(Biblical Archaeology) New Archaeology Library Planned in Jerusalem

New Archaeology Library Planned in Jerusalem

Bible and archaeology news

Noah Wiener   •  03/23/2014

The new IAA campus will include the largest archaeological library in the middle east. Image: Safdie Architects, via the IAA.

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the planned construction of the Mandel National Archaeological Archives and the Mandel National Library for the Archaeology of Israel, which will serve as the largest archaeological library in the Middle East. The research center is part of the IAA’s new Schottenstein National Campus for the Archeology of Israel, which is already under construction.
According to the IAA press release:

The Campus, designed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie, will serve as the new education, research, conservation and illumination center and as headquarters of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The complex, located on Museum Hill adjacent to the Israel Museum and overlooking the Hebrew University Givat Ram Campus, will house nearly 2 million archaeological objects, among them 15,000 Dead Sea scrolls, viewable conservation and restoration laboratories, an auditorium, special study galleries, an archaeological education center, roof top exhibition gardens, a café and more. The 35,000-square-meter Campus is scheduled to be inaugurated in April 2016.
The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel National Library for the Archaeology of Israel, located within the complex, will house nearly 150,000 volumes, including 500 rare books, and over 1,000 periodicals. The adjacent Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel National Archaeological Archives will contain the Israel Antiquities Authority Archive, the British Mandatory Archive as well as maps, permits, plans and publications of excavations from the Mandatory Period through today, serving researchers and the public.
The Mandel National Library for the Archaeology of Israel and Mandel Archives will be the largest of their kind in the Middle East and serve as a premiere research center for the archaeology and history of the Land of Israel.

Read the full IAA press release

2700-Year Old Portico Discovered in Argilos, Greece

2,700-year-old portico discovered in Greece

By History of the Ancient World

– October 10, 2013

A 2,700-year-old portico was discovered this summer on the site of the ancient city of Argilos in northern Greece, following an archaeological excavation led by Jacques Perreault, Professor at the University of Montreal’s Centre of Classical Studies and Zisis Bonias, an archaeologist with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports.

In ancient Greece, the portico—stoa in Greek—was a long, open structure that often housed shops and delineated public squares from the city—the agora.

“Porticos are well known from the Hellenistic period, from the 3rd to 1st century BC, but earlier examples are extremely rare. The one from Argilos is the oldest example to date from northern Greece and is truly unique,” said Jacques Perreault, who is a specialist of the Greek Archaic period (7th and 6th centuries BC.)

Located on the edge of the Aegean Sea, the ancient city of Argilos was the first Greek colony established in this area around the great Strymon River. At its peak in the 5th century BC, Argilos was one of the richest cities in the region.

Since 1992, Professor Perreault and Dr Bonias have excavated the hill covering Argilos and the University of Montreal has acquired some of the private land sitting on it. Acquisitions were made on behalf of the Greek government, but the excavators retain the rights over scientific research. The remains of the Argilos portico are located on one of these sites, at the northern end of what was the city’s commercial district, 50 metres from the port area at the time.

For the rest, see:

http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2013/10/2700-year-old-portico-discovered-in-greece/

Archaeological Discovery About Bethlehem

http://doctor.claudemariottini.com/2012/07/archaeological-discovery-about.html

An Archaeological Discovery About Bethlehem

Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority

Archaeologists have discovered a bulla, a small clay seal, which mentions the city of Bethlehem. The bulla is dated to the First Temple Period.

The bulla was found while archeologists were sifting soil removed from the archeological excavations conducted in the City of David.

The bulla contains three lines of text written in ancient Hebrew script: The words are:

Bishv’at
Bet Lechem
[Lemel]ekh

An article published in the Jerusalem Post describes the significance of the finding:

Eli Shukron, director of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, stated that the discovery appears to show that “in the seventh year of the reign of a king (it is unclear if the king referred to here is Hezekiah, Manasseh or Josiah), a shipment was dispatched from Bethlehem to the king in Jerusalem."

Shukron dated the bulla to the seventh or eighth centuries BCE during a period in which bullae were used for taxation of shipments in the Kingdom of Judah.

He emphasized the bulla's significance as, “this is the first time the name Bethlehem appears outside the Bible, in an inscription from the First Temple period, which proves that Bethlehem was indeed a city in the Kingdom of Judah, and possibly also in earlier periods.”

In the Torah, Bethlehem is first mentioned in the verse “in Ephrath, which is Bethlehem”, it was on the way to Bethlehem that Rachel died and it is the site where she was buried (Genesis 35:19; 48:7). The descendants of Judah settled there, among them the family of Boaz (Book of Ruth).

Bethlehem was the city where David was born. According to Matthew 2:1, “Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod.”

It is nice to know that archaeological discoveries tend to support many of the facts mentioned in the Bible.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

David Ould: Exodus and Archaeology

David Ould presents an interesting post at:  http://davidould.net/?p=3488&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+davidould+%28David+Ould%29

 

Great lecture from James K. Hoffmeier, Professor of Old Testament and Near Eastern Archaeology at Trinity International University, Divinity School on the archaeological evidence that supports the Bible’s account of the Exodus.