Biblical Archaeology Review, May/June 1981
Features
Did I Excavate Kadesh-Barnea?
Difficulty of site identification and absence of Exodus remains poses problem
The problem of Kadesh-Barnea is simply stated: Has the site been correctly identified? If so, why have we found no remains from the Exodus period? Kadesh-Barnea was the most important stop on the Exodus. The site also has special connections with Moses and his family. The journey...Read more ›
Tunnel Exposes New Areas of Temple Mount
Tunnel adjacent to western wall of Temple Mount dug by religious authorities
Near the prayer area of the western wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, a little-known excavation has continued for years. The project has received almost no public notice. The entire dig remains underground, hidden from daylight, only occasionally open to small groups. Unseen by most of...Read more ›
How Herod Moved Gigantic Blocks to Construct Temple Mount
Megaliths used by Herod for wall of Temple Mount were heavier than giant stones of Stonehenge or Pyramids
A single ashlar—46 feet long, 10 feet high and 10 feet deep—is described by Michael Zimmerman in the accompanying article (“Tunnel Exposes New Areas of Temple Mount”) on the Rabbinical Tunnel adjacent to the Temple Mount. This single stone in the wall of the Temple Mount weighs...Read more ›
BAR Jr.: Sharp Eyes Find Ancient Treasure on the Beach
Whenever plundering armies approached or civil commotion threatened, wise and wealthy ancient Israelites dashed to hide their coins. They stuffed them into jars or perforated jugs and even into oil lamps, then secreted their savings behind the plaster of the walls of their homes, under stairwells, in...Read more ›
Is Tel Masos an Amalekite Settlement?
A challenge to Professor Kochavi
In the November/December 1980 BAR, Ze’ev Herzog of Tel Aviv University, reported on the excavations of the earliest settlements at ancient Beer-sheba (“Beer-sheba of the Patriarchs,” BAR 06:06). In discussing why Beer-sheba was fortified with a wall for the first time during the time of King Saul,...Read more ›
Should the Term “Biblical Archaeology” Be Abandoned?
“No such thing as ‘Biblical archaeology’,” says prominent scholar
One of the best-known and highly-respected archaeologists in the world is urging that the term “Biblical Archaeology” be dropped. He is Professor William G. Dever, chairman of the Department of Oriental Studies at the University of Arizona in Tucson. “The sooner we abandon it [the term ‘Biblical...Read more ›
The Other Side of the Tell
Martha Davis, a housewife from Bend, Oregon was a volunteer excavator at Tell Michal. Despite the sentiments expressed in the following poem, Mrs. Davis wrote us that, “We really did enjoy our week at Tell Michal.” It was just the heat she didn’t like, accustomed as she...Read more ›