A Palace and Two Temples

With Clyde Billington

News stories have been published in recent months about a palace of the kings of Israel, near the modern city of Afula, and two temples: one Israelite and one Canaanite. A road project near Afula, in the Jezreel valley has uncovered the largest palace associated with the House of Omri (Ahad, Jezebel, etc.). Interestingly, it’s just about a half dozen miles from Tel Jezreel, where they had another palace. We also discuss a Canaanite temple excavated at Tel Lachish, and an Israelite temple excavated just outside of Jerusalem, less than a half dozen miles from the “official” Jerusalem temple.

tags: Ahab Omri Palace Afula Jezreel Jezebal Lachish Motza Jerusalem Temple

COVID 19 Archaeology Impacts And Hadrian's Gate

With Clyde Billington

No excavations at Tel Dan and a number of other archaeological sites in Israel this summer due to the travel restrictions related to the COVID19 coronavirus. But there are still some excavations holding out hope that they may get into the field in 2020. We discuss both situations plus other impacts of COVID19. Also, from the news digest of the latest issue of our biblical archaeology newsmagazine, ARTIFAX, we discuss the reopening of Hadrian’s Gate in Jerusalem, which is almost 2,000 years old, and the discovery of a large Phoenician iron-smithing installation at Akko from the Persian period.

tags: COVID19 Coronavirus Excavations Hadrian's Gate Akko iron Persians

The Dead Sea Scroll Forgeries, part 2

With Christopher Rollston

One of the participants in an academic symposium at the Museum of the Bible, held in conjunction with the release of an investigative report on the museum’s Dead Sea Scroll fragments, was Christopher Rollston. The report, paid for by the museum, found that the fragments were modern forgeries. Rollston, professor of Northwest Semitic languages and literatures at George Washington University, is often called upon to verify the authenticity of ancient inscriptions. In our interview he discusses his desire to see the perpetrator of this fraud brought to justice, and why no one should ever buy antiquities.

tags: Dead Sea Scrolls Museum of the Bible forgeries fragments

The Dead Sea Scroll Forgeries

With Christopher Rollston

One of the participants in an academic symposium at the Museum of the Bible, held in conjunction with the release of an investigative report on the museum’s Dead Sea Scroll fragments, was Christopher Rollston. The report, paid for by the museum, found that the fragments were modern forgeries. Rollston, professor of Northwest Semitic languages and literatures at George Washington University, is often called upon to verify the authenticity of ancient inscriptions. In our interview he discusses the praiseworthy transparency of the museum on this issue.

tags: Dead Sea Scrolls Museum of the Bible forgeries fragments

Museum of the Bible - Repatriating Antiquities

With Jeffrey Kloha

Almost simultaneously with the announcement from the Museum of the Bible that the Dead Sea Scroll fragments in their collection were modern forgeries, came the additional announcement that museum founder and board chairman Steve Green was repatriating, to Egypt and Iraq, more than 11-thousand antiquities that were inappropriately acquired during the museum formation process. Once again I was referred to Jeffrey Kloha, the Chief Curatorial Officer at the Museum of the Bible. He was speaking for the museum, and not for Steve Green in this week's interview.

tags: Dead Sea Scrolls Museum of the Bible forgeries fragments Repatriating Egypt Iraq bullae Papyrus