Biblical Archaeology Review, September/October 2006
Features
Qumran—The Pottery Factory
Dead Sea Scrolls Not Related to Settlement, Says Excavator
Qumran, that desolate, supposedly monastery-like site with its ritual baths and communal dining room overlooking the Dead Sea, had nothing to do with the Dead Sea Scrolls found in nearby caves, according to a just-released study. Your vision of a couple hundred celibate Essenes padding around praying...Read more ›
Royal Palace, Royal Portrait?
The Tantalizing Possibilities of Ramat Raḥel
The first Judahite royal palace ever exposed in an archaeological excavation is bei ng rediscovered. And with this renewed interest come echoes of what is probably one of the bitterest rivalries in the history of Israeli ar chaeology—between Israel’s most illustrious archaeologist, Yigael Yadin of Hebrew University,...Read more ›
Hyrcania’s Mysterious Tunnels
Searching for the Treasures of the Copper Scroll
I was hardly in a position to say no. After all, in 1999 I was a mere graduate student. So when Professor Amihai Mazar, the head of the department of archaeology at the Hebrew University, asked me if I would talk to an American...Read more ›
Did God Have a Wife?
Did God Have a Wife? Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel William G. Dever (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2005), xiv+344 pages, $25.00 (hardcover) “Did God Have a Wife?” is a sexy title to sell a book, but it is also a pivotal...Read more ›