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Photo Of The Day
The sunrise over the Sea of Galilee would often signal the end of a night’s work for ancient fishermen. The beauty of the breaking dawn may have been lost on a weary team of boats who had caught nothing all night. It was to just such a group that Christ told to cast their nets on the other side (Luke 5:3-5).
The Balaam Inscription (ca. 800 BC) was discovered at Deir ‘Alla, often identified as Biblical Succoth. The ink on plaster inscription details “the sayings of Balaam, son of Beor, the man who was a seer of the gods,” and describes the destruction the gods have planned for the city
Gezer is a beautiful, soaring tell bordering both the hill country and the Shephelah. On one side, the Mediterranean can be seen sparkling in the sun, while movements through the hill country to the east would have been easily spotted. The site also boasts a beautiful 6-chambered gate. This calls to mind I Kings 9:15-16, when Solomon rebuilt the city—the dowry of Pharaoh’s daughter.
The spectacular Makhtesh Ramon is not noted in the Biblical account, but it borders a valuable route leading from both Petra to Gaza, as well from the Judaean Hill Country down to the Gulf of Aqaba. Though sometimes called a crater, the makhteshim are not impact craters, but are created when the soft sandstone strata erodes from under the harder upper layer, leading to its collapse. Unique mineral deposits have created a variety of sandstone colors, including pink, yellow, and black.
The modern housecat was likely domesticated in 4th millennium Egypt, when tabby African wildcats were invited into the human community. In Egypt, they were not only important for controlling vermin, but paintings depict cats used for hunting birds. Their ancestors roam throughout archaeological sites today, often begging for treats and earning nicknames from lonely archaeologists (like Bagheera, pictured here in Ashkelon).
The desert does not necessarily have to be deadly, if you know how to survive in it. Water is of primary importance, and so wells and cisterns, or pits dug to catch water, are of primary importance. The first-century Arabs of the Negev, the Nabateans, knew this, and built cisterns throughout the Southern Highlands. Desert creatures like camels and wild donkeys still come to these cisterns for water today.
Mt. Gerizim’s sister peak stands above the modern-day city of Nablus, which surrounds ancient Shechem in the narrow valley linking the Farrah and Shechem Valleys. Archaeologists have found an Israelite cultic site on the mountaintop, which illustrates what is described in Deuteronomy 27.
After conquering the land, the Israelites claimed the site of Shiloh as the religious center of the nation, and there they placed the tabernacle. However, after Hophni and Phinehas lost the Ark of the Covenant in battle, the archaeological record indicates Shiloh was destroyed soon thereafter, possibly by Philistines following up their “victory” over Israel’s God by also destroying Shiloh.
In I Samuel 14, Jonathan and his armor bearer perform a daring raid on the Philistine garrison in Michmash, just north of Jerusalem. Separating the enemies from the Israelite camp at Gibeah is a deep ravine punctuated by sheer cliffs on each side. This photo would be in the general area and it fits the physical description. It’s certainly a good visual backdrop for this passage.
Dogs have always been a valuable asset to humanity, especially during ancient times when their help was needed in herding and protecting other domesticated animals. This purpose has not diminished, as scrappy mongrels can often be spotted among flocks of sheep and goats, or keeping a weather eye on their masters’ donkeys in the heat of the day, such as this faithful guardian at Petra.
At the site of Gezer in the Shephelah, one cannot miss the beautiful limestone mazzeboth (standing stones), the tallest measuring around 12 feet high. These particular standing stones were likely erected during the Canaanite period, but they likely served to memorialize an event, such as a treaty which may have taken place at Gezer. This illustrates the common practice mentioned in the Biblical narrative when individuals set up a stone of memorial, such as Jacob in Bethel (Genesis 28:18) and Samuel with the Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7:12, literally meaning “rock of help”).
These two idols from the Oriental Institute in Chicago are thought to represent the gods El (left) and Ba’al (right), are often mentioned in the Biblical narrative. The mythology behind this father-son pair comes mostly from the Bronze Age city of Ugarit (1450-1200 BC). While El and his consort Asherah were the chief gods, Ba’al was the powerful storm god who achieved great victories over the sea and death with the aid of his sister, Anath.
The ancient tell of Hazor is one of the largest sites in Israel at around 200 acres. However, the Iron Age Israelite occupation is mostly isolated to the upper city (the hill just above the modern bridge in the lower right corner), which features a beautiful Solomonic gate. As with so many important cities in the Levant, Hazor’s greatest value was its strategic position in the narrow pass into the Huleh Basin, a road that connected the Southern Levant to Damascus.
As with many places mentioned in the Bible, we may not know where the exact location is, but we can know it is “here.” The exact point of Mt. Nebo may not be known, but from Deuteronomy 32:49, we know that if we are in Jericho and look across to Moab, we should be looking in the direction of Mt. Nebo. This a view similar to what you would see from Jericho, just down the Dead Sea coast slightly (from Qumran, of Dead Sea Scrolls’ fame).
Sheep and goat herding is still an important facet in the lives of many in the Middle East. The Bedouin herds can be found grazing anywhere from large cities like Ashkelon to firing ranges in the desert. Anywhere there is forage, you can be sure there is a herd of sheep or goats nearby.
The Arbel cliff is beautiful, but also strategic in its position overlooking the pass into Galilee. This natural caves system was enlarged and used for inhabitation, first by Jews during the Hellenistic period, and later by Galilean Zealots fleeing Herod the Great. The basalt fortification seen today is the handiwork of a 17th-century Druze emir, built to protect the surrounding area. The Druze are a culturally Arab religious sect who reinterprets the teachings of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
It is often easy to forget that the characters we read about in the Bible and in the history books were real people, and lived much like we do today. Even the children of the ancient world loved to play and had toys, like this wheeled bear and otter from the early Iron Age (11th-10th century) Beit Shemesh, as well as dolls made of bone and clay, and board games with dice.
In a land where everything is old, and one can hardly go on a walk without tripping over an antiquity, ancient sites can sometimes be forgotten and fall into decay after excavations are over. Tell Miqne, better known as Biblical Ekron, lies unnoticed in the middle of a kibbutz‘s agricultural field, surrounded by cotton and watermelons.
The Soreq Valley is the scene of many Biblical events, and is bounded to the west by the Philistine cities of Timnah and Ekron. This valley is famous for its produce, especially the vineyards for which it is named (soreq means “choice vine”).
As we try to continuously bring alive the people, places, and culture of the Biblical text, the small things are not to be ignored. While people of those days are millennia away from us, and we may not fully understand their culture and ancient history, they were people, just like you and me. When a Biblical writer speaks of flowers, the message they intend to convey can be seen by us. Flowers may bring to mind James 1:9-11, and the message of fading riches. These daisies, particularly the center one with yellow and white, adorn the ancient rocks of the Athens acropolis, with the same colors now as they would have displayed in ancient times.
