MAGAZINE HIGHLIGHTS

Biblical Archaeology Review, September/October 2018

As we say goodbye to summer and welcome in the fall, check out the September/October 2018 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. Start with an inside look at the renewed excavation at Masada, where Herod built a palace-fortress and where Jewish Zealots made their last stand against the Romans. Move on to a textual deep-dive and discover the lost world of the Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls and their importance in elucidating the literary, societal, political, and religious contexts of ancient Judaism and nascent Christianity. Next, learn about the many techniques archaeologists use to date sites, people, objects, and historical events in the first article of a new series called Biblical Archaeology 101. Finally, read all about the first-ever excavation at the Jezreel Valley site of Tel Shimron, which appears in the Hebrew Bible, Josephus’s writings, the Mishnah, and other sources.

Visit us online at Bible History Daily to see the latest news in Biblical archaeology, as well as additional articles and videos about key Bible and archaeology topics, including an article by John Ahn of Howard University School of Divinity that discusses how to read the Book of Amos in context and how the prophet Amos’s message is relevant today. Further, learn more about the Roman siege of Masada in the FREE eBook Masada: The Dead Sea’s Desert Fortress. And be sure to explore the BAS Library, which features every article ever published in BAR, Bible Review and Archaeology Odyssey, all footnoted articles in BAR Notables, and Special Collections of articles curated by BAS editors, including a selection of articles about the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Features

Masada Shall Never Fail (to Surprise) Again

By Guy Stiebel and Boaz Gross

Masada—the remote mountain-plateau in the Judean Desert, where Herod built a palace-fortress and where Jewish Zealots made their last stand against the Romans—is being excavated once again. Get an inside look at some of the expedition’s preliminary findings, as excavations shed new light on the dramatic site.

The Lost World of the Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls

By Andrew B. Perrin

Next to the Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls are the most valuable literary source for the study of ancient Judaism. Some readers are surprised to discover that many of the scrolls are written in Aramaic. What is the particular significance of the Aramaic texts among the scrolls for elucidating the literary, societal, political, and religious contexts of ancient Judaism and nascent Christianity?

Biblical Archaeology 101: Dating in the Archaeological World

By David A. Warburton

Dating is one of the most important aspects of the archaeological world. In the first article of a new series called Biblical Archaeology 101, discover the difference between relative and absolute dating, and learn about the many techniques archaeologists use to date sites, people, objects, and historical events.

Launching Excavations at Tel Shimron

By Daniel M. Master

For the first time ever, excavations have begun at Tel Shimron, the largest archaeological site in Israel’s Jezreel Valley. Inhabited from the Stone Age (c. 5500 B.C.E.) through modern times, Tel Shimron appears in the Hebrew Bible, Josephus’s writings, the Mishnah, and other sources. Now archaeologists are uncovering objects from the people themselves who called this site their home.

Departments

First Person: The Importance of Archaeological Provenance

By Robert R. Cargill

Site-Seeing: Worth Seeing from the Inside

By Jonathan Klawans

Biblical Views: Motherhood and the Early Christian Community

By Alicia D. Myers

Archaeological Views: Christian Amulets—A Bit of Old, a Bit of New

By Theodore de Bruyn

Strata

Dever Prize Winner Sheds Light on Ammonite Inscription
Jolly Old Saint Nick’s Ring…in a Jezreel Valley Garden
Who Did It?
BAR Test Kitchen: Ancient Syrian Date Pastries
Milestones: Eugene M. Grant (1918–2018)
Milestones: Philip R. Davies (1945–2018)
What Is It?
New Dig Reports: A Place of Miracles
Momentous Anniversaries
Then and Now: Ports—Past and Present
2018 BAS Scholarship Recipients
The Virtual Museum of Iraq: A Work in Progress
Exhibit Watch: Restoring the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Cartoon Caption Contest

Reviews

Sifting for Answers: Archaeology and the Human Story
Three Stones Make a Wall: The Story of Archaeology
Reviewed by Jennie Ebeling

Changing Conceptions of God
The Great Shift: Encountering God in Biblical Times
Reviewed by Ronald S. Hendel

Authors

Worldwide

Queries & Comments

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