PaleoBabble » Ancient Sites

Useful Archaeology Web Page

MSH — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:51:15 +0000

Just a heads up for those of you who enjoy reading and researching in archaeology. The American Journal of Archaeology has set up a student web page that leads to layers of very useful links (e.g., check out the “archaeological blogs” link).

Technorati Tags: archaeology

Have Archaeologists Found Biblical Sodom?

MSH — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:14:45 +0000

I am referring to the recent archaeological work outlined at this link (and others, of course) that proposes Tell al-Hammam as the site of Sodom.

Short answer: No.

There are several archaeological and chronological problems associated with this site being Sodom. For those reasons (the longer answer), see this useful summary and its links from the Bible Places blog.

Technorati Tags: archaeology, Sodom, Tell al-Hammam

Talpiot Tomb Makes Another Round in the Blogosphere

MSH — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:04:23 +0000

Thanks go to Mark Goodacre of Duke University for this short post linking us to a recent paper about the alleged Jesus family tomb. As is typical, Mark clearly and succinctly summarizes the two primary points of weakness in the tomb argument — weaknesses that were noted at the beginning and which still kill the identification with Jesus of Nazareth. But perhaps $imcha Jacobovici can still squeeze more profit and notoriety out of it.

Technorati Tags: Jesus tomb, Judas, Mariamne, Mary Magdalene, Talpiot

When Archaeologists Attack: Amateur Researcher of Maya Gets an Earful

MSH — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:16:31 +0000

Here’s an interesting story about an amateur researcher (an architect by profession) who suggested in a recent article that there may be ruins of a famous ancient Mayan city … in Georgia (the one famous for peaches and iced tea). Turns out an archaeologist he quoted in his book actually read his material and was pretty irked.

I’d love to see more of this (“unintentional peer review”). Other than Dan Brown in the wake of the DaVinci Code, it’s rare that scholars read any of this sort of amateur research. If they did, more of these sorts of enthusiasts would get called out. Most of the time they’d get embarrassed, but I believe that every once in a while they might get some help thinking differently about a topic (presuming the data are real). It’s even more interesting since the offended archaeologist had to read it in the Examiner (the online newspaper that sounds like the Onion at times but isn’t as funny).

Technorati Tags: Brasstown Bald, city, geogria, Mayan, native americans

Recent Finds Involving Israel’s Jerusalem Temple Mount

MSH — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:34:58 +0000

Many readers have no doubt heard about the recent reports of the discovery of a ritual bath underneath the western wall of the Jerusalem temple mount, along with four First Century AD coins. You can read about the discovery here in the press release from the Jewish Antiquities Authority. The coins were struck by the Roman procurator of Judea, Valerius Gratus sometime between 17-18 AD. According to the press release, “This means that Robinson’s Arch, and possibly a longer part of the Western Wall, were constructed after this year – that is to say: at least twenty years after Herod’s death (which is commonly thought to have occurred in the year 4 BCE).”

Readers may recall that some time ago I blogged about the possibility that the precise location of the Jerusalem temple being incorrect. I referred readers to the work of Ernest Martin, kept alive for consideration by his estate here. I noted that Martin’s work raises some serious questions about the precise temple location that seem to simply get ignored or (in my experience at an academic conference) somewhat ridiculed, as opposed to cogently addressed and refuted. I’m no expert on the Temple Mount, but I am familiar with the issues that need to be addressed and wonder why no systematic refutation has been offered (counter-arguments have been offered, but those arguments were also addressed by Martin in detail — and that is where the subject died, or became something to be dismissed). At any rate, it would be nice to suppose that this new discovery might bring Martin’s work back into the discussion since he proposed that this part of the Temple Mount (in mainstream thinking; in Martin’s view he refers to it as the Haram esh-Sharif) was built well after Herod’s death (which Martin has at 1 BC, contrary to the accepted 4 BC – the issue is of significance due to the precise astronomical dating of Jesus’ birth if one takes Rev 12:1-6 as astronomical signage for the birth).

At any rate, I offer here a recent summary of the new discovery from David Sielaff, trustee of Martin’s work. I hope you will all find it of interest.

Technorati Tags: archaeology, coins, discovery, haram esh sharif, herod, Jerusalem, Martin, temple

Back to Blogging, and Ancient Sites on Google Earth

MSH — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:28:25 +0000

Well, I’m finally back from a week on the east coast. That means things will start to return to normal. To get back on the blogging saddle, here’s a cool resource that readers of this blog might be able to use at some point in their own reading and research: 2300 ancient sites via Google Earth. Check it out!

Technorati Tags: ancient sites, archaeology, Google earth

One Yahoo of Arabia Now in Malta

MSH — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:28:11 +0000

Back in 1998 journalist Howard Blum authored a book entitled, The Gold of Exodus. It was sensationalist archaeo-babble at its best. Here’s how one Amazon.com reviewer summarized the book:

When a millionaire adventurer goes in search of the true Mount Sinai, he gets more than he bargained for. Spies, missiles, and secret military installations are just some of the obstacles that Larry Williams and his sidekick Bob Cornuke must confront in their unprecedented journey to find the lost treasures of Moses. In The Gold of Exodus, award-winning journalist Howard Blum records a page-turning story of an adventure that makes history. While risking their necks by sneaking into the xenophobic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, amateur archaeologists Williams and Cornuke become pawns in a game of international espionage that eventually leads them to the top of the most sacred mountain in the world, and into the hands of shotgun-wielding Bedouins.

You get the picture. The Gold of Exodus actually drew the attention of some real archaeologists. Eventually, archaeology writer Neil Asher Silberman penned a review for Archaeology magazine with one of the best review titles of all time: Yahoos in Arabia.

Well, one of those Yahoos, Bob Cornuke, is back. This time he’s discovered *the* boat that Paul was on when it shipwrecked, described in Acts 27. You can get an idea of his basic arguments from this brief, but telling, critique.

Technorati Tags: Acts 27, apostle paul, bob cornuke, malta, shipwreck

Nailing $imcha Jacobovici

MSH — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:04:39 +0000

A few more posts by scholars still engaged with Simcha Jacobovici. Talk about shooting fish in a barrel.

Here’s one more from Mark Goodacre, who discusses the non-extant textual material that $imcha uses to build his vacuous argument. And then Todd Bolen reports on the work of Gordon Franz, who’s looked into $imcha’s theory.

Technorati Tags: cross, Jesus, Jesus tomb, nails, simcha jacobovici, Talpiot

Jesus Tomb Website: 17 Errors

MSH — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:37:41 +0000

Not sure how how missed this 2007 post on Mark Goodacre’s blog, but a recent post of his drew my attention to it. With more Jacobovici nonsense having recently arrived for Easter, I thought this was still worth letting you all know about.

Technorati Tags: Jesus, Jesus tomb, Mary Magdalene, ossuaries, Talpiot

Gay Caveman PaleoBabble

MSH — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:18:45 +0000

Well, the archaeo-presstitutes are at it again. It’s been a busy month.

You’ll all love this response from a real anthropologist.

Technorati Tags: archaeology, caveman, gay, paleo-anthropology