REVELATIONS E6IDDO The Newsletter of The Megiddo Expedition

[111i~ ~=~= i= ~= ~= ~eaa ~==~==""!===="=='=====~=='=1 backgrounds. Apart from H. Thiersch ~,i=" there was only one classical Ernst Sellin and archaeologist who was competent and willing to join Sellin: , Carl Watzinger: the future publisher of the finds from Schumacher' s excavations at Megiddo. Rostock - Megiddo Carl Watzinger had studied then he abandoned this encounter. In classical and philology, Connection 1906, Sellin planned to do and had achieved major results in different fields: Hellenistic art, The excavation of Palace 6000 in archaeological research at Tell ed­ Duweir (Lachish) but later the Hellenistic vase paintings and Area L is part of a project backed by monuments of , and the German Israeli Foundation for authorities withdrew permission. So in 1907 he began excavation in Cyprus. He wrote a doctoral thesis on Research and Development with southern Italian vase paintings (1899). Michael Niemann from Rostock under the auspices of the German University as head of the German Oriental Society. contingency - see Revelations No. 3.) here are 1000 good reasons to take part in archae­ [I] ological excavations in Israel. For students and professors from Ros tock there are l 002 reasons. No. 1001 is Ernst Sellin; No. 1002 is Carl Watzinger. Ernst Sellin was born in 1867 a few miles away from Rostock. He studied theology, but soon archaeology began to gain his interest. While he was on his first chair for Old Testament in Vienna (since 1897) he already was planning excavations in Palestine. Sellin managed to interest the German Oriental Society in in td•h(j~ his project. After strenuous journeys and negotiations with the Turkish '-._i t -t ,r// i { ( Carl W atzinger authorities over a license for archaeological work, he was finally Ernst Sellin permitted to begin the first excavation In 1903 he worked as an assistant for by a German Theologian (1902-1904) Sellin was not an archaeologist. Berlin's museums. On behalf of the at Taanach near Megiddo. Sellin's only Critics tried to accuse him of German Oriental Society he published scientific assistant at Taanach in 1902 nonprofessional work. It was G.E. the wooden sarcophagi from the was who started Wright who brought his work - under excavations in Abusir, Egypt. His to dig at Megiddo on his own in 1903. the circumstances of Sellin's times - second doctoral thesis dealt with Greek After finishing his archaeological into more positive regard. Sellin's wooden sarcophagi from the times of work in Taanach, Sellin received strength was a flexible and innovative (1905). perm1ss10n to dig at Tell Dotan, but intellect coupled with the effort to Watzinger came from Berlin to connect biblical scholarship Rostock in 1905 as a Professor for and archaeology, which was Classical Archaeology. From Sep­ a completely new endeavor tember 1907 to January 1908, for Germany. Sellin had Watzinger worked in the Galilee. In a difficulty finding competent letter of January 6, 1908 the partners for excavations in government of Mecklenburg's grand Palestine who had both duke allowed Watzinger a special biblical and archaeological REV See Rostock-Meglddo, Page 2

rates under the auspices of Expedition Directors: Israel Finkelstein, nerican partner: Pennsylvania Baruch Halpern and David Ussishkin. Excavation 1436242 m institutions: Universities of Directors: Israel Finkelstein and David Ussishkin. 4 n California, and Vanderbilt Head of Academic Program and Consortium y). Coordinator: Baruch Halpern. 1999 c. 3 Rostock - Megiddo, from Page 1 1926-1927. Then in 1928, because of archaeological and methodological Megiddo Ill vacation to participate in Sellin's problems, the German Archaeological excavation at Jericho. Institute assigned Gabriel Welter Progress Report It was not until October 1908 that instead of Sellin as director for the Sellin was appointed to the chair of Shechem excavation . . Welter was a Old Testament at Rostock University. good classical archaeologist but he had he final report of the fust Some scholars assume that Ernst Sellin less talent for thorough publication of four years of the renewed and Carl Watzinger met for the first [I] excavations at Tel Megiddo, his finds. The cooperation with Sellin time in Rostock. This is not true. Their proved to be problematic because of Megiddo III: The 1992-1996 Seasons, cooperation is bound to have started Welter's poor commitment to the is steadily nearing publication. prior to this date, due to their common archaeological work at Shechem. He All 24 chapters have received final connection with the German Oriental was occupied at various other sites in approval of Expedition Directors Israel Society. Rostock constituted just a Greece at the same time. Finkelstein, Baruch Halpern and David short common period of activity for In the opinion of W.F. Albright, Ussishkin and have arrived on the table Ernst Sellin and Carl Watzinger. Both true excavational work m Palestine of the Manuscript and Production taught together from 1908 until 1909 in began with Sellin '. s excavation m Editor. The text is being edited for Rostock and excavated m Jericho. Jericho and G. A. Reisner's work in language usage and adherence to the Afterwards their ways separated. Samaria. Ernst Sellin's achievement for format of the Tel Aviv University Watzinger was appointed in 1909 German biblical scholarship can be Monograph Series, while plates, plans to the chair of Classical Archaeology at seen most of all in his pioneering of the and photographs are undergoing final Giessen and in 1916 at Tubingen. integration of archaeology into biblical checks and modifications. We Watzinger worked successfully for 32 scholarship. He had started this anticipate that the volume will be years in Tobingen. It was in 1929 that important approach m Vienna. But published by the beginning of 2000. Watzinger published the Schumacher Rostock brought him into constructive An enormous amount of work has finds from Megiddo. Unfortunately, he association with Carl Watzinger and been invested in the preparation of the was so involved in his own projects, created a common peak of their careers multifarious aspects of such a volume. that he didn't have time to work with with the excavation at Jericho. Judith Dekel has been drawing the anyone else. The tradition of Ernst Sellin will be plans; Rachel Paletta, Yafit Wiener The collaboration of Sellin and honored in Rostock by the publication and Miri Cook restored the pottery, Watzinger was harmonious and of his biography by Ulrich Palmer in while Ada Peri, Rodika Pinhas, Yosef constructive in their few years together the year 2000. Sellin and his Kapelian and Joelle Finkelstein have at Rostock and Jericho. Sellin took a cooperation with Watzinger in Rostock drawn it and prepared the plates; teaching position in 1913 at Kiel and formed one of the impulses for the Old Rodika · Pinhas has drawn the small then in 1921 at Berlin. He headed the Testament Institute at Rostock fmds ; Pavel Shrago and Nikolai Adani excavations at Tel Balatah, the site of University to restart archaeological prepared the photographs; and Jared biblical Shechem, in 1913-1914 and research after decades of delay. In 1995 Miller 1s acting as the manuscript it began in the region of Zorah and editor of the volume. Once all the Megiddo 2000: June 11 to July Eshtaol. Later (1 996), it continued in elements have received approval of the 28. For the first session of 3 weeks, you the Galilee, and since 1998 at Megiddo Directors and are placed on the editor's should arrive on Saturday, June 10 and m cooperation with the Institute of desk, they will be integrated camera­ leave on Friday June 30. For the second Archaeology of Tel Aviv University. ready into the text, and fmally, sent to session of 4 weeks, you should arrive The main interest of the participants Graphit Press Ltd. in Jerusalem for on Saturday, July I and leave on Friday, from Rostock 1s in the analysis of printing. July 28. Megiddo's role as both a royal and a Some of the most exciting results Major Changes: (1). The work have already been briefly forecasted in week will be Sun. - Thurs. instead of regional center during the times of Mon. - Fri. (2). We will not be staying Israel's emergence as a state. preceding issues of Revelations from Megiddo: the bullae bearing a griffin at Kibbutz Megiddo, but at Kibbutz H. Michael Niemann Mizra. The accommodations are who wears the Egyptian double crown, (in cooperation with Ulf Harder) superior and can support a larger and the massive Early Bronze temenos operation. Both the Salvage dig team walls of Area J (both in Revelations and the Survey team stayed there on a Megiddo III: the 1992-1996 Seasons. No. l); the local Egyptianized pottery trial basis and enjoyed it immensely. This two-volume report (some 650 assemblage discovered m the Early If you have questions or just want pages!) can be ordered from the Bronze temple compound, and the rich more infommtion, contact Nomm Friends of the Institute of hoard of sacrificial animal remams Franklin at [email protected] .ac.il or Archaeology, Publications Section, from the same EB compound Lynne Koppeser at: Jewish Studies Sonia and Marco Nadler Inshtute (Revelations No. 2); and a summary of Program, Pennsyl-lania State Univ., 103 of Archaeology, Tel Aviv the 1998 season (Revelations No. 3). Weaver Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA You can see the Megiddo University, P.O. Box 39040, Tel excavation on PSU's web site: Aviv 69978, Israel. Of course, Jared Miller www3.la .psu.edu/jst/welcome.htm the computer literate can order On-line registration will soon be through the web site at: Update: Megiddo Ill was sent to the available at: www.digmegiddo.com www.tau.ac.il/~archpubs/index/html printer in October.

Revelations from Megiddo 2 Amarna.Tablets from Megiddo Petrography Confirms Their Origin temple. A large number of Egyptian artifacts have been uncovered in n 1887, Egyptian farmers in the clay and temper and define the th Stratum VIIA from the 12 century. discovered a large number of texture and fabric of the sherd. [I] Megiddo must have included an clay cuneiform tablets at the Chemical methods use diverse Akkadian scribal school in the Amama ancient site of Tell el-Amarna, the loc- analytical techniques to measure Age. A fragment of a tablet containing ation of Akhetaten, the capital of Egypt concentrations of chemical elements. the Epic of Gilgamesh was found at during the reign of Amenophis IV Petrography is the most commonly Megiddo, which indicates that (Akhenaten). The archive consisted of used physical method in pottery Akkadian was taught in its scribal about 380 clay tablets, most of which analyses, whereas Neutron Activation curriculum (literary compositions of were written in Akkadian cuneiform, Analysis (NAA) is the most common this kind were used only in schools). including 7 from Megiddo. The chemical method. Further, the Amarna tablets from documents formed part of the royal Naturally, every analytical method Megiddo are marked by the quality of correspondence of three Pharaohs: has its advantages and limitations. If the clay and the excellent handwriting. Amenophis III, Amenophis IV and the primary goal 1s to assign Tutankhamon. The Amarna tablets provenance, for example, the quality of have supplied exciting and vital interpretation depends heavily on the information about the political and availability and quality of comparative cultural interaction between Egypt, materials. Best results are achieved by Canaan and the rest of the Ancient combining several methods. In pottery Near East during the Amarna Period provenance studies, petrography is (ea. 1375-1325 BCE). The nature of applied to a large number of items, and Egyptian influence in Canaan during the results are used to select samples the period is still the subject of lively for . chemical analyses. This approach, debate, due in part to the complexity of however, is less relevant for the study the archaeological record, which comes of clay tablets, where the number of the mainly from the 13-12th centuries. The examined items is limited and each archaeological and the historical data item poses unique questions. For point to the existence of an Egyptian example, tablets might have been administrative system in Canaan, produced from different clay types than Tablet EA 365 from Biridiya, ruler ofMegiddo. controlling satellite city-states, which pottery vessels, even within a single maintained a limited degree of site. In such cases, the composition of Seven tablets from Megiddo were autonomy. Though the textual the tablet is. not likely to match any preserved in the Amarna corres­ information has been extracted from known clay source used for the pondence (EA 242-247, 365; see the documents, no attempt has been production of ceramic vessels. In fact, Moran, W. 1992. The Amarna Letters), made to systematically investigate the our study of the Amarna tablets indeed together with another letter said to have source of the tablets based on their raw revealed several such cases. been sent from Megiddo (EA 248). material, i.e. the clay itself. This Petrography has the advantage of Biridiya, the ruler of Megiddo investigation is essential for the being independent, so that when a (Magidda in his letters to the Pharaoh), reconstruction of the system of reference pottery database 1s played the difficult and dangerous Canaanite city-states in the Late unavailable, the results can be game of local Realpolitik, in which the Bronze Age. interpreted based on detailed geological rulers of the various city-states vied Ancient Near Eastern cuneiform maps. So, although petrography does with one another for territory, property archives contain numerous tablets of not have the accuracy of chemical and status, while simultaneously unknown origin. In cases where the analyses, it is independent of attempting to maintain the Pharaoh's name of the sender or his domicile is incomplete, poorly selected, or confidence in their loyalty to the missing or when the location of the city unevenly spread databases and Egyptian Empire which governed them is not clearly established, scholars can reference groups. For this and other all. To emphasize his steadfastness, only hope to find some paleographic, reasons, petrography was selected as Biridiya opened his correspondence linguistic, or thematic clues to the the primary method for our research on with the standard formulaic vassal origin of a tablet. The investigation of the Amarna tablets. greeting, "Say to the king, my lord and the provenance of tablets through the Megiddo is first mentioned in the my Sun: I prostrate myself at the feet of examination of their clay seems to be a textual sources concerning the the king, my lord and my Sun, 7 times promising complementary approach. campaign of the Egyptian Pharaoh and 7 times" (e.g. EA 242), and he is Using both petrographic and elemental Thutrnose III (see "Thutmose III and careful to send Pharaoh his tribute of analysis, the authors investigated most the 'Aruna Pass Survey" in Revelations oxen, sheep, goats and birds. He also of the archive, including those tablets No. 2). Following the Thutmose III provides the Pharaoh corvee workers, a assigned to Megiddo. victory, Megiddo recovered during the duty, he is quick to emphasize, which Various techniques are employed Amarna Period, at which time it only he among all his neighbors for analyzing the composition of became an Egyptian center. From an regularly fulfills (EA 365). Biridiya's pottery and other ceramic artifacts. economic point of view, Megiddo chief local nemesis seems to have been Basically they can be divided into dominated one of the richest areas of Lab'ayu, the ruler of nearby Shechem, physical and chemical methods. the country, a fact that is reflected in who, according to Biridiya (EA 244), Physical methods identify the minerals the size and wealth of its palaces and See Amama Tablets, Page 4 Revelations from Megiddo 3 .... Megiddo 99: Area N Amarna Tablets, from page .3 . .• of the tell. Together we were able to In July of 1999 a small salvage make the 1999 salvage operation a besieged Maggida, thus preventing the exca,~ation'. was carried out in front of success and had a lot of fun doing it. population from leaving or entering, the 'exit from 'the water tunnel. The disturbing the harvest, and ' causing a ex.cavation was instigated by the Jennifer Peersmann plague. Biridiya portrays his defen:fo" of National Parks Authority in order to his city as the protection of "Magidda, extend the parking lot, in preparation The Gossip Corner the city of the king, my lord," and for the year 2000. Jennifer Peersmann Gunnar Lehmann and his wife have pleads with Pharaoh to take notice of coordinated the excavation, assisted by a new son, Matan. his plight and send him a 100-man Susan Brannon. Technical assistance The newest member of the Eric Egyptian garrison to protect him and was provided by Robert Deutsch with and Diane Harris Cline family is Magidda. A later letter (EA 245) tells the pottery reading, Norma Franklin Joshua Bela Harris Cline. He was ofLab'ayu's capture and slaying. Since with interpretation and Natalie born on July 13, weighs 6 lbs. , 1 oz. the Pharaoh had wanted Lab'ayu alive, Messika with the plans. and is 18 inches long. He was born he had been entrusted to Surata, the In the first week five squares were "en caul" (still in his sac), which has ruler of Acco. Instead of shipping him opened and excavated down to the various superstitions connected with to Egypt, as he had promised Biridiya, floors of the archaeological strata using it, most of them good. Surata ransomed him, a trick that 20 hired workers. Several layers of Director David Ussishkin 1s greatly displeased the Pharaoh. But terraces were revealed on which stood taking a .sabbatical this year to finish Biridiya claims to have had an alibi: he an unusual rectangular stone structure. the report on the Lachish excavation. had sped off to save Lab'ayu (a little This structure consisted of several Benny Sass is also on sabbatical. hard to believe, considering Biridiya's th phases and was dated to the mid- 15 Directors Baruch Halpern and enmity for Lab'ayu), but during the 1 century. Next to it ar.: Pn nstw "lass Israel Finkelstein have returned to action Biridiya's horse was struck by scepter was found . their respective universities after an arrow, forcing him to mount up Since the archaeological remains their sabbaticals. Israel has been behind Yasdata, the ruler of Ta'anach. were too extensive for a one-week doing a world lecture tour on But, before Biridiya and Yasdata could excavation, a second week was Megiddo: last November he started reach Lab'ayu and his captors, he had required. This was financed by the from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, been killed. Megiddo Expedition and a cry for then to San Moritz to speak to the EA 248, authored by Yasdata - volunteers was made to help salvage European Governors of TAU, and who humbly calls himself "the dirt at these impressive remains. By chance then spoke to over 500 people at the the feet of the king" - is unique, since several team members of the Megiddo Louvre in Paris. He later lectured at its author has taken refuge with Expedition were in the country. With Rostock in Germany, and Freiburg Biridiya at Magidda, because, their help we were able to excavate and Bern in Switzerland. In May, he "everything the king, my lord, gave to down to virgin soil by the end of the spoke in Copenhagen, in Lund and his servant, the men of Ta'anach have second week. Upsala m Sweden, m Helsinki, made off with; they have slaughtered Area N contained several layers of Finland and Oslo, Norway. my oxen and driven me away." It terraces which appear to be a pathway The "Pet Sherd" was repossessed appears Yasdata was hardly the towards the spring. What may be a by the team members during the Richelieu of Canaanite Realpolitik. tomb or a shrine was constructed on Survey. Where will it tum up next? The Megiddo tablets are these terraces. The surprising element Congratulations to David Ilan distinguished by their bright whitish was the lack of any EB remains. who has fmished his PhD and now color, a departure from the darker Thanks to Michele Bums, has a position on the staff at TAU. shades of tablets from other Canaanite Valdemar Lemke, Mario Martin, Assaf Congratulations to Yuval Gadot cities. Petrographic examinations of the Natif, and Yitzhak Zahavy, the remains who has finished his MA. Megiddo tablets confirm that, of the area were properly excavated and Asaf Yasur-Landau is in Greece mineralogically, these letters were recorded. With their help, we were able at the American School of Classical written on marl that was likely to understand the occupation of the MB Studies doing PhD studies. He collected near Megiddo. Chemical and LB I strata at the northwestem foot participated m excavations at analysis indicates that the Megiddo Miletus this summer. tablets are unique in their elemental Robert Deutsch has published composition. In the case of the tablets • , ideas, two more books. He is the co-editor )licalion from Megiddo, the petrography served .. of Michael, a Festschrift in honor of ...... ,, 1:l .. largely to confirm their provenance, ID t "' <: Prof. Michael Heltzer. The other is () "' ID< since the content of the text makes "' .., the English version of Messages .. a of the obvious that their origin was Megiddo. • ... from the Past, which_was his MA _ 0 rel Aviv :, ~olor): thesis on Hebrew bullae. Yuval Goren, Israel Finkelstein, ,.,,"' w .... _ ,x.html We bid farewell to Jared Miller - 0" Nadav Na'aman .f:> I a th stylus as he moves on to PhD studies in 3: Revelations from Megiddo is . "'~- ID I US al: Germany after completing his work IQ... published by the Megiddo Expedition. ;e_ 1 Q. on Megiddo III and his MA. Michele Q. Editors-in-Chief: Israel Finkelstein, ..,.,.... - 0 Bums has taken over the editing of Baruch Halpern and David Ussishkin. 0 Revelations from Megiddo: l..!::;E;:d~it;or=:=M~i:::::ch:::::e==le=B=u==rn==s=. ======::::!....!...... := ~­ Revelations from Megiddo 4