Foundation Stone has released a new 3-1/2 minute promotional video on Khirbet Qeiyafa (The Elah Fortress) and its significance.

I thought I recognized my arms, gloved hands and shoes in a shot of dirt being swept into a pan, but the other footage appears to have been shot in 2008, so it is probably someone else. Wishful thinking on my part?

I have mentioned an urban legend that the most important archaeological discoveries are a result of sheer chance. How about this latest example?

Michael Le Quesne, 16, was swimming off a popular beach in Montenegro with his parents and his ten-year-old sister Teodora when he spotted an odd looking ’stone’ at a depth of around two metres. It turned out to be a large, submerged building which may have been the centrepiece of an important Greek or Roman trading post, swallowed up by the sea during a massive earthquake.

…it appears that the remains, which include ancient pottery, have stayed untouched for thousands of years.

Michael said: “When I first swam out, I thought they were just rocks, as most people would, but then I noticed that they were cylindrical and knew that they couldn’t be natural, so I called my dad over.

Great quote from an archaeologist’s kid: “I’ve been dragged around a lot of ancient ruins, so if it hadn’t been for that I wouldn’t have looked twice.”

Read the story here. in the Telegraph (UK).

Foundation Stone has released a short video on the 3,000 year-old inscription discovered at Khirbet Qeiyafa in 2008. (Background here) In the video, Prof. Yossi Garfinkel (archaeologist at Khirbet Qeiyafa) discusses photographic scans of the ostracon with epigrapher Hagi Misgav, who has worked to translate it over the past year. The first publication of the text was released a couple of weeks ago. Watching the video, one can see why translation has proven difficult.

Prof. Garfinkel is on the left, Dr. Misgav is in the center, and David Willner of Foundation Stone is mobile with camera in hand. This 2-minute video is in Hebrew with English subtitles.

Hagai Misgav is scheduled to present on the inscription at next month’s ASOR meeting in New Orleans. It is scheduled for Thursday morning, November 19th, in a 10:45 a.m. session. It will be interesting to learn more about this unique 3,000 year-old text from the early Iron Age.

HT: David Willner

In Arutz Sheva (Israel National News):

Israel is planning a major archaeological dig under the Western Wall plaza… The excavations will create an archaeological park directly underneath the area where worshippers currently stand while praying. The current prayer area will remain open, supported by pillars, while a new area will be added underneath, at the level at which worshippers at the ancient Temple stood in the past.

In other words, archaeologists are going to excavate below the present level of the Western Wall (formerly known as the ‘Wailing’ Wall) to uncover the level from the 1st Century A.D. – Jesus’ time. The area immediately south of the Western Wall was excavated to that level some years ago.

The rubble in the center of the photograph is from the Temple buildings of Jesus' time, and sits on the 1st century ground level. The current ground level of the Western Wall plaza is just below the top left of the photograph. The new excavation will prop up the current plaza level with columns but remove everything below it down to the 1st century level.

The full story includes a link to an artist’s conception of what the plaza should look like with its two levels. I believe this would be fascinating place to visit, but some Muslims will not be happy. We’ll see if this goes off without too much violence.

HT: Jim Davila (PaleoJudaica)

A new excavation is planned for a site called Tel Burna. It is a candidate for the biblical Libnah. The blog introduces the site, and explains some of the process in preparing for an excavation. The info is easy to read and avoids unnecessary technicality.

A survey of the site was conducted in June. As the blog explains:

…the idea behind survey is archaeological study of a site without excavation (which is a very destructive process).  The primary survey tool used today is surface artifact collection.  This is done by simply walking around the site, in a systematic manner… and collect the artifacts from the surface.  Most of the artifacts collected are pottery sherds.

The survey information is still being analyzed, but the initial results are available on the blog.

The Tel Burna blog includes information about site identification, and a bit of Libnah’s history in the Bible. It’s too early to know if this is indeed Libnah, but that’s one question excavation may help to answer.

There is a flowering of new excavation in the Shephelah (Judean foothills) right now. Tel Burna should begin next summer. I heard a rumor that Israel Finkelstein is planning to excavate Azekah. We also have – of course – Khirbet Qeiyafa (also here), which became important after just one full excavation season. Perhaps Khirbet Qeiyafa is a driving force behind these fresh efforts in the Shephelah? The area was the border region between Philstia and Israel. Many questions are being raised about the history of the Shephelah, especially in the early Iron Age. Sounds exciting.

HT: Aren Maeir (Tel es-Safi)

The Book and the Spade is a weekly radio program/podcast on Biblical Archaeology. It has been hosted by Gordon Govier for 26 years – quite a bit of staying power. Each weekly program is around 12 or 13 minutes in length, which makes it easy to work into a busy schedule.

This week’s program discusses the recent release of the Khirbet Qeiyafa inscription and the remarkable Lod mosaic. I hope you may listen to this week’s broadcast.

I was fortunate to be interviewed on this program back in August about my experiences as a volunteer excavator at Khirbet Qeiyafa. That particular program is now among the show’s archives, which are accessible for a small subscription fee.

“The Book and the Spade” publishes a quarterly magazine and has a FaceBook page that is easily found with a search. Join the FB page! Become a fan!

Professors of Biblical archaeology standing in bread lines? Well, no—at least not yet. The downturn in the economy, however, has hit the fields of Biblical archaeology and ancient Near Eastern studies particularly hard.

Where does the money for archaeological excavation and publication come from? A lot of it no longer comes thanks to certain ex-investors (Bernie Madoff, et al.) and the low market cycle, which have reduced or eliminated the portfolios of Foundations that underwrite many archaeologists and their work. Tight budgets have also reduced educational funding, which impacts job positions and field work.

This fairly short article in BAR describes some these current challenges facing archaeology in general. I am hoping for no significant impact on next year’s excavation at Khirbet Qeiyafa/the Elah Fortress. I intend to go back!

HT: Barnea Selavan

The Khirbet Qeiyafa inscription, which is the oldest extant Hebrew text (ca. 1000 B.C.), has finally been revealed. Aren Maeir, excavator of Tel es-Safi (Gath) was present and reports on the presentation.

Unfortunately his initial report gives the text in Hebrew (I don’t read it!), though he includes comments and notes in English. Is it some kind of treaty involving the Philistine city of Gath?, A draft of a monumental inscription? Hebrew scholars and students can work their way through it, though it is difficult to read and several interpretations of the text exist. There is enough for Prof. Maeir to be openly excited. Scholars will be working on this for some time.

Yossi Garfinkel commented to us on the translation process this past summer. He mentioned that it was difficult to come up with a clear translation of the text, that some letters faced different directions in the text (an aleph apparently faces 3 different directions in different places), and that it may require years of research to settle on an interpretation.

I will update as more information becomes available.

Update: Prof. Maeir gives a “very rough translation” in English of the Khirbet Qeiyafa text.

Another Update: For any who may feel underwhelmed, just give it time. This translation is an important step.  Todd Bolen comments:

This text apparently dates to 1000 BC, which is a period of great discussion these days among archaeologists and biblical scholars.  To give one example, scholars debate today the degree of literacy at this period; this ostracon indicates proficiency in Hebrew some distance from the capital city of Jerusalem.  Certainly the mention of the words “judge” and “king” at this period are provocative.

We’ll keep an eye out for any official release from the excavation or the IAA.

Workers have discovered footprints and sandal prints from the workers who prepared a stunning Roman-era mosaic in ancient Palestine.

The 1,700 year old mosaic, which is one of the largest and most magnificent ever seen in Israel, was exposed in the city of Lod in 1996 and was covered again when no resources could be found for its conservation. Thirteen years after efforts were made to raise the large amount required to treat the unique artifact, the IAA received a contribution from the Leon Levy Foundation… The mosaic was re-excavated, exhibited to the public and is now being removed from the area for treatment in the IAA conservation laboratories. The mosaic, which constitutes a real archaeological gem that is extraordinarily well-preserved, is c. 180 sq m in size. It is composed of colorful carpets that depict in great detail mammals, birds, fish, floral species, and sailing and merchant vessels that were in use at the time. It is believed the mosaic floor was part of a villa that belonged to a wealthy man in the Roman period…

Recently the conservators were surprised to discover that the builders of the beautiful mosaic left their personal mark there: while working on the plaster bedding which is done before attaching the mosaic, the artisans trod on it wearing sandals and in their bare feet.

The city of Lod is located a little south of modern Tel Aviv. The mosaic will be heading to New York City for display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art next spring. It should be quite a thing to see.

You can get high-res pictures of the mosaic and the workers’ footprints at the bottom of this IAA page (temporary link).

HT: PaleoJudaica

Prof. Aren Maeir of the Tel es-Safi (Gath) excavation reports:

For those interested, my sources have informed me that this Thursday, in the meeting on the archaeology of Jerusalem that will be held at the Institute of Archaeology, HU, in the late afternoon session on Khirbet Qeiyafa, there will be the first full-scale presentation of the Qayafa inscription (by Garfinkel, Ganor and Misgav), along with a discussion by Yardeni, Demsky and Ahituv.

In addition, in the proceedings volume that will appear at the conference, there will be the first official publication of this fascinating, if very difficult, inscription.

From what I have been told – there is much to be discussed!

This written inscription was discovered on an ostracon (pottery fragment) in 2008 and is the oldest Hebrew text yet discovered – ca. 1000 B.C.  It is written in Proto-Canaanite script, but has proven to be much more difficult to translate than originally anticipated. High-tech imaging was used in late 2008 to recover some letters that had faded with time. The Hebrew words for “Don’t do,” “King,” “Judge,” and “Slave” were recognized early. The inscription will be discussed at one of the ASOR sessions in November.

You may see a photo of the the ostracon on Hebrew University’s Khirbet Qeiyafa site and in the “Gallery” section of Foundation Stone’s Elah Fortress site. (The site uses both names. “Elah Fortress” happens to be easier for some Westerners to pronounce than the Arabic name.)

I’ll also mention that our Khirbet Qeiyafa excavation team made a visit to the Tel es-Safi/Gath site in mid-July. Prof. Maeir gave an interesting explanation of their work and the area. I have video from the tour he gave us, but will not post it here since there is a small chance of preempting his own presentation of the season’s finds. The Tel es-Safi team also made a visit to our site in early August just as their season was shutting down. It is common for archaeological teams to visit other sites during their excavation season.

A Small Milestone: This blog had its 10,000th hit yesterday evening. A special “thank you” to everyone who has decided this page is worth visiting!