MAGAZINE HIGHLIGHTS

Biblical Archaeology Review, Spring 2024

The Spring 2024 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review examines traditions, styles, and beliefs that blended across the ages to create shared identities and cultures in the Holy Land.

In “The Cave of Salome,” explore a labyrinth of early Jewish burial caves that later Christians commemorated as the tomb of Salome, an early disciple of Jesus. In “Lifestyles of Jerusalem’s Rich and Famous,” visit biblical Jerusalem, on the eve of the Babylonian destruction, to see how its wealthiest residents enjoyed the finer things in life, including exquisite plaques (“The Jerusalem Ivories”) that adorned the furnishings of royal buildings. And in “House of the Rising Sun,” journey to Canaanite Azekah, where a temple dedicated to the sun’s daily renewal combined elements of both Canaanite and Egyptian religion.

Dig into the latest biblical archaeology news, including findings that suggest the Hyksos kings of Egypt brought their own brutal brand of justice to the throne. Learn how advanced photographic methods are helping scholars document thousands of Mesopotamian seals, and hear from Kiersten Neumann of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum, who explains how the museum’s recent name change is helping it keep pace with the times.

Sail with Paul between the port cities of the Roman Mediterranean to understand how ancient mariners traversed the seas. Examine Solomon’s marriage alliance with Egypt and the evidence that his Egyptian bride was no idle boast. Finally, meet Egeria, the fourth-century pilgrim who left a remarkable account of her journey to the early Christian Holy Land.

Visit us online, at Bible History Daily, to see the latest news in biblical archaeology or to delve into additional articles, eBooks, and videos about key Bible and archaeology topics. And enjoy this issue’s Web Exclusive, “Dig Scene Investigators,” which profiles the specialists involved in modern biblical archaeology.

All-Access Members can explore the BAS Library, which features every article ever published in Biblical Archaeology Review, Bible Review, and Archaeology Odyssey, as well as Special Collections of articles curated by BAR editors.

Features

The Cave of Salome—Tomb of Jesus’s Disciple?

Joan E. Taylor and Boaz Zissu
Deep beneath the hilltop site of Horvat Qasra in the Judean foothills is a fifth-century cave chapel dedicated to St. Salome. Originally the ancestral tomb of a first-century Jewish family that owned a large agricultural estate on the hill above, the cave complex was repurposed by early Christians as a shrine to the revered saint. But who was St. Salome, and does her shrine commemorate the burial place of one of Jesus’s first disciples?

Lifestyles of Jerusalem’s Rich and Famous

Yuval Gadot and Yiftah Shalev
The Iron Age building recently excavated in the Givati Parking Lot section of the City of David was unique in Jerusalem’s ancient landscape. A magnificent residence and reception hall used for official ceremonies and social gatherings, it may be identified with the biblical “chamber,” reflecting the daily life of Jerusalem’s ruling elite at the end of the First Temple period.

Fragments of Luxury: The Jerusalem Ivories

Reli Avisar
Excavations near the City of David yielded more than 1,500 fragments of ancient ivory. Found in the ruins of Building 100, which burned down during the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE, the fragments came from plaques that adorned luxurious wooden furniture. Explore these unique finds and what they reveal about the lives of Jerusalem’s wealthiest residents.

House of the Rising Sun: Azekah’s Canaanite Temple

Oded Lipschits, Hannah M. Ripps, Manfred Oeming, and Sabine Kleiman
Oriented to the east, with a broad view across the Elah Valley, the Canaanite temple at Azekah was bathed each morning in the sun’s rays. The temple’s architecture and ritual items that were found inside evidence both Levantine and Egyptian influence on local religious practice and point to Azekah’s status as a strategic, multicultural center in Late Bronze Age Canaan.

Departments

Strata

Mysterious Jerusalem Channels
How Many?
New “Sayings of Jesus”
Where Is It?
Rich Bronze Age Burials
Roman Sword Stash
Canaan’s Earliest Corbelled Vault
Back to School in Babylonia
Archaeology Argot: Enkolpion
Arch-Tech: Digitizing Ancient Seals
Hands Off! The Severed Hands of the Hyksos Capital
Then and Now: The Best Part of Waking Up
Digs 2024
5 Questions: Why the University of Chicago’s Museum Changed Its Name
Book Review: An Anatomy of God
World Wonders: Library of Celsus

Epistles

“Under the Lee” with Paul
Define Intervention
Solomon’s Egyptian Bride: Artful Alliance or Biblical Boast?
Text Treasures: The Pilgrimage of Egeria
A Thousand Words: St. Catherine’s Monastery

Plus

Digging In
Queries & Comments
Authors
Caption Contest

Web Exclusive

Dig Scene Investigators
More Queries & Comments