November 2014
Vol. 2, No. 11
Welcome to The Ancient Near East Today, Vol. II, No. 11! This month we take you from childhood through adulthood and from the challenges of publishing an old excavation to the problems of studying the Middle East in conflict.
We begin with David Ben Shlomo on his experiences publishing the Tell Jemmeh excavations, many years after they concluded. William den Hollander brings new perspectives on Flavius Josephus: traitor, survivor, or something else? Kristine Garroway asks an unusual question: why haven’t children in antiquity been more thoroughly studied? Robin Jensen looks at how ancient baptisteries connected that rite with the Christian symbolic world. Finally, we’re again pleased to bring you an assortment of reports by students supported by ASOR scholarships.
As always, we encourage you to send The Ancient Near East Today articles to family and friends, post links to Facebook and Twitter, and to be in touch with the editor. Remember, being a Friend of ASOR is free, so please spread the news!
Publishing the Tell Jemmeh Excavations, 40 years later
By David Ben-Shlomo
Opportunities arise in unusual ways. But the opportunity to help publish a major excavation is by definition unusual. During the summer of 2008, while I was towards the end of a postdoctorate term at the Weizmann Institute in Israel, working on computerized archaeology, I was approached by Prof. Amihai Mazar.
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Josephus Reconsidered
By William den Hollander
In the early summer of the year AD 67, during the early stages of the Jewish revolt against Rome, the city of Jotapata (Yodfat) in lower Galilee fell to the besieging Roman army. In the ensuing chaos, the general in charge of the fortified city, a priest from Jerusalem named Yosef ben Mattityahu.
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Children in the Ancient Near East
By Kristine Garroway
JFK called them “the world’s most valuable resource,” and Whitney Houston claimed they “are our future.” Just as children are recognized as important members of contemporary households, so too were they in the ancient world.
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A New Look at Baptism
By Robin Jensen
Countless Christians are familiar with the rite of baptism. But Christian baptism was one of the most complicated of ancient initiation rituals insofar as it served many and varied objectives.
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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.
