MAGAZINE HIGHLIGHTS

Biblical Archaeology Review, November/December 2019

This holiday season, enjoy the gift of biblical archaeology—with the November/December 2019 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. As you’re preparing a holiday meal, learn about ancient grain remains from Tel Kedesh. After reading the Christmas story in Matthew 2, search for portraits of King Herod throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. After lighting the Hanukkah menorah, discover the oldest complete Torah scroll sheet totally legible by the naked eye. Also, go to great heights to study the Nabonidus Inscription on a cliff at Sela in modern Jordan, explore the figure of Priscilla from the Book of Acts, walk in Paul’s footsteps along the Assos Way in western Turkey, and uncover the architectural bias that exists in biblical archaeology.

And there is more available on our webpage! Visit us online at Bible History Daily to see the latest news in biblical archaeology or delve into additional articles and videos about key Bible and archaeology topics, including ancient scribes’ office supplies. Discover the origins of Christmas with the free eBook The First Christmas: The Story of Jesus’ Birth in History and Tradition. Explore the BAS Library, which features every article ever published in BAR, Bible Review, and Archaeology Odyssey, as well as Special Collections of articles curated by BAS editors, including one about the history of King Herod and his great architectural works.

Features

Dangling Assyriology

By Rocío Da Riva

In the sixth century B.C.E., the Neo-Babylonian king Nabonidus inscribed imperial propaganda on a cliff at Sela, a mountain fortress in modern Jordan. Assyriologist Rocío Da Riva goes to great heights to study this hard-to-reach inscription.

Zenon’s Flour: Grains of Truth from Tel Kedesh

By Andrea M. Berlin

Ancient documents abound with obscure terminology. Even the names for such staples as wheat can evade modern attempts to match them with the wheat strains cultivated in the ancient world. Grain remains excavated at Tel Kedesh in northern Israel may finally shed light on some of the elusive wheats that appear in the famed Zenon Archive from the third century B.C.E.

Searching for Portraits of King Herod

By Ralf Krumeich and Achim Lichtenberger

What did King Herod look like? Join classical archaeologists Ralf Krumeich and Achim Lichtenberger as they search for the king’s portraits throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. Their discoveries illuminate aspects of Herod’s rule and how he chose to depict himself.

A Rare Torah in the Library of Congress

By Gary A. Rendsburg

The oldest Torah manuscripts survive incomplete and barely legible. But not the scroll sheet acquired recently by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Penned more than a millennium ago, this uniquely preserved parchment represents the oldest complete Torah scroll sheet totally legible by the naked eye. Explore the manuscript’s history and what makes it such a remarkable artifact.

Departments

First Person: From Shalem to Jerusalem

By Robert R. Cargill

Site-Seeing: Hiking in Paul’s Footsteps

By Meg Ramey

Biblical Views: Priscilla—An Extraordinary Early Christian Life

By Ben Witherington III

Archaeological Views: Biblical Archaeology’s Architectural Bias

By Erez Ben-Yosef

Strata

The Oldest Christian Letter
A Light in the Wilderness
How Many?
Exhibit Watch
Milestones: Amos Kloner (1940–2019)
Milestones: Gary N. Knoppers (1956–2018)
BAR Test Kitchen
BAS 2019 Dig Scholarship Winners
Cartoon Caption Contest

Reviews

In the Disservice of Biblical Archaeology: An Uncritical Study Bible
Archaeology Study Bible (English Standard Version)
Reviewed by Sidnie White Crawford

Authors

Worldwide

Queries & Comments

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