The body of water known as the Dead Sea has also been called the Salt Sea and the Asphalt Sea, among other names dating to antiquity. It is the lowest point on Earth – currently close to 1400 feet (422 meters) below sea level. The surface of the sea has been dropping for years due [...]
Archive for the ‘travel’ Category
The Dead Sea
Posted in Interesting places to visit, Israel, Short videos, travel, tagged Israel on August 28, 2009 | 2 Comments »
“Book and Spade” Interview – part 2
Posted in Biblical Archaeology, General Archaeology, Israel, Links to interesting stuff, Personal, Tech & Resources, travel, tagged Archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Book and the Spade, Elah Fortress, interview, Israel, Khirbet Qeiyafa, Links to interesting stuff on August 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The second half of my interview with Gordon Govier of “The Book and the Spade” is online here (temporary link) for streaming and download. This 15-minute program segment describes some of the experiences I and others had excavating at Khirbet Qeiyafa, and some “extra” benefits that come from working at a site in Israel.
Masada – an Ancient Dead Sea Fortress
Posted in General Archaeology, Interesting places to visit, Israel, Short videos, travel, tagged travel, Archaeology, Bible, Israel, Masada, Dead Sea on August 21, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Masada is famous for several reasons. To Israeli Jews, it is a symbol of Jewish Independence. To those interested in military or ancient history, it is an example of Rome’s famed tenacity. For some modern tourists, it is the site of an ancient battle which happens to offer magnificent views of the Dead Sea valley.
Masada [...]
David fought Goliath next to Khirbet Qeiyafa
Posted in Bible comments, Biblical Archaeology, Israel, Short videos, travel, tagged ancient sling, Azekah, Bible comments, Biblical Archaeology, David, Elah brook, Elah Fortress, Goliath, Khirbet Qeiyafa, Socoh, travel on August 14, 2009 | 3 Comments »
Everyone who excavated at Khirbet Qeiyafa had the privilege of enjoying a beautiful, daily view of the Elah Valley. The Elah Valley is most famous as the location of the David vs. Goliath story in 1 Samuel 17. In ancient times it was the border region between the Israelites and the Philistines, and would have [...]
Walking through Hezekiah’s Tunnel in Jerusalem
Posted in Biblical Archaeology, Culture & Cuisine, Interesting places to visit, Israel, Overseas trips, Short videos, travel, tagged Archaeology, Bible, Biblical Archaeology, Hezekiah Tunnel, Israel, Jerusalem on July 25, 2009 | 10 Comments »
Ancient Jerusalem was a strong defensive position with a glaring weakness. The city was on a hill surrounded on three sides by steep valleys, but the water supply was a spring down at the bottom of the hill. During a siege, the residents needed safe, consistent access to the water in order to survive.
The most [...]
Very Old Stones in Jerusalem’s Eastern Wall
Posted in Biblical Archaeology, Israel, Links to interesting stuff, Overseas trips, Short videos, travel, tagged Archaeologists, Biblical Archaeology, Israel, Jerusalem, travel on July 25, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Dr. Leen Ritmeyer is an archaeological architect who specializes in Jerusalem and its Temple Mount. He has been involved in numerous excavations and maintains a Blog. He lectures around the world and has been published extensively.
In 2008, Dr. Ritmeyer posted new dating information on some of the stone blocks in the Temple Mount’s eastern wall. [...]
An Urban Legend in Archaeology – Updated
Posted in General Archaeology, Israel, Overseas trips, travel, tagged Archaeologists, Archaeology, Elah Fortress, Israel, Khirbet Qeiyafa on July 24, 2009 | 2 Comments »
There is an urban legend in archaeology that the most important finds will be discovered 1) at the end of the excavation, or 2) by sheer accident. My father had a discovery on Wednesday morning that qualified both ways.
My father (Royce Chandler) and I were excavating in a room that was scheduled to finish up [...]
We made it to the excavation
Posted in Biblical Archaeology, Israel, Overseas trips, travel, tagged Archaeology, Biblical Archaeology, Elah Fortress, Israel, Khirbet Qeiyafa, travel on July 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
We finished our second workday at the Elah Fortress site a little while ago. There is more to do before bedtime, such as wash the pottery we found, sit in a lecture covering some aspect of biblical archaeology, and dinner to finish off the evening. Wakeup time is a few minutes after 4:00 a.m., so [...]
The Jordan River
Posted in Israel, Overseas trips, Short videos, travel, tagged Israel, Jordan, travel on July 18, 2009 | 2 Comments »
I already posted some pictorial highlights from today, but here is a little something extra.
The water was much deeper than it looked. After shooting the video, I started to wade out some more and immediately went to above-the-knee level. It certainly felt nice on a very hot day.
En Gedi – David’s Dead Sea Hideout with its Waterfalls
Posted in Bible comments, Interesting places to visit, Israel, travel, tagged travel, Bible, Israel, Dead Sea, En Gedi, Ein Gedi on August 31, 2009 | 4 Comments »
En Gedi (also called Ein Gedi) is a fresh, green spot teeming with life on the western shore of the Dead Sea. Since prehistoric times, its freshwater springs have offered life and refreshment in a hot, rugged, brown region. Among its biblical mentions:
Chedorlaomer, the king who defeated Sodom and captured Abraham’s nephew Lot, previously defeated [...]
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