Biblical Archaeology

Two annual meetings took place in San Diego this year between November 14 and November 17, 2007. This set of conferences draws thousands of Biblical and religious scholars from around the world who meet in a series of separate but related academic venues. ABR readers who might not be aware may be interested to know what is going on in the field of Biblical Archaeology at these large annual events.

Having attended and presented at both the Near Eastern Archaeological Society (NEAS of the Evangelical Theological Society) and the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), I noted the prominence of archaeologists who are not averse to correlating their finds with the Bible. Some of these scholars come from or work for evangelical institutions and others for secular universities. But contrary to the belief that so-called Biblical Archaeology is dead, as Mark Twain once said, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." This article will survey ongoing research that archaeological enthusiasts should find both promising and exciting.

The sessions of the NEAS featured 24 papers on a wide variety of topics. Participants from the Associates for Biblical Research (ABR) figured prominently, represented most notably by the efforts of the Rev. Gary Byers, who both organized the diverse and informative program and acted as moderator. Other presenters included Rick Lanser, Gordon Franz, and Brian Janeway. Moreover, two sessions entitled "Archaeology and Bible Background" reflected a growing awareness and recognition of archaeological research as vital to Biblical studies.

A sampling of papers included such varied subjects as "Identifying and Excavating Tell el-Hammam," which has been tentatively identified as Sodom (see Bible and Spade, Summer 2007 for a debate on the subject), several papers debating the likely location of Noah's Ark, "Etruscan Language Derived from Hurrian" (Clyde Billington), locating the "Temple of Zion" and the tomb of King David, "The Proto-Aeolic Capitals of Mudaybi" in Jordan, "Archaeology and Pop Culture," and Iron Age II/III Jericho in text and artifact, as well as a session dedicated to education in the Ancient Near East.

Several presentations dealt with ongoing or past excavations in addition to the aforementioned Tell el-Hammam. Leen Ritmeyer reported on his fascinating work on Solomon's Temple, "40 Years On - Temple Mount Research Since 1967." Gordon Franz presented on "Area M at Hazor Revisited" and Randall Price reviewed recent excavations on the Qumran Plateau. Iron II fortified cities in Northern Israel, particularly Bethsaida, was the subject of a paper by Boyd Seevers and Brian Janeway discussed "Tell Tayinat and the Bible: Finds from Seventy Years of Excavation." Excavations at Tell Gezer, which have been renewed under the direction of Dr. Steve Ortiz, were the subject of a presentation by Eric Mitchell.

Six papers were presented as part of the backgrounds of the Bible sessions. Charles Quarles posed one of the more provocative questions in his talk, "Buried Hopes or Bold Hoax: Is the Talpiot Tomb Really the Tomb of Jesus of Nazareth?" in which the answer is implied. The Jewish community of Elephantine Island in Egypt was the topic of a paper by Tony Shetter while a historical reading of the account of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) was suggested based on a parallel from the Ur III period in Mesopotamia. Debra Dyk provided a historiographical comparison between the annals of Tiglath-pileser III and the Old Testament while another paper documented the contribution of the Persian kings Cyrus, Darius I and Artaxerxes I to the rebuilding and restoration of Jerusalem.

In summary, the meetings of the ETS provided many new insights and discoveries relating to Biblical archaeology, particularly the Hebrew Bible. This should come as no surprise to ABR readers and biblical archaeology enthusiasts. However, what may surprise some is the growing number of excavation projects directed by scholars that embrace the integration of text and artifact, Biblical or otherwise. These expeditions are using state-of-the-art methods of extracting data and enjoy strong institutional support from their sponsoring agencies. The long-term vision of these projects promises to produce many significant discoveries relating to the Bible for many years to come.

First in place, owing to their extraordinary longevity, is the Madaba Plains Project (MPP), which was begun 40 years ago in search of the Biblical city of Hesbon. It is the longest-running American archaeological project in the Middle East and in the history of the discipline. All the more remarkable is the fact that a conservative Seventh Day Adventist institution (Andrews University) has sustained it these many years. It has developed into a broad regional study employing innovative approaches to field recovery techniques and in many ways has become a leader in the field. In addition to Tell Hesbon, the project has expanded to include major site excavations at Tell Umayri, Tell Madaba, and Tell Jalul.

Umayri has only recently exposed the best-preserved four-room house in the Levant, in addition to a monumental palace or temple structure from the Late Bronze Age II period. Was this a city occupied by the tribe of Reuben? The geography and chronology are suggestive, but confirmation will have to await future discoveries.

The 2007 season produced Late Bronze Age remains for the first time at the site of Tell Madaba, the absence of which until now has occasioned skepticism regarding its mention as a Moabite city conquered by the Israelites (Num 21:30; Josh 13:9, 16). Future seasons will undoubtedly uncover more of the Late Bronze levels of the city.

A special session was devoted to the remarkable discovery of the Tel Zayit Abecedary (an alphabetic exercise) in the lowlands of traditional Judah. Its key importance lies in the fact that it was excavated from a secure 10th century context, whereas other comparable inscriptions (Gezer Calender, inscribed arrowheads, etc) came from uncertain provenances. It displays a twenty-two letter alphabet that developed from the Phoenician tradition of the Early Iron Age and "anticipated the distinctive features of the mature Hebrew national script" (Tappy, 2007 abstract). It also provides new material evidence strongly supportive of the idea of a well-developed and centralized nation-state during the period of the United Monarchy.

Evidence of state formation before and during the 10th century is also being uncovered at Khirbet en-Nahas, where a vast copper metal production center operated for several centuries beginning as early as the Late Bronze Age. Until this discovery, most archaeologists held that the Biblical data on Edomite kingship was in error, that Edom had kings before Israel did (Gen 36:31; 1 Chron 1:43). Now it would appear that the Biblical data was right on the mark due to the efforts of excavations directed by Tom Levy at UCSD (San Diego).

Continuing fascination with the Dead Sea Scrolls was prominently represented by the subject of the Plenary Session at ASOR, given by Jodi Magness on "The Current State of Qumran Archaeology" and was supplemented by a "Virtual Tour of Qumran" delivered by Robert Cargill of the UCLA Qumran Visualization Project. Moreover, two sessions focused specifically on Hebrew Bible, History, and Archaeology.

All in all, contrary to the purported demise of Biblical archaeology, the research projects associated with ASOR are an ongoing testament to the relevance of the Bible to archaeology. Despite the fact that many of its secularly oriented scholars disdain the Scriptures as historically unreliable, they well realize the very sustenance (funding) of their programs and projects depends to one extent or another on their connection to the Biblical world.