James Tabor describes Israel Knohl’s changed interpretation of the critical line discussing the resurrection of the dead after three days of “Gabriel’s Revelation.” Read more…
Inscriptions
Inscriptions, whether inscribed or chiseled on a hard substance like stone or written on papyrus or another more delicate surface, record the thoughts of ancient people in writing. Inscriptions express awe before God and monarchs and preserve everyday transactions and fundamental documents.
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The “Gabriel Stone” on Display
• 05/13/2013
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Gabriel’s Revelation
• 05/08/2013
Gabriel’s Revelation: Download a free ebook of definitive articles on “the greatest archaeological discovery in the Middle East since the Dead Sea Scrolls,” now on display at the Israel Museum Read more…
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Money Talks through Ancient Coins
• 04/05/2013
Numismatics is a unique scholarly discipline that spans archaeology, ancient history and epigraphy. It seems the axiom “money talks” is true. A guest blog contribution by Dr. Mark Wilson. Read more…
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Early Jewish Writings Reveal History of Jerusalem
• 01/16/2013
The famous Theodotus inscription, which commemorates the building of a first-century B.C.E. synagogue, is one of hundreds of early Jewish writings now being published that document the ancient history of Read more…
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Manuscripts Reveal Ancient Community of Afghan Jews
• 01/07/2013
A recently discovered cache of medieval Jewish manuscripts from Afghanistan* went on display last week in Israel’s National Library. The 11th-century C.E. collection, dubbed the “Afghan Genizah,” includes Biblical commentaries, Read more…
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Mosaic Inscription from a Synagogue at Horvat Huqoq
• 01/02/2013
The Israel Antiquities Authority’s David Amit analyzes and translates a Hebrew or Aramaic mosaic inscription from the Huqoq synagogue. Read more…
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Archaeology and Text
• 11/07/2012
There has been a great deal of discussion in recent issues of Biblical Archaeology Review about the relationship between archaeology, artifacts, ancient texts and the Bible. In the July/August 2011 Read more…
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A New Light for the World’s Oldest Unknown Script
• 10/23/2012
Despite the existence of a corpus of some 1,600 texts, scholars have had a difficult time deciphering Early Bronze Age proto-Elamite documents. These texts, written in southwestern Iran between 3,200 Read more…
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The Autographed Rock Art of Southern Jordan
• 10/17/2012
In her recent Archaeological Views column, Davida Eisenberg-Degen highlighted some of the reasons rock art has traditionally been neglected as a source of information about the past. Not only does Read more…
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Who Really Invented the Alphabet—Illiterate Miners or Educated Sophisticates?
• 09/13/2012
Scholars Anson Rainey and Orly Goldwasser continue their debate as to who really invented the alphabet. Read more…
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ISRAEL APPEALS FORGERY DECISION
• 08/27/2012
The Israel government has appealed Jerusalem Judge Aharon Farkash’s decision in the case of the “Jehoash” inscription, an inscription which, if authentic, would be the only surviving royal Israelite inscription. Read more…
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What’s the Oldest Hebrew Inscription?: A Reply to Christopher Rollston
• 08/22/2012
In the May/June 2012 BAR, epigrapher Christopher A. Rollston’s “What’s the Oldest Hebrew Inscription?” rejected four contenders as candidates for the oldest Hebrew inscription: the Qeiyafa Ostracon, the Gezer Calendar, Read more…
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A Jewel from the Crown
• 08/17/2012
It was celebrated as the “Crown of Aleppo.” The Aleppo Codex, a thousand- year-old copy of the Hebrew Bible, was created in about 930 C.E. and edited by Aharon Ben Read more…
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Another View: Christopher Rollston’s Methodology of Caution
• 08/17/2012
Yosef Garfinkel Responds to Christopher Rollston’s “What’s the Oldest Hebrew Inscription?” Read more…
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Scholars Seek Amateur Assistance
• 08/08/2012
This isn’t the way things are done. Usually great manuscript finds are studied and published by experts before they are put online, often as part of a grand digitization project Read more…
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Writing and Literacy in the World of Ancient Israel
• 06/14/2012
Did ancient Israelites write? Is there evidence apart from the Hebrew Bible? If so, what did they write? And who could write? Inscriptions on stone, notes and scribbles on pots Read more…
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“Brother of Jesus” Proved Ancient and Authentic
• 06/13/2012
WASHINGTON D.C. (June 13, 2012)—A new analysis and new evidence proves that the controversial “Brother of Jesus” inscription on an ancient bone box, or ossuary, is authentic, according to the Read more…
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The Oldest Hebrew Script and Language
• 06/04/2012
In a recent BAR article, epigraphy scholar Christopher Rollston asks a seemingly straightforward question: What is the oldest Hebrew inscription? Read more…
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Conservation Efforts Expose Princely Umayyad Inscription
• 06/01/2012
Conservation efforts conducted by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan, the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro in Rome and the World Monuments Fund recently preserved an Umayyad Read more…
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Bilingual Boundary Stone Discovered at Tel Gezer
• 05/30/2012
The 12th boundary stone from Tel Gezer, discovered over a decade before this latest find. The bilingual boundary stone features Greek and Hebrew text with personal and geographical titles. Read more…
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Judge Announces Forgery Trial Sentence
• 05/30/2012
This morning, Jerusalem District Court Judge Aharon Farkash gave the Israeli government 30 days to support of its claim to retain the James Ossuary, Jehoash Tablet and other Israeli antiquities. Read more…
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History of Bethlehem Documented by First Temple Period Bulla from the City of David
• 05/23/2012
Earliest History of Bethlehem Documented by First Temple Period Bulla from the City of David
Jesus’ Birthplace in Ancient Bethlehem Confirmed as an Israelite City Centuries Earlier Read more… -
4,000 Year Old Texts Survive the Attacks of Time and 9/11
• 05/16/2012
4,000 years ago, an official named Aradmu kept economic and social records of agrarian life and the economy near Nippur in southern Iraq. After having been looted from Iraq, smuggled Read more…
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Archaeologists Discover “New” Ancient Language from the Eighth-Century B.C.E.
• 05/11/2012
When Cambridge archaeologist John MacGinnis examined a tablet listing the names of 60 women found at an Assyrian governor’s palace in southeastern Turkey, he noticed that most did not bear Read more…
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Qeiyafa Ostracon Relates the Birth of the Kingdom of Israel
• 05/07/2012
Gerard Leval presents French epigrapher Émile Puech’s interpretation of the Qeiyafa Ostracon as the earliest text on the formation of the Kingdom of Israel and the only artifact referencing King Read more…
