July 2013
Vol. 1, No. 4
Welcome again to the Ancient Near East Today. In this issue we join Kevin Cullen as he recreates brewing techniques from the ancient world. We also travel to Hazor, to join the debate about the Upper City during the Bronze Age. Was it a temple or a palace, and does it have anything to do with Joshua? Let us know what you think. From there we visit a number of sites in our Big Dig Video Roundup! Be sure to check out all the informative videos on our blog and on Friends of ASOR Resource Page. Finally, in this months forum we explore the contemporary problems and possibilities of archaeology in the Mediterranean. We are glad you joining us on this tour through the Middle East, and we hope that you will tell everyone you know to join the discussion and become a Friend of ASOR. Share the articles below by clicking on the Facebook and Twitter icon at the end of each article.
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A Toast to Our Fermented Past: Case Studies in the Experimental Archaeology of Alcoholic Beverages
By: Kevin M. Cullen
Archaeologists and historians are constantly in pursuit of the tangible human past, whether it is in the form of material culture or primary written sources. This direct evidence of the past can still leave us disconnected from the full context in which the technology or writings were employed. Therefore, one exciting field of research is experimental archaeology, in which the past literally comes alive though the step-by-step recreation process of an ancient technology, method, or even recipe…[READ MORE]
The Ceremonial Precinct in the Upper City of Hazor: What Does the Identification As a Temple or Palace Have to Do With Joshua’s Conquest?
By: Amnon Ben-Tor, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hazor, “the head of all those kingdoms,” has a unique place in Biblical Archaeology. It is the largest tell in the Southern Levant, and a city-state whose importance resonated throughout the Middle and Late Bronze Ages. Hazor is also specifically named in the Book of Joshua as one of the enemies of the Israelites. Since the pioneering excavations at Hazor during the 1950s and 1960s, the question of ‘who destroyed Hazor’ has tantalized scholars and lay people. The renewed excavations directed by Ben-Tor have added greatly to our understanding of the site and have brought to light an enormous Late Bronze Age “Ceremonial Palace” in the Upper City…[READ MORE]
The Ancient Near East Today features contributions from diverse academics, a forum featuring debates of current developments from the field, and links to news and resources. The ANE Today covers the entire Near East, and each issue presents discussions ranging from the state of biblical archaeology to archaeology after the Arab Spring.
