The View From Nebo
Amy Dockser Marcus
None of the references have been crossed by myself.
Opening time line of key events based on “standard dating” 2000-1500
B.C.E. Time when Abraham most likely lived thru 132-135 C.E. when the
2nd Jewish revolt under Simon barKochbla was brutally put down and Judaism
was banned.
Pg 9 1st major archeological excavation of Nebo was in 1933. Artifacts
and remains were found that date back 18,000 years to the Paleolithic prehistoric
period. 6 axes, arrow heads and scrapers were found.
Dolmens (man made structures usually used as tombs composed of huge stones
that form a kind of circle with an opening to the east and a circular rock
serving as a capstone.) from the 4th millenium B.E.C. (late Chalcolithic,
early Bronze age)were found sometimes covering entire fields appearing individually
or in large groups. Tools were found that were used to make the Dolmens
lying next to them along with scrapers made of flint used to etch out carvings
and fragments of basalt jars. A group was found dating 2000 years
latter.
These discoveries indicate more than 6000 years ago people came to Nebo Mount
to bury their dead.
Pg 14 Constantine declared Christianity a lawful religion. His mother,
Helena, set out to retrace Jesus’ foot steps and visit the most famous landmarks
mentioned in the bible. Relying on religious visions to guide her,
she always found what she went looking for. Constantine had basilicas
erected around the Middle East to mark each of Queen Helenas discoveries.
In this manner she determined the location of both Mount Sinai and Mount
Nebo and a Christian sanctuary dedicated to the memory of Moses was established.
Pg 12 The ruins found at Siyagna were identified as the place where the Memorial
Church of Moses once stood. By the 7th century C.E. another sanctuary
was added. Small 1 person cells were carved our on the top of the Mount
and around it’s sides where some of the monks lived.
Pg 23 Hesse & Wapnish
After studying bone remains of archaeology sites through the Middle East
it was determined during the biblical period virtually no one in the region
was eating pig. The refusal to use pig as sacrifices in official religious
rituals hadn’t been limited to the Israelites but was a common feature of
religious thru out the Middle East.
H + W set up “pig principles” to try and explain why this might be:
* Pigs require larger amounts of water then other livestock.
* Difficult to herd (could not be nomadic with pigs)
* Changes in a community’s agricultural pattern
* Studies done on pigs production in ancient Egypt indicated when more
grain was grown, cattle and goats were raised instead of pigs because of
the specific demands of the land use.
* At urban sites in Mesopotamia archaeologist had learned that refuse
associated with labor gangs was filled with pig bones but garbage of residential
sections from the same period was not. Apparently it was economically
better to serve port to large groups.
Pg 25 Pig prohibitions were a wide spread phenomenon at this time, one the
Israelites shared with their neighbors.
Even the things that eventually made Israel unique had it’s roots in the
wider world.
Pg 33 Textual criticism of the patriarchal narrative further illuminates
the way Abrahams story evolved over time.
Pg 37 Sodom & Gomorrah, thought to be Bab edh-Dhra’ & Mumeria.
Bab edh-Dhra’ & Mumeria were permanent villages until around 2350 B.C.E.
the city’s came to a sudden violent end.
In Numeria thick ash layers all around the city burned roof timbers and walls
that had collapsed. There were freshly picked grapes with their skins
still intact. These had been carbonized by the conflagration that destroyed
the town and helped establish it’s end was late summer or early autumn.
The doorways in Numeira were blocked with stones, possible evidence inhabitants
anticipated some kind of earth quake or natural disaster and evacuated.
Most of the homes had none of the small items typically found at digs.
No human remains were found in the debris.
Bab edh-Dhra’ & Mumeria were never inhabited again. The ruins were
at the surface.
Pg 41 It’s widely accepted among bible scholars that the composition
of the bible was an ongoing process that took place over the course of several
centuries and many of it’s stories underwent considerable alterations from
the time they were 1st written down to the time the editing of the Old Testament
works was underway, probably in the 5th century B.C.E.
Pg 53 There is no Egyptian text that mentions the events described in the
Hebrew Bible, no artifacts that record the Israelites sojourn in Egypt.
Pg 58 Zahi Hawass: personal web page http://www.guardians.net/hawass/
It was the work of later historians, such as the Greek Herodotus (5th century
B.C.E.) and Josephus, and then again 19th century biblical scholarship, that
reinforced the image later immortalized by Hollywood of slaves cringing under
the Egyptian whip. From hieroglyphic inscriptions, ancient graffiti,
and mason marks left by laborers, scholars assumed that skilled craftsman
probably lived and worked all year round the pyramid construction site.
A few miles south of the Sphinx a graveyard was found and determined it was
the cemetery of the workers who built the pyramids. The cemetery is
divided into 2 main sections, 60 large tombs for overseers and about 650
smaller graves, which were farther divided by rank. The lowest level
of the cemetery was for the poorest workmen.
The next level was for the higher class of artists and craftsmen. The
overseers’ tombs featured carved hieroglyphic inscriptions that preserve
their official titles: the director of building tombs, the inspector of building
tombs, director for the king’s work, along with many others. Their
resting-places were filled with small statues, engravings, and elaborate
hieroglyphic decorations on the walls, all of which were indications of their
high status. Inscriptions on the bombs revealed one worker of Giza,
named Mehi, had served a a witness for the sales contract of a house, a role
slaves were barred from fulfilling. From such details Hawass concluded
the workers weren’t slaves but skilled craftsmen helped seasonally by pheasants
who labored as a corvee when flooding made agricultural work impossible.
Pg 60 Mansour Radwan:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/excavation/fullreport.html
(saw this documentary some time ago)
The construction of the tombs were built of dried bricks and leftover building
materials from the royal temples and pyramids, including pieces of granite,
limestone and basalt. The tombs were in varied styles – a small pyramid,
a dome, an egg and, were complete with tiny court yards, small false doors
and curses to discourage thieves. Many workers were buried with finely
crafted stone figurines often representing entire households or statuettes
to protect them as they journey to the next world.
During excavation of sections of the Giza plateau thousands and thousands
of baking pans were found. The remnants of what they believe were the
site’s bakery. One of the 1st dating from the Old Kingdom period found
intact. The bread molds were incredibly heavy, each weighing as much
as 22 lbs. There were also found huge vats for mixing batter.
According to tomb relief’s the pans were stacked and heated over an open
fire, then placed in baking pits in the ground filled with dough from a nearby
vat. Covered with another pan and hot amber’s for baking. From
grain found at the site. The Egyptians apparently baked with barley
which has no gluten. As well as emmer which contains small amounts.
Radwan believes the workers were not slaves.
The skeletal remains in the cemetery were sent for forensic examination to
Egypt’s National Research Center. The results revealed the cost to
lives spent performing back-breaking labor. Many had died between 30-35
years of age and showed signs of degenerative arthritis in their vertebral
column and knees. Skeletons from men and women particularly those
from the lower class workers had multiple fractures, most frequently in the
upper arms and lower leg bones. Evidently the workers received high
quality medical treatment: most of the fractures had healed completely having
been set with splints; there were even 2 cases that suggested a limb had
been amputated.
Pg 63 the bible never specifically names the pharaoh who figures so
prominently in Exodus. The consensus is the pharaoh in question was
Ramses II, the presumption part is based on chronology. Ramses II ruled
Egypt from around 1304-1237 B.C.E. He was too one of ancient Egypt’s
most prolific builders. Rather then the tyrant who forced his subjects
to build monuments to his glory, as the bible portrays, he is popularly viewed
by Egyptians as the architect of a system of government that profoundly changed
the world.
Pg 67 According to one Egyptian text that survives, Ramses’ father
gave him for his 15th birthday 2 principal wives, 6 minor wives, 200 concubines
and the keys to all the harems around the country. Determining who
his 1st born son is . . . We do know Amun her-khepeshet
was his 1st son by a principal wife.
Ramses loved to record not only battles and military strategy but details
about his large family. He listed on temple walls and monuments inscriptions
the names of his sons and his daughters. The lists always present the
sons names in the same sequence, probably indicating there birth order.
He had images of the processions of the children covered on the wall of at
least 5 different temples. He even put up statues of his wife Nefertari
all over Egypt.
Ramses II had himself proclaimed divine while still alive, an honor accorded
after death. He had periodontal disease in middle age and arthritis
that curved his spine, dying in his mid 80’s. Goes on to talk about
his sons.
Pg 71 Talks about the research done in Egypt for Steven Spielburgs
“The Prince of Egypt”. Egyptian censors banned the movie. They
don accept the biblical story of the exodus and the portal of Ramese II.
Pg 76 From the point of view of supporting a traditional rendering
of Exodus the Sanai excavation failed; no proof ever turned up that indicated
the Israelites had wandered in the desert at all let alone for 40 years.
Over the course of 10 years 1300 sites along the Mediterranean coastal strip
of Sinai, the historic rout that linked Egypt to Canaan and the lands beyond,
everything from small ancient campsites to cities complete with cemeteries,
to granaries that Egyptian army’s used to supply it’s troops as they marched
toward Canaan.
Pg 78 All the latest evidence indicates that there was no swift invasion
around 1250-1225 B.C.E.. The time generally attributed to the beginning
of the Israelite settlement in Canaan. Many of the sites mentioned
in the biblical account of the conquest- including the most famous, the city
of Jericho – weren’t occupied during that period, let alone destroyed.
After studying the remains of the scores of villages of that period archaeologist
concluded the people living there worshiped traditional Canaanite gods,
wrote in Canaanite alphabets script and used Canaanite style pottery.
It’s difficult to tell an Israelite from a Canaanite because they were one
and the same people.
Archaeological reassessment of the Canaanites has been underway and new discovers
paint a portrait of Canaan and Canaanite culture entirely different from
the bible.
Pg 80 Ze’ev Herzog
Deconstructing the walls of Jericho http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/jerques.htm
Specializes in this period. Studies of the excavated Canaanite cities
show lack of fortification within the cities, lack of residential structures,
little or no concern for drainage and no real street networks. Most
of the settlements consisted primarily of a dingle large building, possible
a place-fort for the local ruler. Herzog contended that during the
time the Israelites would have been fighting their way into Canaan most Canaanite
cities had no fortification and urban center that probably consisted mainly
of the seat of the ruler and a few members of his court. 2 major
exceptions. The city of Megiddo, which remains the center thru out
this period and Hazor in Canaan.
Pg 82 In Mari, on the West bank of the Euphrates River, 20 of the 25,000
tablets discovered describe Hazor as a center of trade where caravans filled
with gold and silver traveled frequently.
In Egypt 3 letters were sent in the 14th century B.C.E. by Hazor’s king to
Pharaoh Akhenaton describing the Canaanites struggle with other local rulers
as he acquired new lands. Hazor never recovered its former glory.
For years, evidence has been mounting that the Israelites adopted and built
on Canaanite culture including cultural practices. The feasts of Tabernacles,
Unleavened bread, Weeks-corresponding to the Jewish holidays of Sukkot, Passover
and Shavuot-were basically annual agricultural festivals and each of them
had a Canaanite version.
All tho bible scholars can’t be completely sure they were appropriated from
the Canaanites it seems likely a number of sacrificial terms used in the
bible were. While the bible disdains the fertility cult practices that
sprang around the worship of Ba’al it’s perfectly happy to equate El, the
chief Canaanite god know for his wisdom, with the Israelites YHWH
Ba’al’s scared mountain Mount Span is transferred into Mount Zion. YHWH dwelling
place. At Hazor and elsewhere Israelites used Canaanites
design for their won buildings.
Much of what we know about Canaanite sacrifices came from the Hebrew bible.
At Ugarit, in modern Syria, where a huge archive was uncovered, there are
virtually no texts that deal directly with sacrificial practices. There
are records of the kind of animals-mainly sheep, goats and cattle that were
offered to gods.
Pg 85 A recent excavation of Megiddo, an early cultic complex was unearthed.
Inside the many temples uncovered at the complex were ten’s of thousands
of animal bones. One of the largest such troves in the region. The
find offered the first opportunity to investigate the Canaanite sacrificial
system independently of any textual description. Preliminary analysis
demonstrates how closely the much latter Israelites sacrifices practiced
dovetailed with the Canaanite system. Goes on to talk about what was
done with the blood.
Pg 86 A 1995 dig in Jerusalem, south of the Old City, found the city’s ancient
water system, long believed to be the work of King David’s administration
following his conquest of Jerusalem, had actually been built 8 centuries
earlier by the Canaanites. Goes on to talk about the water system.
Pg 99 Israelites are believed to have emerged in the late Bronze Age (~1200
B.C.E) an Iron Age I (~1000 B.C.E.), the beginning of King David’s rule.
Pg 99 Adam Zertal
His examination of the archaeological records sees cooperation and coexistence
rather than conflict and battles between the Canaanites & Israelites.
Pg 105 Talks about the Tower of David, which was built 1000 years after him
by King Herod. King David’s name appears more than 100 times in the
Old Testament and at least 59 times in the New Testament. He continues
to dominate the geography of Jewish and Christian traditions and popular
imagination. But, the historical David is nowhere to be found in the
landscape of the most closely associated with his title.
Pg 108 It was Bible scholars and historians not archaeologist who first raised
the first debates about the biblical portrayal of David and Solomon.
The literature attributed to Solomon was written much latter. The stories
of David, while probably based on some historical events, had been all written
hundreds of years after any of the things descried in the bible took place.
Goes on to talk about the structures attributed to Solomon that were not
built in his time.
Pg 117 In Search of “Ancient Israel” Philip R. Davies 1992.
Basic premise is the Literature in the Hebrew bible was composed after the
face, therefore yields no real history. There was no ancient or biblical
Israel as it is described in the bible. SEE NOTES FROM PAGE 242.
Pg 128 Chapter 4 In Search of David and Solomon.
Discusses the different theories of David and Solomon. Other then the
inscription ‘The house of David’ no information has been found on either
David or Solomon.
Pg 129 Chapter 5 The divided Monarchy
Talks about the differences in Judah & Israel from an archeological view.
(They aged differently).
Pg 155 Chapter 6 The Babylonian Exile.
Judah was not empty after the destruction of Jerusalem. Most of the
population remained behind. Living in the same places they lived before
except now under Babylonian rule. A few miles down the road from Jerusalem
there is virtually no sign of any destruction. Archaeologist diggings
in these areas have discovered that many of those cities expanded and flourished
under Babylonians. The people living in them were not poor either.
Burial caves in use during the Babylonian period have found to contain gold
& silver jewelry, fancy and costly vases and pottery as well as luxury
items that reflect the owners’ considerable status & wealth rather than
the poverty described by the bible.
Pg 159 The bible writers hadn’t been interested in the people remaining in
Judah even tho they and not the exiles composed the overwhelming majority
of the greater Israelite nation. Figurines of Canaanite goddess have
been discovered in Jerusalem indicating even in Judah people worshiped more
than 1 god. Monotheism was embraced for the 1st time in Babylon and
the cultic practices that had angered God and caused all of Israel’s problems
in the 1st place were supposedly left behind for good. But the Judeans
who remained at home had continued living their lives in practicing their
religion much the same as always. This religion could be best described
as and ecumenical blending of the various gods. The bible’s writers
probably figured to say that they were only few and the exiles many. The
lives of the people in Judah didn’t fit the ideological point of the story
they wanted to write.
Continues to talk about the Babylonian ere findings, building frames and
dig findings.
Pg 180 Chapter 7 Lot’s Children. What really happened to the Ammonites.
Talks about a huge reservoir covered in plaster and able to hold 2 million
gallons of water built between 1000 and 900 B.C.E.. The town was abandoned.
It was 200 years latter before it was used again.
Talks of buildings found.
Pg 200 Chapter 8 Esaa’s Birthright A New Look at Edomites.
So much about the Edomite history remains hazy and incomplete, even by the
standers of ancient history.
Remains of settlements indicate Edom was probably settled latter than Ammon
& Moab and never as densely. Even at the height of Edom’s power
in the 7 & 6th century B.C.E. the only full blown city that existed was
Buseirah, which probably served as the capital. The rest of the sites
are small encampments and villages. There is no artwork that parallels
that of the masterful Ammonite statues, or literature that has been found
comparable to the Hebrew bible. This was not an urban society so much
as a collection of tribes who for a time were held together under a loose
administrational umbrella.
Edom held some of the region’s richest copper deposits far more extensive
and significant than those supporting the Timan mines in Israel during the
same period. Edom also sat on the all-important Arabian trade route
that ran thru the Beersheba Valley and connected Arabia and Transjourdan
with the Mediterranean at Gaza. This route zigzagged it’s way thru
the Negev Desert and the ever changing Swath of no mans land where Bedouins,
Egyptians, Judeans, Edomites and Assyrians all met to trade, deal and exchange
information.
Pg 210 talks about cemeteries and copper trade.
Pg 220 Chapter 9 Return to the Promise Land.
Talks about the finding of the DSS.
Pg 223 The DSS clearly showed that over the course of centuries many of the
best known stories in the bible from Abraham and Sarah’s sojourn in Egypt
described in Genesis, to parts of Exodus and the book of Samuel had been
intentionally reworked – updated. Many scholars speculated to reflect current
concerns.
Pg 226 The lists of Ezra – Nehemiah counts the number of families who moved
back to Judah from Babylon from the exile ~ 50,000. New
archaeological data suggests the population in Judah grew from 13,450 toward
the end of the 6th century B.C.E. to 20,825 by the 2nd half of the 4th century.
That’s a 55 % increase, still Yehud was ~ 1/3 smaller in size then scholars
thought.
Goes on to talk about Egyptians revolt and Persia.
Pg 242 talks about Philip Davies In Search of “Ancient Israel” (a book of
controversy. It was among the 1st to argue I conqent, accessible terms
that the bible had been mainly written, not just edited, in the Persian era
and perhaps even latter) Talks about his lecture. “For every historical
battle there is also a fictional miracle. Whether the bible is fictionalized
history or historicized fiction is a matter of taste. It is a blend
of both, and the argument is over the proportion and the extent to which
history or fiction is in control”
Pg 245 Describes the excavation in Ein Gedi, the ‘Essene village’ and
findings
Pg 246 Talks about the 1962 cache finding of personal documents belonging
to a woman named Babatha.
Finished 05/03/03 Easy read, very good source notes.
