Author Archives: lukechandler

About lukechandler

I live in Temple Terrace, Florida, with my lovely wife Melanie and our four children. I have worked with the North Terrace Church of Christ since May of 2006. I am active in English and Spanish language gospel work and participate in archaeological excavations in Israel. I also lead group tours to Europe and the Bible Lands. Visit my site www.LukeChandlerTours.com to learn about upcoming trips.

Premiere of a New Khirbet Qeiyafa Short Film is Right Here

A new short film titled “Khirbet Qeiyafa: A Fortified City in the Kingdom of Judah” now debuts on this blog. It summarizes the major finds at Khirbet Qeiyafa and presents the excavators’ conclusions on how the site shapes our understanding … Continue reading

Posted in Ancient Architecture, Biblical Archaeology, Inscriptions and Manuscripts, Israel, Jerusalem, Khirbet Qeiyafa, Short videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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. … Continue reading

Posted in Ancient Architecture, Ancient Rome, Culture & Cuisine, Europe, Interesting places to visit, Italy, Overseas trips | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Biblical Archaeology, Khirbet Qeiyafa, Publications & Study Materials, Short videos, Tech & Resources | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 … Continue reading

Posted in General Archaeology, Israel, New Discoveries, Tech & Resources | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Inscriptions and Manuscripts, Khirbet Qeiyafa, Links to interesting stuff | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

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 … Continue reading

Posted in 2012 Khirbet Qeiyafa excavation, Biblical Archaeology, General Archaeology, Inscriptions and Manuscripts, Israel, Khirbet Qeiyafa, New Discoveries | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Biblical Archaeology, General Archaeology, Israel, Khirbet Qeiyafa | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Links to interesting stuff, Publications & Study Materials, Short videos, Tech & Resources | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Israel | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Personal, Israel, Khirbet Qeiyafa | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment