Deus Artefacta

Leaving for Tall el-Hammam

2012-01-29T23:45:00.000-08:00

While the Tall el-Hammam excavation team have been on the ground for three weeks now I will leave Sunday for this years excavation. The Roman area has been idle since last season and we look forward with anticipation to the prospects of finding something "cool" again this year. Last season we discovered a small bath complex (balnearium) that had several layers of use from the Roman period to the Byzantine. This is part of a large 35 m X 40 m building called a bath house (thermae) supplied with hot water from the numerous hot springs on the site that Livias was famous for. While the building is massive it is yet undetermined if this was a thermae or simply a private bath house for public/private use called a balnea or balinea. Certainly the small bath complex we uncovered last season was not for public use as it would only fit two or three people at most. This season we hope to work in an adjacent room and perhaps we will find the change or undressing room (apodyterium).

Every year we discover something very exciting and this season we trust will be no different. I will keep you posted as we excavate the Roman/Byzantine city of Livias.

For more information see our article in Levant Journal. David E. Graves and Scott Stripling. “Re-Examination of the Location for the Ancient City of Livias.” Levant: The Journal of the Council for British Research in the Levant 43.2 (2011): 178-200.

Livias article published in Levant Journal

2011-12-05T01:27:00.001-08:00

The article on Livias has finally been published in Levant Journal. For those with a subscriptions to Levant you will be able to see a colour edition on their website at LINK www.ingentaconnect.com/content/maney/lev

The article is entitled “Re-Examination of the Location for the AncientCity of Livias" and contains all the evidence and arguments for identifying Tall el-Hammam in the Roman and Byzantine era with the ancient city of Livias.

Graves, David and Scott Stripling “Re-Examination of the Location for the AncientCity of Livias.” Levant: The Journal of the Council for British Research in the Levant43.2 (2011): 178-200.

Season 7 begins in January and we hope to excavate another room in our monumental Roman/Byzantine building. Why don't you consider joining us?

Roman Area Video Tall el-Hammam

2011-01-23T18:37:00.000-08:00

Here is the newest video describing in detail the work in the Roman area of Tall el-Hammam. One correction in the descriptions where I say Justin the Iberian and it should be Peter the Iberian. Also, the date of the earthquake is January 18, 749 which destroyed many of the cities in the Jordan Valley including Tiberias, Beit She'an, Hippos and Pella. Livias was also destroyed at this time and indications are that it was not rebuilt.

Byzantine Bath House in Roman Building

2011-01-19T07:19:00.000-08:00

Today was the last day to dig and clean the squares before closing them for the season. The image is of the Byzantine bath house with a small bath installation with plastered seats and walls.Several steps are visible for entering from the adjacent room. The present bath structure is built over a previous plastered installation from an earlier period. Three lead fill pipes were located at the top of the seats while a fourth was located in the floor area no doubt used to drain the bath.

Roman Excavation Update Video

2011-01-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

The interview direct from the site of Tall el-Hammam that was taken on Jan 6, 2011 that gives reasons for the large building being a bathhouse and part of Ancient Livias. The interview can be seen on You Tube link below.

Roman Exavations You Tube Video

Wed Update

2011-01-05T08:01:00.000-08:00

Today I walked the Roman Road again and drove up to pickup the Roman Mile Marker. We drove 3km or so up the Roman Road toward Hesban with the front end loader and picked up two pieces of the Roman Mile Marker requested by the DOA. We returned to the Mosque where it will be determined where it will finally be displayed. Work resumed on square 14A1 under the excellent supervision of Scott Stripling. One of our students uncovered a large bronze coin today. Time will tell what denomination it is and if it is readable. It may be Byzantine given its size.

Week 1 Tall el-Hammam

2011-01-04T06:59:00.000-08:00

After the first week of excavations in the monumental Roman building process is slow due to many obstacles such as mounds of night digger dirt and shrubs growing around the site. Most of our efforts were confined to preparation of the site and establishing benchmarks and squares. We have had heavy equipment for the last two days in the Roman area provided by the Jordanian Department of Antiquities to move some of the contaminated piles of dirt that have been dug up by the night diggers and local farmers over the years.
Two of my Canadian students arrived this week and are anxious to get started on excavating the Roman building. We will open up two squares to begin this season 15A1 and 14A1 with 15A1 proceeding with after preliminary work. So today we had a full crew (10) and things started to get serious. We found a plaster wall, coin and a beautiful jar today. The heavy equipment as in a front end loader and has made life alot simpler. While this is not the way one does archaeology it saved us many hours of relocating contaminated soil.

Russian-Jordanian Research Project - Update on Sodom

2010-12-24T07:34:00.000-08:00

I just received this update from Gary Byers our Assistant Dig Director concerning more details on the Russian proposal to work under the Dead Sea. There will be more official news to follow in the media shortly with the Jordanian press hitting our site on Sunday. Unfortunately I will be in the air flying in so will miss the event but hope to be there when Dr. Ziad from the Jordanian Department of Antiquity visit this coming week. Very exciting times at Tall el-Hammam. This should be the best season thus far. Byers state on Dec 23rd:

When Dr. Collins and the first part of our team arrived in Jordan in early December, they heard from the DoA about a coming joint Russian-Jordanian research project planned for underwater research in the north end of the Dead Sea. The Russians said they had some specialized equipment and new information about the location of Sodom under the sea there. So, on Wednesday this week there was a joint press conference at the Dead Sea to announce the project.

Unfortunately the Jordanian side, represented by the DoA, was not at all prepared for what the Russians announced. To their astonishment, the Russians said we have found Sodom under the waters of the Dead Sea! The DoA was blindsided by such a statement because it was untrue—the Russians have done nothing in the water yet—and because the belief in the DoA is that the location of Sodom should be found north of the Dead Sea, not under the water. I don’t know how much of this information is out there in the media, but we got an inside scoop because a member of our dig staff was representing the DoA at that press conference (and he was very angry about it).

So that afternoon, Dr. Ziad, the new Director General of the Department of Antiquities, called Dr. Collins and discussed the historical data related to the subject prior to a live evening broadcast on Jordanian television. I think the department felt they needed to say something about the events surrounding the press conference (damage control). That night Dr. Ziad spoke about the Russian project and said we always welcome new research, but the DoA believes the historical data available places the ancient city of Sodom north of the Dead Sea, and then he spoke about the joint TSU-DoA Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project.

Then on Thursday, Dr. Collins and Hussein Aljarrah (Co-Director of TeHEP and DoA Director for the Southern Jordan Valley) had a meeting with the DoA in Amman for dig-related business. As they were leaving the building they ran into Dr. Ziad coming in. Even though he had a scheduled meeting with Dr. Collins and Hussein on Monday to finalize our new 10-year joint TeHEP dig agreement, he asked them to stop and he called an impromptu meeting in his office—while other scheduled appointments had to wait outside!

At this meeting, Dr. Ziad said that our joint TeHEP research is a DoA priority. Calling it “perhaps the most important archaeological discovery in history,” he noted that the story of Sodom is one subject that Christians, Muslims, and Jews all hold in common in their respective scriptures. We already have key DoA personnel on our dig staff, but he committed himself and the department to keeping TeHEP a priority.

Then, after the meeting was over and Dr. C and Hussein were on their way back to the Dead Sea, Dr. Ziad’s office called Hussein on the phone and said that Jordanian television will be at the site this Sunday to film the Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project in action. While previously scheduled, Dr. Ziad is also making his first official visit to Tall el-Hammam this coming week (he took his position as Director General of the DoA back in July). This is a pretty incredible place to be right now—Merry Christmas to me!

TeHEP probably owes a debt of gratitude to the Russians. I think it is fair to say that making the kind of announcement they did, blindsiding the DoA, really got Dr. Ziad and the whole DoA focused on the Sodom issue. And having Dr. Collins and our team assembled in the field really made communications and planning much simpler. Just months into his new position, Dr. Ziad is setting a course for the DoA for years to come, with TeHEP clearly in the center of his focus.
Gary Byers, Assistant Director, Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project

My next post will be from Jordan! Merry Christmas

Season 6 Dig Video No2

2010-12-22T11:11:00.000-08:00

The Tall el-Hammam Excavation has begun and we are providing short video clips on You Tube this year for those who cannot make the trip. I will no doubt have opportunity to address you from the site this season through a short clip on You Tube so stay tuned. In the Photo I'm standing in the yard of Abu Musa where the team was having lunch "Mansif" on the video. I'm holding a small Early Bronze age bowl that came out of one of the Dolmens around the property of Abu Musa.

Tall el-Hammam Video LINK

Russian Visit to Hammam

2010-12-19T11:01:00.000-08:00

I reported earlier this week that the Russians are going to be examining the bottom of the Dead Sea for Sodom and Gomorrah. Well apparently they will be visiting our site at Tall el-Hammam tomorrow (Dec 20, 2010) to talk to Dr. Steven Collins Director of the Tall el-Hammam excavation site and Hussien Aljarrah, Regional Director of al-Kafrayn District and Senior Archaeologist, Department of Antiquities, Jordan.
Here is a quote from the public updates that was sent out by Dr. Collins earlier today. He states:

"Tomorrow a Russian gentleman will be coming to the site to talk with Hussein and I about his search for Sodom and Gomorrah under the waters of the Dead Sea. He's planning on launching a submarine into the Dead Sea and exploring for signs of the Cities of the Plain (it may be the same guy that did the same thing from the Israeli side some years ago). Of course, the idea of Sodom being under the Dead Sea waters is patently absurd from every conceivable scientific angle. For one thing, the Dead Sea has been virtually as it is today for longer than humans have lived in the area. The Dead Sea level is presently at its lowest level since the Neolithic Period. Thus, there has never been any human habitation below its present level. It's historic high is over 100 meters above where it is now, meaning that all the settlements around the Dead Sea area, including sites like Tall el-Hammam and Jericho, must be above the historic fluctuation limits, otherwise they would be wiped out as the sea rose toward its historic highs. So, I hope to talk some sense into this fellow and save him some money. But perhaps he could do his submarine thing and show once and for all that such quests are utter nonsense." Dr. Steven Collins, Dean, College of Archaeology, Trinity Southwest University

In Dec 2009 I posted a link of a site where you can view the levels of the Dead Sea through the various periods and see for yourself the levels as they were in the various periods. Link to 2009 Post The dead Sea map can be viewed at the following link. The sites of Tall el-Hammam and Bab edh-Dhra are listed on the map. The lowest point of the Dead sea is in the Byzantine period and it is close to being that low today but in the period when Sodom and Gomorrah existed the level was -300m while today it is -400m below sea level. (remember that below sea levels the numbers go backwards and are from the top down). Around the time of Sodom and Gomorrah the Dead Sea was at its highest levels and have gradually decreased to their modern level which are almost the lowest they have ever been except for the Byzantine period when it was -440m (500 AD). So if there was anything in the Dead Sea such as a city then it would likely have been visible in the Byzantine period or today as these are the lowest points the Dead Sea's history. So search your heart out and spend your money but the site of Sodom will not be found at the bottom of the Dead Sea as Albright speculated. I'd still like to know what has been dumped into the Dead Sea as it was navigated by boat in the first century and earlier. Herod the Great had a harbor at Kallirrhoe where there were hot baths warmer than the hot baths at Tall el-Hammam.

Russians Already Digging at Sodom!

2010-12-16T08:13:00.000-08:00

Dead Sea near Bab edh-Dha

It appears that the Russians in conjunction with the Jordanian government are searching for Sodom and Gomorrah under the Dead Sea. News Clip However, we have had the Russians (Irina N and others) digging with us for the past two years so we beat them to it :-) and besides Tall el-Hammam is most likely Sodom which is not even mentioned in the article. Disappointing that the Jordanian Department of Antiquities (DOA) has not even mentioned Tall el-Hammam in the article. Tall el-Hammam is at least a possible candidate for Sodom and may even have more archaeological support than Bab edh-Dhra but the article focuses on Bab edh-Dhra instead. That is the news for you half the truth and misinformed.

Interesting that they reference Wicked Pedia (Wikipedia) for their information about Bab edh-Dhra but do not mention Tall el-Hammam however the first External Link listed in Wikipedia is to my article where I do mention Dr. Collins and the work being done at Tall el-Hammam along with Bab edh-Dhra.

The debris at the bottom of the Dead Sea may be some other ancient site or just debris but in my opinion it is very unlikely to be Sodom. Still it will be good to see what is under the Dead Sea. I hope they don't jump to conclusion that just because they have found ancient artifact at the bottom of the Dead Sea that it must be Sodom. Sadly it appears this is what they have done. Come on people one needs more evidence than that. Like right time, right place and so on. The cities of the plain must be visible from the Israelis side around Bethel and Ai.

Tall el-Hammam Season 6

2010-12-13T08:10:00.000-08:00

Season 6 of the Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project has begun. The front team are on the ground in Jordan and team members will slowly congregate on site in the next few weeks until this year we grow to over 100 volunteers and archaeologists for another amazing season. Dr. Collins has extended our contract with the Jordanian Department of Antiquities for an additional 10 years so we will have many more seasons to report. This season is already shaping up to be an exciting and historic dig. We will keep you updated in the next few weeks as I leave for Jordan Christmas Day for the month of January.

There will be short video clips on You Tube this season to put you on the ground with us courtesy of Dr. Steve McAllister. Introduction of Front Staff

Here is a video of Dr. Colins argument for the location of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Search for Sodom and Gomorrah Video

NIV Revision

2010-11-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

Well the new update of the New International Version (NIV) is out and look forward to getting my hands on this new revision. Well now it is available online at Biblica and Bible Gateway. I have used the NIV since it first came back in 1973 and my first sample was a single copy of Isaiah of the OT. My old leather bound copy (1979) is still the one I use the most even though it is falling apart. I also enjoy the ESV and several study Bibles but always gravitate back to my old NIV. I love the way the NIV reads from the pulpit and also can easily be understood by children. The new committee has attempted to find a balance in the inclusive language debate and we will see how well they have managed to find a sensible compromise.

Dead Sea Scrolls Online

2010-10-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

Good news for scholars and novices, now they can examine exact copies of the original Dead Sea Scrolls along with an English online translation. For years scholars complained that these were not accessible for research. Finally the scrolls were published in 36 volumes but they are expensive and difficult to use. Now from the comfort of your laptop you can see them all on your laptop. Most of the 500 scrolls are housed in the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem where they are kept in climate controlled museum underground.

This project which will be made available through Google is reported to use state of the art photographic technology used by NASA and will provide exceptional images for study and research. This high-tech infrared camera is able to recover even faded areas of the the scrolls.

I have seen the DSS twice, once in Jerusalem and when they were on display in San Diego several years ago. The are the oldest copies we have of the books of the Bible and demonstrate the accuracy of the ancient scribes in copying the originals as demonstrated in the accurate copy of the book of Isaiah. LINK

The photo above is a reproduction of one of the scrolls that I took at the Qumran Museum in 2007.

Another location for Mt. Sinai

2010-09-04T15:53:00.000-07:00

Looks like we have another candidate for Mt. Sinai. Jerusalem Post Article We now have Jebel Musa (traditional location), Gebel Khashm et-Tarif, Bible Archaeology.org and now Har Karkom. At least this one is in the north like Gebel Khashm et-Tarif which does make more sense than Jabel Musa but Emmanuel Anati's chronology is wrong. Interesting they interview Israel Finkelstein as an authority and while he is an experienced archaeologist doesn't believe the Bible is an historical document. His comment “Roaming the desert with the Bible in one hand and the spade in the other is a 19th-century endeavor which has no place in modern scholarship.” I'd like to know what is wrong with using the Bible as a primary source and following the geography to locate sites. Even Heinrich Schliemann used the mythical Iliad and Odyssey to find the city of Troy. See Yamauchi, Edwin M. “Historic Homer Did it Happen?.” Biblical Archaeology Review 33, no. 2 (2007): 29-37; Yamauchi, Edwin M. “Homer and Archaeology: Minimalists and Maximalists in Classical Context.” In The Archaeology of the Bible: Reassessing Methodologies and Assumptions, edited by James K. Hoffmeier, 69-90. Oxford: Lion Hudson, 2008.

New Article Published

2010-08-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

This issue of the Bible and Spade includes Part 2 of my helpful article entitled, "Jesus Speaks to Seven of His Churches." I identify some of the more than 50 local references found in the messages to seven of the Churches in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). The majority of the photos were taken during a study trip to Turkey in 2004. As always the Associates for Biblical Research have done an outstanding job on the layout of the material and graphics. Special thanks to a good friend, Mike Luddenni, for a wonderful job on the layout.

Prophetic Lawsuit Motif

2010-07-02T05:45:00.000-07:00

Alan S. Bandy (Assistant Professor of New Testament at Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Oklahoma) has just published his dissertation on The Prophetic Lawsuit in the Book of Revelation. I proofread his dissertation and we collaborated together on our research as our subject matter was complementary. Alan focused on the vision in the book and I focused on the prophetic lawsuit structure of the seven messages. The Seven Messages of Revelation and Vassal Treaties

The website describes Alan's book as:

The language, metaphors and storyline of the Book of Revelation evoke a cosmic law court setting. Juridical metaphors of a legal contest between the faithful witnesses and the ‘accuser of the brethren’ are intertwined throughout with images of holy war. Although such features have often been noted, this is the first full-length study drawing together the diverse evidence and reading the book through the lens of the controlling metaphor of the lawsuit.

The background of the law court setting in Revelation is the Old Testament prophetic genre of the lawsuit, sometimes conceived of as a lawsuit against God’s own people for their violations of the covenant, sometimes as a lawsuit against foreign nations for their oppression of Israel. Prophetic lawsuit language often culminated in oracles of salvation announcing the vindication of the righteous.

Reading Revelation with an awareness of the prophetic lawsuit motif will enable readers to interpret the juridical images as consistent features in the overall narrative. The purpose of Revelation’s narrative is to depict the sovereign judge of the universe rendering ultimate justice through the condemnation of the wicked and the vindication of the saints. This message of vindication is intended to encourage Christians in Asia Minor at the end of the first century not to capitulate or even accommodate to the socio-religious norms of their time.

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I highly recommend this book for those interested in the development of the prophetic lawsuit motif in Revelation and an excellent complement to my book.

Article on Livias to be Published

2010-06-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

An upcoming issue of Levant Journal will carry an article on the identification of Tall el-Hammam as part of greater Livias. The title will be “Re-Examination of the Location for the Ancient City of Livias.” and it was co-authored with Dr. Scott Stripling. The article will be accompanied with several maps and photo's from the site and surrounding area. This article will challenge the current thought that Tall er-Ramah is the location for the city of Livias. Fifteen criteria are examined and majority strongly favor Tall el-Hammam over Tall er-Ramah. This season (six) we hope to collect further supporting evidence for our hypothesis. Our goal this season is to identify the purpose of the massive Roman building that dwarfs anything outside of Jerusalem in it size and construction. Join us if you want an exceptional archaeological experience. Official Tall el-Hammam Website

Top 50 Biblical History Blogs

2010-02-08T16:58:00.000-08:00

I'm please to announce that this blog made the top 50 Biblical History Blogs on Accredited Online Bible Colleges.org Deus Artefacta is listed under Archaeology and Place. Thanks for the vote. Now I feel compelled to blog more!!

Discovery of Ancient Livias

2010-01-29T12:42:00.000-08:00

Three milestone referents provide distances to the city of Livias. Livias is five Rm (7.5 km) S of Tall Nimrin (Eusebius On. 44; see also Jerome 45). A second directional reference is found in Theodosius where he states that “the city of Livias is across the Jordan, twelve miles [Rm, 17.75 km] from Jericho’ to the E (Topografia 19 [Wilkinson]).

The third and most important reference is the VIth milestone (milliaire) on the Esbus/Livias road placing Livias twelve Rm (17.7 km) W of Esbus (Tall Hesban; Eusebius On. 12; 18; 48; 136). Several milestones (II, IV, VI, VII) have been located along the via publica from Esbus (S. D. Waterhouse,and R. Ibach. “Heshbon 1973: The topographical survey.” Andrews University Seminary Studies 13 [1975]: 218-28; see also Henry Baker Tristram, The Land of Moab Travels and Discoveries on the East Side of the Dead Sea and the Jordan [2nd ed. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press LLC, 1874], 346). A fifth milestone was located at the VIII mile during the 2010 survey by Graves (Photo). The road between Livias and Esbus (Essebōn) was used by pilgrims traveling from Jerusalem via Jericho (Rollin and Streetly 2001, 172) and the Jordan River (‘twenty milestones away from the Jordan,’ Eusebius On. 84 [Freeman-Greenville]) to reach Mt. Nebo, the sanctuary of Moses (Eusebius On. 16; Eg. 10.8-9). The VIth mile marker was the point where one could either climb to the top of Mt. Nebo or turn N to visit the Ayûn Mûsâ [Springs of Moses] (Eusebius On. 136). The Mount Nebo Interpretation Display reads: ‘The Sixth Mile, near the Roman fortress of al-Mahattah, at Sarabit [milestone] half way between Esbus [Hesban] and Livias.’ This mile marker indicates that the Roman road was approximately twelve Roman miles from Esbus to Livias.

During the January 2010 season GPS coordinates were collected for the first time for the path of the Roman road from Esbus to Tall el-Hammam and Tall er-Rameh. The Roman road measures 14.1 Rm (20.98 km) to the Roman building at Tall el-Hammam and 15.3 Rm (22.6 km) to Tall er-Ramah. Recognizing that the tall at Hammam is over a kilometer long and the Roman building is in the centre of the site, one could expect the gate to the city to be some distance from the Roman building and indicate that the Roman road would be even shorter than the 14.1 Roman miles. From the GPS of the Roman road, it is clear that the distance to Tall el-Hammam from Esbus is closer to the 12 Roman miles than Tall er-Rameh and indicates that the area around Tall el-Hammam is a better candidate for ancient Livias based on the Roman mile markers.

Since I don't know where the city gate is situated for Livias and I measured to the Roman building, the measurement could easily have been less and closer to the 12 Roman miles indicated by the Roman mile markers. At any rate Tall er-Rameh, the other candidate, is 15.3 Roman miles from Esbus so it is definitely not a candidate for Livias. When the three measurements are triangulated the intersecting path falls over Tall el-Hammam. Add to this the GPS measurement and we can now say scientifically that we have discovered Livias. For the first time Livias is being excavated.

This picture is the Roman road as we walked it to take the GPS co-ordinates. This is the Roman mile marker that still exists on the Roman Road. Four other Roman milestones were relocated to the Mt Nebo Museum.

Herodian Stones

2010-01-20T06:58:00.000-08:00

After a two day rain delay we were back on the tall again. Found a piece of oil lamp (Roman ?) but the big news is there is a destruction layer under the pavement stones on the outside edge. The foundation layer (bottom two courses) look very Herodian while the stuff on the top is larger and different type construction. It looks like the foundation is Herodian while the top could belong to Antipas. The archaeology matches the primary sources exactly. Upon Herod the Great’s death in 4 BC, insurrectionists burned the city, and in 13 AD his son Herod Antipas rebuilt it (Josephus Ant. 18.27) as an administrative centre (Harold W. Hoehner, Herod Antipas: A Contemporary of Jesus Christ [Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academie Books, 1980], 47-48; Morten Hørning Jensen, Herod Antipas in Galilee: The Literary and Archaeological Sources on the Reign of Herod Antipas and its Socio-economic Impact on Galilee [Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2006], 10).

From the excavations today I can say that the foundation level was destroyed prior to the top section being rebuilt. The evidence matches the primary sources exactly. The archaeological evidence supports the argument for the site being Livias.

Moving Herodian Size Stones

2010-01-15T03:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a very exciting day on our dig. We discovered a small bronze coin in the Roman building. In addition we were able to right the cornerstone of the Roman building which had fallen out of its location likely due to an earthquake given its size. We figure it was well over two tons. We wanted it restored to its rightful place in the corner and off the wall where we were digging. With the help of Abu Akhmeds antiquated jack were able to prop it into place. Four of us worked for most of the morning but finally it fell into place and was a prefect fit. Leen Ritmeyer (Temple mount expert and archaeological architect) also arrived and had a look at our site. With his good eye we determined that there was a smaller building on this site that was added onto with 1.5 metre walls. A drainage hole was also located in the eastern corner of the building at floor level of the plaster/water proof finished bath area. This confirms that the corner where we are working was used for water collection such as a bath. The bathhouse may have been added to the earlier structure that has smaller walls. The large masonry construction and type of material would be consistent with a bathhouse and large volume’s of water. Large amount of water pipe are also being collected torn out by the night diggers. I hope they leave some for us to excavate in situ.
Dr. Collins also took us to a special location where they had excavated an early unexcavated Dolman (burial site). They worked quickly to carefully remove 12 whole vessels that may date to EB. This is only the second complete sealed Dolman to be excavated in Jordan and we were very excited. Perhaps photo’s will follow but for now we will give Dr. Collins the privilege of publishing this remarkable find.

Herod's Palace?

2010-01-13T07:19:00.000-08:00

Another hot day in the trenches. Our square 11 Y intersects this corner of the Roman building (35 M x 40 M). We also surprisingly found the bedrock/foundation of the wall. The foundation wall is protruding just .15 meters from the wall and this is what supports the sidewalk or road that run on the outside along the wall. Only a single course is now visible due to the modern framing and bulldozing. Also, under the sidewalk there was a layer of burnt char indicating a destruction layer in the building as Eusebius describes. The palace of Herod the Great was destroyed by insurrectionists and Herod Antipas his son rebuilt the city. The evidence from our dig matches the written record and argues for Livias as the identification of our site in the Roman/Byzantine period.

2010-01-12T11:18:00.000-08:00

The day before yesterday I drove up the Roman road leading to Livias to measure the road and document it by GPS. On the way up the road became so bad that our 4wheel drive could not make the hill so we parked our Toyota half ton and began to walk. We ended up walking over 4 KM all steeply uphill. Along the way we identified another Roman Mile marker. There was no inscription but this proves that we are on the Roman road. We stopped at a Bedouin's tent and asked how to drive down the Road as he was clearly using it. He said go to Alaresh near Tall Hesban and then find the yellow house. Once we found the house it was easy to drive down the road but we headed down the dirt road instead of following the paved road which we later learned was the road that leads to the Bedouin's tent. I will try later this week to GPS the actual route. The Department of Antiquities would like to move it to a museum if possible.

Day Off but still doing Archaeology

2010-01-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

Today was our day off so what do archaeologists do on their day off but visit other archaeological sites. We visited two interesting sites in the Madaba Plains.

We first drove to Madaba and then met the group on the bus and proceeded to Khirbat Iskandar (see our group at the site in the photo).

Khirbat Iskandar is an Arabic name that means the "ruin of Alexander (the Great)." The name does not reflect the ancient site as Alexander the Great lived in 323 BC and the sites was occupied in the Early Bronze Age. The Early Bronze Age (EBA) dates to ca. 3500 - 2000 BCE, a 1500 hundred year era that saw the rise and collapse of the first cities. It is subdivided into four periods: EB I from 3500-3100; EB II from 3100-2700; EB III from 2700-2300; EB IV from 2300-2000. There was an interesting city gate excavated here which we were interested in examining because we believe we have uncovered a similar EB city gate at Tall el-Hammam. For more information see LINK.

The second site we visited was the famous Tall Dhiban. According to the Mesha Stele found at the site, Mesha, a Moabite king, expelled the Israelites and established ancient Dhiban as an important settlement in the kingdom of Moab. Ancient Dhiban was also occupied in the Roman, Byzantine, Early Islamic, and Middle Islamic Period which became evident from the pottery remains lying around the site.

Just another day at Livias

2010-01-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

Today was a warm day at Tall el-Hammam (AKA Sodom/Abel Shittim/Livias) with temperatures reaching 18-20C. We closed the square that was proported to be a Roman cistern today. We struck water that had a strong sulfur smell to it but did not find a cistern. This will now be filled in so the local farmer can use the field. There was some Roman pottery but no wall for the cistern although there was a floor or surface lined with stones.

This is the corner of the Roman building. The cornerstone looks like it might have fallen off the corner because it is laying flat. We will determine this tomorrow if possible. The walls are 1.2 meters wide which are standard for Roman walls. We found another Tessaera which means that there is a mosaic floor in the building. We are now just getting down to the material that is not contaminated with modern debris and should find some additional Roman pottery. Tracy Stripling is standing in the inside of the building where she and Jessica Holmes (standing on the wall) dug for an afternoon clarifying the inside of the wall which falls in our square.

Sunday Jan 3 Scarb found.

2010-01-03T07:02:00.000-08:00

Today was a rather uneventful day but did find a scarab seal in mint condition in the outside of a Middle Bronze shaft tomb. The seal had a clear representation of the Pharaoh's name in the cartouche yet to be translated. I will not post a photo as it is unpublished at the moment but may help us date with more precision the tomb. Dr. Collins will no doubt have more to say on the scarab find later.

Sherassa is holding the remains of a large oil lamp discovered by the tomb from the Middle Bronze period. Those that know me realize how much I enjoy oil lamps so this was a real treat today. I have one in my collections that is very similar but smaller.

In my square today we may have reached the top of the cistern in the banana field. We are down about 1.3 meters and came upon what looks like a wall or side to the cistern. Tomorrow we will see what we find. I'm continuing to work on the 1.2 meter walls of the monumental Roman/Byzantine building. This will be a long slow process but hope to reach the bottom of the wall by the end of this season.

Heshbon Heart of Ammonite territory

2010-01-02T10:44:00.000-08:00

Today we were to walk the Roman road from Tall Heshbon to Livias (Tall el-Hammam). We arrived at 8:30am and asked around but could not locate the beginning of the Roman Road. We were situated on the highest point in this photograph. The valley below is part of the Wadi Heshbon and we knew that the Roman road veered off to the right so we headed out descending into the valley below. Four hours later we were exhausted and had walked from this entire valley and climbed up the other side to this point where I took this photograph. We will try to walk the Roman road again another day from the location of the Roman road below. I walked the lower half last year and know where that section is located. We found a house and the young man drove us back to our car at Tall Heshbon.

The significance of this tall, excavated by Andrews University, is that it was the center of the Ammonite territory and ruled by Sihon King of Heshbon (Numbers 21:26). the Israelites conqured it just before descending into the region below Pisgah around Tall el-Hammam and settling for two year before entering the promised land.

"Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge-- from the middle of the gorge-- to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites. This included half of Gilead." (Joshua 12:2). What an amazing privilege to literally walk the land of the Bible.

Umm Qais

2010-01-02T10:30:00.000-08:00

After lunch we visited Umm Qais. This beautiful site that overlooks the Sea of Galilee is right on the border. Umm Qais, situated 110 km north of Amman on a broad promontory 378 meters above sea level with a magnificent view over the Yarmouk River, the Golan Heights, and Lake Tiberias, this town was known as Gadara, one of the most brilliant ancient Greco-Roman cities of the Decapolis; and according to the Bible, the spot where Jesus cast out the Devil from two demoniacs (mad men) into a herd of pigs (Mathew 8:28-34). We were joking that this is where deviled ham got it's start.

It is characterized by its striking black (Basalt stone) and white (limestone) building material. This site was a real pleasure to walk through as the last time I was here it was raining and could not see anything but the restaurant. We stumbled on new excavations from this summer. They uncovered mosaics and water pipe that are similar to our site. It was great to see water pipe insitu (original location) and see a few squares of excavation on our outing. We had Chi in the restaurant patio as the sun was setting over the Sea of Galilee and then headed for home. We had to pass through 5 checkpoints and at one near the Israelis boarder they searched our car but eventually allowed to continue once we presented our letter from the DOA. We made it home to Amman and to a great nights sleep.

Jerash

2010-01-02T09:03:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we had a day off from digging so we headed to Jerash and Umm Quis. Jerash is one of the Decapolis cities and next to Ephesus one of the best preserved Roman sites in the Middle East. The round center of the city dates to the first century and was where the disciples would have walked evangelizing the local population. The city boasts several temples (Artemis and Zeus) along with 14 Byzantine churches. The highlight was some new excavations at the end of the cardo (main street). With our letter from the Department of Antiquities we are able to ender all the archaeological sites free of charge as archaeologists. This has saved us a huge amount of money as a team. We had lunch here after which we traveled north the the region of the Sea of Galilee (Jordanian side) and visited Umm Quis.

Coin discovered today

2009-12-31T06:39:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone. Today we worked at Tall el-Hammam. We no sooner got started than Lynn in our square discovered this bronze coin close to the surface. It may be a Byzantine coin considering it size. We will bring it back for cleaning and restoration. All the coins found thus far on the site were small and corroded beyond recognition.
Then I was off to work with the surveyor as we took the coordinates for Tall Tahoune and Al Mazzar. These sites will be placed on the map produced by the Total Station. The mosaic that I was taken to last season is now not only in a Banana plantation but also a Marijuana field. They are also guarding the area with weapons so needless to say we did not visit the site. However, we did visit with a local sheik who told us that his father and grandfather are buried there. We were able to get a local calibration for the Total Station so mission accomplished.

Archaeologists eat well

2009-12-30T07:44:00.000-08:00

We worked a half day today before it began to rain. Abu Musa, a local farmer, invited us all to his house at noon for lunch. On the menu was a native Jordanian dish called Ozzie (spelling subject to correction). One dish was fresh lamb from his farm and rice with peanuts and other local nuts. There was also chicken as well. Before we ate he brought out a large collection of whole jars from his property (or so it is reported to us). They all appear to be intermediate bronze jars. Between the food and the pottery it was a very good half day. Abu Musa has given us permission to dig in the middle of his fallow banana field so we are grateful for his kindness and generosity.

Chia in the field

2009-12-29T06:33:00.000-08:00

Today I spent most of the day with Qutaiba who is our surveyor. We took GPS co-ordinates of Tall Mishlehah (Roman quarry) and our Roman building to tie it all together. Here he is relaxing with the GPS having a hot cup of tea prepared by our bus driver. They put a mint in the tea called "Marameh" and it is delicious. We still have much to do to put all the locations on the map with the total station but will be easy to finish with the good weather.

Roman Mile Marker in Cistern

2009-12-28T12:37:00.000-08:00

Today we began work on our squares. We are told by the Jordanian land owner that there is a cistern in what was a banana field last year. Then he told us that there was a Roman mile marker that he has put down the cistern to fill it as it was very deep. He showed us the depression in the middle of the field and so we began the square yesterday and today. Time will tell if we have the spot or not.

Tomorrow our group heads to Petra and I will work with the surveyor and document the missing elements of the area and place them on the digital map with the total station.

The photo is from the John the Baptist Baptismal site at Bethany beyond the Jordan. At the spoke where it is commemorated that Elijah was taken up to heaven there is a Roman Mile marker which is similar to the ones along the Roman road from Ebus to Livias. Michele Piccirillo is the man who was involved in the discovery and publication of the Roman mile markers on this road. If the Roman Mile marker is found in the cistern then this means that our site was on the Roman road and certainly can be identified as Livias.

Jericho Brick

2009-12-27T12:00:00.000-08:00

On Dec 26 we traveled over to Jordan but before we did we stopped at Jericho. What is often not known is there are two Jericho’s. Old Testament Jericho and New Testament Jericho. We first visited Old Testament Jericho which is the oldest city in the world at more than 10,000 years old. During our visit we noticed some beautiful mud brick which was made with straw. I’m holding one of the ancient mud brick in my hands and you can see the straw which acts as rebar to hold the bud brick together. By contrast the mud brick from Tall el-Dabe in Egypt was made without straw as this was the punishment enacted against the Israelites. They had to produce the same amount of mud bricks but without the material to hold them together.
Then we drove about 2 Km west of Old Testament Jericho and explored the New Testament site. We climbed up Herod’s palace (our third of the trip) to view the Roman ruins below. This was the place that the New Testament stories about Jericho and Jesus took place.

Christmas Present 2009

2009-12-25T12:15:00.000-08:00

Today was Christmas Day and like all good archaeologists I worked part of the day!! We visited the Temple Mount Salvage project and found my second coin from the first temple period. This coin was similar to the one I found yesterday. We received our diplomas and then Zacy treated us to a final word as he explained the significance of all that we had found. A moving devotional and thought provoking comments under a large olive tree in the park they have created from the sifted remains of the Temple mount. We collected some sifted soil with the burn soot mixed with it from the Temple’s destruction. They refuse to charge anything for it and want to support the project with volunteers. There was a bus load of 60 young people arrive from an evangelical church in Singapore. They will stay for a few hours hear the explanation of the site and then sift some of the remains before heading out.

Once we finished this we headed for Bethlehem but had to stop at the Herodium before going on to Bethlehem. Here we saw the location of Herod's Tomb. It is ironical that Herod was the one who tried to put Jesus death at Bethlehem which you can clearly see in the distance. The irony is that Herod is dead but Jesus still lives so it was appropriate that we visit Herod first before heading to the place of Jesus Birth. What a contrast of cultures!! In one corner the was a minaret blaring with the Moslem call to prayer and then the whole centre of the square is decorated with Christmas lights with a blown up Santa in one of the shops. The square was crowded with people from every part of the country.

We had a great meal in Bethlehem did some Christmas shopping :-) and then returned home safely. Tomorrow we head for Jordan and cross over to visit the Baptismal site.

Coin found today

2009-12-24T11:05:00.001-08:00

Today was a productive day on the Temple Mount Salvage Operation. We sifted on the debris that has been excavated illegally from the temple mount and discovered this coin in my bucket today. We have found two other coins in the last three days. It looks the size of the windows mite but the coin will be sent to the lab where they will need to be cleaned and sent for identification. If it is a rare coin they will contact me. There is of course other finds such as lots of pottery, mosaic stones, glass, bone and even evidence of destruction from burnt bone and pottery.

After we left at noon we traveled to Quimran and then on to Masada. On our way back we stopped at the Dead Sea and some took a dip in the Dead Sea. What an unusual but blessed Christmas Eve.
On the way back some of our singer, composed a Twelve days of Christmas song that is truly original from events and people from the dig.

We travel to Bethlehem tomorrow. Merry Christmas to all.

Dead Sea Levels

2009-12-03T15:51:00.000-08:00

The Dead Sea is one of the most interesting bodies of water particularly as it is the lowest point on earth along the Great Rift valley in Jordan. We are interested in the levels of the Dead Sea because it helps to understand the narrative of the ancient text. Recently an interactive map was brought to my attention that displays the history of how the Dead Sea level has changed over time. What is particularly interesting for our research is that during the Byzantine period the levels were low and the Lison (peninsula protruding halfway down the Dead sea on the eastern side) is non existence just as it is portrayed in the Madaba map. This is significant because the Madaba map has Zoar situated at the bottom of the Dead Sea but does not show the Lison. This means that during the Byzantine period when the Madaba map was created the southern tip of the Dead Sea was just around where the Lison is today. There was not enough water in the Byzantine period according to the research done on this interactive map to create the Lison so it is missing on the Madaba map. So what are the implications of this observation from the Madaba map? Often people refer to the Madaba map for the location of Zoar south of the Dead Sea when in fact the Dead Sea was only half full of water in the Byzantine period and Zoar was actually in the region of the Arnon wadi.

Dr. Steven Collins made this argument at the recent ETS meeting in New Orleans and argued that Zoar is on the boarder of Moab on the Arnon wadi right where the Madaba map places it. The water level from the following link would confirm his claim. Click here for the link to the map. During the Byzantine period the Dead Sea was at its lowest point ever at about 400m.

New Book Cover

2009-11-01T22:40:00.000-08:00

Gorgias Press have published a reworking of my dissertation. The hard cover book is entitled The Seven Messages of Revelation and Vassal Treaties: Literary Genre, Structure, and Function. Gorgias Dissertations Biblical Studies 41. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2009. The cover has just been added to their website. This is the standard cover for the Gorgias Dissertation Biblical Studies series.

Gorgias Press Link
Eisenbrauns Link

Christmas in Jerusalem

2009-09-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

This Christmas will be spent in Jerusalem. We will be taking 15 others to the Temple Mount Antiquities Salvage Operation to work for a few day at this historic archaeological project. Here is a video by Sourceflix productions describing the nature of the project. LINK
Here is another video that has been posted by those working at the site. LINK

Logos Bible Software

2009-09-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

Logos Bible Software is celebrating the launch of their new online Bible by giving away 72 ultra-premium print Bibles at a rate of 12 per month for six months. The Bible giveaway is being held at Bible.Logos.com and you can get up to five different entries each month! After you enter, be sure to check out Logos and see how it can revolutionize your Bible study.

Book Release

2009-08-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous Press have published a reworking of my dissertation. The hard cover book is entitled The Seven Messages of Revelation and Vassal Treaties: Literary Genre, Structure, and Function. Gorgias Dissertations 41. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2009. Link to the book on Gorgeous Press.

They write:
"Graves provides an interdisciplinary approach arguing that the genre of the seven messages in Revelation 2–3 is hybrid prophetic oracle, influenced by the Torah. To support this he delivers a thorough and balanced treatment of the ancient Near Eastern vassal treaty structure and its influence on the messages to the seven churches of Asia Minor. Graves carefully traces the influence of the vassal treaty structure from the ancient Near East to the first-century, leaving no stone unturned in the process. This study also examines the function of the seven messages of Revelation within the context of the first-century church of Asia Minor. Why were these messages given to the churches and what was going through John’s mind in using the covenant structure?

This work is sure to interest those fascinated with the literary genre, structure, and function of the messages to the seven churches. Written in a readable format, this work is both an excellent introduction to the book of Revelation and a resource for the apocalyptic specialist.

"Dr. Graves seeks to shed light on the problem of the structure of thought in Revelation by placing the work as a whole and the messages to the seven churches in particular firmly in the context of the ancient near eastern vassal treaties that have also influenced the shape of covenantal theology in the Old Testament. This carefully researched thesis brings a new contribution to the interpretation of the apocalypse and deserves close examination." — I. Howard Marshall (Emeritus Professor of New Testament Exegesis, University of Aberdeen)

Thanks to all who helped make this possible.

The image is a tablet of Hittite laws and vassal treaties, Istanbul Archaeology Museum. © 2009 Dr. David E. Graves

Sodom Video Clip

2009-08-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

A new video clip has been placed on You Tube by Dr. Collins to try and provide some sanity to the bizzare and wild information that has been posted on this famous topic of the location of Sodom and Gomorrah.

ETS Tall el-Hammam Session

2009-05-02T19:35:00.001-07:00

This year at the annual Evangelical Theological Society meetings in New Orleans there will be an entire session dedicated to the research of Tall el-Hammam. Dr. Steven Collins is director of the Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project and serves as Dean of the College of Archaeology and Biblical History at Trinity Southwest University in Albuquerque and will provide an overview of the fourth season of excavations at Tall el-Hammam. There were some interesting finds this season that I'm sure he will want to share. Gary Byers, assistant director of the excavations will not only moderate the sessions but speak on the discoveries related to the culinary practices in the Early Bronze Age (Gen 10). Dr. Steve McAllister, field archaeologist will speak on the defensive walls discovered at Tall el-Hammam. Dr. McAllister’s PhD research was on defensive walls and together with the excavation findings over four seasons, will provide an interesting session. Finally, Scott and I, who are supervising the Roman excavations, will present our arguments for identifying the Roman ruins as part of the significant Roman city of Livias. Not only will this be a time of intellectual stimulation but reunion of good friends.

Wednesday Nov 18, 2009

Near East Archaeological Society
M-Ile de France I Room

Theme: General Session
Moderator: Gary A. Byers (Associates for Biblical Research)

2:50 – 3:30
Dr. Steven Collins (Trinity Southwest University)
“Tall el-Hammam Season Four: Data, Interpretations, and Insights from the 2009 Excavations”

3:40 – 4:20
Gary A. Byers (Associates for Biblical Research)
“Homecooking in the Early Bronze Age: Insights from Tall el-Hammam”

4:30 – 5:10
Dr. Steve McAllister (Trinity Southwest University)
“The Defensive Architecture of Tall el-Hammam: 4 Years of Excavation”

5:20 – 6:00
Dr. Scott Stripling (Belhaven College) and Dr. David E. Graves (Atlantic Baptist University)
“Livias: A Case of Mistaken Identity”

2009-04-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken (Jan 09) on our hike in search of the Roman aqueduct that existed in the Roman/Byzantine period on the back side of Khirbet el-Ḥebbēsa. I have doctored the photo and imposed a sample aqueduct where the remains indicated it ran across the gorge. The original aqueduct would have fed the five cisterns that I've calculated held over 1 million litres of water and would have been magnificent in its day. This water system was more than enough to supply a large city like Livias. This photo was taken the day before we located the aqueduct remains and had walked right through the base of the V in the gorge because they were so camouflaged. With the help of Dr. Kay Prags article and map several of us went back the next day and after much searching were able to see the water channels at the top of both sides of the gorge. The remains of the aqueduct were evident once located. We measured, photographed, and GPS'ed the ruins and just enjoyed the satisfaction of finding the water source from the hills somwhere behind. The aqueduct spanned 43.5 meters of the gorge and was 19m high. The recreation of the aqueduct in the photo shows what it might have looked like. Tall e-Hammam is located just behind the aqueduct in the photo. More details will be provided in an upcoming publication.

Lunch in Jordan

2009-01-20T10:35:00.000-08:00

Today we visited the house of our Jordanian Bus driver, Mohammed who put on a wonderful feast. The ladies sat in the other room while the men congregated in this room. Spread before us was a feast of hot coffee to start and then upside down chicken (ZaZa Gabera translated big chicken given to some of our team). Served with this was yogurt, fresh vegetable salad and the rice had roasted peanut over the top. Hot pita bread finished the course and made it most wonderful. Then more mint tea and then coffee and fresh oranges and tangerines for desert. Dr. Collins and Mike Luddini our photographer are the two on the right.

Khirbet el-Habbasa Aqueduct

2009-01-20T10:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday on Khirbet el-Habbasa we discovered another section of aqueduct that matches the one we have at the foot of the Tall at Tall el-Hammam. The plaster is of the same period and construction indicating that it was built/rebuilt at the same time. The aqueduct hugs the fortification wall and winds around the side of the Tall to link up with the aqueduct at the back of the Tall.

Off to Jordan Dig

2008-12-17T17:47:00.000-08:00

Early in January I'm off to the Tall el-Hammam dig once more. This will be my fourth season and every year is filled with unexpected discoveries. This season we hope to document a cross-section of the aqueduct uncovered last season and set down another square in the Roman structure. It would be good to find evidence of the exact dates for the structures. Coins found last season were too corroded to get any reading. However, all indications are that they date to the first century BC to second century AD.

Edersheim states that Herod Antipas resided in Livias instead of Tiberias during at least the building project of his capital city (Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. New updated ed. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1993, chapter 28). If Tall el-Hammam is Livias, which I strongly believe, then this would place Herod Antipas here during his reign. Edersheim argues that if Herod was living in Tiberias then we would hear more about Jesus from him. However, John the Baptist features large in Herod's mind, not only due to John's condemning message, but also due to the close proximity to Herod living in Livias. Our structure could be connected to Herod Antipas. Perhaps this was Herod Antipas' bath house given its size. We shall see what the archaeology tells us this season.

I will only have two weeks this year but will make the most of them. A side trip to the Wadi Rum is also in the works. This is the desert region where T.E. Lawrence (Arabia) was filmed. We will see if time permits and we can pull together the necessary logistics to make it happen. Again this season I hope to post various photos of the trip.

Smyrna Older than First Thought

2008-11-04T08:17:00.000-08:00

Archaeologists say that Smyrna (modern Izmir) is older than first thought. They are now saying that the city was occupied as early as the Neolithic period 8500 years ago. See News article. It was known that the city of Smyrna had a long history and was originally located at a different site.

Smyrna (modern Izmir) is in western Turkey (Asia Minor) about 35 mi north of Ephesus. In antiquity Smyrna, along with the other cities of the seven churches, formed a circular route.[i] The history of Smyrna was first thought to span some 3000 years from the tradition of her origins among the Amazons (ancient Hittites) until today as one of the most important cities in Asia Minor. In Paul’s day it had a population of about 250,000. It was an important seaport with two harbors in ancient times. One of these harbors could be closed for security, but had silted up by the early 19th century. The harbors stimulated trade and commerce that developed the city of Smyrna into a commercial metropolis. It was a beautiful city with purposely-symmetrical streets through which breezes off the Mediterranean cooled the citizens on hot summer nights.

The image is of the arch in the Agora in Smyrna. The face of the Emperors wife Faustina is still visible on the arch as a tribute for her rebuilding the Agora after it was destroyed in an earthquake in 147 AD.

[i] For a detailed historical background of Smyrna one can consult the thorough work by Cadoux (1938: 23–170); Cook (1963: 68–74); and a number of other helpful articles by such noted authorities on ancient Ionia as Ramsey (1979: 251–2; 1902: 553–56); Akurgal (1976: 848; 1985); Strahan (1919: 513–14); and Arundell (1834) and more recently D. S. Potter (1992: 6.73–5).

Akurgal, Ekrem

1976 Smyrna. Pp. 847–8 in Princeton Encyclopaedia of Classical Sites, eds. Richard Stillwell, William L. MacDonald and Marian Holland McAllister. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Arundell, Francis Vyvian J.

1834 Discoveries in Asia Minor; Including a Description of the Ruins of Several Ancient Cities, and Especially Antioch of Pisidia. London: Bentley.

Cadoux, Cecil J.

1938 Ancient Smyrna. Oxford: Blackwell.

Cook, J. M.

1963 The Greeks in Ionia and the East. Ancient Peoples and Places 31. General editor Dr. Glyn Daniel. New York: Praeger.

Potter, D. S.

1992 Smyrna. Pp. 73–75 in vol. 6 of The Anchor Bible Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman. London: Doubleday.

Ramsay, William M.

1902 Smyrna. Pp. 553–56 in vol. 4 of A Dictionary of the Bible, ed. James Hastings, et al. 4 vols. Edinburgh: Scribner.
1979 The Letters to the Seven Churches. Grand Rapids: Baker.

Strahan, James

1919 Smyrna. Pp. 513–4 in vol. 2 of Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, ed. James Hastings et al. 2 vols. Edinburgh: T&T Clark.

ETS and NEAS Meetings

2008-09-30T08:39:00.001-07:00

I will be attending the ETS conference in Providence Rhode Island this year. Look forward to connecting with a number of scholars and friends. Our Near East Archaeological Society meeting will also be there. I will be presenting a paper on the "Identification of Tall el-Hammam as Roman Livias."

Tall el-Hammam Dig 2009

2008-07-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

Many students have asked me about going along on the Tall el-Hammam dig in Jordan. Here is the information and prices for the upcoming dig 2009:

Tall el-Hammam Prices

Biblical Archaeology Review Find a Dig

The official dates are Jan 14–Feb 19^th 2009.

You have the choice of 4 different stays for the dig depending on your availability and funds. 16 Day, 23 Day, 30 Day, and 37 Day.

You can have your choice of periods to dig which include Middle Bronze, Iron Age, or Early Roman. Dr. Steven Collins believes that this site is an excellent candidate for the ancient city of Sodom (Gen 13-19). Why not consider a vacation of a lifetime and dig up part of this fascinating period of history (It was occupied in the Neolithic and Early Bronze period). It may have been Sodom (Middle Bronze) where Lot came to live with this family but because of the wickedness of the citizens was destroyed by fire from heaven. Then during Moses day (Late Bronze) it was Abel-Shittim visited by Moses and the twelve tribes of Israel as they waited in tents to enter the promised land. For two years Moses kept the Ark of the Covenant stood here while he wrote the book of Deuteronomy on our site. Then Moses goes up Mt. Nebo behind our site to die and the Israelites cross the Jordan River to take the city of Jericho and Ai. Then during Solomon’s day (Iron Age) it was a significant administrative center. It is still occupied during the Hellenistic and Early Roman period and called Livias or Julias after the Emperor's wife Livia. Because of its famous therapeutic hot springs early Christian pilgrims visited Livias for healing in the baths. Perhaps we will find evidence of these baths this season. Why would anyone want to go on a cruise?

Earliest Church Discovered?

2008-06-26T05:35:00.000-07:00

A Jordanian Archaeologist claims to have discovered the earliest first century church in Rihab, northern Jordan. Remember that Israel claimed to have found the earliest church outside of Meggido on the property of a local prison, a couple of years ago.

Now is there another Christian church? A cave discovered by Jordanian archaeologist Abdel-Qader al-Housan, director of the Rihab Center for Archaeological Studies is reported to have been used by early Christians (33 A.D. to 70 A.D.). The cave situated beneath a 3rd century church of St. George (one of the worlds oldest churches), contains a circular structure that may have been an apse, and the floor of the later church above contains a mosaic that refers to the “70 beloved by God and the divine.” Could these be the first disciples fleeing persecution?

A lot of questions still remained unanswered at this point. It is known that the first Christians were meeting in synagogues and not churches in the first century. Could this cave have been the locations that the Christians later believed was a holy place and used by early Christians and thus built a church on this location. Artefacts and pottery from this site will be extremely important to date this cave and may be virtually impossible to connect it to Christians in the first century. BAR magazine has a number of links for further information and photo's of the cave.

BAR Link

This will certainly be an important site for Jordanian tourism and Christian pilgrims now that it has been identified with the first century Christians. Whether it is indeed a church that the first century Christians used will require more evidence at this point.

Visit to Scotland

2008-06-09T17:32:00.001-07:00

Last week my wife and I visited Scotland for ten days while I travelled over to defend my thesis. We visited John O’Goats, Isle of Skye, Loch Ness and saw fields strewn with sheep much different from Jordanian breeds. It was a wonderful time to relax and see some of God’s creation and man’s. Here is a photo of grant tower at Urquhart castle. It was a beautiful day as we travelled to Inverness where we stayed for most of our time. We took a cruise on the Lock Ness but didn’t see Nessie as she is affectionately called by the locals. The coast to the north is dotted with castle ruins and although not as old as Tall el-Hammam was equally as beautiful to the eye of an archaeologist. Now it’s back to teaching, papers and life as we know it.

PhD Defense Successful!!

2008-06-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

Jane and I returned safely from our trip to Scotland. We had a wonderful time and a bonus in that I successfully defended my PhD thesis. The degree will be awarded from the University of Aberdeen subject to the completion of minor corrections. The graduation will be in October. Hope to post some pictures later of Castles and such.

Scotland Bound

2008-05-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

A week from today my wife and I will be heading off Scotland for a short vacation and then to Highland Theological College to defend my PhD entitled "THE INFLUENCE OF ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN VASSAL ON THE SEVEN PROPHETIC MESSAGES IN REVELATION EXEGETICALLY ILLUSTRATED BY THE MESSAGE TO SMYRNA." After six years of study I'm looking forward to having this portion of my research completed. Here is the abstract for any interested.

ABSTRACT

This thesis is a form-historical analysis of the influence of the ancient Near Eastern vassal treaties (ANEVT) on the seven prophetic messages of Revelation (SMR). It also surveys the scholarship surrounding the genre, structure and function of the SMR as it relates to the ANEVT structure.
The standard description of the genre of the seven proclamations of Revelation 2–3, set by David Aune, is “royal or imperial edict,” (Graeco-Roman influence. David E. Aune, “The Form and Function of the Proclamations to the Seven Churches,” NTS 36 [1990]:183; Prophesy in Early Christianity and the Ancient Mediterranean World [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983; repr., Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2003], 326) largely based on the idea that the texts do not “rigidly replicate the generic features of any known ancient literary form” (David E. Aune, Revelation 1–5 (WBC 52a; Dallas: Word, 1997), 125; Aune, “Form,” 195). This thesis challenges Aune’s statement by demonstrating a known form replicated in the messages, although not rigidly, namely that of the ANEVT via the Torah and OT prophetic lawsuit material. The vassal treaty formulary consists of preamble, historical prologue, stipulations, witness, and blessing and cursing. The influence of the ANEVT has a long history starting with the Hittite and Assyrian treaties and is identifiable in the OT pentateuchal material (Deuteronomy), and the OT prophetic oracles (Gerichtsrede, OT rîb-pattern). John is influenced by this heritage in the SMR.
The thesis argues that John is not duplicating either OT prophetic oracles or the message of Deuteronomy, rather he combines the covenant lawsuit message of the prophets with the covenant formulary structure (ANEVT) found in Deuteronomy to construct his own unique genre of hybrid lawsuit oracle. The ANEVT structure within the SMR is appropriate for prophetic oracles that call the churches to repentance and covenant faithfulness. John delivers the prophetic oracles using the metaphor of the ANEVT entrenched in the covenant lawsuit framework (form) to present the content of the prophetic message to the seven churches in Revelation.

Hammam Map

2008-04-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

Some have asked for a map of the region where we are working. I have imposed labels on the Google map to help with the identification of the sites. The sites of the Kikkar (Jordan Valley) are identified as:

Beth Jeshimoth
Teleilat Ghassul
Tall Rama
Tall Iktanu
Tall el-Hammam
Khirbet el Kefrein
Tall Nimrin

The green Roman road would be the route that ancient people would take to travel east. This is indicated by the Roman road evident from the Roman mile markers discovered on Mt. Nebo along the ancient Roman road.

The VI Roman mile marker clearly identifies Tall el-Hammam as the Roman city of Livias. See the Feb 18th posting for more details.

Six more Roman Miles to Livias

2008-02-18T19:34:00.001-08:00

In January I visited the Mt Nebo Interpretation Display, Jordan. While walking around the room I spotted this pillar and the sign that read “The Sixth Milestone of the Roman Esbus-Livias Road.” Now that caught my attention because I believed that Scott Stripling and I had discovered Livias and now we had some hard evidence that could locate our site. Another point of reference is in the writing of Eusebius who specifically mentions the VI^th and VII^th mile markers in his Onomasticon (136.5; 77.11; 48.3; 12.20; 16.24). Eusebius writes that Mount Nebo “is shown at the VI^th Mile of the city of Esbus” (Onomasticon, 136.5) and use of the road was “for him who goes to or goes up from Livias to Esbus of Arabia” (Onomasticon, 16.24). This road ran between Livias and Esbus (Hesban) and was used by pilgrims traveling from Jerusalem via Jericho and the Jordan River to reach Mt Nebo (sanctuary of Moses). The pilgrim Egeria used this road after stopping in Livias to travel up to Mt Nebo. The VI^th mile marker was the point where one could either climb to the top of Mt Nebo or turn north and visit the Springs of Moses. She writes:

We began to hasten in order to reach mount Nebo. As we went, the priest of the place, i. e. Livias, whom we had prayed to accompany us from the station, because he knew the places well, advised us, saying: “If you wish to see the water which flows from the rock, which Moses gave to the children of Israel when they were thirsty, you can see it if you are willing to undertake the labour of going about six miles out of the way.” When he had said this, we very eagerly wished to go, and turning at once out of our way, we followed the priest who led us ( McClure, and Feltoe, Egeria, pp. 20–21).

The Mount Nebo Interpretation Display reads: “The Sixth Mile, near the Roman fortress of al-Mahattah, at Sarabit half way between Esbus [Hesbon] and Livias.” The Italian group which constructed the museum on Mount Nebo states that the mile marker was between Hesban and Tall Rama. But as a good friend David Maltsberger describes Tall Rama it is “a wart on the buttocks of the valley.” It is so small you can hardly see it driving by. Compare this to the largest site on the Jordan Valley. Just look at google earth for the Kefrein dam and your site is huge compared to Tall Rama.

The Inscription on the milestone reads:

IMP(erator) CAESAR M(arcus)

AUR(elius) ANTONINUS

PIUS FELIX AUG(ustus) PARTHIC(us)

MAX(imus) BRITANNIC(us) MAX(imus)

PONTIFEX MAS(imus) TRIB(unicia)

POT(estatis) XVI IMP(erator) IT CO(n)S(ul) IIII

P(ater) P(atriae) PROC(onsul) VIAS ET

PONTES RESTITUIT

A HESB(unte) M(illia passuum) VI

The display at the Mt Nebo Interpretation center reads “The works were carried out by order of the governor Furnius lulianus in 213 AD, at the time of Emperor Caracalla.”

Tall el-Hammam is exactly 12 Roman miles from Hesbon, it is exactly 6 Roman miles from the VIth Roman mile marker. Tall el-Hammam is exactly where Livias is said to be not at Tall Rama. There is a map and alot more evidence in our forthcoming article.

Lost Roman Aqueduct of Livias Found

2008-01-28T15:18:00.000-08:00

The lost Roman Aqueduct of Livias (Eusebius, Onomasticon 48:14-15 [ca. AD 330]; Jerome 49:12-13 [ca. AD 390]; Egeria AD 381-384) has been found this season. The Aqueduct was mentioned being sighted by Thomson in the 1880's (William M. Thomson, The Land and the Book: Lebanon, Damascus, and Beyond Jordan (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1885), 668–70) but not identified in modern times until Carl Morgan, Scott Stripling and I came along. I traced 165 meters of this beautiful structure with 65 meters clarified. Livias was one of three cities built (rebuilt) by Herod Antipas in the 1st century AD. This aqueduct would provide spring water from the upper spring at the foot of the Roman hill just East of Tall el-Hammam. All of these Roman ruins would be part of ancient Livias. Scott and I will be publishing an article shortly on our discoveries. There is also a monumental Roman building which we noticed last season which would be part of this site and which Thomson possibly saw and claimed was a bathhouse. We will see in coming seasons as we clear away the centuries of debris which has filled this huge building. As one our team has stated "Don't be oblivious of course it is Livias". Stay tuned for more from Livias.

Birth of a Lamb

2008-01-01T11:52:00.001-08:00

The last few days we have been setting up the squares and identifying the wall on the Roman level. While working away on the site we looked up and there was a sheep that had just given birth. The photo is of the lamb and mother just after she had given birth. Never know what you will find on the dig site.

Tall el-Hammam, Jordan 3rd season

2007-12-30T11:54:00.001-08:00

This is the corner of a Roman/Byzantine building on the early Bronze Age level below the tell. This will be the area that Scott Stripling and I will be looking at for the next few weeks to determine if this is the site of Livias (Eusebius, Onomasticon 48:14-15 [ca. AD 330]; Jerome 49:12-13 [ca. AD 390]). This structure is a rare building in the Levant given the size of the monumental stones (2x1 metre) used for the wall. The stones are held together with mortar that is typically Roman. The weather is great for the next few days to get everything up at the site. The first wave of help will show up on January 2 with over 50 volunteers.

Off to Jordan Again

2007-12-19T18:32:00.000-08:00

Well I'm off Dec 25 for my third season, as a square supervisor, at Tall el-Hammam (Sodom). I will be working among some Roman ruins that may have evidence of Byzantine remains mixed in. If so, then this will help make my case for the location of Tall el-Hammam on the Madaba map (see previous postings). The Roman area is down on the plateau on the Early Bronze Age level (the flat area in the foreground of the picture). There are some massive building stones in what is the corner to a building and we hope to find some significant evidence from the Byzantine era. Weather looks great and Scott Stripling and I will be arriving early to help set things up. I hope to provide a regular update to my blog during the trip to let you know the finds of the day and some of the goings on. I may not be able to share all of the details from the site but will give everyone a sense of the adventure. We will also be doing some touring as in previous years. I will keep you posted.

Dead Sea Scrolls Display

2007-11-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

Following the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) meeting in San Diego, Rex Geissler and I traveled to the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park to view the Dead Sea Scrolls display. Although I had seen them in Israel at the Shrine of the Book over 10 years ago there were many that had not been on display before.

A piece of the copper scroll (3Q15 No. 18 col. X) that I saw in Jordan at the Amman museum in January was on display. The metal is 99% pure copper and one mm thick. The text is a list of hidden treasures that has stumped scholars for years. Over 100 tons of gold, silver and other objects were hidden with clues mentioned in the text. However, none of these have been located as yet if it is true and not merely a legend.

Of special interest to me was the best preserved manuscript of Deuteronomy 4Q41 (Deut 8:5-10; 5:1-6:1) dating to 30-1 BC. It was discovered in cave 4 in 1952. Here is the oldest copy of the Ten Commandments (Decalogue) in existence. I could see the scribe’s lines on the thin leather parchment.

Then one of my favorite Psalms was on display, Psalm 121 (11Q5 col. 3). This was so special because the word for God was written in Paleo-Hebrew script while the remainder of the text was in first century Hebrew. They did this out of reverence for Yahweh to set the text apart as special from the rest of the words. Many Jews believe that ancient Hebrew is a divine language and the four-consonant name of God (YHWH the Tetragammaton) is to be treated with the utmost reverence. It was found in cave 11 the year I was born (1956).

Another scroll of interest to me was the Messianic Apocalypse (4Q521). This texts quotes from the book of Isaiah which Jesus also quoted from (Luke 4:16-21; 7:22). It is a Messianic prophecy “And the Lord will perform marvelous acts such have not existed, just as he said for he will heal the badly wounded and will make the dead live, he will proclaim the good news to the poor and he will lead the . . . and enrich the hungry.” Jesus said this to John the Baptist who if he came out of the Essene community would have been aware of this both from Isaiah and the Messianic Apocalypse. John was well equipped to recognize the messiah when he arrived. “Behold the Lamb of God”

It was a memorable morning and fascinating to see these ancient documents first hand. In all there were 23 scrolls on display with 6 additional codices from the National Library of Russia, St. Petersburg, Russia. If your in the area these scrolls are a must see.

Northern or Southern Location for Sodom?

2007-09-24T04:51:00.000-07:00

The newest edition of Bible and Spade is out and our very own Allie Kobs from our square makes the front cover. She is a volunteer from Texas who while digging in the storage area behind a kitchen found the thrill of a lifetime. This Iron Age base from Tall el-Hammam was pulled out of the ground after 2700 years. The other pieces were there but in poor shape. Some of it may be mendable.

Inside this issue is an article by Dr. Collins on why he believes the northern location for Sodom is a better option than the traditional southern. He has written in a popular style and left out allot of the technical details but the basic arguments are present. Dr. Bryant Wood has responded with a more technical article although some of his arguments bewilder me (what has finding fruit in the area to do with any argument, everyone ate fruit and it could have been imported). They are basically the same arguments that he used 30 years ago when I investigated this topic for a paper in archeology class. I met with Dr. Wood, whom I have the utmost respect for, and he provided me with some of his articles that he wrote back in the mid 70's. The basic arguments have not changed.

Dr. Collins responds in a more technical paper point by point. "A Response to Bryant G. Wood's Critique of Collins' Northern Sodom Theory," BRB VII.7 (2007). After reading the two articles it will become clear that Dr. Collins has the stronger arguments. Bryant's strongest argument is the date for Abraham. But it is still a weak argument because of the reconfiguring of the accepted periods. As Dr. Collins has shown regardless of how you slice it Abraham comes up on the Middle Bronze Age which is accepted by most conservative scholars (Albright, Kitchen etc.). Certainly Dr. Collins will publish more detailed information from the seasons dig on the dating of the site but for now it is clear that there was a large Middle Bronze Age occupation on the tall. Whatever the exact date of the pottery it is still Middle Bronze Age and as Dr. Wood has pointed out his Early Bronze dates are fluid as well. There is allot of very exciting things being discovered at this major Middle Bronze Age site and even if you don't believe its Sodom it has a significant contribution to life in the Bronze and Iron ages.

2007-09-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

On November 16, 2007 Scott Stripling and I will be presenting a presentation at the Near East Archaeological Society (NEAS) in San Diego, California on the "Identification of Tall el-Hammam on the Madaba Map." It is also the joint Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) convention. I will be arguing that the unnamed site is Tall el-Hammam. We have published two articles so far on this discovery in the Bible and Spade and Biblical Research Bulletin through Trinity Southwest University.

The Madaba Mosaic Map indicates a prominent but unnamed site near the upper-left edge, just above the Jordan River. Various attempts have been made to identify it with Tall Iktanu, Tall Kefrein, Tall Nimrin, Tall Rama, and Khirbet Sweimeh. This article demonstrates that the better candidate for this site is Tall el-Hammam which boasts superior size, perfect location, abundant water, and Early Roman/Byzantine remains.

“Locating Tall el-Hammam on the Madaba Map.” co-authored with Scott Stripling. Biblical Research Bulletin 7.6 (2007): 1–11.

"Identification of Tall el-Hammam on the Madaba Map." co-authored with Scott Stripliing. Bible and Spade 20.2 (Spring 2007): 35-45.

Introduction to Biblical Archaeology Course

2007-07-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

The RS3463 Introduction to Biblical Archaeology Course will be offered this fall at Atlantic Baptist University on Mondays from 3:00-6:00pm. Here is a portion of the syllabus explaining the layout of the course:

There are many ways one can study, read and understand the Biblical text. The use of archaeological methodology to approach the text broadens the students understanding of many academic disciplines. This course will introduce basic archaeological method and explore how archaeological findings can clarify and illustrate the meaning and historical background of Biblical texts.

The course has four sections:

Understanding Biblical Archaeology
Sites and artefacts outside Israel
Sites and artefacts inside Israel
Student Research Project Presentations

Prerequisites: Any two courses of Religious Studies 1003 Themes of the Bible; 1013 The Old Testament and its Context; 1023 The New Testament and its Context

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

To gain knowledge of the methods of field Archaeology.
To gain knowledge of the history of the Archaeology of the Near East.
To gain knowledge of the archaeological findings in the Near East.
To illustrate and examine the role of archaeology and artefact in Biblical apologetics by selected case studies.
To demonstrate the role of archaeology for Biblical interpretation.
To explore the strengths and weaknesses of Biblical archaeology in authenticating Scripture.
To gain knowledge of the cultural settings of the Biblical World (economic, political, social, and religious)

Presentation at Highfield Baptist

2007-06-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

No its not Indiana Jones, as he worked alone, and I work with a great team of archaeologists. The poster was created by Mitch Mealey (ABU) for last month's presentation at ABU. Thanks Mitch for the great job.

On July 8th, 6:30 pm I will be speaking at my home church, Highfield Baptist Church, on the arguments that we make for the location of Tall el-Hammam as Sodom. I will be making a powerpoint presentation and display some pottery samples. Dr. Steven Collins director of the Tall el-Hammam dig makes an excellent argument for the northern location of Sodom right where we are working. Come out to hear the arguments and then decide for yourself if this could be the place that Lot chose to live and that was cursed by God in response to their covenant unfaithfulness. God rained down sulfur (brimstone) and fire along with sowing the land with salt (lots wife was caught in the salting).

If you want to come along on the dig then you can sign up at the Trinity Southwest University website. You can dig for two, three or four weeks in January 2008. Why would anyone go on a cruise when you can dig for pottery (smile).

Bible and Spade Articles

2007-05-18T05:34:00.001-07:00

I took this photo while on a trip in June 2004 with the University of New Brunswick Classics department. I had submitted it for use in an article for the magazine and was pleased it made the front cover. The Trajaneum in Pergamum, modern Bergama, Turkey. It was used for emperor worship. Emperor Trajan (AD 98-117) started the project and it was enlarged and completed by Hadrian (AD 117-138). In Smyrna, modern Izmir, Turkey, an earlier temple to Tiberius (AD 14-37) may have been similar in style. Excavated in the 1880's the Trajaneum was restored a century later in the mid-1990's by the German Archaeological Institute. I originally took the photo because of the white marble face overlaid on the stone block foundation. It was a good illustration of the facing that was used to polish the appearance of a building. This also shows a good example of a Corinthian capital.

For further information on Smyrna and the imperial cult see my four articles in the Bible and Spade magazine 2005-2006.

“Local References in the Letter to Smyrna (Rv 2: 8–11), Part 4: Religious Background,” Bible and Spade 19.3 (Summer 2006): 88–96.
“Local References in the Letter to Smyrna (Rv 2: 8–11), Part 3: Jewish Background,” Bible and Spade 19.2 (Spring 2006): 41–47.
“Local References in the Letter to Smyrna (Rv 2: 8–11), Part 2: Historical Background,” Bible and Spade 19.1 (Winter 2006): 23–31.
“Local References in the Letter to Smyrna (Rv 2: 8–11), Part 1: Archaeological Background,” Bible and Spade 18.4 (Fall 2005): 114–23.

Can the Bible be used in Archaeology?

2007-05-17T05:38:00.000-07:00

City Gate Ramp Into Troy - Where they rolled the horse in? Visited June 2004

Secular archaeologists are always saying that you can’t use the Bible to find an archaeological site (See archaeologists such as William Dever). My response is why not. Oh right because the Bible account is a myth. But who says which ones are true and which are false? OK then why can they use mythical texts to find archaeological sites but those who believe the Bible is historically accurate can not? Heinrich Schliemann used the mythical text of Homer (Iliad and Odyssey) to find Troy (Yamauchi, Edwin M. “Historic Homer Did it Happen?” Biblical Archaeology Review 33.2 (March/April 2007): 29–37). What is wrong with using the geographical indicators in the biblical text to find ancient sites. So even if the biblical text is myth (which I don’t believe it is) but for the sake of argument, even if it was myth, the writers still knew the geography of the region. In fact secular archaeologist use ancient texts all the time for clues to help find sites. The most recent discovery of Herod’s tomb was prompted by the belief that King Herod was buried in the Herodium because Josephus said it was there. See article. The ancient writers were very well aware of the geography. The secular archaeologist starts with the presupposition that the Bible is not true, sites don’t exist and therefore there is no point in looking for them. But Gen 10 mentions other sites (Nineveh, Ur, Calah, Babel, Erech, etc) which they accept as historical places. What is it about Sodom and the other cities of the plain that takes them off the list. Oh right it has a story they don’t like!! Interesting how people just pick and choose what they like in the Bible.

Second, sometimes I’m accused of trying to prove the Bible true. I’m not trying to prove the Bible because the Bible doesn’t need proving. It is true and doesn’t need me to prove it. There is enough evidence just in the Resurrection alone to prove the Bible true, but still people don’t believe because its not about the evidence (Luke 16:31). My presupposition is that the Bible is true and reliable and can be trusted even for its geographical locations. We may not always understand or interpret them correctly but that is one of the benefits of archaeology. However, as all good archaeologists do, we start with a hypothesis “Tall el-Hammam is Sodom” and then we look at the evidence - right time (middle bronze), right place (eastern most point on the Kikkar, round plain), right stuff (evidence of severe destruction at the right time and then no occupation for 500 years – no late bronze pottery) and we say - does the evidence match our hypothesis and we say yes, every bit of it. This is more evidence then most sites already called and accepted have produced. Short of an inscription that says "welcome to Sodom" we have all the evidence that is used on every other site to call it "found."

Lets see some of the evidence that this is not Sodom instead of just "it can’t be because the Bible isn’t true and the story is a myth." What criteria do they have for picking Nineveh and not Sodom from Gen 10 other than an unregenerate bias.

Turkish Christians Murdered

2007-05-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

Perhaps by now you have heard of the muder of three Christians in Eastern Turkey. I was in the region in May and my sympathies and prayers go out to the families.

Turkish News coverage of the funeral. YouTube video
Family friends testimony. YouTube Video
Fox News about persecution in Turkey. YouTube Video

Here is a part of a newsletter I received.

"On April 19 two Turkish Christians and a German missionary, working for a Bible distribution house in Malatya, were brutally murdered by Islamic extremists. The incident shocked many in Turkey, Germany, and around the world, and reports, detailing what happened, circulated the web. Although these reports were generally correct, some of the specific claims were exaggerated.

There has been a large media storm in Turkey following the events. Many Turks sent letters to the newspapers to express their deep disgust. The widow of German missionary Tilman Geske, Susanne, earned tremendous admiration for her words in a TV interview the day after the massacre. She said she forgave the murderers of her husband, the way Christ forgave his murderers, citing Jesus' prayer, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." This is the reason why she wants to stay in Malatya with her children. According to one source, it seems that more Turks are now interested to read the New Testament, and even describe themselves as Christians.

Several years ago, Necati, one of the Turkish martyrs, played the role of Jesus in a passion play. As his hands and feet were tied to the cross, little did he know that his hands and feet would one day be tied again in the same way, to a chair, this time for real... At a house church seminar he attended two years ago, one participant had a prophecy. He said: "Some of us in this room will pay with their lives for this vision." Back then it sounded a bit dramatized, but it became reality.

In a press conference following the killings in Malatya, Ihsan, pastor of the Kurtulus church in Ankara, to which the Malatya church was linked, said: "We will stay our ground. We will stay where we are. We are citizens of the Republic of Turkey. We live here. And if we die, we die."

Let's remember that persecution happens right now in many places in the world. Thousands of our brothers and sisters are paying the highest price for following Christ. Let's pray that God's will be done in Turkey, and that the blood of the martyrs will once again be the seed of the church."

Perhaps God will once again bring good out of such evil.

Sodom Display

2007-05-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

We have a new display here at the University of a few of the artifacts from Tall el-Hammam and other sites. There is Middle Bronze pottery and charcoal from the time of Lot (Gen 13), slingstones, flint, a MB oil lamp. There are also Roman coins and tablet reproductions. It has been hosted by the ABU Heritage Society and will be up all summer if anyone wants to stop by and have a look. It is right outside my door at the end of the hall. Oh and the poster is not Indiana Jones although Mitch Meally, in the ABU art department, did a great job in designing it for the recent "Searching for Sodom" talk. It is really just me looking at some pottery.

Archaeologist finds King Herod's tomb

2007-05-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

There has been a leak by an Israel newpaper that king Herod's tomb has been found with a hoard of artefacts. According to Ehud Netzer, who teaches at the Hebrew University, a monumental sarcophagus was discovered which would be the type used by a king. Josephus tell us that Herod wanted to be buried in Herodium which he built for this purpose (Josephus, Jewish War I, 670-673; Jewish Antiquities XVII, 196-199) but until now the grave had alluded archaeologists working here for some 35 years. It will be interesting to see what else they find in his tomb but it is not very hopeful as there were no bones found in the sarcophagus. Looks like grave robbers beat Ehud to them. The site was destroyed by the Romans about the same time as Jerusalem, the temple and Masada, in 71 AD. For pictures of the Herodium and palace check out BiblePlaces. The picture on the left is of Masada, Herods' other summer residence which is just down the road from the Herodium and was also destroyed about the same time by the Romans. This siege ended after two years with the Romans building a ramp to the top and then disovering that the Jews has all taken their lives rather than fall into their hands.

Society for Biblical Literature News Report
Here is Ben Witherington's article Blog
Photos of the Herodium National Park

First Complete Storage Jar

2007-05-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

This was the first complete piece of pottery taken from Tall el-Hammam, Jordan. It was found on Jan 8, 2007 in a residential area, with 6 other jars which were broken but mendible. It dates to 1000 BC (3000 years old). The interesting thing about the storage jar was it was only about 8 inches below the surface. Amazing that it had survived the destruction of the house, as the mud bring roof had collapsed and shattered the other jars. This one was in the centre of the room and not against the back wall like the others which may have had something to do with it's survival. The two jars on the left of the picture are from the museum in Trinity Southwest University and shows the way we can date the similar storage jars. The Late Iron 2A jars have these "monkey eared" handles and classic shape with the round bottoms. They would simply dig a shallow hole in the ground and set the storage jar in their spot. It would have been used to store grain, dry goods, oil or wine. There was a small amount of charred residue in the bottom which we took samples for carbon 14 dating. It will most likely be put on display in the Museum in Amman, Jordan or the new museum being built near Lots Cave. It was an amazing feeling to find this rare and beautifully preserved storage jar from the time of Solomon 1000 BC.

The Trowel and the Truth

2007-04-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Scott Stripling on the publishing of his book The Trowel and the Truth by Vision Publishing. Scott and I dug together for the last two seasons at Tall el-Hammam and became good friends. There are about 35 original photos and maps that were used to bring the text to life. I've been looking for awhile now for a textbook to use in my archaeology course but was unable to find something that was not too expensive (Hoerth/Ray) and that captured the material for the undergraduate level (Mazar). I was please to find that it provides an excellent overview of biblical archaeology for the undergraduate student or anyone interested in this exciting subject. From the title of the book one can see that it is written from a conservative (maximalist) perspective to emphasis the "Truth" of the biblical record. Scott is an experienced field archaeologist and knowledgeable in this fascinating discipline. The book was not written to be an exhaustive, detailed examination of artefacts rather the work will appeal to anyone interested in an overview of the discoveries and research in biblical archaeology. The book will appeal to layman, students, amateur archaeologists or teachers needing a text for their "Introduction to Biblical Archaeology" class. It is also priced for the student's budget. A great text I will use it in our next archaeology class. Great job Scott.

Bible Works Map

2007-04-14T18:48:00.000-07:00

I just received my update of the Bible Works 7.0 for my research. I was intrigued with the map features and wondered if they had Sodom on the map, as you can select various Archaeological periods for their sites. So I selected the EB and Genesis to see where they placed Sodom. Here is a map with their understanding of where Sodom is. Now I can't figure out for the life of me why they placed Sodom where they did. It is not under the Dead Sea (as you can tell from the satelite image the Dead Sea is all dried up now anyway). It is not at Bab Edh Dhra as they have them both on the map. And you certainly cannot see this site from where Lot was standing with Abraham, between Bethel and Ai, because Jerusaelm is in the way.

The news about Sodom has really heated up since the front cover article in the New York Times (Feb 24, 2007). Here is the full text of the Times article from one doubter mocking the dig. Even though the newspaper choose to write a human interest story instead of dealing with the archaeological facts of the dig it still has given the excavation at Tall el-Hammam some news coverage. For those wanting to know the real truth about the finds and how they substantiate a Northern location for Sodom here is a link to Dr. Collins own descriptions of this years finds. Dr. Collins is responding to the traditional understanding most have who are simply repeating what they can glean from all the available sources. Problem is that Dr. Collins and our team are the only archaeologists to actually dig on the site (others have only done surface surveys). So Steve responds to Todd Bolan at his site. BiblePlaces.com

I wish people would deal with the facts instead of just trying to write off the evidence as nothing or quoting the old theories with no evidence.

British Museum Display

2007-03-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

I just returned from teaching the Archaeology course at Oxford with our ABU and Redeemer students. Last Wed we took the students to the British Museum to look at all the artefacts related to our course. During my wandering I spotted several displays from sites I had been on in January. Here is the pottery display at the British Museum from Bab edh-Dhra (see post for Friday, January 12, 2007 for details on this site). This is the southern location for those who believe Sodom located at the bottom of the Dead Sea. However, as this pottery proves (Notice the ledge handles on the storage jars a clear indication that these are definitely Early Bronze Age storage jars) the occupation is from the Early Bronze Age and too early for Abraham and Lot. Not only is this site is the wrong place to be Sodom but it has the wrong stuff from the wrong time. Tall el-Hammam is a much better location for ancient Sodom. Right place, right time, right stuff!!

Four Room House

2007-01-20T05:15:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of an excavation and partial reconstruction of a fourroom house from Tall Umayri. It dates to the late Iron period just like the residence area we have been working in. It may well be the type of house we have been working on for the last month at Tall el Hammam. There are three rooms in the front with a back room over which is place wattle and daub (sticks and twigs) which form the roof then mud brick is placed on top. When this all catches fire and fall on the interior floor surface you have a mixed matrix of mud brick, burnt char, and usually pottery that it lands on. For us to recover an entire storage jar from the centre of the room is very rare and a beautiful example of late iron storage vessels. There was also a wonderful example of a Late Iron age rampart with the Middle Bronze Age rampart below it, resting on bedrock. The outer casement wall from the early iron age is evident which we anticipate to see in the near future. It is always good to see a finished site to see what we can expect to find in our site.

Bab edh-Dhra the Southern Sodom

2007-01-12T10:24:00.000-08:00

Today we visted the ancient castle of Karak high on the ridge of the kings highway. Then it was off to see Bab edh-Dhra the site of the southern argument for Sodom.

Between 1965 and 1967 Bab edh-Dhra was excavated under the direction of Paul Lapp. Much work was done at a large cemetery south of the city. It was more than five-eighths of a mile in length and at least half that wide. If the work which was done is typical, the area may contain a minimum of 20,000 shaft tombs estimating the dead at over half a million and the number of potsherds at two million!

Unfortunately, Paul Lapp died unexpectedly in 1970 and the task of further research fell to R. Thomas Schaub and Walter E. Rast. They set out to answer some unanswered questions about Bab edh-Dhra. In late May, 1973, they began to examine some similarities between pottery from Bab edh-Dhra and pottery found at Safi and Feifa.

In first examining the Feifa site they discovered a burial ground which could compete with Bab edh-Dhra in size and usage. Then they found the remains of a city wall and a tower. Early Bronze Age 3000-2350 B.C. pottery was also discovered which placed this ruin in the same time period as Bab edh-Dhra. Feifa was discovered on the north side of the Wadi Feifa.

While exploring the Wadi south of Bab edh-Dhra, Schaub and Rast came upon another early bronze fortification. Numeira was also located on a level top of a plain just south of the spring, Wadi Numeira. We visited Numeria as well on the way back from Bab edh-Dhra.

There was a pattern forming. Each of the early bronze sites was discovered built on a piece of ground overlooking a Wadi (ravine), enclosed by a stone wall with a tower at one end, and situated near a spring.

Now knowing what to look for, Schaub and Rast combed the area between Lisan in the north to the Southern tip of the Ghor between Numeira and Feifa. They found Safi located on a piece of limestone overlooking the Wadi Hesa where they found early bronze pottery. They again found a cemetery that could compete with Bab edh-Dhra and Feifa in size and kind. The last early bronze site to be discovered was Khanazir, the southern most city located on the northern side of the Wadi Khanazir. This site has all of the common characteristics of the other four sites with the exception of the cemetery.

Dr. Collins argues that Bab edh-Dhra could not be the site of Sodom because “Bab edh-Dhra was destroyed several hundred years before Abraham and Lot were ever born, and besides, it’s entirely in the wrong place!”

Find of the Week

2007-01-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

The last two days we dug at the site with more pottery coming out of the ground. There was another pot come out of the ground. This was the sixth vessel. We worked just a half day today as alot of the people are leaving at midnight. It was really windy today and alot of mud brick powder blowing everywhere on the Tall. At noon it settled down but we came back and cleaned our pottery and did our pottery reading from the previous day. Then the day was filled with paperwork.

Tomorrow we leave for Machaerus where John the Baptist was beheaded by Herod and then Aroer which is where the Israelites entered from Egypt into the promised land as they made their way up to Mt. Nebo. It was raining the other day so we are stopping again for a quick shot at Nebo. Then on Friday we go to Bab edh-Dhra the other location for Sodom (Dr. Wood's location). We also visit lots cave and other Byzantine ruins. The weather is suposed to be sunny tomorrow.

Here I am with Carl Fink in front of our office on the Tall. I am congratulating Carl on his great find on our adjacent square. We have been working on the pottery that lays against back wall that intersects our squares. While some sqaures are only moving dirt around monumental walls we have lots of finds and interesting things happening at our site.

Jar of the Day from Hammam

2007-01-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

Today was another great day in the site. The rain has stopped and the site has dried up enough to work. After almost 3 days of sitting around we were anxious to get back to work. Well it wasn’t long before we found a rim and the more we dug the more of the storage jar was intact. First it was one handle then the other and before long it was the entire jar. This is the first complete vessel taken from Tall el-Hammam complete and intact. Speaking to the Jordanian archaeologist from the region there are very few of these in the area. It is a complete Iron Age II storage jar from a storage room behind the living quarters of an Iron age house. This would date from the time of Solomon to put it in historical context. We took samples from inside to be sent away for analysis. Now we believe we have found the floor of the house as the storage jars were sitting on it. We will see tomorrow. These are the two ladies, laural and Marlene, who discovered the jar and dug it out. The jar was between our square and the one next to us supervised by Carl Fink. We took the balk out to get this full piece out. It was a good thing we did. Perhaps it will be displayed in the Amman Museum or the new museum at the foot of Lots Cave. It will be a great feeling to visit the Museum and say that you had a hand in excavating this beautiful intact Iron Age Storage Jar. What a rare find!!

Tall el-Hammam on Madaba Map?

2007-01-08T10:22:00.000-08:00

For two days now it has been raining in Jordan so we have been confined to our hotel where we did pottery washing and reading. However, one can only do so much of that so we rearranged our tours and drove up to Mt Nebo (where Moses looked over the promised land) and then drove to Madaba where we viewed the Madaba map of Palestine (see photo). In the upper right corner of the map there is a site the name missing. Since it is across from Jericho (bottom centre) on the other side of the Jordan river I believe it to be Tall el-Hammam. While scholars say it is Nimrim, Iktanu, or Kefrein it is a much larger site than any of these and for other reasons I believe it to be our site of Tall el-Hammam. I hope to publish an article on this find in the Bible and Spade magazine and the Near East Archaelological Bulletin in the coming year.

It rained all day and some went out to the site (Tall el-Hammam) in the afternoon to check it out. Well there was a foot of water in some of the lower squares. So it was good that we didn’t dig today.

Day 5 Jerash, Jordan

2007-01-05T11:17:00.000-08:00

A busy day today. We headed for Jerash for a tour and it was overcast but no rain at that spot then we headed north to the Sea of Galilee and a high fortification overlooking the Golan heights and Sea of Galilee. But it was raining hard and so we ran up to the restaurant and then ran down. We met a girl from Norway who sold her apartment and was on her way around the world. It was her 11th month of 12. She was trying to keep warm by the fire. It was really cold up north today.

Then we drove to Pella which is an archaeology site that the Finish are going to be excavating tomorrow for 6 weeks. It has some excavated middle bronze stone we wanted to show the students so they would know what they looked like. They are really, really big. The late iron on the top are much smaller and easy to move. Glad it’s not the other way around.

When we got back to the hotel it was pouring. While we were having supper they told us that we should go out as there was an emergency. Well we all ran outside and stood under the porch and it was the loudest thunder and lightening that I have ever heard. Well it was a false alarm so I was wet for the third time. I’m going to get into the shower just to get dry.

It is going to be raining here for the next two days so we will not be digging tomorrow but reading pottery and doing some training.

Tall el-hammam full jar rim discovered

2007-01-04T11:17:00.000-08:00

Today was another day of filling buckets with pottery. What a rich site for pottery! We have taken our third large storage jar. We have found one with a complete rim. We will be able to glew it back together again. Here is our square team with Mike on the far left. He is a nucular engineer retired now and wanted to come on a dig. He actually discovered the storage jar just poking out of the ground. Vanya Talylor holding the jar rim is from El Salvador and married to Aaron one of our square supervisors and extracted the third storage jar. She holds the rim and upper collar. Next in the back is myself taking a rest. Ali worked on the first jar yesterday. And George on the end is the curator at the Trinty Southwest University museum and assisted in the extraction of the jars. It was a real team effort. In the back ground you can see Jericho and Jerusalem in the distance. It was a beautiful clear day this morning to see the cities clear as day.

We have tomorrow off and leave for Jerash to visit the beautiful Roman ruins. We will have photo's from the trip tomorrow.

Day 4 Tall el-Hammam Storage pots

2007-01-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

What a fantastic two days we’ve had. We have been working away on our house in the residential area but behind the back wall we discovered the top of a pot and low and behold there was a storage pot and it was the whole vessel (broken but mendable) in our first “residential” context (Iron Age). We have about four or five maybe more laying against the back wall. This also means that we have hit the floor of the storage room and should give us the floor of our kitchen.

We (Ali and I) were able to extract the bottom intact. We should also be able to find many other jars and vessels in the storage area. Tomorrow will be a busy day with all this pottery. And of course we will need to was it all.

We have a couple other squares where they are finding nothing but dirt and so our fellow diggers are wishing for our good forturne. In archaeology you just never know what your going to get. But didn't I say that there would be good stuff in the corners of the rooms.

Day 3 at Tall el-Hammam

2007-01-02T11:15:00.000-08:00

Today we set up the square and began excavating what looks like two wall in a residentical area. We are finding alot of pottery and grinding stones and such. The crew are really working hard. Here is Vanya one of our workers just getting ready to start the day. The view is amazing as we look across the Kikkar to Jericho in the distance.

What is so good about the residential areas is that all the good stuff is in the corners. It looks like we have corners and so there may well be some surprises for the crew. We are working with two ladies and two guys. George is our assistant supervisor but we may open another square to the east tomorrow and George will likely take the lead on that one. Weather has been warm in the mid 60's and everyone is enjoying the fellowship. With 60 + diggers I think this is the second largest dig in Jordan's history. What a privilege to be digging on such a large, imporant site. We can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

Petra, Jordan in the snow

2007-01-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

Reporting from Petra, Jordan.

We travelled to Petra today the capital of the Nabateans. This picture is just outside of the park where they received 20 cm or more of snow. This rare occurrence came as a shock to the locals.Cars were off the road.People were shovelling their driveways in sandals and the site was closed the day before.The inside of the park was not full of snow and hundreds of tourists crammed into the small passage (the siq) to make their way to the treasury.This remote desert stronghold is the home of the Edomites of Scripture. It was discovered in 1812 by a Swiss explorer explorer Johann Ludwig Burchhardt . The homes are carved out of the beautifully colored sandstone formations and the Bedouin lived here until 1982 when the Jordanian government build houses outside the ancient site.

Arguing the Location of Sodom

2006-08-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

My interest in Sodom has spanned the last 30 years. It was the topic of the first paper I wrote in my undergraduate program arguing at the time for Bab edh-Dhra as it was the best candidate we had at the time. I spoke with Dr. Byrant Wood whom I have the deepest respect for and relied heavily on his research in the Bible and Spade magazine. He argued from some geographical indicators, such as being located near a Wadi, that five ruins must be the five cities of the plain. Most of the research was focused on the fact that all shared destruction in the Early Bronze Age and Paleoethnobotany evidence that the inhabitants were well fed. While there were references made to Gen 13, particularly arguing for the location of the “cities of the plain” being on the mountain ridge rather than on the plain, much of Gen 13 was neglected.

Wood also argued that the Hebrew words are Kullahh Mashgeh which literally means “to be completely and totally irrigated”. The source of water for the irrigation system would come from the eastern hills. These five sites were located at the point where these springs entered into the Ghor. These cities would overlook and control the irrigation flow. However, building near water would be natural for any settlement.

Also the phrase, cities of the plain (Genesis 13:12; 19:29), in Hebrew is in the 'construct state'. This means that the word ‘cities’ has a very close association with word ‘plain’ but according to Wood does not mean the cities were on the plain or in the plain. The strategic position of the cities overlooking the Ghor would act as a natural defence. Also, the cities would not have been built upon the plain because the land was too useful and precious. It would also be extremely hot to live at 1200 feet below sea level where the temperature would rise as high as 130 F. It would be cooler on the higher level where the cities were uncovered. These arguments however are all circumstantial and based on speculation rather than archaeology or hard facts. Besides, the “construct” argument actually strengthens the northern location since Tall el-Hammam is actually on the plain. Cities does indeed have a very close association with the word plain.

Then 15 year later I rewrote the material from my paper and included it within The Biblical Scroll, Multimedia Study Bible CDRom. I had been a proponent of the southern location for this time based on the meagre evidence we had at the time. It was all the evidence we had at the time. And besides Albright and Wright said it was in the south Dead Sea region. As has often been said “show me a better location for Sodom”.

Well I believe that Dr. Collins has shown us a better candidate for Sodom – Tall el-Hammam. The arguments are stronger and more richly supported by substantial facts which makes the Northern location of Tall el-Hammam not only possible but plausible. It is in the right time (Middle Bronze Age, although a small minority wish to debate if Abraham lived in the Middle Bronze Age), right place (kikkar argument is strong and must be connected to the Jordan River and the site is definitely on a well watered plain even today, strategically located on the NS and EW trade routes where people would want to live in ancient times, visible from the region of Bethel and Ai while the southern location for Sodom is not), with the right stuff (once destroyed in the Middle Bronze Age no occupation until the Late Iron II like all the other cities of the plain, while in the Late Bronze Age they are living in the hill country but not on the plain).

As has been pointed out before locations of major Biblical cities (Bethsaida, Bethel, Gath, etc.) have been called with a whole lot less evidence than this and been accepted by many scholars. Furthermore, the biblical account (Genesis 14:1-16) of the battle between the kings of the Cities of the Plain and the forces of Kedorlaomer in the valley of Siddim fits the northern theory perfectly as one traces the battles down the Transjordan around the southern tip of the Dead Sea, over to Kadesh and then up as far as Hazazon-tamar (probably En Gedi) until he encounters the kings of the cities of the plain. The tar pits where the soldiers were stuck are the black slime pits that look like tar along the western shores of the Dead Sea (even today En Gedi is famous for these slime pits used in their spa as I’ve experienced this first hand).

Again I ask is there another site that meets the Biblical criteria? I’m open to suggestions. I’ve changed my mind once and would be willing to do it again if there was better evidence than what we have at Tall el-Hammam. The only way I believe there could be stronger evidence would be an inscription that said “welcome to Sodom” at another site. And who knows this season we might even find that at Tall el-Hammam. From all the geographical and archaeological indicators the evidence is overwhelming. Of course I’m an Evangelical who accepts the biblical account as a historical record. It would be easy to make this all go away if you believe this is nothing more than a myth.

“Are they [Biblical record] purely fiction, containing nothing of historical value, or of major historical content and value, or a fictional matrix with a few historical nuggets embedded? Merely sitting back in a comfy armchair just wondering or speculating about the matter will achieve us nothing. Merely proclaiming one’s personal convictions for any of the three options just mentioned (all, nothing, or something historical) simply out of personal belief or agenda, and not from firm evidence on the question, is also a total waste of time.” K.A. Kitchen, On the Reliability of the Old Testament, p. 3

Square Supervisor Training

2006-08-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

Just returned from Square supervisor training for the Tall el-Hammam archaeology dig in Jordan Dec 2006-Jan 2007. Many of our original workers were present as we entered 3 days of training on pottery reading and learning the finer elements of top drawings. Had a chance to visit the museum at Trinity SouthWest University, Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is a small but well laid out museum with original artefacts and reproductions from the Neolithic period through the Roman period. This is a shot of the ceramic typology display showing the hangles rims and bottoms for each of the different periods displayed on a typical storage jar from each period. They also have a great gift shop with many reproductions and gifts for the entire family. Of course I added a few pieced to my collection!!

Twelve Hittite gods

2006-06-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

The site of Yazilikaya was a special treat. We ran into another young archaeologist from Michigan who was digging at Aphrodisias and had taken a taxis to visit this site then was on her way to Gordian. It was a pleasure to speak with her although briefly.
Here are several chambers with amazing reliefs from the 13th century BC. There are several well preserved reliefs here. One is a "procession of the pantheon of Hittite gods on the walls of an already existing sacred rock chamber approximately a mile northeast of Hattusa." Fant and Reddish, A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey, 225. Here we have the procession of twelve male Hittite gods of the underworld carrying curved swords. The sun was going down and allowed exceptional shadows on the walls for detailed photos. For 3200 years old they were in incredible shape.

Hittite Ruins Visited

2006-05-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

We also visited the Hittite ruins in Boğazkale, Yazihkaya, and Alacahöyük in central Turkey along with the underground city and churches (726-843 AD) in Cappadocia (1 Peter 1:1-2). Here I am standing in between the Lion gates (14-13 BC) of the Hittite capital Hattusa. The lion on the left has lost its head and the lion on the right has lost its teeth. "Note the characteristic Hittite treatment of the mane, whiskers and breast hair and the clumsy body which rests on stilt-like legs. There is a barely visible inscription in Hittite hierogplypic scritp on the flank of one of the animals." Blue Guide p645

This photo minus myself is featurerd on the cover of the recent Bible and Spade magazine.

Mt Ararat

2006-05-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

Just returned from Mt Ararat in Turkey and a successful negotiation with Ataturk University. ArcImaging signed another historic document with Ataturk University to partner in research on and around Ağri Daği (Mt. Ararat) for later this year. It looks very promising for the Turkish authorities to grant us our research visa's.

The fields were green from the spring melting and the Mountain was gorgeous with the covering of snow from the winter yet to melt. the contours of the mountain were clearly seen from the snow laying in the ravines. Although it had rained for the past month it was blue skies for the entire two days and in fact for our entire trip. Only rained one during our trip to the Hittite ruins.

Turkey Trip

2006-04-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

Rex Geisller, President of ArcImaging, and I leave for Turkey next Sunday for an 8 day trip to meet with Turkish officials and Ataturk University's archaeological department. We hope to finalize plans to secure our research permits to work on Mt. Ararat in July. We will be traveling extensively over the 8 days and hope to have a few photo's to share. There has been alot of instability in the eastern part of the country so please pray for us as we travel.

More info on Sodom

2006-04-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

Here is more detailed information on Sodom for those who wish to check it out. It's the Sodom topic from the Biblical Scroll, the CD rom I've developed and distribute through eGames. This is a rewrite of the online Sodom article reflecting the new information available since my visit and work with Dr. Steven Collins at Tall el-Hammam. This new information will not be found on the CD but only available online as the CD's are already produced and in stores.

The photo is of Field D at Tall el-Hammam: That me in the centre clearing and clarification of cut-away section created by military trenching reveals a 3m-thick Iron Age city wall built into and over an earlier, massive structure built of packed earth and yellowish mudbrick (the Middle Bronze rampart?). This is where I ran into the snake!! (see the January 14th post).

Truth about the Da Vinci Code

2006-04-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

There is so much hype over Dan Brown's book the Da Vinci Code it demands a response. Here is a great site for information setting the record straight and telling you what Dan Brown failed to tell the public. His book is a masterful work of fiction based on many Gnostic falacies and misinformation. The site is sponsored by Westminster Theological Seminary and called The Truth about Da Vinci.

Tall el-Hammam not Shittim

2006-04-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

The Zondervan Archaeological Bible has an article on page 233 that states that Tall el-Hammam is the ancient site of Shittim, the last stop for the Israelites before crossing into the promised land. Scott Stripling has an excellent article in the recent Newletter "Digging the Past" the official newsletter of TeHEP (Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project). You can read this article along with the official season excavation summary at the Trinity SouthWest website. Also the argument is well made that Bab edh-Dhra' is not Sodom. Dr. Collins points out "Bab edh-Dhra was destroyed several hundred years before Abraham and Lot were ever born, and besides, it's entirely in the wrong place!" Tall el-Hammam has all the marking geographically, chronologically, and stratigraphically. Check out the satellite image for yourself and see if it is on the edge of the round plain (Hebrew Kikkar) of the Jordan Valley.

Gospel of Judas

2006-04-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

Well by now everyone has heard of the Gospel of Judas Codex (leather bound booklet). This document is part of a collection of three Gnostic works (part of the Nag Hammadi Codices) written in a dialect of Coptic and dating from about AD 300. What is not often mentioned is that scholars have been aware of this document since the time of Irenaeus of Lyons (ca. A.D. 180; 2nd century AD) who likely referring to this document in his massive work Against Heresies (Book 1, Chapter 31, Section 1). Irenaeus was a Christian apologist who was writing against a heretical sect in the early church called Gnostics in his chapter on “Doctrines of the Cainites.” Here is the section that Irenaeus mentions the document.

Others again declare that Cain derived his being from the Power above, and acknowledge that Esau, Korah, the Sodomites, and all such persons, are related to themselves. On this account, they add, they have been assailed by the Creator, yet no one of them has suffered injury. For Sophia was in the habit of carrying off that which belonged to her from them to herself. They declare that Judas the traitor was thoroughly acquainted with these things, and that he alone, knowing the truth as no others did, accomplished the mystery of the betrayal; by him all things, both earthly and heavenly, were thus thrown into confusion. They produce a fictitious history of this kind, which they style the Gospel of Judas (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 1.31.1 [Schaff]).

It appears that we now have this document that is mentioned by Irenaeus and others although this is the earliest mention. This would mean that it would date to before AD 180 perhaps as early as AD 130-170 and probably originally written in Greek. The text is available at http://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/manuscripts/gospel_of_judas/. There are many related article here as well.

The Gospel of Judas opens as most Gnostic gospels to with “The secret account of the revelation that Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot…” The Gnostics claimed that they had kept the secret information of early Christianity and that is why we have never heard it before. Sounds like an early conspiracy theory doesn’t it.

I was aware of this document 6 months before it was announced from conversations with a scholar working on the translation. From an archaeological perspective it is an impressive find even though it is false teaching in the early church. (like most things we need to be discerning and not believe everything we read as gospel truth, ancient or modern). It doesn't affect my faith at all but confirms that what Irenaeus said in the 2rd century was true. It is error circulating in the early church and is not to be believed. From a casual read of the Gospel of Judas and from what Gnostic scholars are saying we can be assured that what we have here is second-century Gnostic myth and not first-century history.

Archaeological Study Bible

2006-02-13T14:38:00.000-08:00

My new Archeaological Study Bible (NIV) arrived today. Just in time as my old NIV is starting to fall apart after 28 years (Dec 78). Now I just have to transfer 17 years of sermon notes and comments over to the new bible!
I'm very impressed with the new study notes, including cultural and historical notes, Ancient texts and artifacts, Ancient peoples, lands and rulers, Archaeological sites, reliability of the Bible, book introductions, ancient voices (quotes from other documents), Glossary, Subject index, article index and 160 page concordance. Over 520 notes in all. The total pages total 2306. It will get you in shape for a dig just carrying it.

While the paper is not glossy the photo's are in full colour (over 500) and the paper is even tinted to look like ancient parchment. a very beautifully crafted bible.

I was told by a good friend of mine that Dr. Bryant Wood (Associates for Biblical Research) wrote 1/3 of the notes. I haven't asked him yet if it is true but it would not surprise me and I notice some of his traits in the articles on Ai and Jericho.

For more information on this from another of the contributors see Todd Bolan's blog.

Bible and Spade Article

2006-01-28T17:45:00.000-08:00

My first published article just arrived this week in the Bible and Spade magazine. The article is entitled "Local References in the Letter to Smyrna (Rv 2:-11), Part 1: Archaeological Background." Bible and Spade 18.4, (Fall 2005), 114-23. The article includes 12 full color photo's I took while in Izmir (Smyrna), Turkey in June 2004.

The article is the result of background research that was done for my PhD thesis but not used in its full extent in my dissertation. There will be three more articles to follow on the Jewish, Historical, and Religious background in the next three issues of Bible and Spade. There will be a few more pictures and details. I want to thank Dr. Bryant Wood for his gracious acceptance of the article even though it was long for publication.

The photo is of the agora (martketplace) in Smyrna. The arches lead to the underground shops which are presently being excavated. The parking garage in the backgound will be removed to make way for an archaelogy park in the centre of the city.

Tall el-Hammam excavation

2006-01-14T19:03:00.000-08:00

Its been a while since I've posted anything as I have been away on the dig at Tall el-Hammam. It was an incredible experience to be part of the first dig on this tel. the tel is over one mile long and 150 feet high. What was found cannot be discussed as yet while publications of the official dig report are being done (Annual of the Department of Antiquities, Jordan ADAJ) but I can say that this site is a large important site given its location overlooking the Kakkar or plain at the head of the Dead Sea.

I met many great team members and worked hard each day hauling dirt, laying out squares, drawing the locus and running the GPR.

The most memorable event was the run in with a death adder. He came out from under the rock that I was sitting on. The bedouin shepherd boy kept saying "very bad, very bad". I didn't know how bad until speaking with our surveyor and showed him the picture of the snake and he said it was an IRMAGATA and I would only have 5 min to live once bitten. I am thankful to the Lord to be alive as we were at least 30 min from a hospital.

Of the two weeks I was away we worked everyday but the last day when we went to Petra. I hope to return next season to continue digging. Fifteen team members stayed on for the next two weeks to carry out the dig to the end of this season.

Seal of Christ

2005-12-16T16:39:00.000-08:00

On a recent (November 2005) excavation in the old city of Tiberias a rare sixth century seal was discovered with a picture of Christ and a cross on it and the inscription "Christos". Just like the archaeologists of the past (Rawlinson) it was a couple of employees of the British and American embassies who discovered the seal.

According to Haaretz news Prof. Yizhar Hirschfeld of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who is directing the dig, said the seal apparently belonged to a highranking church official, and indicated that the church in Tiberias "was stronger than we had thought."

Egyptians invent Bluegrass music

2005-11-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the Egyptians were the inventors of Bluegrass music? This is what I’m told by my friend Andrew Belli!! He sent me a picture to prove it. Well the word is out I do enjoy an eclectic variety of music. Here are just a few of my favourite things. Alison Krause and Union station, Bluegrass, Shape Note Singing (Sacred Harp singing Coal Mountain fame), Michael Card, Andrea Bocelli, Classical music, Baroque. My favourite instrument is the Dobro. Yes and the master of the instrument is also a Graves, Josh Graves who played for many years with Flatt and Shruggs.

So on May 6, 2006 Willie Nelson the legend will be at the Moncton Coliseum and I’m going with another friend from our church who happened to be from the south. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will also be opening for Willie so we can expect a lot of excellent traditional bluegrass instrumental pieces like wildwood flower, Earl’s Breakdown, Wabash Cannonball and more.

I grew up on these as my father had his own country/bluegrass band and played on the Truo Radio Station every Saturday night in the 50’s. Elton Graves and the Foggy River Boys (playing off the Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys). After my fathers death I discovered several of his recordings and had them mastered into a CD. His piece “The Precious old Bible” was recorded on an old 78 record which had begun to deteriorate. Also another piece which I had seen the word for but had never heard him sing was on the flip side. This was a real treasure to find. My dad could also yodel I think better than Wilf Carter (aka Montana Slim, He was born in Nova Scotia like my Dad). My dad could do the “three-in-one” or “echo” yodel that Wilf was famous for.

Well all this to say I come by my love of tight harmony and country music honestly. We did get to the Grand Old Opre in Nashville before my dad dies. My dad was able to speak to Hank Snow who taught him how to play the guitar back in Nova Scotia as a boy. This will be a great concert. Wish my dad was going with me!