Biblical Archaeology Review, September/October 1980
Features
World’s Oldest Musical Notation Deciphered on Cuneiform Tablet
Excavations at ancient Ugarit in modern Syria began in 1929. To date, thousands of cuneiform tablets have been unearthed revealing a Canaanite civilization which, in many respects, is linguistically and culturally closer to the civilization of the Old Testament than any civilization ever uncovered. Thus, these cuneiform...Read more ›
Have Sodom and Gomorrah Been Found?
In the past many scholars have regarded Sodom and Gomorrah—and the Biblical stories in which they appear—as mere legend. Now, however, two highly respected American archaeologists are about to propose that they may have found the remains of the ancient cities. Walter E. Rast...Read more ›
The Rose of Jericho—Symbol of the Resurrection
Generations of Christian Pilgrims to the Holy land brought home traditional mementos such as pressed wild flowers from Jerusalem, olive-wood covered Bibles, and a homely little ball of dried-out twigs with miraculous properties—the Rose of Jericho (Anastatica hierochuntica). The desiccated skeletons of the small desert plant are...Read more ›
The ‘Daughters of Judah’ Are Really Rural Satellites of an Urban Center
The Hebrew word bat means daughter. The plural is banot. It may come as a surprise to some readers, especially those devoted to the Psalms, that bat also means some kind of settlement. The more difficult question is what kind of settlement the word bat...Read more ›
BAR Interviews Giovanni Pettinato
Original Ebla epigrapher attempts to set the record straight
The following interview with Professor Giovanni Pettinato was conducted by BAR Editor Hershel Shanks on May 4, 1980. Professor Pettinato was the original epigrapher of the Italian Mission to Ebla. He resigned following a bitter personal and scholarly dispute with the mission director and chief archaeologist, Paolo...Read more ›
Are the Ebla Tablets Relevant to Biblical Research?
At a November 1979 gathering of science writers in Palo Alto, California, sponsored by the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, Robert Biggs, Professor of Assyriology at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, is reported as having said: “In my opinion, parallels with the...Read more ›