Review of Miles, "Carthage Must Be Destroyed"

REVIEW OF MILES, CARTHAGE MUST BE DESTROYED in the Californian Literary Review:

Book Review: Carthage Must Be Destroyed by Richard Miles

by Ed Voves
August 19th, 2011 at 11:01 am

Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization
by Richard Miles
Viking Adult, 544 pp.
CLR Rating: ★★★★★


Woe to the Vanquished

When you visit museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York or the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the shared legacy of ancient Greece and Rome is readily apparent. These museums are noted for their collections of Greek and Roman antiquities. Study these ancient treasures and you will witness the remarkable story of how artistic expression united the diverse peoples of the Mediterranean world — the Greeks, the Etruscans and the Romans — across space and time.

But something is missing from this story — and from these museum collections.

An entire civilization, which played a crucial role in the growth of trade, the founding of cities and the spread of literacy throughout the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea, has been effaced from the records of world culture. In an important new book, historian Richard Miles has uncovered the story of ancient Carthage, the Semitic civilization which flourished in its North African home city and in colonies all over the western Mediterranean until it was conquered by the Romans in 146 B.C.

Carthage, however, was not merely conquered by Rome. As the title of Miles’ book asserts, Carthage was destroyed. In three brutal wars, Carthage’s military power was annihilated by the legions of the Roman Republic. The city was ransacked and burned, down to its foundations. The people of Carthage were massacred or enslaved. The literature of the city was put to the torch. Not a stone was left upon a stone.

Why this special degree of vengeance by the Romans? Even for a people not known for compassion, the Romans waged a ruthless campaign of “fire and sword” against the Carthaginians far in excess of their customary brutality. The reason was simple. Carthage, a resourceful and resilient commercial power, was a threat to Rome like no other kingdom or city state in the Mediterranean.

[...]

This long review includes a nice capsule summary of the Punic Wars.

The fake metal codices have a Facebook page

FAKE METAL CODICES WATCH: The metal codices now have a Facebook page, as noted by Joel L. Watts at Unsettled Christianity. I've been getting a spike of Jordan lead codices searches lately, and this explains why.

The only thing of interest on the page is a copy of what is claimed to be Peter Northover's report on the composition of the lead, which you can read here. And another report (which does not try to date the lead) attributed to one Peter Korgul, is here. Note that the first report says that "a Mediterranean origin is certainly feasible," which is not the same thing as saying that the lead is of Mediterranean origin. It sounds as though comparative data are lacking.

To keep repeating, the lead may be ancient, but all current evidence points to the writing and iconography of these codices being modern fakes. I have summed up the evidence here and here.

Another recent summary of the current situation is here. Although it inadvertently commented on an article from April, the commentary and links are still relevant. And it leads to many, many earlier posts on the subject.

Reflections on Secret Mark by Craig Evans

REFLECTIONS ON SECRET MARK by Craig Evans at Bible and Interpretation:

Doubting Morton Smith and Secret Mark

Although a number of scholars were willing to accept the find as authentic, or at least were willing to accept Smith’s account, a number of other scholars suspected the find was a hoax and that perhaps Smith himself was the hoaxer. The matter continues to be debated.

By Craig A. Evans
Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament
Acadia Divinity College and Acadia University
Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6 Canada
August 2011

Professor Evans is suspicious because central themes in Secret Mark show up in Morton Smith's work before the supposed discovery of the manuscript. This essay is related to the symposium on Secret Mark held by Tony Burke in April. Background here.

Review of Boustan et al., "Jewish Studies at the Crossroads of Anthropology and History"

H-JUDAIC REVIEW:

Raʻanan S. Boustan, Oren Kosansky, Marina Rustow, eds. Jewish Studies at the Crossroads of Anthropology and History: Authority, Diaspora, Tradition. Jewish Culture and Contexts Series. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011. 424 pp. $69.95 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-8122-4303-1.

Reviewed by Kimberly Arkin (Boston University)
Published on H-Judaic (August, 2011)
Commissioned by Jason Kalman

Deconstruction without Destruction: Reimagining Jewish Studies at the Crossroads of Anthropology and History

Jewish Studies at the Crossroads of Anthropology and History is an ambitious edited volume that includes a number of rich and important essays. I call it ambitious because--as outlined in the extensive introduction--it seeks to address and overcome a number of the theoretical problems that have long dogged Jewish studies as a discipline. These include homogenizing and essentializing the “Jewish” object and subject of Jewish studies; the reification and simplification of insider-outsider divides and relationships; the focus on text and textual analysis over a more embedded approach that examines the lived experiences that enable textual production, circulation, and interpretation; and approaches to diaspora that project certain kinds of contemporary Israeli concerns (center versus periphery, homeland versus exile, civilized Westerners versus primitive orientals) onto very differently organized worlds. These are important critiques of contemporary Jewish studies that deserve considerable attention and reflection. Ra’anan S. Boustan, Oren Kosansky, and Marina Rustow seek to overcome these limitations by combining textual and cultural, synchronic and diachronic, and top-down and bottom-up analyses that represent the best possible fusion of contemporary historical and anthropological approaches. The volume is thus organized around three large themes--“Authority,” “Diaspora,” and “Tradition”--rather than by historical period, geographical region, research question, or disciplinary approach.

[...]

New Old Daily Mail article on the fake metal codices

FAKE METAL CODICES WATCH: [UPDATE: Oops. I got this from the Agade list and didn't note the dateline, which puts it in April. Sorry about that. I'll leave the post up, though, since it recaps some of the major issues. And the good news is that, since this is actually an old story, even the Daily Mail is currently leaving it alone. Thanks to Jim West for pointing out the date.]

The Daily Mail has a long article on the codices which sums up most of the information and, especially, misinformation published thus far about them. With the exception, of course, of Peter Thonemann's demonstration that the Greek on one of the codices is an obvious and crude forgery. Somehow they missed that one.

Is this the first ever portrait of Jesus? The incredible story of 70 ancient books hidden in a cave for nearly 2,000 years

By Nick Pryer

Last updated at 3:02 PM on 4th April 2011

The image is eerily familiar: a bearded young man with flowing curly hair. After lying for nearly 2,000 years hidden in a cave in the Holy Land, the fine detail is difficult to determine. But in a certain light it is not difficult to interpret the marks around the figure’s brow as a crown of thorns.

The extraordinary picture of one of the recently discovered hoard of up to 70 lead codices – booklets – found in a cave in the hills overlooking the Sea of Galilee is one reason Bible historians are clamouring to get their hands on the ancient artefacts.

If genuine, this could be the first-ever portrait of Jesus Christ, possibly even created in the lifetime of those who knew him.

The image in question looks very much like an attempt at a reproduction of ancient Helios imagery. As Bill Hamblin comments, "This is kind of like seeing a portrait of Jesus on a pancake."

Most of the rest of the article contains material I have already commented on at length in earlier posts, so I will focus on a few specifics.

Astonishingly, one of the booklets appears to bear the words ‘Saviour of Israel’ – one of the few phrases so far translated.

I certainly haven't seen that. Photo please. In any case, "Savior of Israel" is a perfectly good title for God (cf. Isaiah 43:3, 45:15) and need not have anything to do with Jesus.

A sealed book containing sacred information was mentioned in the biblical Book of Revelations.

Revelation, dammit, Revelation!

This interpretation of the books as proto-Christian artefacts is supported by Margaret Barker, former president of the Society for Old Testament Study and one of Britain’s leading experts on early Christianity.

As I noted back in late April, Margaret Barker has not made a public comment on the plates since Thonemann' debunked the one conclusively.

If genuine, it seems clear that these books were, in fact, created by an early Messianic Jewish sect, perhaps closely allied to the early Christian church and that these images represent Christ himself. However another theory, put forward by Robert Feather – an authority on The Dead Sea Scrolls and author of The Mystery Of The Copper Scroll Of Qumran – is that these books are connected to the Bar Kokhba Revolt of 132-136AD, the third major rebellion by the Jews of Judea Province and the last of the Jewish-Roman Wars.

Robert Feather is a metallurgist who has written a highly speculative book on the Dead Sea Scrolls. He is not an "authority" on the Scrolls.

The spiritual leader of the [Bar Kokhba] revolt was Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who laid the foundations for a mystical form of Judaism known today as Kabbalah, which is followed by Madonna, Britney Spears and others. Yochai hid in a cave for 13 years and wrote a secret commentary on the Bible, the Zohar, which evolved into the teaching of Kabbalah. Feather is convinced that some of the text on the codices carry the name of Rabbi Bar Yochai.

Again, where is the photo? But it would be interesting if this turned out to be correct. I suspect that the codices were originally concocted to appear to be ancient Jewish texts and then somewhere along the way someone (Elkington?) got hold of them and then torturously tried to map early Christianity onto them as something that would sell better. And so it has.

Oh, and the Zohar is a medieval pseudepigraphon.

Saida, who is in his mid-30s and married with five or six children, claims he inherited the booklets from his grandfather.

I like this one. What, did he lose count? Or, more likely, does this indicate that the Daily Mail has not actually interviewed him, at least lately, and so could not clarify this point? Indeed, if you look at the article carefully, it never says that any of the people mentioned in it were interviewed for it.

The artefacts have been seen by multi-millionaire collectors of antiquities in both Israel and Europe – and Saida has been offered tens of millions of pounds for just a few of them, but has declined to sell any.

You believe that, do you?

The samples were then sent to the Swiss National Materials Laboratory at Dubendorf, Switzerland. The results show they were consistent with ancient (Roman) period lead production and that the metal was smelted from ore that originated in the Mediterranean. Dr Northover also said that corrosion on the books was unlikely to be modern.

If the lead is Mediterranean, that would be interesting. But unless and until the report is made public, I am disinclined to take much stock in rumors about what it says.

The director of Jordan’s Department of Antiquities, Ziad al-Saad, has few doubts. He believes they may indeed have been made by followers of Jesus in the few decades immediately following his crucifixion.

I have commented on Ziad al-Saad's perspective here and here.

To recap: All indicators are that these metal codices are modern fakes. They may be written on ancient lead, which can be obtained without too much difficulty, but I have seen no evidence that the writing and iconography on any of them are genuine, but rather considerable evidence that they are fake. I have summed up the case against their authenticity here and here. It is perhaps encouraging that some of the more reputable mainstream media have begun shying away from accepting the codices as genuine, and it is left to the Daily Mail (and other still more goofball sources to which I am not going to link) to carry on the charade.

For more background, go to the last link above and follow its "background here" link for many, many more posts on the subject.

Early reviews of "El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron"

ARCHANGEL METATRON WATCH: The new game El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron came out in North American yesterday and the reviews are already appearing. I don't intend to link to every review that comes out, but here is the first wave according to Google:

Louie Villalobos at the Arizona Republic:

El Shaddai is a brilliantly designed visual experience that leaves a wonderful story up for interpretation. It's unlike any game I've ever played in terms of the artistic vision and execution. The game is worth a play off that alone.

But the nuts and bolts of this combat game leaves something to be desired. All the artistic achievement in the world doesn't cover up what is a really simple slashing game. So go play this game, but expect the same dodging, block, and slicing you get from far less creative titles.

Gieson Cacho at the Contra Costa Times:

If Ignition Entertainment had a more balanced approach, "El Shaddai" could have been a transformative game. It relies too much on visual fireworks and forgets about building a solid structure to support. The gameplay unfolds unconventionally and avoids the linear video game tropes, but the plot isn't explained well.

Despite its flaws, "El Shaddai" is a worthwhile experience. Just don't expect anything well-rounded or polished. For a game dealing with angels, it falls short of being heavenly.

Billy O'Keefe at the Bellingham Herald:

he visual variety makes an unpredictable game that much more surprising, but it's the insane skill with which "Metatron" brings them to life that makes it impossible for even screenshots to do the whole thing justice. Whether altering character states, swapping dimensions or continuously redrawing entire horizons as you race through them, "Metatron's" animation drops jaws with a relentless brilliance that has very few peers.

Jason Cipriano at the MTV Multiplayer blog:

Some people might play through "El Shaddai" and think it's all over the place due to the variety in levels and gameplay, but it's the variety that makes this game so enjoyable. "Ascension of the Metatron" feels like it's an indie game that was made with a major budget. Making use of topics that generally don't used for games, art styles that you'd never see in the same game (if at all), and gameplay that doesn't get old quickly, "El Shaddai" keeps you playing because you don’t know what to expect next, and that's what great games should do.

Heidi Kemps at Game Pro:

A game like El Shaddai is something that comes along only a few times in each console generation. The beautiful visuals, fantastic environments, solid (though slightly flawed) gameplay, and rich mythology combine to make a game quite unlike anything you've ever played. It has its occasional frustrations, but when the overall experience is this fantastic, you will be more than willing to put up with a few little annoyances. Above all, El Shaddai is a gaming experience you won't soon forget, and one that's worth every penny of its price of admission.

JC Fletcher at joystiq:

The occasional irritation from getting knocked off a giant clock face by an intentionally low-poly arm, or of not being able to see my shadow in a shifting miasma that's supposed to be a rock, fades away. The experience of a game so elegantly, artfully designed in both mechanics and visuals is something that will stay with me, even if the plot wasn't totally coherent.

Background here and many links.

Review of Miles, "Carthage Must Be Destroyed"

REVIEW OF MILES, CARTHAGE MUST BE DESTROYED:

Carthage Must Be Destroyed: And an End to Roman Exceptionalism

Jim Cullen August 16th 2011
History News Network

Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization. Richard Miles. Viking. 2011. 544 pages.

England and France. Greece and Persia. Hapsburgs and Ottomans. Imperial rivalry is as old as history itself, but some rivalries can truly be said to have changed the world. The great contest between the Mediterranean city-states of Rome and Carthage falls into that category. At the end of three Punic Wars stretching over a century (264-146 BC), Carthage was literally wiped off the face of the earth. But in this fascinating new history, University of Sydney historian Richard Miles reconstructs a civilization whose memory continues to stir imaginations -- particularly among those who suspect that their own is not immortal.

[...]

Earlier reviews here and here and links.

Forthcoming book on Enochian magic

FORTHCOMING BOOK announced at the Heterodoxology blog by Egil Asprem:

Arguing with Angels – another book you should get next year

A bit of shameless self-promotion: A pre-production description has recently been released by State University of New York Press, announcing the publication of my first book, Arguing with Angels: Enochian Magic and Modern Occulture. It is due in May 2012. As SUNY’s summary states, the book is an exploration of the Elizabethan philosopher John Dee’s system of angel magic, but in particular its reception history and various reinterpretations in modern times. It follows the creation of what is usually known as “Enochian magic”. Since 19th century occultism, and continuing in 20th century and contemporary occulture, this system has been understood in a variety of ways as it has become embedded in a number of different occult currents and practices.

[...]

I am currently working on (back-burner) a paper on phenomenological parallels between John Dee's Enochian revelations and the visions in 4 Ezra, and I look forward to seeing this book when it comes out.

(HT reader Roberto Labanti.)

The age of King Og at the time of his death

ASKING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: I want to know the age of King Og At the time of his death.

Much more on Og the giant here with links and here. For the record, I now doubt that the Phoenician inscription Byblos 13 refers to Og the giant.

Speed dating in Zedekiah's Cave

CAN'T MAKE IT UP—Speed dating in Zedekiah's Cave for the 15th of Av: Israeli singles look for new love in ancient cave (AP).

Some background on Zedekiah's Cave is here. Tell them to keep an eye out for the Ark of the Covenant and the Temple treasures.

St. Helena is Saint of the Week

ST. HELENA is Saint of the Week in the Catholic Herald:

The 80-year-old woman who discovered the Cross upon which Jesus was crucified

St Helena (August 18), the mother of Constantine, became celebrated for her charity to the poor and to prisoners

By Spiritual Life on Monday, 15 August 2011

Helena (c 249-c 329) was the mother of Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor. She is held up to reverence as the discoverer of the Cross upon which Jesus was crucified.

[...]

St. Helena did travel around the Holy Land looking to locate relics and sites associated with Christian origins, but Eusebius doesn't refer to her finding the true—or any—cross, and the story only surfaces a generation or two later, so it should be taken with a good grain of salt.

In any case, the article has some interesting background on her.

Statue of Heracles discovered at Horvat Tarbenet

A NEW DISCOVERY has been announced in an IAA press release (HT Joseph Lauer):

A Rare Statue of Hercules was exposed at Horvat Tarbenet in the Jezreel Valley

in excavations of the Israel Antiquities Authority, within the framework of the Jezreel Valley Railway project, directed by the Israel National Roads Company

A marble statue of Hercules from the second century CE was uncovered in excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting at Horvat Tarbenet, within the framework of the Jezreel Valley Railway project, directed by the Israel National Roads Company

According to Dr. Walid Atrash of the Israel Antiquities Authority,
The hero Hercules, of Greek and Roman mythology, was born in Thebes. He is the son of the god Zeus and the mortal Alcmene, a woman from Electryon. Hercules is considered the strongest man in the world, a symbol of power, courage and superhuman strength; one of the most famous legendary heroes of ancient Greece who battled the forces of the netherworld on behalf of the Olympian gods. Hercules is described as hot tempered, and he often times acted impetuously and with uncontrollable rage. Greek mythology has it that Zeus’ wife, Hera, expressed her jealousy and fierce hatred of Hercules from the day he was born because he was the product of her husband’s infidelity. While he was just a baby Hera placed two poisonous snakes in his bed, but he managed to overpower them. Later, in a fit of madness brought on by Hera, Hercules killed his three sons and his wife Megara, whilst she attempted to protect the smallest of them. In order to atone for his terrible sin, the Oracle of Delphi ordered Hercules to go to Eurystheus, king of Mycenae, and perform whatever the king commanded him to do. Among the king’s commands were twelve superhuman feats known as the ‘Labors of Hercules’. Depictions of the labors of Hercules are among the most common themes in ancient art and the statue that was discovered portrays Hercules’ first task.

Horvat Tarbenet is located in the Jezreel Valley, three kilometers northeast of Kefar Barukh, and four kilometers northwest of Afula. Tarbenet was a Jewish settlement in the third century CE, which is mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud (Megilla 4, 5). The story is told of a local teacher who would teach the Ten Commandments very quickly, so rapidly that his students could not understand him. The townspeople asked the teacher to take a break between each passage so they could follow him. The teacher refused because “the sages forbade one from stopping while reading the words of Moses”. The teacher’s refusal even received the backing of Rabbi Hanina. The teacher continued to teach as he did until the residents fired him.


In an archaeological excavation conducted at the site remains were discovered, among them dwellings, a built well and an installation that included a large pool which was probably part of a Roman bathhouse. Benches were found on two sides of the pools. The well, which is 2.90 m in diameter and in excess of 4 m deep, had a saqiye type pumping installation constructed above its opening. A drainage channel that extended as far as the pool was built alongside the well. It seems that the well and channel were meant to supply water for the pool. After the pool was no longer being used it was filled in with a layer of earth that contained numerous potsherds, an abundance of broken glass vessels and the marble fragment of the statue of Hercules. The complex that was discovered apparently underwent a number of changes and it is dated to the Roman and Byzantine periods, until the beginning of the Early Islamic period.

At the beginning of the last century the legendary Valley Railway linked Haifa with Damascus. Recently the Israel National Roads Company commenced work renewing the rail line with the necessary changes in its route. The new Valley Railway, which is c. 60 kilometers long, will carry passengers and freight between Haifa, Afula and Bet She'an. In certain places the new track will pass alongside the route of the historic Valley Railway.


Click here to download high resolution photographs:
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority


For further information, kindly contact:
Yoli Shwartz, Israel Antiquities Authority spokesperson, 052-5991888 dovrut@israntique.org.il

September Biblical Studies Carnival part one

JAMES MCGRATH: September 2011 Biblical Studies Carnival – Early Edition. Very thorough. I think this is the first time that the Biblical Studies Carnival has had two editions slated for a single month.

New Hebrew Ben Sira fragment published in DSD

THAT NEW HEBREW FRAGMENT OF BEN SIRA from the Cairo Geniza (noted in January here) has now been published in Dead Sea Discoveries. Ophir Münz-Manor has the link and a couple of corrections to the readings over at the Talmud Blog.

The Hebrew University Bible Project

THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY BIBLE PROJECT is profiled by the AP: In Jerusalem, scholars trace Bible's evolution.

If I may hazard a prediction, I expect that Moore's Law will shave a good many years off that estimated completion date of two hundred years from now.

New Coptic fragments of the History of Joseph the Carpenter

NEW TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA WATCH: Alin Suciu: New Fragments from the Sahidic Version of the History of Joseph the Carpenter.

Review of Hoffman & Cole, "Sacred Trash"

HOFFMAN AND COLE, SACRED TRASH, is reviewed in Al-Masry Al-Youm:

In 'Sacred Trash,' a hidden chapter of Cairo’s Jewish history is revealed

Helen Stuhr-Rommereim
Sun, 14/08/2011 - 14:55

A scholar named Solomon Schechter traveled to Cairo 120 years ago to do what so many Western explorers, scholars and archaeologists had done before and have done since: to unearth a treasure trove of fragments of the past, and take them back to Europe to be studied and preserved. But while “Sacred Trash: The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza,” by Peter Cole and Adina Hoffman, tells the tale of yet another spiriting away of a piece of Egypt’s wealth of ancient history, the Geniza, it also tells of years of meticulous and devoted scholarship, and sheds light on an era of Cairo’s history that is long forgotten.

[...]

Earlier reviews etc. here and links.

Earliest Irish manuscript contains biblical psalms

THE EARLIEST SURVIVING MANUSCRIPT FROM IRELAND contains biblical psalms:

A history of Ireland in 100 objects

Set of writing tablets, late sixth century (Irish Times)

A MAN CUTTING turf in Springmount bog in Ballyhutherland, Co Antrim, found this set of six yew tablets, held together by leather straps. The inner tablets are hollowed out on both sides, forming the pages of a small wooden book. These inner surfaces are filled with wax, on which someone wrote, or rather literally inscribed with a pointed stylus, a biblical text.

This is the earliest extant Irish manuscript. Someone, a monk or a scholar at a monastic school has written, onto the wax, parts of Psalms 30 and 31 from the Old Testament in a beautifully precise hand.

[...]

(HT Abu 'l-Rayhan Al-Biruni.) Follow the link for a photo. I assume these psalms come from the Latin Vulgate, although the article does not specify this.

This manuscript is not to be confused with the Irish Bog Psalter, which also contains Latin biblical psalms, but is made of vellum and is slightly later. Note also the Staffordshire Anglo-Saxon Gold Hoard, which contains a piece bearing a Latin biblical quotation, possibly also from the book of Psalms.

Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri (256 vols.), free!

FOR YOU, SPECIAL DEAL:

Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri (256 vols.)

$0.00

Overview

The Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri (256 vols.) is a collection of rare ancient manuscripts. These documents were written on various forms of writing material including papyri, ostraca, and wood tablets. This collection is solely compiled of documentary papyri: personal letters, receipts, various political documents, and other correspondence.

Best of all, this entire collection is free. There’s no catch. No strings attached.

It’s rare that ancient works like these are made available for free to as many people who want them. It’s even more amazing when you consider that these aren’t just PDFs or text files. They’re Logos books, and they take advantage of many of the features and tools built into Logos Bible Software. So it’s hard to put into words how phenomenal this opportunity really is.

Please note that this collection requires the latest version of Logos Bible Software 4.3.

Review of this year's Masada opera

THIS YEAR'S MASADA OPERA is reviewed in the Toronto Sun:

Concert at Sultan's Pool a great treat

MIKE KEENAN Special to QMI Agency

First posted: Saturday, August 13, 2011 12:00:00 EDT AM

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - A smartly-dressed middle-aged man sits in front of me, arm draped snugly around an attractive and be-jewelled lady, clearly half his age. He and his jet-set friends have purportedly paid 2200 Shekels per seat. ($640 US).

I sit alone but free, courtesy of Israeli tourism, and what a seat it is! I'm ensconced at the base of Mount Masada, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Israeli Opera company is dramatically producing Giuseppe Verdi's famous Aida, the Italian maestro's masterpiece amongst his 28 written operas.

[...]

Background here.

Cache of Punic coins found in sea near Sicily

PUNIC WATCH: Sunken Treasure Found in the Seas Of Sicily (Discovery News).

Lying at depth of about 68 feet, the coins most likely represent an episode of the Romans and Carthaginians struggle.

Amazingly, all 3,422 coins feature the same iconography.

On one side, they show Kore/Tanit, the ancient goddess of fertility, whom Carthaginians worshipped on the island around 550 BC.

On the other, the coins display the head of a horse, surrounded by symbols such as stars, letters and a caduceus. A staff often surmounted by two wings and entwined with two snakes, the caduceus was the symbol of Hermes, the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology.

Apparently they were deliberately hidden on the ocean floor, with a big stone anchor nearby as a landmark. Follow the link for some photos.

Recent PhDiva posts

PHDIVA DOROTHY LOBEL KING has been blogging up a storm lately. Have a look at her posts on Telamon: A Republican Crucified Man, A Crucified Man from 1st century Jerusalem (related PaleoJudaica posts are here and here), and Evidence for The Temple Menorah (related posts here, here, here, and here).

First woman to receive Talmud doctorate from Y.U.'s Revel

MILESTONE:

Y.U.’s Revel school giving Talmud doctorate to woman for first time

August 11, 2011

NEW YORK (JTA) – Yeshiva University's graduate school of Jewish studies will award a doctorate in Talmud to a woman, Shana Strauch Schick, for the first time.

While Yeshiva has multiple programs in Talmud, Schick, 30, is the first woman to obtain a doctorate in the subject from the Bernard Revel Graduate School. A New Jersey native now living in suburban Detroit, Schick successfully defended her dissertation on Aug. 4 and will formally graduate in September.

[...]

Congratulations to Dr. Schick.

UPDATE: Photo at the Talmud Blog.

Great Isaiah Scroll in Colorado?

THE GREAT ISAIAH SCROLL on display in a church in Colorado?

Rare piece of Old Testament on display in Grand Junction
A historical and rare piece of the Old Testament has made its way to Grand Junction.

Posted: 12:08 PM Aug 11, 2011
Reporter: Matt Vanderveer (KKCO-TV)

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - A historical and rare piece of the Old Testament has made its way to Grand Junction.

Calvary Chapel is hosting the Great Isaiah Scroll that was found as part of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947.

[...]

It's pretty obvious that there is a misunderstanding here. The Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa^a) was on display in the Israel Museum in 2008 for the 60th anniversary celebrations, but it is very fragile and I would be surprised if the Museum let it out of their sight to go even to another major museum, let alone to a church in Colorado. There is a facsimile of the Isaiah Scroll in circulation and it is possible that this is what will be on display there.

For more on the Great Isaiah Scroll (and the facsimilie), go here and follow the links.

Duane Smith on elusive giants in Shumma Izbu

DUANE SMITH: I Almost Made A Giant Error. And Deane Galbraith comments over at Remant of Giants. On the one hand, it would have been cool if this omen had been about giants. On the other, perhaps we should be relieved that this sort of thing wasn't actually happening to the ancient Mesopotamians enough to make an omen out of it.

Seth Sanders on P

SETH SANDERS: Judean Scholasticism and Religion on the Ground. In which he summarizes some important outside-the-box research questions for the Priestly source.

Hurtado on modern NT Apocrypha etc.

LARRY HURTADO: Hoaxes from the Past (that Keep on Re-appearing) (on modern New Testament apocrypha and suchlike).

Reviewlet of Miles, "Carthage Must Be Destroyed"

REVIEWLET of Richard Miles, Carthage Must Be Destroyed: How ancient Rome built its Mediterranean empire (Carl Hartman, AP).

Video of those Second Temple-era drainage channels

VIDEO OF THOSE SECOND TEMPLE-ERA DRAINAGE CHANNELS.

Background here and links.

UPDATE: AP slideshow: Glimpse of ancient war in Jerusalem tunnel.

Aramaic potsherd from Tal al-Humira

ARAMIAC WATCH: SANA has published another of its profile articles on Syrian archaeological sites and, as usual, there are chronological difficulties:

Stone Basins and Ovens, Mud Brick Houses from 2000 BC Discovered in Damascus Countryside

Aug 09, 2011

DAMASCUS COUNTRYSIDE, (SANA) – Mud brick houses dating back to the late Jomon period (from about 2000 to 1000 BC) were discovered at Tal al-Humira archeological site in Deir Attiya in Damascus Countryside.

In a statement to SANA, Director of Damascus Countryside Antiquities Department Mahmud Hammoud said that the national archeological mission working at the site unearthed stamps, pottery vessels and stone basins and ovens of different sizes in addition to Basalt instruments and vessels.

He added the importance of Tal Humira site emerges from witnessing the prosperity of Aramaic Kingdoms, in addition to the Assyrian kings' attacks on Damascus Kingdom.

Hammoud indicated that the archeological mission also unearthed an inscribed pottery fragment with Aramaic letters which indicates the possibility of finding a temple at the site.

R. Raslan/ Ghossoun

First, I am baffled by the reference to the "Jomon period." This is not my field, but the only "Jōmon period" I've heard of refers to Japanese prehistory.

Be that as it may, the article puts the finds as "dating back to ... from about 2000 to 1000 BC." Does that mean that they are supposed to come from within that range of time, or that they extend that far back but also include a later period? It isn't clear, but apparently the latter is what is intended. I say that because of the potsherd inscribed with Aramaic. An Aramaic inscription before 1000 BCE would be very remarkable and probably unprecedented. All Aramaic inscriptions I know of are from the Iron Age II (ca. 1000-600 BCE) or later, so presumably this one is as well.

In any case, I hope they do find that Aramean temple. Preferably with its archive intact.

Some Jewish-Temple denial for Tisha B'Av

JEWISH-TEMPLE DENIAL WATCH: A brief article circulated by The Palestinian Information Center was promoting some Jewish-Temple denial in honor of Tisha B'Av: Senior Israeli archaeologist casts doubt on Jewish heritage of Jerusalem (Middle East Monitor). Excerpt:

Professor [Israel] Finkelstein, who is known as "the father of biblical archaeology", told the Jerusalem Post that Jewish archaeologists have found no historical or archaeological evidence to back the biblical narrative on the Exodus, the Jews' wandering in Sinai or Joshua's conquest of Canaan. On the alleged Temple of Solomon, Finkelstein said that there is no archaeological evidence to prove it really existed.

Joseph Lauer has written to Professor Finkelstein and has circulated his reply by e-mail:

There is no point of answering them. This is typical Palestinian propaganda, aimed at showing that there was no Temple in Jerusalem etc. Of course, this is not what I say. What a pity. As long as they go this way, there is no chance for real peace in the Middle East.

And, as Jim West correctly notes, it was William Foxwell Albright who was "the father of biblical archaeology."

BMCR reviews

BMCR REVIEWS: a couple of new ones of tangential interest:

Stephen Mitchell, Peter Van Nuffelen (ed.), One God. Pagan Monotheism in the Roman Empire. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Pp. 239. ISBN 9780521194167. $95.00.

Reviewed by Michele Renee Salzman, University of California at Riverside (michele.salzman@ucr.edu)

[Authors and titles are listed at the end of the review.]

This is one of two volumes edited by these same scholars after a 2006 conference at Exeter on ‘Pagan Monotheism in the Roman Empire (1st-4th century A.D.)’.1 This conference aimed to clarify the differences between pagans and Christians in matters of monotheism.

The title of this volume, One God, suggests that the authors agree that there was a notion of ‘one god’ among pagans and that some form of religion had existed that could rightly be called ‘pagan monotheism.’ This is not the case, however, for there is no agreement on the existence of pagan monotheism, nor is there agreement among those scholars who accept this term on how to define it. Two of the papers argue strongly for the view that most of the documentary evidence for what others see as pagan monotheism should be interpreted from a polytheistic viewpoint, that is, as a exalting a divinity within a pluralistic context.

The argumentation on both sides of the issue by authors with strongly held views makes this an exciting volume to read. The contributors confront central issues of definition and theory as well as praxis. Their disagreement on the concept of pagan monotheism shows that there is room for more work on a topic that has contemporary relevance; as Christoph Markschies’s paper shows, the political consequences ascribed to monotheism, including its potential to justify hate and violence based on religious intolerance, would be called into question if one could argue that pagans also practiced monotheism. Indeed, the attributes of monotheism might have to be redefined if pagans could be demonstrated as having practiced it.

[...]

I noted this conference at the time here and here.

Wolfgang Hübner (ed.), Manilius, Astronomica, Buch V (2 vols.). Sammlung wissenschaftlicher Commentare. Berlin/New York: De Gruyter, 2010. Pp. x, 303; 4 p. of plates; 450. ISBN 9783110206708. $249.00.

Reviewed by Joanna Komorowska, Paedagogical University, Krakow (joannina@wp.pl)

Table of Contents

The second half of the twentieth century may well be considered a lucky period for Manilius’ Astronomica: the renewed interest in it, fueled by the research both in historical poetics and in the history of science, which finally came to encompass the history of non-Sartonian disciplines, resulted in re-evaluation of the work, which came to be recognized not only as the oldest surviving treatise on Greco-Roman astrology, its contents displaying considerable complexity and advanced character of the doctrines involved, but also as a consummate poem, a veritable testimony to the supreme craft of its author and a proof of the descriptive as well as pedagogical capacities of the epic genre. Its structure, language, and metaphorical apparatus aimed to project an image of a continuous and interconnected world, each part linked to the others by ties of sympatheia, the Astronomica aim to provide an exposition of astrology – yet, their contents remain strangely truncated, for Manilius never enters into the discussion of planetary influence. He does, however, incorporate into his work a discussion of the subject of paramount importance in the astral lore: the concept and influence of paranatellonta, the extra-Zodiacal ‘accompanying’ constellations. The last (i.e. fifth) book of his poem remains devoted to this one subject, a subject often disparaged in scholarly research (particularly in the history of science), yet of considerable influence in the history of Western civilization. It is possibly here that the Manilian art reaches its climax – as the author wanders through the celestial realm, he faces several challenges, posed respectively by philosophical implications, astrological (divinatory) content, and the descriptive character of the section. Following in the footsteps of Hesiod, Aratus, Virgil and others, he nonetheless faces complexities of Fachsprache foreign to all these; even if one regards the Astronomica as ‘a coffee-table book’,1 one has to acknowledge its immense innovativeness and appreciate the flawless execution of the task at hand. Yet, to appreciate it, one needs to consult a commentary… And it is to the great credit of Wolfgang Hübner that he provided us with such a tool, a tool improving on the earlier commentaries, including that of Feraboli and Scarcia2 by virtue of its detailedness alone.

[...]

It was only after going through the Loeb Astronomica that I felt I understood ancient astrology. I'm glad to see this new edition and commentary coming out.

Ancient sword and menorah sketch found in Jerusalem

NEW DISCOVERIES IN JERUSALEM are reported in an IAA press release published by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Artifacts breathe new life into the destruction of the Temple (also taken up widely elsewhere). The key facts are here:

A 2,000 year old iron sword, still in its leather scabbard, was discovered in work the Israel Antiquities Authority is doing in the channel, which served as a hiding refuge for the residents of Jerusalem from the Romans at the time of the Second Temple's destruction. In addition, parts of the belt that carried the sword were found.

According to the excavation directors Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Professor Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa, "It seems that the sword belonged to an infantryman of the Roman garrison stationed in Israel at the outbreak of the Great Revolt against the Romans in 66 CE. The sword's fine state of preservation is surprising: not only its length (c. 60 cm), but also the preservation of the leather scabbard (a material that generally disintegrates quickly over time) and some of its decoration".

A stone object adorned with a rare engraving of a menorah was found in the soil beneath the street, on the side of the drainage channel. According to Shukron and Professor Reich, "Interestingly, even though we are dealing with a depiction of the seven-branched candelabrum, only five branches appear here. The portrayal of the menorah's base is extremely important because it clarifies what the base of the original menorah looked like, which was apparently tripod shaped".

Follow the link for nice photos of both objects. The thematic connection between the sword and Tisha B'Av is obvious, and one might guess that the timing of the announcement is not entirely coincidental. The speculation about the origin of the menorah engraving, while not implausible, is just speculation. These artifacts were found in a Second Temple-era drainage ditch, apparently the one that recently gave us that golden bell.

More on that Buckinghamshire "infanticide" "brothel"

MORE ON THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE SITE that may preserve evidence for extensive ancient infanticide at a brothel. I noted the original story here last year. The BBC now has a follow-up:

Roman dead baby 'brothel' mystery deepens

By Louise Ord Assistant Producer, Digging For Britain

New research has cast doubt on the theory that 97 infants were killed at a Roman brothel in Buckinghamshire.

In 2008, the remains of the newborn babies were rediscovered packed in cigarette cases in a dusty museum storeroom by Dr Jill Eyers from Chiltern Archaeology.

[...]

Brett Thorn, keeper of archaeology at the Buckinghamshire County Museum, has disputed her hypothesis.

"My main concern with the brothel theory is that it's just too far away from any major population centres. I'm just not convinced," he said.

He has put together an exhibition of other objects from the villa excavation that could point to the villa having associations with a series of mother goddess cults from around the world.

"There are a few significant religious objects from the site that indicate possible connections with a mother goddess cult," he explained.

"They may indicate that the site was a shrine and women went there to give birth, and get protection from the mother goddess during this dangerous time. The large number of babies who are buried there could be natural stillbirths, or children who died in labour."

Last year during filming for BBC Two's Digging for Britain series, presenter Dr Alice Roberts noticed cut marks made by a sharp implement on one of the bones, a discovery that was not revealed to the public until now.

Then we turn to some macabre matters for which evidence from ancient Ashkelon becomes relevant:

Last year during filming for BBC Two's Digging for Britain series, presenter Dr Alice Roberts noticed cut marks made by a sharp implement on one of the bones, a discovery that was not revealed to the public until now.

Cut marks can indicate anything from ritual practices involving human sacrifice, the de-fleshing of bones before burial, or the dismembering of a baby during childbirth to save the life of the mother.

Keri Brown at the University of Manchester carried out DNA tests on the 10 sets of the ancient bones to determine the sex of some of the infants.

It is common throughout history in cases of infanticide for girls to be killed rather than boys, but the opposite holds true for brothel sites. A brothel site at Ashkelon in Israel revealed that nearly all of the babies were boys.

Although the tests represented a very small sample of the total amount of baby skeletons found, there seemed to be an equal number of victims of both sexes at the Buckinghamshire site, and so the mystery for now remains unsolved.

Dr Eyers said she believed that only further excavation at the site would clear up the mystery once and for all.

And it would be great if someone would come up with the money for that.

Assyrian Rights Website Launched

CHALDO-ASSYRIAN WATCH: Assyrian Rights Website Launched.

(Cross-file under "Aramaic Watch.")

Tisha B'Av

TISHA B'AV (The Ninth of Av) begins today at sundown. A healthy fast to all those observing it.

More on DSS in Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry

MORE ON THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS in Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, collected by Joseph Lauer. Both articles are behind a subscription wall.

Provenance studies on Dead Sea scrolls parchment by means of quantitative micro-XRF

Timo Wolff, Ira Rabin, Ioanna Mantouvalou, Birgit Kanngießer, Wolfgang Malzer, Emanuel Kindzorra and Oliver Hahn

Abstract

In this study, we address the question of the provenance and origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls manuscripts. A characteristic low ratio of chlorine to bromine, corresponding to that of the Dead Sea water, may serve as an indicator for local production. For this aim we developed a non-destructive procedure to determine the Cl/Br ratio in the parchment of these manuscripts. Micro-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) measurements of a large number of parchment and leather fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls were analyzed with a routine we developed based on fundamental parameter quantification. This routine takes into account the absorption of the collagen matrix and the influence of the different sample thicknesses. To calculate the representative Cl/Br ratio for each fragment, we investigated the lateral homogeneity and determined the total mass deposition using the intensity of the inelastically scattered, characteristic tube radiation. The distribution of the Cl/Br ratios thus obtained from the μ-XRF measurements make it possible to distinguish fragments whose origin lies within the Dead Sea region from those produced in other locations.

Solid-state and unilateral NMR study of deterioration of a Dead Sea Scroll fragment

A. Masic, M. R. Chierotti, R. Gobetto, G. Martra, I. Rabin and S. Coluccia

Abstract

Unilateral and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses were performed on a parchment fragment of the Dead Sea Scroll (DSS). The analyzed sample belongs to the collection of non-inscribed and nontreated fragments of known archaeological provenance from the John Rylands University Library in Manchester. Therefore, it can be considered as original DSS material free from any contamination related to the post-discovery period. Considering the paramount significance of the DSS, noninvasive approaches and portable in situ nondestructive methods are of fundamental importance for the determination of composition, structure, and chemical–physical properties of the materials under study. NMR studies reveal low amounts of water content associated with very short proton relaxation times, T 1, indicating a high level of deterioration of collagen molecules within scroll fragments. In addition, 13C cross-polarization magic-angle-spinning (CPMAS) NMR spectroscopy shows characteristic peaks of lipids whose presence we attribute to the production technology that did not involve liming. Extraction with chloroform led to the reduction of both lipid and protein signals in the 13C CPMAS spectrum indicating probable involvement of lipids in parchment degradation processes. NMR absorption and relaxation measurements provide nondestructive, discriminative, and sensitive tools for studying the deterioration effects on the organization and properties of water and collagen within ancient manuscripts.

Conference on Gustaf Dalman's legacy

A CONFERENCE ON GUSTAF DALMAN'S LEGACY is taking place in Jerusalem later this month. English program:

Gustaf-Dalman-Enquete

of the international project »Gustaf Dalman’s “Arbeit und Sitte in Palästina” in Hebrew«

18-19 August 2011
Austrian Hospice, Via Dolorosa 37, Jerusalem

Programme:
Thursday, 18 August, starting at 3:00 p.m.:

Afternoon lectures and project presentation at the Austrian Hospice (in English)

Markus Stephan Bugnyar (Rector of the Austrian Hospice):
On the history of the Austrian Hospice in Jerusalem

Friedrich Schipper (University of Vienna):
On the history of the German and Austrian exploration of the Holy Land

Dieter Vieweger (Director of the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology in Jerusalem):
Conrad Schick and the archaeological excavation of the Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem

Coffee break

Julia Männchen (University of Greifswald):
The life and legacy of Gustaf Dalman

Ronny Reich (University of Haifa):
Presentation of the international project »Gustaf Dalman’s “Arbeit und Sitte in Palästina” in Hebrew. A commentary and translation.«

Evening reception

Friday, 19 August, starting at 10:00 a.m.:

Morning tour in the Church of the Redeemer (in English)

Dieter Vieweger (Director of the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology in Jerusalem):
The touristic development of the excavations below the Church of the Redeemer.
An archaeological tour through the old excavations below the Church of the Redeemer

Information: Dr. Friedrich Schipper, University of Vienna, Austria, E-mail: friedrich.schipper@univie.ac.at

A PDF file of the program in multiple languages is here. (Via the Agade list.) More on Gustaf Hermann Dalman here. I still have his Aramäisch-neuhebraeisches Wörterbuch on my bookshelf and still refer to it.

Happy birthday to me!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! I will be out celebrating most of the time today, but I have pre-posted this and that, so stay tuned.

St Cuthbert's Gospel bought by the UK

ST CUTHBERT'S GOSPEL has been bought by the United Kingdom from the Jesuit Order.

A Jewish warrior queeen

HISTORY:

His/Her Story: A Jewish warrior queen

08/05/2011 16:18 By RENÉE LEVINE MELAMMED (Jerusalem Post)

The story of the Jewish Berber queen, her success as a warrior, and her own destruction.

With the rise of Islam in the seventh century, Arab tribes sought to conquer North Africa and continue to Europe via Spain. The major obstacle to a conquest of the Magreb was the presence of a Berber queen in the mountains of presentday Algeria. Her tribe, the Gerawa, had converted to Judaism earlier in the century; their queen, Dahia al-Kahena, daughter of Mathia ben Tifan, either converted with them or was Jewish by birth.

This era signaled the end of the Byzantine dynasty in a geographical area that was home to Byzantines, Arabs and Jews, as well as Christian Berbers. The fathers of Kahena’s two sons were equally diverse, for one was Berber and the other Greek.

[...]

I didn't know about Kahena. Slightly outside PaleoJudaica's normal time frame, but interesting enough to stretch the definition of "late antiquity" to include her. This in particular caught my eye:

Interestingly enough, Kahena is sometimes referred to as an augur; according to Arab lore, Hassan was destined to destroy a Jewish soothsayer before he could proceed apace. The meaning of this queen’s name has been debated for years, as to whether it means catastrophe, a major problem or a sly person. “Kahena” could be derived from “kohen,” and thus would refer to a priestess, a prophetess or even a wizard. Perhaps she indeed lived up to her names.

A Jewish priestess is, as far as I know, unprecedented, although she doesn't seem to have a been a priestess in the biblical sense of a priest. There were Jewish prophetesses in the Bible (Deborah, Huldah) and there have been plenty of female Jewish magicians.

CSCO at Edinburgh under new management

THE CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF CHRISTIAN ORIGINS at the University of Edinburgh is under new management. Congratulations to Helen Bond, who is an excellent choice as the new Director, and best wishes to Larry Hurtado for a happy and productive retirement.

Reviewlet: Bloom, "The Jewish Revolts Against Rome, A.D. 66-135: A Military Analysis"

BOOK REVIEWLET: The Jewish Revolts Against Rome, A.D. 66-135: A Military Analysis, by James J. Bloom, reviewed by A. A. Nofi at the Strategy Page.

Syriac news from Turkey

ARAMAIC WATCH—News on Syriac-speaking Christians in Turkey from Hürriyet Daily News:

First, congratulations to the 2011 graduates of the new Syriac course at Artuklu University:

Turkey’s first Syriac language course ends

Thursday, August 4, 2011
ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

In a historic achievement, 42 participants were awarded certificates Tuesday after completing Turkey’s first Syriac language course, run by a university in the southeastern province of Mardin.

In a speech at the graduation ceremony, the rector of Artuklu University, Serdar Bedi Omay, expressed his gratitude and said being able to teach the Syriac language in universities was an important accomplishment for the school.

“This is a historic step both for us and the academia,” the rector said.

[...]

Indeed. Background here.

Second, some political developments:

Syriacs outline problems to EU, ask for removal of obstacles

Wednesday, August 3, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

A Syriac group recently presented a report on the problems of Syriac community in terms of ethnic, linguistic, religious and other rights, as well as the right of return

Turkey should remove obstacles preventing Syriacs from returning to the country and provide constitutional protection for their status and identity, according to a Syriac group that presented a report detailing the community’s problems in Turkey to the European Commission last week.

[...]

Last week, the ESU presented a report to the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement on Turkey detailing a number of problems experienced by Syriacs in Turkey in terms of ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and other rights, as well as the right of return. The ESU also addressed the contentious topic of the “Seyfo” – the name Syriacs give to what they claim was genocide perpetrated against them by the Ottomans in 1915. The report is expected to make its way into Europe’s agenda in September.

[...]

“The case [of the Syriac Mor Gabriel Monastery in the southeastern province of Mardin] is still underway. The monastery bears great significance for Syriacs. As the European Syriac Union, we recognize that this process is a political, rather than a judicial one. This view is further clarified both by the feudal village guard organization that makes itself felt in the region, as well as by the lack of enthusiasm in Ankara’s attitude. The Mor Gabriel Monastery case is a test of democracy, good will and the project to live together,” [David] Vergili [spokesman for the European Syriac Union] said.

[...]

I have been following the case of the Mor Gabriel Monastery for some time. Background here and links.

The fact that Syriac had entered UNESCO’s list of World Languages in Danger pointed to a vital problem, he added.

I knew that Mandaic was on the list, but not Syriac in general. That's good news.

“Our community of 15,000 in Istanbul cannot set up schools and has to make do with a single church. Our region has been the center of attraction for repressive, outdated policies of annihilation and denial for decades,” he said.

Turkey’s Syriac community also cannot use their Syriac last names due to the Patronymics Law enacted in 1934, Vergili said. “Syriacs have begun using Turkish names for a lack of any other options.”

A Turkish citizen of Syriac descent, Favlus Ay, filed a lawsuit last year to change his first and last names to Syriac. Ay requested permission to change his last name to “Bartuma” and his first name to “Paulus.” The suit was filed to annul a provision in the Patronymics Law of 1934 that bars Turkish citizens from adopting foreign names. The case was first brought before a court in Mardin’s Midyat district before being passed to the High Court where the appeal was rejected, with eight judges voting in favor and nine against.

I have noted earlier coverage of the issue of Syriac names in Turkey here.

More on the "Ancient Lives" Oxyrhynchus Papyri project

MORE ON THE "ANCIENT LIVES" OXYRHYNCHUS PAPYRI PROJECT:

First, some background on the genesis of the project:

Research grant combines astrophysics and archeology to decipher ancient texts
July 26, 2011 By Jenny Allan (PhysOrg.com)

Lucy Fortson, an astrophysicist and Associate Professor in the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota is part of a collaboration called Ancientlives which has received a grant to apply the analysis tools of astrophysics to help decipher a collection of ancient Egyptian papyri.

Co-PIs Nita Krevans and Philip Sellew, faculty members in Classical and Near Eastern Studies, will be working with Professor Fortson and an international team, including a new University of Minnesota post-doctoral fellow in papyrology, to oversee citizen transcribers who will volunteer to identify letters on these ancient scraps of books and documents.

The collection known as the Oxyrynchus Papyri was discovered over a hundred years ago yet archeologists and classics scholars have only managed to transcribe a handful of these fragments. Fortson said the papyri came from an ancient garbage dump and mundane documents such as insurance claims and contracts were mixed in with Homer and works by the ancient playwright Menander. Classics scholars originally had to rely on their personal knowledge of ancient texts in order to determine the meaning of the texts and thus far only 15% of the collection has been edited. The hope is that Ancient Lives will help complete the editing process by harnessing the brain-power of volunteers—no knowledge of ancient Greek required.

[...]

It's not too far off to say that only "a handful" of the papyri have been transcribed, but go and sit down and think about the fact that this "handful" consists of seventy-five large volumes. (A few of these are online.)

(Via Abu 'l-Rayhan Al-Biruni.)

Second, Alan Boyle at the Cosmic Log blog has some more information about the new fragment of a lost gospel which keeps getting mentioned:

Among the items recently picked out of the pile are fragments of a previously unknown apocryphal gospel that describes Jesus casting out demons, a lost play by Euripides titled "Melanippe the Wise" and newfound letters attributed to the philosopher Epicurus.

[...]

Update for 5:30 p.m. ET Aug. 1: Over the weekend, Oxford papyrologist James Brusuelas sent an email with further details about the juiciest bits of papyri:

Gospel: In its current edited state, the gospel has not been overtly connected to any other sources. It remains a hot topic amongst historians of religion and Christianity. One must think about how the wider apocryphal (i.e., not included in the accepted canon of biblical texts) and biblical stories of Jesus relate to and inform the very act of casting out demons. Where does this particular narrative fit in the tradition of Jesus' acts? We have the text, we've identified it. Now it has to be studied and debated (that's why this project can be so cool).

The e-mail from Brusuelas also has information on the new Euripides play.

A couple of other non-canonical gospel fragments (British Library 840 and 1224) are noted in the Wikipedia Oxyrhynchus Gospels article. No mention yet of this new one, Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 5072.

Background here, where there is a photo of the new gospel fragment. There have been many PaleoJudaica posts on the Oxyrhynchus papyri. Some interesting ones are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here (and follow those links).

UPDATE: The Oxyrhynchus Papyri Wikipedia page has lists of biblical and biblical apocrypha manuscripts (etc.). The list of apocryphal gospels is much longer than in the Oxyrhynchus Gospels page noted above, but the long list has also not yet been updated to include 5072. (HT Roberto Labanti.)

Man returns stolen Second Temple ossuary

THE "EW" FACTOR has saved an important Second Temple-era relic for science:

Man returns stolen Second Temple ossuary
Man contacts Antiquities Authority at his own initiative after realizing the item was an ossuary, saying he purchased it from an antiquities dealer some time ago.
By Nir Hasson (Haaretz)

A Tel Aviv resident returned a Second Temple period artifact to the Antiquities Authority after realizing the item was an ossuary.

The man, who works in the field of art and design, contacted the authority inspectors at his own initiative, saying he purchased the ossuary from an antiquities dealer some time ago. He told them he kept the ancient artifact in his bedroom, until one of his friends told him this was a small coffin used to store bones a year after the burial. He said he was repelled by the thought that he slept with a coffin in his room.

[...]

Via Joseph Lauer.

The wood from the siege of Masada

THE WOOD FROM THE MASADA SIEGE is the subject of a University of Haifa press release posted at IMRA:

Tuesday, August 2, 2011
University of Haifa Media release: Where did the Roman Legion find wood for their siege on Masada?

Division of Marketing and Media
August 2, 2011
Media release

Where did the timber for the Roman rampart at Masada come from?

Earlier studies claimed that the Judean Desert was much more humid 2,000 years ago, but a new study has revealed: The Romans reaching Masada faced arid desert conditions that could not supply timber for their siege, and the isotopic composition of the wood probably reflects a distant wood source.

The Roman Legion that lay siege on Masada some 2,000 years ago was forced to use timber from other areas in the land of Israel for its weapons and encampments, and was not able to use local wood as earlier studies have proposed. This has been revealed in a new study conducted at the University of Haifa, refuting earlier suggestions that described the Judean Desert area as more humid in the times of the Second Temple.

Despite all the historic and archaeological evidence that has been revealed about the Roman siege on Masada, scholars are at difference over the large quantities of timber and firewood that were required for the Jewish fortress defenders on the mountain and for the Roman besiegers. A previous study by researchers from the Weizmann Institute of wooden remains found on the siege rampart showed that they originated from a more humid habitat, and assuming that the timber was local, claimed that this was proof of the Judean region being more humid some 2,000 years ago. The University of Haifa researchers maintain that the wood originated in a more humid region: not from the local habitat but brought from a more humid region to the foot of Masada by the well-organized Roman military supply unit.

The new study, conducted by Prof. Simcha Lev-Yadun of the University of Haifa's Department of Biology and Environment at the University of Haifa-Oranim, Prof. Mina Weinstein-Evron of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa, and D. S. Lucas, a student from Ohio University, included botanic, archaeological and cultural examination and modeling to verify by means of comparison to parallel traditional societies, the uses of timber and firewood from the beginning of settlement at Masada, some 220 years before the siege, and until its fall.

First, the researchers examined the amount of wood that exists today in the Judean Desert and in the wadi deltas in the vicinity of Masada, and thereby were able to estimate the amount and types of wood that the desert could supply. Next, they calculated the amount of timber and firewood that would have been needed for the inhabitants of Masada, from 150 BCE, when it was a small fortress, through the Herodian period, when the fortress as we know it was constructed, and up to the siege, which ended in 73 CE. According to the researchers, in those times, timber was mostly used for construction, heating and cooking. Based on accepted evaluations of wood consumption for these purposes in traditional societies, on the conservatively estimated number of Masada inhabitants in each time period, the harsh climatic conditions in the desert and Masada's topography, the researchers were able to conclude that by the time the Romans arrived at Masada and began their siege (73 CE), the entire area was void of timber and firewood, due to 2,220 years of massive exploitation of the immediate environment up to that point. The Romans would have had no choice but to import wood from other areas for their weapon machinery, ramparts and basic living requirements.

The researchers were able to construct a model of the Roman Legion's timber utilization in various siege scenarios, and concluded that even if the Masada area had more than its normal availability of wood, it still would not have been sufficient for the Romans' needs, so that in any event, they would have been forced to ensure a continuous supply of wood. As such, the researchers explained, the earlier claim that the region of Masada was more humid some 2,000 years ago, was in all probability not well established.

For more information:

Rachel Feldman
Division of Marketing and Media
University of Haifa
press@univ.haifa.ac.il
+972-54-5352435

Joseph Lauer points to the technical article that is the basis for the above. This article is behind a subscription wall:

Modeling the demands for wood by the inhabitants of Masada and for the Roman siege

S. Lev-Yaduna, D.S. Lucasb, and M. Weinstein-Evronc

a Department of Science Education – Biology, Faculty of Science and Science Education, University of Haifa, Oranim, Tivon 36006, Israel

b Department of Geography, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA

c Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel
Received 25 April 2008;
revised 19 January 2010;
accepted 29 January 2010.
Available online 24 February 2010.

Abstract

Modeling the demands for wood, especially firewood, for the inhabitants of the unique desert fortress of Masada during the major period of its occupation (beginning about 150 B.C.E. and ending with its fall after the Roman siege in 73 C.E.) is based on the well-documented history of the site, of the number of inhabitants in each phase of occupation, and the current demand for firewood in traditional societies. The previously analyzed ancient botanical remains from Masada provide base-line data of the types of wood used. We have concluded that when the Roman siege began in C.E. 73, the vicinity of Masada would have been denuded of trees and shrubs as a result of ca. 225 years of occupation. Therefore, the Tamarix wood used to construct the upper parts of the Roman siege rampart was probably not local. The isotopic composition of the Tamarix beams probably indicates that they were imported from a different region, such as the more humid and cooler river banks east of the Dead Sea, rather than the result of climate change as previously proposed.

Keywords: Dead Sea; Desert; Environmental impact; Firewood
Article Outline

1.
Introduction

2.
The geographical setting

3.
Current woody vegetation in the region of Masada

4.
The model
4.1. Chronology and estimated population size of Masada
4.2. The wood remains from Masada and the Roman siege rampart
4.3. The use of firewood in light of the botanical remains from Masada

5.
Results
5.1. Demands for wood and its possible origin in each phase of occupation
5.2. The possible origin of the wood of the Roman siege rampart

Acknowledgements

References

Review of Shepherd, "Daniel in the Context of the Hebrew Bible"

BOOK REVIEW AT H-NET:

Michael B. Shepherd. Daniel in the Context of the Hebrew Bible. New York: Peter Lang, 2009. 163 pp. $39.95 (paper), ISBN 978-1-4331-0539-5.

Reviewed by David M. Valeta (University of Colorado, Boulder)
Published on H-Judaic (July, 2011)
Commissioned by Jason Kalman

The Book of Daniel: A Site of Contested Identities

"This book is not the usual sort of commentary on the book of Daniel." This opening statement in the introduction of this book is certainly true. The structure of the book is both curious and confusing. After a brief introduction that raises the question, "What is the Old Testament?" and explores the process of canonical formation, the first three chapters of the book are devoted to explorations of the Pentateuch (Torah), Prophets (Nevi'im), and a portion of the Writings (Kethuvim). Chapter 4 consists of the commentary on Daniel followed by chapter 5 on Ezra-Nehemiah, Chronicles, and the New Testament. The book concludes with two appendices, a short essay on Hermeneutics, and the author's translation of Daniel.

[...]

(Via the Agade List.)

Reflections on Protestant Mishnah at the Talmud Blog

PROTESTANT MISHNAH: The Talmud Blog has a post by Amit Gvaryahu on the history of modern Mishnah scholarship, informed by a new book by Hanan Gafni along with Jonathan Z. Smith's classic Drudgery Divine.

Review of Hoffman & Cole, "Sacred Trash"

SACRED TRASH, by Hoffman and Cole, is reviewed by Robert Leiter in the Jewish Exponent. Excerpt:

The early chapters of Hoffman and Cole's book move at the breakneck pace of a saga straight out of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Once Schechter decides to depart the scene in Cambridge to become chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City, the pace of the book slows a bit. There were many scholars warring for a chance to have a crack at the genizah treasures, and Hoffman and Cole provide detailed biographies of each of these eccentric characters and the various parts they played in uncovering what all this mountain of writing meant.

But throughout Sacred Trash, the intellectual excitement never flags, since, in the end, the revelations the genizah provided altered our conception of what Jewish life was like in the ancient world and beyond. No manuscript discovery would rival it until Bedouin shepherds in the early 1950s stumbled upon the urns containing the Dead Sea Scrolls in the caves at Qumran.

The review relates many entertaining personal details about the Lewis-Gibson twins and Solomon Schechter. Read it all.

Earlier reviews etc. here and links.

USN&WR has contacted me about the fake metal codices

FAKE METAL CODICES WATCH: This evening I have been contacted by a journalist with U.S. News & World Report with some thoughtful questions about the authenticity of the metal codices. I have just replied to him in detail and asked him to let me know if he published anything on it. Watch this space.

Background here.

Professor Hayim Zalman Dimitrovsky, z"l

PROFESSOR HAYIM ZALMAN DIMITROVSKY, Z"L.

James VanderKam's work on Jubilees

JAMES VANDERKAM'S WORK on the book of Jubilees ia profiled in Notre Dame News: Translating the Book of Jubilees. One choice tidbit:

A previous English translation of the Ethiopic text states in chapter 4 verse 24: “on account of it God brought the waters of the flood upon all the land of Eden.”

The problem, says VanderKam, is that the translation implies that God brought the flood on Eden because of Enoch’s presence there. “That doesn’t make any sense,” he says, “because Enoch continues to live—he doesn’t drown in the flood.”

VanderKam’s research revealed what the text actually says: “Because of him, God did not bring the waters of the flood on Eden.”

Why the mistranslation? It turns out that the Ethiopic words for “he brought” and “it did not come” look almost exactly the same: The mistranslation was the result of a visual misinterpretation.

I am reminded, perhaps perversely, of the Wicked Bible. Gotta watch those "nots."

(Via Joseph Lauer.)

The Legend of the Ten Martyrs

REFLECTIONS ON THE LEGEND OF THE TEN MARTYRS for Tisha B'Av:

THE " ASARA HARUGEI MALCHUT – THE TEN MARTYRS"

By: Rabbi Eli C. Aboud (Community Magazine)

One of the most tragic episodes in Jewish history was the ruthless torture and murder of ten Jewish sages by the merciless Roman Empire in the years following the destruction of the second Bet Hamikdash. This period was marked by particular sorrow and suffering for our people. They had been roundly defeated by the invading Roman army in their desperate attempt to protect Jerusalem and the Bet Hamikdash. The city lay in ruins, with the Bet Hamikdash burned to the ground, and the victorious Romans, dissolved any Jewish authority and ruled the land exclusively. The Romans then vented their full fury on the broken nation, and life became more difficult with each passing day. They passed laws forbidding Torah observance, and plundered the people’s possessions.

But most tragic of all was the Romans’ unspeakable brutality against ten of the greatest sages of the time (among many others) – known as the “Asara Harugei Malchut” – whom they tortured and killed in the most sadistic , barbaric methods imaginable.

A Reckoning for the Sale of Yosef

Our sages tell us that Hashem allowed the Romans to kill these ten righteous scholars as atonement for the ten sons of Yaakov who sold their brother Yosef into slavery – a crime for which the Torah assigns the death penalty (“One who kidnaps a person and sells him…shall die” – Shemot 21:16). For many centuries, the brothers’ sin went unaccounted for. Finally, during the Mishnaic period, there were ten righteous sadikim on the caliber of the sons of Yaakov whose death would be able to atone for this grave misdeed. Thereupon it was decreed in heaven that the Romans would be allowed to execute these ten spiritual giants. Nevertheless, there will come a day when this crime will be avenged and Hashem will bring full retribution upon the Romans for their brutality against the Jewish people. Furthermore, as the Midrash teaches, Hashem promised that the merits of these great sadikim and their suffering will stand for the Jewish nation until the end of days and relieve them from much suffering in this long and bitter exile.

It has become customary throughout the Jewish world to relate this tragic story in detail on Tisha Be’av (during the recitation of the Kinot), to mourn this great loss and to beg Hashem to avenge their suffering and bring an end to our exile in the merit of the ten martyrs. Many Ashkenazic communities have the custom to tell this story on the holy day of Yom Kippur (during the hazzan’s repetition of musaf), as well.

Historically, many scholars note that the ten sages were not killed all at once. They lived in different places and at different times, and the tragedy of the Asara Harugei Malchut actually transpired over the span of a century (between 70 CE-170 CE), during the bloody rule of the Roman Empire over Israel and its Jewish inhabitants in the post-Second Temple era.

We find some variation between the different sources that list the ten fallen sages. However, the list that appears in the traditional Kinot text recited on Tisha Be’av is assumed to be the most authentic, and this is the list that we present here.

[...]

This version of the story follows.

But there are other versions, including one that is particularly on my mind right now for obvious reasons. The Hekhalot Rabbati has a rather different and, in a macabre way, more cheerful account of the story. In this rendering, the evil Roman emperor who persecuted the sages is (the non-existent) Lupinus Caesar. When he set out on his program of persecution at the behest of Sammael, the evil angel of Rome, God inflicted various torments on the emperor and Rome. Undeterred, Lupinus Caesar persevered in his efforts to kill the ten sages, so God gave Lupinus' appearance to one of the sages, R. Hananiah ben Tardion, who then spent six months masquerading as the emperor and executing thousands of the leaders of the army.

Meanwhile, God altered Lupinus's appearance to be identical to another of the ten, whereupon he was tortured to death by his own Roman minions, then resurrected in the form of yet another of the ten, whom the Romans then killed, and so on until Lupinus had been slaughtered as each of the ten sages (who themselves were at home, safe and sound). Then he was sent off to his well-deserved eternal torment in the flames of Gehinnom.

You can read the story here, in a handout for my 2008 SBL paper which contains a draft translation of the relevant passage (§§107-120) from my forthcoming translation of the Hekhalot literature.

Research Leave!

MY YEAR OF RESEARCH LEAVE begins officially today. My main project is to complete the English translation of the Hekhalot literature on which I have been working for quite some time. Blogging should continue more or less as usual, and I will still be working with my doctoral students, but otherwise I intend to focus entirely on my own research.

UPDATE: More on the project here and link.

Review of Gruen (ed.), "Cultural Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean"

BMCR REVIEW:

Erich S. Gruen (ed.), Cultural Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean. Issues & Debates. Los Angeles: Getty Research Institute, 2010. Pp. vii, 535. ISBN 9780892369690. $50.00 (pb).

Reviewed by Anna Lucille Boozer, University of Reading (A.L.Boozer@Reading.ac.uk)

Excerpt:

The Ancient Mediterranean can make a considerable contribution to interdisciplinary studies of identity. In particular, scholars can contribute case studies that closely link appropriate theoretical vantages to data in order to explore the longitudinal development of identities within interlinked geographical locales. Gruen's Cultural Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean clearly demonstrates the value in this approach. This volume steers clear of murky theoretical debates on identity and ethnicity, which both Hall and Wallace-Hadrill explored in their volumes. Instead, Gruen's volume focuses on case studies of identity using different methodological and disciplinary lenses. Gruen's pragmatic approach allows for greater accessibility than many recent volumes on identity, although it would have been helpful to hear more about how he defines his terms. For example, there is an unstated equivalence given between identity, culture, ethnicity, and locality in many of the contributions. Definitions and debates within the introduction could have clarified how the contributors understood the term "cultural identity." Otherwise, Gruen's introduction is fluently written and he clearly explains the value of his book divisions as well as the individual papers included within the volume.

Cultural Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean includes twenty-four essays divided into eight parts, in addition to Gruen's introduction (see book contents below).5 The majority of the contributors write in accessible prose, enabling the reader to move through the volume more easily than is often the case with edited works. Like Gruen, many of the contributors eschew theoretical debates, although their case studies are theoretically informed, as evinced by the references. This approach is both practical and refreshing. The contributions cover an impressive array of cultures, encompassing Greek, Persian, Jewish, Phoenician, Egyptian, Roman, Gallic, and culturally mixed societies. The disciplinary range is equally impressive and includes archaeologists, art historians, classicists, and ancient historians. Given this expansive breadth, it is not possible to discuss each article or section systematically within this review. I have singled out two sections to discuss at greater length because the theoretical implications of these sections reach particularly far.