AIAR Workshop

AIAR Workshop – Maccabees and Archaeology 4

The Maccabees and Archaeology: Old Texts, New Discoveries

Thursday, Feb. 22nd, Albright Institute of Archaeology, Jerusalem

In this workshop speakers will present new archaeological evidence from the second century BCE and discuss the implications for our understanding of the era’s social and political changes – especially in regards to the historical picture provided by the books of 1 and 2 Maccabees. Specific questions to be considered are:

What sorts of material changes do we see, and where and when?

  • Settlement size, location, and chronology
  • Types and amounts of imported goods
  • new household goods, e.g., tablewares, figurines, wall décor, etc.

What stays the same, and where?

Are there groupings and patterns in the material evidence? What could these mean?

Jerusalem: can we date its expansion? Can we clarify the relationship to its hinterland?

Schedule

8:30 – 8:40 morning coffee/tea

8:40 – 9:00 Andrea Berlin: Introduction and Agenda

9:00 – 10:30 Idumea, the coast, and the Negev — Sylvie Honigman, moderator

  • 9:00 – 9:20: Adi Erlich (or Ian Stern) on Maresha
  • 9:20 – 9:40: Ilan Perez on Ashkelon
  • 9:40 – 10:00: Tali Gini on the Negev
  • 10:00 – 10:30: Discussion

10:30 – 11:00: Coffee/tea break

11:00 – 12:30 Samaria and Judea — Debby Sandhaus, moderator

  • 11:00 – 11:20: Yehiel Zelinger on Mazor and the Los hinterland
  • 11:20 – 11:40: Dvir Raviv on the Samaritan countryside
  • 11:40 – 12:00: Moran Hagbi on 2nd c. BCE fortifications in Judea
  • 12:00 – 12:30 Discussion

12:30 – 1:30 Lunch

1:30 – 3:00 Jerusalem and its hinterland — Joe Uziel, moderator

  • 1:30 – 1:50: Efrat Bücher on Jerusalem’s hinterland
  • 1:50 – 2:10: Danit Levi on the pottery workshops at Binyane Ha’uma
  • 2:10 – 2:30: Ayala Silberstein on the Haqra
  • 2:30 – 3:00 Discussion