photo by Luke Chandler)

Tel Lachish has been previously excavated, most recently by scholars from Tel Aviv University. This new excavation by the Hebrew and Southern Adventist Universities will seek more information on Judah during the 10th and 9th centuries B.C. (the United and early Divided kingdom periods). There are many archaeological blanks for this period in Judah. This dig will seek to fill them with fresh information.

Lachish is an excellent juncture of the biblical text, extra-biblical historical sources, and archaeology. All three of these converge in the Assyrian destruction by Sennacherib. This new dig there should be exciting, to say the least. Are you ready to participate? You have a year and a half to prepare. Start planning now.

A Star Trek over the Bible Lands plus Two Good Books

Aren Maeir has posted a link to this nice video sequence from NASA, showing the Bible Lands at night from the International Space Station. (Requires Quicktime) It begins with Egypt and moves over Israel/the Palestinian Territories, Syria, and finishes over northern Mesopotamia (Turkey/Iraq). You can see the Nile clearly outlined along with highways and cities. The settlement patterns are obvious, and are largely the same today as in antiquity. People tend to cluster near fresh water.

Todd Bolen has convinced me to purchase two books recently. The Satellite Bible Atlas looks to be a great, inexpensive resource. It is loaded with illustrated satellite maps that include detailed biblical commentary on the opposite facing page. You can also download digital versions of the materials and a free 200-page expanded commentary. From all of this plus Bolen’s description I would expect the book to be expensive, but it is just $30 brand new. Mine arrived today and it looks great.

The other title is for anyone who is interested in History and the Bible: Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith? A Critical Approach of Modern and Postmodern Approaches to Scripture. This is a collection of essays covering many interesting topics, including one by my friend Michael Hasel who addresses the difficulty in finding evidence of David’s kingdom (a topic I am currently studying). Bolen has a complete list of essay topics. I have already ordered my copy of this useful book.

Indiana Jones once stated that “70% of all archaeology is done in the library” (around the 34 second mark). It’s even a higher percentage with History. Great stuff to learn, so you might as well have useful, enjoyable books to digest.

Rising water levels in the Sea of Galilee… but not the Jordan River

A Jerusalem Post article reports that the Sea of Galilee, after years of receding water levels, has filled up this winter and is now less than two meters from full capacity. Heavier-than-usual winter rains are a factor, but so is a significant change in water management policy.

The Galilee lake is Israel’s primary freshwater reservoir, servicing a majority of Israel’s growing population. Heavy pumping has taken its toll over the decades and brought the lake to dangerously low levels. The Jordan River, whose flow depends on the Sea of Galilee, has been reduced to a pitiful, dirty stream and the Dead Sea has receded to the point of dividing into separate lakes.

The Sea of Galilee shoreline during the dry season in summer, 2012. The entire foreground used to be covered until drought and heavy pumping lowered the water to the level seen here. With changes to Israel’s water management policy, perhaps the water will once again cover this entire area throughout the year. (Photo by Luke Chandler)

The government began to take serious action a few years ago. It has invested in a number of desalination plants to convert seawater for domestic use. It is also recycling waste water for agricultural use, reducing the reliance on water pumped from the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan river. Israel is working with Jordan and the Palestinian Authority to find ways of rehabilitating the Jordan river and Dead Sea.

We are pumping from Kinneret [the Sea of Galilee] less than half of the average pump than we had previously done. The policy is to try to revive the natural sources of water. (Uri Schor, Israel Water Authority)

The immediate plan does not involve increasing the outflow of water to the Jordan River and Dead Sea. The first priority is the lake. Once its ecological health has stabilized, the government will then look to the river. The article states that, “With the welcome rising levels of Kinneret basin, the country could benefit from releasing some of that added freshwater to rehabilitate the Lower Jordan River, once the river’s sewage is cleaned…”

“With the dramatic reduction in pumping from the Sea of Galilee, not only in this great year of rain, but even in average years of rain, the Sea of Galilee is likely to be a very healthy lake with high potential for overflow to supply to the Lower Jordan River.” (Gidon Bromberg)

The restoration of Israel’s natural water system includes its rivers and its underground aquifer. It will be a years-long process before it can approach the ecological health it once enjoyed. The progress mentioned in this article is a good first step.

HT: Todd Bolen

Khirbet Qeiyafa to be Enveloped by City Expansion

Khirbet Qeiyafa, an ancient city that has recharged the debate about King David, may soon be enveloped by modern buildings. A massive project is bringing the city of Beit Shemesh literally to Qeiyafa’s front door.

The modern city of Beit Shemesh (named for ancient Beth-Shemesh nearby) is located just a few kilometers north of Khirbet Qeiyafa and the green fields of the Elah Valley. The city is undergoing a major southward expansion that will completely transform this part of the Shephelah (Judean foothills). Current plans call for new residential buildings no more than 20 meters from Qeiyafa’s western gate and wall.

Khirbet Qeiyafa as it appears now. The surrounding hills are covered with scrub and scattered olive trees, with minimal human presence. (Photo courtesy of the Khirbet Qeiyafa excavation)

Some of the new construction was visible during the dig season this past summer.

New residential construction just north of Khirbet Qeiyafa in July, 2012. Tel Yarmut (Jarmuth), a biblical city mentioned several times in the book of Joshua, is visible to the left (west) of the construction zone. (Photo by Luke Chandler)

New construction for the city of Beit Shemesh near Khirbet Qeiyafa in July, 2012. (Photo by Luke Chandler)

Here is a concept for the current urbanization plan, going right up to the western (Area B) gate of Qeiyafa.

The current plan for the expansion of Beit Shemesh. Some buildings are no more than 20 meters or so from the casemate wall and gate. The likelihood of damage to the site during and after construction would be significant.

Qeiyafa also has numerous ancient structures located outside the city walls. These lower areas have not yet been excavated. The current construction plan would obliterate much of the ancient lower city.

A number of concerned individuals are petitioning the Israeli government to adopt a revised plan that preserves a 200-meter distance between urban areas and the ancient site. Here is a concept of their suggested plan.

Concept for a revised urban expansion. This plan would keep the urban environment some 200 meters distant from Khirbet Qeiyafa. The site would be better protected and the surrounding lower city preserved for future generations.

The construction process is causing great concern by itself. The photo below shows the impact of work up to 100 meters away from one of the new buildings. Could heavy equipment be used just 20 meters away from Qeiyafa without resulting in serious damage to the site?

Notice the impact of heavy equipment some distance away from new residential buildings. How much of ancient Qeiyafa could be broken up and/or used as a dump with heavy equipment no more than 20 meters away? (Photo courtesy of the Khirbet Qeiyafa excavation)

The remains of a city from the time of kings Saul and David sit on a hill for 3,000 years with minimal disturbance. Suddenly modern urbanism brings heavy equipment and dense urbanization just a few feet away. Khirbet Qeiyafa holds an unusually rich 10th century B.C. layer. What would be the effect of heavy equipment and the dumping of trash and debris, not to mention easier site access for looters and vandals?

It should be mentioned that other important sites such as Tel Azekah and Socoh are in this immediate vicinity. The expansion would no doubt impact these ancient sites just as we are beginning to unearth some of their secrets.

Khirbet Qeiyafa is filling in material gaps that shape our knowledge of Israel and Judah during the formation of their early monarchies. Wherever one stands on the interpretation of the site, we may all agree that Qeiyafa is among the most important sites for understanding Canaan in the 10th century. It should be protected.

A Facebook page has been set up to draw attention to this situation. You can “Like” it to increase online support for a modified plan that will better protect the ancient site.

Israel has to strike a delicate balance between preserving its ancient past and meeting the modern needs of its people. Construction projects often pause for brief “emergency” excavations when workers uncover something interesting in the dirt. The finds are quickly catalogued and recorded and then construction continues.

It is unrealistic and unfair to insist the land be treated as no more than an ancient museum. At the same time, this land is more than just a collection of farms and ruins. Many religious and cultural roots touch it. An irreplaceable heritage measured in millennia can be lost by a moment’s poor stewardship. Will you lend your support to a revised plan that meets modern needs and still protects the special nature of this area?

Visiting Sevilla, Spain

We began our recent trip with several days near the city of Sevilla (usually labeled “Seville” in English). Some of us recall a storied barber (and rabbit?) from this city. In Spanish, the city name is pronounced [seh-VEE-ya]. Including its suburbs, modern Sevilla has a population of around 1.5 million. I posted a couple of weeks ago from Sevilla, drawing attention to the impressive Plaza España, a large and beautiful structure that happens to have been featured in a Star Wars movie.

The history of Sevilla goes back to the ancient Romans. They founded the original city, Hispalis, along the Guadalquivir River nearly 50 miles from the coast. The river is navigable for large ships. The city became a seat of Islamic government after the Moorish conquest in the early 8th century A.D. The city was taken in the mid-13th century during the Reconquista that expelled the Muslims from the peninsula. After the discovery of the Americas, Sevilla gained great wealth as the principal port for all trade from the Americas. Magellan embarked from Sevilla on his circumnavigation of the globe.

This tower is a landmark in downtown Sevilla. “La Giralda” was originally an islamic minaret constructed in the late-12th century. It had a counterpart across the Mediterranean Sea in Northern Africa. (Photo by Luke Chandler)

Following the successful Reconquista – a series of wars by the Christian Spaniards against the Moors who had occupied Spain for centuries – the minaret was converted into a bell tower for a new cathedral. Much of the upper brickwork and the bells were added when the tower’s height was increased in the late-16th century. (Photo by Luke Chandler)

Our time in the Sevilla area was largely spent with local Christians, including two hours of Bible teaching each night. The economy in Spain has been particularly affected by the current economic crisis. One of the consequences is an unemployment rate that has recently risen to around 25%. The problem is even more pronounced among the young adults, who have an unemployment rate of more than 50%.

Here are some of the Christians we were with in Dos Hermanas, a southeast suburb. The economic crisis is affecting a number of them. In spite of these obstacles they were warm and affectionate. We enjoyed our time with the people in Sevilla and pray for their love and security.

Some of the Christians in Dos Hermanas, a town near Sevilla, Spain. (Photo by Luke Chandler)