Tag Archives: Politics & Archaeology

UPDATED Going Hog Wild at Tel Shiloh

If you wondered what those millions of shekels were buying at Tel Shiloh — the massive funding, both public and private, being thrown at the site, as detailed in my previous (2012) post on this topic — the disturbing answer … Continue reading

Posted in Antiquities, Archaeology & Politics, Israel-Palestine Scene, Issues in Archaeology, Occupied Territories, The Occupation | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

UPDATED | Nabi Samwil: Just beneath the surface, a thick layer of injustice

The fascinating site of Nabi Samwil is one which I’ve simply never paid enough attention to. I have been there a handful of times, know the general background, the history and archaeology, and have taken people there (by request) to … Continue reading

Posted in Antiquities, Archaeology & Politics, Modern History, Occupied Territories, Palestinians, Resources, The Occupation | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Haaretz interview with archaeologist Ronny Reich

I was putting the finishing touches on this installment when I saw Todd Bolen’s post in my inbox pointing folks to a very interesting interview with antiquities collector Oded Golan published today in the “Week’s End” section of Haaretz. Noted also was … Continue reading

Posted in Archaeology, City of David, Hezekiah's Tunnel, Issues in Archaeology, JERUSALEM, Jerusalem Antiquities, Jerusalem People, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

UPDATED / Herod’s Tomb in Plastic: A Learning Aid, or “Disneyland”?

Today’s Haaretz newspaper carries an article about changes afoot at the Herodion (or “Herodium”, as I prefer) national park site in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. One change — already in place — is a 4-meter-high model of the mausoleum of Herod the Great … Continue reading

Posted in Archaeology & Politics, Herod the Great, Herodium, Israel-Palestine Scene, Issues in Archaeology | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Politicians + Archaeology = A Bad Mix. The Case of the Temple Purity Seal

A unique and important find connected with the rituals of the ancient Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was announced the other day by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and quickly made the rounds of the usual media outlets. Quick out of … Continue reading

Posted in Archaeology & Politics, Haram/ Temple Mount, Issues in Archaeology, JERUSALEM, VIDEOS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Collapse of Silwan Tunnel Closes Recently-opened Underground Route

  The partial collapse Monday of an archaeological tunnel near the Siloam Pool has closed the underground tourist route opened earlier this year following a segment of a stepped, Herodian-period street. Despite the tunnel’s heavy framing (see photo), it is one of … Continue reading

Posted in City of David, Israel-Palestine Scene, Issues in Archaeology, JERUSALEM | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Is Israeli Archaeology an “Old Boys’ Club”?

In a follow-up interview in Tuesday’s Haaretz newspaper, Benjamin Kedar, outgoing chairman of the IAA Board of Directors responds to this query, and weighs in on a host of other issues impacting archaeological thinking and practice in Israel (and Israeli-occupied East … Continue reading

Posted in Archaeology & Politics, Israel-Palestine Scene, Issues in Archaeology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments