Courtesy of Eric Welch, we finally know the reason why Indiana Jones did not get tenure!

For more information, read here.

Now this is important news!

Thanks Eric!

Aren

Today, Itzik Shai informed me that at long last (4 years since the actual conference, and about 3 years since the papers were submitted), two joint papers from the Safi team have just appeared.

Although I have not yet seen them in published form, the conference proceedings of the ICAANE meeting that was in Berlin in 2004 has appeared (see here on the recent 6 ICAANE in Rome). In the volume, there are two papers relating to the Tell es-Safi/Gath excavations:

* Shai, I., Ben-Shlomo, D., and Maeir, A.M.
2008 The Philistine Material Culture in Process: The Late Philistine Decorated Ware (“Ashdod Ware”) as a Case Study of Cultural Transformation. Pp. 235–44 in The Proceedings of the 4th International Congress of the Archaeology of the Ancient Near, 29 March – 3 April 2004, Freie Universität Berlin, Volume II. East Social and Cultural Transformation. The Archaeology of Transitional Periods and Dark Ages. Excavation Reports, eds. H. Kuehne, Czichon and F. Kreppner. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.

* Shai, I., and Maeir, A.M.
2008 The Iron Age IIA Pottery Assemblage at Tell es-Safi/Gath. Pp. 419–28 in The Proceedings of the 4th International Congress of the Archaeology of the Ancient Near, 29 March – 3 April 2004, Freie Universität Berlin, Volume II. East Social and Cultural Transformation. The Archaeology of Transitional Periods and Dark Ages. Excavation Reports, eds. H. Kuehne, Czichon and F. Kreppner. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.

Today, we had a great meeting at the Kimmel Center for Archaeological Sciences at the Weizmann Institute. The meeting was meant to go over a years analysis of the results of the 2007 season, from an archaeological and an archaeological science perspective. Most of the core staff of the Safi project (yours truly along with Itzik, Joe, Alex, Rona, Iosi, Shira, Amit, Debi and Rotem) came for the day, and from the archaeological science side we had, in addition to Prof. Steve Weiner, director of the Kimmel Center, Drs. Elisabetta Boaretto, Ruthy Shachak-Gross, Udi Weiss, as well as Lior, Noemi, Ofir and Larisa (graduate and post-graduate students at the center).

So that those of you who regularly read the blog should not be totally depressed from the last entry about the vandalism on the tell, here is some more positive news.

Yesterday, I heard two very interesting talks.

Yesterday I found out that some @#$%^&* unknown delinquents seriously vandalized the new signs and outlooks that were set up at Tell es-Safi/Gath by the Nature and Parks Authority!!! Here is an article (in Hebrew) on the results of this horrible event with some pictures.

I do hope that these @#$%^& villains will be caught and punished.

Thru Jack Sasson, I received today notice that the new Ugarit-forschungen (volume 38) has appeared. Of interest to fans of Tell es-Safi/Gath, there is an article by Alex Zukerman and Itzik Shai, long-time core members of the Tell es-Safi/Gath excavation.

The article: Zukerman, A., and Shai, I. 2006. “The Royal City of the Philistines” in the “Azekah Inscription” and the History of Gath in the Eighth Century BCE. Ugarit-Forschungen 38: 729–816, deals with the history of Gath, Philistia, and Judah in the 8th century BCE, with particular emphasis on the Assyrian campaigns to Philistia by Sargon II and Sennacherib.

Among other issues dealt with (in this 87 page article!) is the question of the identity of the city (whose name is unfortunately erased) in the well-known “Azekah” inscription. This inscription has been discussed by many scholars, as to the date (Sargon II or Sennacherib) and the identity of the city that is besieged and captured. While some suggest that it is Gath, others have suggested Ekron.

Alex and Itzik argue that it is Gath, and believe that the Aramean siege trench (or rather the filling in of the trench) is mentioned in the inscription.

One of the most fascinating, and probably promising avenues for the study of human antiquity is the study of ancient human genetics. These studies have opened up fanstastic windows to the past, relating to diverse aspects such as unique populations groups, origin of modern humans, development of language, etc (see an example of these studies here and here). As usual, along with the interesting and important studies, there has been a lot of “bunk”, which some of you may have already come across..

In recent years there has been quite an intense ongoing discussion, and debate, regarding studies on the genetic origins of the jews and other related populations. In fact, even Nadia Abu el-Haj (know from other aspects) has been involved in this … (see some of these discussions, here and here). Also in this case, a lot of good science, and lot of very bad science, has been intertwined …

Just now, a fascinating study on the genetics of the Druze has just appeared (and summarized briefly here), which demonstrates that they are a unique, and very old “genetic refuge” - which offers a fascinating glimpse of the genetic makeup of the near east thousand of years ago.

I just put up two new links (in list of links on the blog) to two articles on the Tell es-Safi/Gath excavations that have appeared over the years in Biblical Archaeology Review.