Current Events Articles: August 2018

The Associates for Biblical Research has announced the discovery of a ceramic pomegranate during the 2018 excavation season at biblical Shiloh. Shiloh was the center of Israelite worship and site of the tabernacle for over 300 years. The 20 cm-long pomegranate was unearthed in situ, and still had four of the five prongs intact. Pomegranates were common motifs in the Israelites' worship at the tabernacle, having adorned the hem of Aaron's robe (Ex 28:34; 39:26), and later in the first temple (1 Ki 7:17, 42). This discovery confirms the biblical description of Shiloh as a temenos (a sacred, dedicated precinct) early in Israel's history. Dr. Scott Stripling, ABR's Director of Excavations at Shiloh, is currently working on a peer-reviewed article about the pomegranate.

ABR'S News Release:
- http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2018/08/22/NEWS-RELEASE-ABR-Makes-Important-Discovery-at-Biblical-Shiloh.aspx

Digging for Truth Episode (Hear Dr. Scott Stripling describe the discovery starting at 16:14):
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC2W1gSXUpI

A collection of eight ancient artifacts was confiscated by British police in 2003, after the dealer failed to provide paperwork as to their provenance. After spending 15 years in storage, police turned them over to the British Museum in 2018, and researchers there were able to identify the place the objects originated. The collection includes an inscribed polished river stone, an inscribed gypsum mace-head, a marble bull pendant, two stamp seals, and three clay cones with Sumerian cuneiform inscriptions. All of the objects date from 2200 BC–3000 BC. It was the three cones that, when translated, identified the temple they came from and the Sumerian king who ordered the construction. In an incredible coincidence, the British Museum actually had an archaeologist training a team of Iraqi archaeologists on-site at Tello (ancient Girsu). An investigation at the temple of Eninnu revealed not only the wall the cones came from, but the actual holes in the wall that they were looted from. The British Museum will be returning the artifacts to Iraq with the hopes that they can be studied.

Off-site Links:

- https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-45132517
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/09/looted-iraqi-antiquities-return-home-after-uk-experts-crack-cold-case
- https://www.dawn.com/news/1426119

A study recently published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B (Biology), suggests that whales once swam in the Mediterranean Sea. Researchers from the Université de Montpelier used DNA barcoding and collagen fingerprinting to identity a collection of ancient whale bones from Roman and pre-Roman archaeological sites near the Strait of Gibraltar. The results indicated that the bones belonged to two species of whales: right whales and grey whales. Given the proximity to the Strait of Gibraltar, the researches believe that the Mediterranean Sea was once a calving ground for these whales. Furthermore, they conclude: "The evidence that these two coastal and highly accessible species were present along the shores of the Roman Empire raises the hypothesis that they may have formed the basis of a forgotten whaling industry" some 2000 years ago. Biblical critics have questioned where a fish big enough to swallow Jonah in the Mediterranean Sea came from. While the Bible never calls the fish that swallowed Jonah a whale – it simply describes it as a "great fish" – the new study is evidence that whales were once native to the Mediterranean Sea.

Off-site Link:

- http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/285/1882/20180961

Excavators have unearthed another spectacular 1700-year-old mosaic in the ancient city of Lod (called Lydda in the New Testament). In 1996, the famous Lod Mosaic was discovered, and in 2014, another one was found in the courtyard of the same structure. At that time, the corner of a third mosaic could be seen, but it was under a parking lot. Now, four years later, that mosaic has been unearthed and is another stunning example of Roman-era workmanship. The house in which the mosaics have been unearthed is believed to have been a luxurious villa belonging to a wealthy Jewish merchant. Based on pottery and coins uncovered in the excavations, it appears the villa was in use from the first century AD to the late third or early fourth century AD. The new mosaic, like the others, depicts scenes of nature with animals and fish, but not people. Archaeologists hypothesize that this may be because of the Jewish belief in the divine prohibition against graven images. The newly discovered mosaic has been rolled up and removed for the painstaking restoration process, to be carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority. It will eventually be displayed in the new Shelby White and Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Center, an archaeological museum that is currently under construction to house the original Lod Mosaic. In the Bible, Lod is one of the cities that Jewish people returned to after the Babylonian captivity (Neh. 11:35) and where Peter healed a paralytic man named Aeneas (Acts 9:34).

Off-site Links:

- https://www.timesofisrael.com/second-stunning-lod-mosaic-unearthed-during-building-of-museum-to-house-original/
- https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/MAGAZINE-while-building-a-mosaics-museum-in-israel-another-mosaic-is-found-1.6318751

Representatives from Appian Media spent two days with Dr. Scott Stripling during ABR's recent excavations at Shiloh. During their visit, Dr. Stripling gave them an on-site lesson in archaeology and highlighted the ways the findings at Shiloh confirm the biblical record. Appian Media plans to include footage from their time at Shiloh in Episode One of their new documentary series, "Searching for a King." It will be released in early 2019, so stay tuned...

Off-site Link:

- https://www.appianmedia.org/blog/item/814-playing-detective-how-archeology-works-to-verify-what-we-read-in-scripture.html

Behind-the-Scenes Footage of Appian Media's Visit to Shiloh:

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzsav89yFnw

A large stone block in the Western Wall at the Temple Mount recently came loose and crashed into a mixed-gender prayer platform below, narrowly missing a woman who was praying there. The 220-pound boulder came loose from the original Herodian course above, although what caused it to become dislodged is still unknown. A team from the Israel Antiquities Authority is investigating the incident and plans to construct a scaffolding to determine whether vegetation, water build-up, or another factor caused the damage. They also plan to examine the surrounding stones by hand using laser technology to ensure that there is no risk of other ancient blocks of stone falling. The IAA also plans to analyze whether or not the stone that fell can be safely returned to its place in the wall. The Western Wall is part of the wall from the Second Temple complex which the Romans destroyed in 70 AD. The area surrounding the mixed-gender prayer platform is surrounded by hewn rocks from the Temple complex that the Romans cast down when they destroyed the temple 2000 years ago. Jesus predicted this event in Matthew 24:1-2 approximately 40 years before it occurred.

Off-site Links:

- https://www.timesofisrael.com/ancient-boulder-dislodges-from-western-wall-crashes-onto-egalitarian-plaza/
- https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249506
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr0vfwy9XLQ