what were the crusades

what were the crusades Latest

Dec 3 Blog

The Origins of “The Cherry Tree Carol”

By: Mary Joan Winn Leith

“The Cherry Tree Carol” is a Christmas carol that first appeared in 13th-century England; an American version was discovered in Appalachia in the 20th century. Stonehill College Biblical scholar Mary Joan Winn Leith explains the carol’s roots in early Christian Syrian churches.

Nov 3 Blog

What Were the Crusades and How Did They Impact Jerusalem?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Some of the most famous churches in Jerusalem were built during the Christian Crusades by Crusaders wishing to memorialize sites they believed to have great Christian significance.

Apr 25 Blog

Ancient Jerusalem: The Village, the Town, the City

By: Hershel Shanks

Archaeologist Hillel Geva says that population estimates for ancient Jerusalem are too high. His new estimates begin with people living on no more than a dozen acres.

Sep 17 Blog

Sifting Antiquity on the Temple Mount Sifting Project

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Archaeological excavations are prohibited on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, though one project—the Temple Mount Sifting Project—has been analyzing soil that came from the Temple Mount since 2004. Learn the story.

Nov 4 Blog

An Unexpected Consequence of the Christian Crusades

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

The Fihrist, and the scholarship it represents, is one of the shining positives that emerged from the Crusades.

Jan 30 Blog

Site-Seeing: Archaeological Remains in Holy Sepulchre’s Shadow

By: Jonathan Klawans

The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem is a place you may have missed on your first (or even your second) visit to Jerusalem, but it’s well worth your time when you are lucky enough to make it back.

Oct 6 Blog

Jerusalem at the Gates of Heaven

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Jerusalem’s importance as both a religious location and symbol shaped the art of the medieval period. This is reflected in the exhibit "Jerusalem 1000–1400: Every People Under Heaven" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Jun 12 Blog

Excavating Ashkelon in 2014

By: Tracy Hoffman

Follow the first week of excavations with Dr. Tracy Hoffman on the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon in Israel.

Aug 6 Blog

Enormous Crusader-Era Hospital Discovered in Jerusalem

By: Robin Ngo

Excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have uncovered part of a massive hospital dating to the Crusader period (1099-1291 C.E.). The structure lies in the heart of the Christian Quarter in the Old City in an area known as “Muristan” (based on the Persian word for hospital). Although only a portion of the building has been excavated, archaeologists estimate that the hospital covers 160,000 square feet. With ceilings reaching 20 feet in height, the building is characterized by massive pillars and ribbed vaults.

Jul 16 Blog

Fatimid Treasure Discovered at Crusader-Era Apollonia-Arsuf

By: Noah Wiener

Archaeologists seek out the treasures of the past, but rarely do they come across literal pots of gold. Tel Aviv University and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority excavations at Arsuf uncovered a spectacular cache of over 100 gold dinals deliberately buried by the Knights Hospitaller in the 13th century C.E. A fortune in the thirteenth century, the Fatimid coins are worth up to $500,000 today.

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