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Monday, June 08, 2020

Have they found Naboth's vineyard?

ARCHAEOLOGY: Archaeologists might have identified Jezreel winery featured in Bible. The winery was first discovered in 2013 and exposed in several seasons of excavations in the following years. It presents several installations carved into the bedrock (Rosella Tercarin, Jerusalem Post).
It is currently impossible to date with certainty the remains of the ancient winery that was uncovered not far from Jezreel, a settlement that has been continuously inhabited for thousands of years, the lead author of the study, Dr. Norma Franklin of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa, told The Jerusalem Post. However, different factors support the idea that whether or not there was a man called Naboth, whoever authored the story must have been aware of the existence of that winery, the only one in the compatible area, she said.
I haven't specifically mentioned this discovery, although I noted a 2015 report on the Jezreel Expedition which does mention it.

I am generally skeptical about attempts to tie archaeology to specific stories in the Bible. But the excavators know more about the Jezreel winery than I do. I defer to their opinion.

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