Biblical Archaeology Review, July/August 2008
Features
Wilderness Wanderings
Ethnographic Lessons from Modern Bedouin
Does the narrative of the journeys of the Israelites in the wilderness have any authentic background? Could the wanderings really have taken place in Sinai? After all, as is frequently noted, there is a complete absence of any archaeological remains that would evidence their...Read more ›
To What God?
Altars and a House Shrine from Tel Rehov Puzzle Archaeologists
Recent finds from Tel Rehov shed a bright light on domestic religious observance in ancient Israel and, like so many archaeological finds, raise unanswered questions, reminding us how little we really know. At 25 acres, Tel Rehov is one of the largest mounds in Israel. It is...Read more ›
Archelaus Builds Archelais
Herod’s son constructs a desert city that cecomes Pagan, then Christian
Herod’s son Archelaus was hated by his Jewish subjects no less than his father. Herod had left instructions that on his death leading scholars were to be put to death to ensure that there would be mourning when he died. This gives some idea of the attitude...Read more ›
The Salome No One Knows
Long-time Ruler of a Prosperous and Peaceful Judea Mentioned in Dead Sea Scrolls
When people hear the name Salome, they immediately think of the infamous dancing girl of the Gospels. Herod Antipas—the man Jesus denounced as a “fox”—had married his brother’s wife, Herodias. When John the Baptist denounced this illicit union, Herod Antipas cast him into prison. It was Herodias’s...Read more ›