Assyrian Rock Reliefs, Pilgrim Road News

With Clyde Billington

Assyrian rock reliefs, carved into a rocky cliff along an ancient canal in Kurdistan, are the cover story in the latest issue of ARTIFAX, our biblical archaeology news magazine. This canal may have been dug by Israelite slave labor. We discuss the biblical significance of this discovery. We also discuss a recent discovery made in connection with the excavation of the Pilgrim’s Road, between the Pool of Siloam and the Temple Mount. A measuring table device used by an agoranomos to calibrate liquid measurement in the market place is an unusual looking artifact. And we discuss an Israelite name written on a piece of pottery found at Abel Beth Maacah, which indicates this border town belonged to the Israelites around 900 BC.

tags: Assyrian rock reliefs Kurdistan Pilgrim's Road Pool of Siloam Temple Mount Agoranomos Abel Beth Maacah

From Qeiyafa to Lachish

With John DeLancey

The archaeological sites of Khirbet Qeiyafa and Tel Lachish give us biblical connections to the reign of King David and to the conquests of the Assyrians and the Babylonians. We visited both sites during the same day during our 2018 Archaeology Adventure Study Tour and we also have them on our itinerary for our March 2020 tour. Khirbet Qeiyafa overlooks the Elah Valley, where David met Goliath. This unusual city may or may not be mentioned in the Bible, depending on the clues you read. Lachish is mentioned prominently, it was the most important city in Judea outside of Jerusalem.

tags: Khirbet Qeiyafa Elah Valley Goliath King David Azekah Tel Lachish Sennacherib Assyrians

Roman Camp at Megiddo

With Clyde Billington

Megiddo, one of the most famous sites of biblical archaeology, is becoming even more so with archaeological developments in its neighborhood. While the tell excavation continues (a royal burial was announced recently), a new excavation across the road has been uncovering the remains of second century Roman camp, the largest known in the eastern Mediterranean. Down at the crossroads, about a mile away, an Israeli prison is being demolished. A more modern facility is being built elsewhere, so that the mosaics from Roman period homes can be displayed, one which identifies one of the earliest known Christian worship communities in Israel (discovered in 2005). We also discuss the mosaics found in Byzantine churches in the Galilee, reconnecting Ephesus to the Aegean Sea, a surveillance network in Syria, and an Assyrian document that echoes the story of Abraham from Genesis.

tags: Ephesus Megiddo Roman Legion Abraham prison mosaic church mosaics Cayster River Hagar

The Tomb of Jonah and Archaeological Destruction

With Clyde Billington

The Mosque marking the traditional tomb of Jonah in Mosul was destroyed by ISIS four years ago. Now that ISIS is gone, the mosque could be rebuilt but there's just one problem, it sits on top of a ruin that archaeologists have identified as the ancient palace of Assyrian kings Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, and Ashurbanipal. These kings are mentioned in the Old Testament. Sennacherib tried and failed to conquer Jerusalem. We bring our listeners up-to-date on what's happening at this site. We also report on the looting and destruction of two other palaces in Israel, the Jericho palace of King Herod, and the palace of Archelaus, the son of Herod, just north of Jericho.

tags: Jericho Gaza Herod Palace ISIS Jonah Assyrian Tomb Nineveh Sennacherib Esarhaddon Ashurbanipal Archlaus

Bethsaida, Huqoq, and Rosh Ha-Ayin

With Clyde Billington

Catching up on the latest discoveries in biblical archaeology, professor Clyde Billington joins me to discuss some of the news digest items in the latest issue of ARTIFAX magazine. But first, a quick look at one of the top biblical archaeology stories of the summer that will be reported in the next issue of ARTIFAX, and that is the dispute of the true location of the New Testament city of Bethsaida. Excavations at el-Araj, on the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee this past summer uncovered some first century remains which has renewed the debate. For most of the past three decades, archaeologist Rami Arav has been excavating at a site about a mile from the shore called et-Tell, which he says is Bethsaida. We also discuss the latest mosaic discoveries from the ongoing excavations at Huqoq, near the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, and a giant Assyrian period cistern discovered at Rosh Ha-Ayin, near Tel Aphek and the headwaters of the Yarkon River.

tags: Mosaics Jodi Magness Huqoq Bethsaida Cistern Sea of Galilee Assyrian Aphek Roman ruins polis et-Tel el-Araj zodiac Yarkon