http://www.bib-arch.org/ Unearthing the World of the Bible en-us webmaster@bib-arch.org (BAS Webmaster) http://www.bib-arch.org/news/dailynews.asp#19The Israel Antiquities Authority recently sponsored a conference that was focused on the protection of cultural heritage sites at risk from both natural and human-related disasters. There are many sites throughout the world that have been subject to impact by either natural events such as earthquakes, storms and flooding, or human activities such as vandalism and looting. The conference centered on policies that can be enacted quickly after a disaster strikes—response time is often the determining factor in damage mitigation. Thursday, November 19, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/e-features/ritual-feast.aspGo on a journey of the senses through history and discover the significance of ritual feasts and meals in antiquity. Tuesday, November 17, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/news/dailynews.asp#16The marshland between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, drained decades ago by Saddam Hussein and believed by some scholars to be the Biblical Garden of Eden, is being partially restored to its previous rich and lush environment. Saddam Hussein engineered numerous canals after the Gulf War in 1991 as means of diverting the river’s waters so as to drive out the rebels, the “Marsh Arabs,” who were resisting his regime. The abundant, maze-like waterways made the area an ideal hiding place for Hussein’s enemies. Monday, November 16, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/news/dailynews.asp#13Carbonized olive wood from a site in Egypt was discovered by researchers at Ancient Egypt Research Associates, Inc., indicating that olives were present in Egypt around 600 years earlier than previously believed: somewhere in the range of 2551 to 2523 B.C.E. Prior to this discovery, the earliest known evidence of olives in the region were olive pits dating to about 1990 to 1800 B.C.E., while the first evidence of olives being grown in Egypt date to 305 B.C.E. to 337 C.E. Friday, November 13, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/news/dailynews.asp#12A team of Spanish archaeologists have discovered an ancient city along the Euphrates River in Syria dating back approximately 4,500 years. Discoveries at the site include a fortress that dates to 1,300 B.C., a large collection of ceramics, and a stamp that may lead researchers to the archives of the city, which would open doors to the study of the political and diplomatic systems of the city’s ancient inhabitants. Thursday, November 12, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/news/dailynews.asp#11Archaeologists believe they have found the remains of the great Persian army lost in the western deserts of Egypt to a sandstorm 2,500 years ago. A large number of human bones as well as bronze weapons and jewelry were identified in the Egyptian desert by Italian archaeologists (and twin brothers) Angelo and Alfredo Castiglioni. After 13 years of research and five expeditions, they have concluded that these are the remains of the legendary army of Cambyses, whose 50,000-strong army was said to have perished during a sandstorm. Wednesday, November 11, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/news/dailynews.asp#09A Minoan-style wall painting was recently discovered during the excavation of a Canaanite palace in Kabri, Israel. The remains of a Middle Bronze Age (2000 to 1550 B.C) Canaanite city on the site include this, fresco which is the first of its type to be found in Israel and that displays the Canaanites’ desire to uphold the Mediterranean style of culture, as opposed to that of its Syrian and Mesopotamian neighbors. Monday, November 09, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=35&Issue=6&ArticleID=21Southwest Missouri State University professor Charles Hedrick sets the stage for our debate about the “Secret Mark” letter, without revealing his own belief in the authenticity of Secret Mark. Thursday, October 15, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=35&Issue=6&ArticleID=2Hershel Shanks has been barred from the City of David by General Shuka Dorfman, the current director of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). Thursday, October 15, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=35&Issue=6&ArticleID=17Columnist Steve Mason of York University in Toronto, Canada suggests getting back to the basics in the study of ancient Judaism. Thursday, October 15, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=35&Issue=6&ArticleID=18Columnist Jeffrey R. Zorn discusses the effects of the economic downturn on the field of Biblical archaeology. Thursday, October 15, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=35&Issue=6&ArticleID=7Columnist Leonard J. Greenspoon comments on artist Damien Hirst’s work Golden Calf. Thursday, October 15, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/news/linder-obit.aspElisha Linder, one of the founding fathers of maritime archaeology in Israel and a senior lecturer at the University of Haifa, died on June 8, a few days before his 85th birthday. Monday, October 12, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/news/weinfeld-obit.aspOn April 29, 2009, Moshe Weinfeld, professor emeritus of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, passed away. He was 84 years old. Monday, October 12, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/e-features/priene-excavation.aspPriene is one of Turkey’s best preserved ancient cities. It has a dramatic location on the south side of Mount Mycale, which separates it from Ephesus to the north. Monday, October 12, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/e-features/secret-mark-translation.aspWhile looking for ancient documents in the Mar Saba monastery library in the Judean Desert, scholar Morton Smith made a discovery that rocked the academic world: Copied onto the end-pages of a 17th-century book was a previously unknown letter from Clement of Alexandria, a second-century church father, which contained passages of a lost “secret” gospel of Mark. Monday, October 12, 2009 http://www.bib-arch.org/e-features/band-played-on.aspThe text itself is music. Like a refrain, the litany of instruments is repeated four times in chapter 3 of the Book of Daniel: “the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick.” Monday, October 12, 2009