Biblical Archaeology Review, January/February 2010
Special Section
All in the Family
We all know the big family names in Biblical archaeology.a Countless BAR articles have been written by or about the Mazars—whether it’s the late great Benjamin Mazar, who excavated at the foot of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount in the 1960s and 1970s, or his nephew Amihai Mazar, who...Read more ›
Digs 2010 Volunteering
This section will help you get started on finding an archaeological excavation that’s right for you, but there’s lots more on the Web at www.biblicalarchaeology.org/digs, which we developed to share excavation opportunities with our readers. The chart below provides key information on 25 digs. On the Web...Read more ›
Dig Scholarship Winners
Nothing brings the excavation experience to life like hearing from volunteers—everyday people who finally decided to make their dreams of going on a real archaeological excavation come true. Here two of our 26 Dig Scholarship winners from 2009—a second-grade teacher and mother of five and an enthusiastic...Read more ›
28 Years Later Couple Recalls Finding “Lost Ark”
It’s been 28 years since we finished our excavations at Nabratein and we’ve just published our final report, a hefty volume of 472 pages.1 Twenty-eight years may seem like a very long time; but for us, it seems like yesterday. We retain wonderful and vivid memories of...Read more ›
Features
The “New Cleopatra” and the Jewish Tax
Warning: This article contains much that is uncertain and even speculative. You must therefore be over 18 to continue reading. On the other hand, the uncertainties and speculations are clearly marked as such. Moreover, the background of the story is unquestionably true. This is the true part...Read more ›
Roman Coins Boast “Judaea Capta”
The late great Israeli numismatist Yaakov Meshorer wrote in 2001: The Judaea Capta [coins] were minted in a quantity that is surprising for Roman coins in general, and for those celebrating victories over other peoples in particular, as if the victory over Judaea was the most important...Read more ›
Solomon & Sheba, Inc.
New inscription confirms trade relations between “towns of Judah” and South Arabia
Southern Arabia is 1,200 miles south of Israel. Naturally, skepticism about the reality of trade between South Arabia and Israel in ancient times seems justified. Yet the Bible documents this trade quite extensively—most famously in the supposed affair between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. And...Read more ›
Under the Influence
Hellenism in ancient Jewish life
How and why and to what extent Greek culture was absorbed into the ancient Jewish world is not always clear, but that it was is undeniable. To some extent, the answers depend on whether we study Judaism primarily as a separate culture, developed from its Biblical roots...Read more ›