Tracing the Influence of Prominent ANE Archaeologists

 

Credit: Harvard Gazette

This is a fascinating research project about archaeologists in Biblical lands and how they influenced others in the field. The survey demonstrates that the surveyed scholars are more interested in their actual research material than in the history of their discipline. That suggests that they may not be acknowledging the influence of those who broke ground for them (pun intended!)

The survey yielded 539 names of individual scholars, with a total of 441 links showing advisor/advisee relationships for those who received a PhD.

ANE TODAY - 202211 - Who Are You? Preliminary Results of the Academic Genealogies of Near Eastern Scholars (AGNES) Project - American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR)

Here is the PDF of the article.

Related reading: F.W. Albright; Frank Moore Cross, Freidrich Delitzsch, Ignace Jay Gelb, Kathleen Kenyon; Julius Lewy, Max Margolis, Benjamin Mazar, E.A. Speiser

What are Bullae?

Clay (terracotta) seals called "bullae" were used to secure official documents from the Stone Age through the Roman Period. Here are some examples dating from the 1st century B.C. through the 2 century A.D.

Clay seals were used to secure documents by the personal authority of an official or a king. These seals were created by the impression of a signet on a lump of clay. A rolled papyrus or parchment document was tied with a cord and the cord was sealed with the piece of clay bearing the impression.

Sometimes the clay seals have the imprint of the maker's fingers and fibers from the papyrus cords that were wrapped around the documents.

In 2014 a 10-year-old Russian boy found a 3000 year seal while sifting through dirt at Jerusalem's Temple Mount. The limestone seal bears the image of an animal, likely the totem of the family to which it belonged.

The seal dates to the early Iron Age, the time of the Jebusite occupation of Jerusalem (Jebus/Yehu) and King David's reign (10th century B.C.). The Temple Mount and the royal compound were constructed during David's later years and during the reign of his son, Solomon.

Related reading: 3000 Year Temple Seal; Yahu Seals; Purity Seal from Herod's Temple; What We Learn From King Ahaz's Seal