Possible Minoan connection to Tall el-Hammam (Sodom)

The photo is a piece of Mycenaean pottery (characteristic black) with the etched image of a hand visible. I picked it up on the surface of Tell Kefrein (Possible Abila just 2 km NW of Tall el-Hammam) on a tour of their site. It is now in the hands of the Department of Antiquity in Jordan. Similar pieces of pottery have been recovered at Tell Kefrein I'm told.

Here is the latest hour long video update (April 17, 2013) from Dr. Steven Collins, Dean of the College of Archaeology and Biblical History at Trinity Southwest University and lead archaeologist at the Tall el-Hammam dig in Jordan, as he presents the evidence of the city of Sodom and its miraculous destruction. This update was presented at Calvary church Albuquerque New Mexico and it introduces some very interesting connections to the biblical text about Sodom and possible connections with the cultic practices of the Minoan civilization of Crete. Dr Collins announced pottery with Minoan or Mycenaean motifs (I have seen these) along with the inner gatehouse pillared with an Aegean influence. He states "Between those two things we knew that the people of Tall el-Hammam (Sodom) weren't just any old garden-variety Canaanites." What is significant is that the Mycenaean culture was known for its " institutional paiderastia of the Minoans, including the time-honored and accepted practice of ritual kidnapping...The Minoan paiderastia was, in fact, the very structure of the society by which boys were raised into men. It was the rule, not the exception. Each boy, at age 12, was taken as an eromenos ("beloved") by a 22-year-old erastes ("lover") to be raised for 8 years in a male-male sexual bond. It was usually initiated with a ceremonial kidnapping performed by a gang of ritual abductors sent by the older male. The practice was formalized and ubiquitous across Minoan culture. Boys couldn't be considered properly-trained male citizens unless they submitted to this process. They then repeated this "societal norm" with their own eromenos. Generation after generation. On Crete, the women and/or wives often lived separately from the men and boys. It was a thoroughly male-dominated homosexual culture in which the narrow role of women was to bear and raise children. There were additional formal Minoan institutions developed to promote and sustain their androphile model of social organization....And the more we research into this, the clearer the Crete-Sodom connection becomes. I'm sure even the Canaanites were shocked by the presence of this culture in the southern Jordan Valley!" April 22, 2013 TEH Update Newsletter

Dr. Steven Collins Video Tall el-Hammam update

Key Themes of the Old Testament Published

Announcing the publication of the long awaited Key Themes of the Old Testament: A Survey of Major Theological Themes. Seattle, WA: CreateSpace, 2013.

Ever wonder what the Bible was all about but were hesitant to read such an intimidating book? Key Themes of the Old Testament provides an informative and accessible read that explores the Bible, not as a survey of history, but by examining twelve interconnecting themes. including history of the English Bible, biblical revelation, inspiration, transmission of the text, creation, sin and the human condition, protoevangelium, sovereignty of God, covenant, biblical law, Israelite worship, and the prophets. He provides an overview of what the Bible is all about and how it relates to the New Testament. Learn how the covenant is connected to the law and the law related to the Old Testament sacrificial system. What has Genesis 3:15 to do with the rest of the Bible? Graves answers the kind of questions that the average reader of the Bible wants answered and not simply the answers that scholars think readers should hear.

Numerous detailed maps, charts, tables, and photographs are included illustrating the Old Testament context. Helpful breakout panes, dealing with “Quotes from Antiquity,” “Moments in History,” and “Facts from Archaeology,” provide an interesting and informative understanding of the cultural and historical background of the Bible. A glossary defines technical terms, and extensive footnotes and the hundreds of books listed in the “For Further Study” breakout panes and bibliography provide an invaluable resource to readers for future study.

An engaging resource intended for laypeople who want to know more about the Old Testament, whether in seminary courses, college classrooms, church groups or personal study.

The book is be available on Amazon.com .  ISBN-13: 978-1478122692 

New article published in the NEASB

The Near East Archaeological Society has just published my article entitled “Influence of the Ancient Near Eastern Vassal Treaties on the Hippocratic Oath.” Near East Archaeological Society Bulletin
57 (2012): 27–45. The article was developed out of research I did for my Ph.D. and thought it deserved publishing as no one has ever identified this connection before with the Hippocratic Oath. The article contributes to the research being done in the area of demonstrating an influence of Babylon on Greek culture. I'm grateful to the peer review of the article and the suggestions they made to improve it.

Also in the same issue.
Graves, David E. “Review of Kamash, Zena. Archaeologies of Water in the Roman Near East: 63 BC - AD 636. Gorgias Dissertations in Near Eastern Studies 54. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias, 2010.” Near East Archaeology Society Bulletin no. 57 (2012): 56–57.

Tall el-Hammam as Heshban?

Clyde Billington, one of our members of the NEAS, challenges Dr. Collins identification that Tall el-Hammam is a candidate for Sodom. He has published an alternative argument in Artifax magazine (Spring 2012) for the location of our site of Tall el-Hammam. He claims it is Bronze Age Heshbon as Iron Age Heshbon has no Bronze Age remains since it was excavated by Andrews University and they claim it was not Sihon's Heshbon. However, it has been confirmed as the Roman city of Esbus.  However, the information shared by Professor Billington indicates that he has never been to region. Heshbon is a plateau settlement always connected with other plateau cities such as Aroer, Dibon, Madaba and Nebo up on the Hills overlooking the Jordan Valley. When Moses moved the Israelites down to the Plains of Moab “between Beth Jeshimoth and Abel Shittim” along the Jordan opposite Jericho Tall el-Hammam (Abel Shittim) was a wasteland (Numbers 21:20). Even Dr. Bryant Wood claims that Tall el-Hammam was Abel Shitim when Moses visited the area (See Kaiser, Jr., Walter C., and Duane Garrett. Archaeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006. Dr. Wood did the article for Tall el-Hammam).


Also, several facts are in error with his article. Tall el-Hammam is very well fortified and enormous compared to Clyde's description of our site.

I can appreciate that Professor Billington wishes to defend his colleague and friend Dr. Bryant Woods claim that Sodom is Bab edh-drah but the evidence is building strong for the northern location at or near Tall el-Hammam. Dr. Collins will publish a rebuttal to Professor Billington's claim that Tall el-Hammam is Heshbon in an upcoming edition of Artifax. I'm sure Dr Collins will have more to say. Stay tuned.

Photo: this is the remains of Iron Age Heshban up on the Plateau overlooking the Jordan Valley.

National Geographics Ancient X Files Full Documentary

The full version of the National Geographics documentary has been posted on YouTube. I think they did a reasonable job to provide a non-technical look at our research. There is so much more archaeology that has happened in the last 8 years that they did not mention and just highlighted the spooky stuff but it is the Ancient X files after all. Still what they do mention is true and accurate about the destruction layer and the glazed pottery klinker. It was staged to tell the story as if it was taking place in a few days but it has taken 10 years to do the research. Dr. David Maltsberger is great as the Hebrew scholar but Steve is an excellent Hebrew scholar in his own right and didn't need anyone to tell him the meaning of the Kikkar. But great story telling my National Geographics. I think it is a great way to get the word out to the public. Love the part where Dr. Collins says from Mt. Nebo "and Egeria saw Livias and there it is." Even Livias got an honorable mention.

http://youtu.be/dLifT2dsxy8

Ancient X files - Sodom and Gomorrah Teaser 2

National Geographic has posted the next teaser for their X files documentary on our dig. So far what they have done has been good except they have located Tall el-Hammam 5 miles (8 KM) west of where it actually is on their map. Not much wonder people can't find Sodom!! :-)

http://natgeotv.com/uk/ancient-x-files/videos/land-of-the-soddomites

Ancient X Files - SODOM AND GOMORRAH

The National Geographic Program Ancient X Files Sodom and Gomorrah is now out in Asia. It should be out in North America soon. This program features the work that Dr. Collins and our team are doing at Tall el-Hammam which Dr. Collins believes is a good candidate for Sodom. Should be interesting to see how they handle the facts of the work we are doing at Tall el-Hammam. This clip features Dr. Collins looking around our site, Mt. Nebo, and the St. George's church (Madaba map). Great Graphics and photography as usual for the National Geographics program. It will feature Dr. Collins, Dr. David Maltsberger, and Hussien Al-Jarrah from our team.