Current Events Articles: March 2019

Discovery of Ancient Egyptian Ship Proves Herodotus Right posted by Bryan Windle

In 450 BC, the Greek historian Herodotus visited Egypt and wrote about his travels in his Historia. One of the ships he describes in detail, called a baris, has been an enigma to historians, as no known Egyptian ship has matched his description. Herodotus described a long barge with one rudder passing through a hole in the keel that was constructed of cut planks 2 cubits long (about 40 inches), arranged like bricks with beams stretched over them. Such a sunken ship was recently discovered at the underwater ancient port city of Thonis-Heracleion. Ship 17, as it is known, was investigated by underwater archaeologists and found to have a similar architecture of thick planks held together with smaller pieces of wood. The long internal ribs that Herodotus describes were present on Ship 17. The ship likely sank in the fifth century BC, but may have been constructed in the sixth century BC. Archaeologists are confident that they've discovered the first example of a baris, and Herodotus' description has now been confirmed. Egyptian ships are mentioned numerous times in the Bible (Isa 18:2, 30:9; Acts 27), although it does not appear that a baris is being referred to in any of these passages.

Off-site Links:

- https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/mar/17/nile-shipwreck-herodotus-archaeologists-thonis-heraclion
- https://www.livescience.com/65028-herodotus-ship-discovered.html
- https://www.history.com/news/shipwreck-herodotus-egypt-baris-discovery

Looted Babylonian Artifact Seized at Heathrow Airport posted by Bryan Windle

A 3000-year-old inscribed cuneiform tablet was confiscated at Heathrow Airport by an astute Border Force officer who became suspicious when the declaration described a "carved stone for decoration" worth "300" in an unspecified currency. The officer searched the object on Google before contacting the British Museum, which confirmed that it was an authentic Babylonian kudurru, a document recording a gift from a king to one of his subjects, often used as a boundary stone. The tablet includes depictions of the Babylonian gods Enlil and Marduk one side and dates to the reign of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar I (circa 1126-1103 BC). Little is known about this lesser known Nebuchadnezzar's reign; the more famous Nebuchadnezzar II (circa 605-562 BC) is the Babylonian king of the same name who is known in Scripture (ie. Jeremiah, Kings, Chronicles, Daniel, etc.). Officials believe the artifact was illegally looted during the Iraq War. The British Museum will be officially handing the kudurru over to the Iraqi government in an ceremony later this month.

Off-site Links:

- https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/mar/10/babylonian-treasure-seized-at-heathrow-to-be-returned-to-iraq
- http://time.com/5554732/iraq-war-tablet-looted-return-uk/
- http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/uk-returns-3-000-year-old-tablet-looted-during-iraq-war-142037

Ancient Nabateans Built Dams and Terrace Systems to Manage Water posted by Bryan Windle

A new study of the Qantara-Hremeyyeh catchment area located near Petra has revealed how the ancient Nabateans built a system of dams and terraces as part of their water management strategy. Soil samples and mortar were analyzed to learn about their surface management and intervention practices. Water from this catchment area flows from the mountains to the Treasury of Petra, which inundated the area with flooding in antiquity. To combat this, from the first century BC to the first century AD the Nabateans widened the wadies to slow the water and reduce erosion, as well as built dams to prevent flooding of the Treasury of Petra. The dams also helped collect water which was used for agricultural activities. Terraces were also built to improve soil quality, making it suitable for cultivation. The Nabatean king Aretas IV is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 11:32-33.

Off-site Link:

- http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/ancient-nabataeans-built-dams-terraces-mitigate-flooding-petra-%E2%80%94-jordanian-researcher

New Study of Phoenician Silver Traces Their Migration posted by Bryan Windle

A study in the scientific journal PNAS by scholars from Haifa University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem traces the migration of the Phoenicians. Scientists analyzed the lead isotopes in three Phoenician silver caches discovered in archaeological digs at Tel Dor, Acre and Ein Hofez, which allowed them to identify where the silver came from. The silver in the oldest cache unearthed at Tel Dor came from Anatolia, while the silver in the most recent cache discovered at Ein Hofez came from the Iberian Peninsula. The authors of the study suggest that silver was the motivating factor that drove Phoenician expansion in the Mediterranean and that "the quest for silver was a major trigger for a long 'precolonization' phase, during the 10th to 9th centuries B.C." While Phoenicians are never mentioned by that name in the Old Testament, their major cities of Tyre and Sidon are mentioned frequently. In Ezekiel 27:12, we read a lament for Tyre in which it says, "Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of every kind; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your wares."

Off-site Links:

- https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/02/15/1817951116
- https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/the-silver-rush-new-technologies-remap-phoenician-expansion-in-the-mediterranean-1.6975559
- https://popular-archaeology.com/article/silver-and-the-phoenician-expansion/

Ancient Shipyard Discovered in Egypt posted by Bryan Windle

An ancient shipyard was recently unearthed at Tell Abu Saifi, located just east of the Suez Canal in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. A limestone structure containing two dry docks for the construction and maintenance of ancient ships was excavated. The remains of wooden beams, bronze and iron nails, fish bones and clay pots were found inside the shipyard. Most of the structure's limestone blocks had been removed from their original positions for secondary use after the port was abandoned when the branch of the Nile that it was located on dried up. The shipyard was in use through the Ptolemaic and Roman eras. Egyptian ships are mentioned numerous times in the Bible (Is 18:2; 30:9), with perhaps the most famous being the Alexandrian ship that was transporting the apostle Paul to Rome when it sank near the island of Malta in Acts 27.

Off-site Links:
- http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/41/325517/Heritage/GrecoRoman/Ancient-workshop-for-construction-of-boats-uncover.aspx
- http://luxortimes.com/2019/02/roman-shipyard-discovered-in-egypt/
- https://www.apnews.com/a2ed0e843f0f4cf6b06e60139259feaa

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