Biblical Archaeology Review November/December 2011 Issue

Online, October 18, 2011 (Newswire.com) - The November/December 2011 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR) features fascinating, exclusive articles about the archaeology of the Biblical world, including one about a rather gruesome sort of meal. Scholars have long known that ossuaries, or bone boxes, were used by the Chalcolithic peoples of the ancient Levant. But how exactly did they manage to reduce their deceased loved ones to neat piles of dry bones that fit easily into the boxes? In "Excarnation: Food for Vultures," author Rami Arav examines the evidence and concludes that the vultures did it-offering a new interpretation for the mysterious site of Rogem Hiri.

Then, heading south of the Dead Sea, work in the copper mines of Faynan, in southern Jordan, was so grueling that it was a job reserved for slaves and criminals-and for persecuted Christians. Mohammad Najjar and Thomas E. Levy have explored these ancient copper mines and in "Condemned to the Mines," they show how the punishment Damnatio ad metalla was in effect a death sentence.

From dark copper mines to accidental finds-winter rains uncovered a mesmerizing Hellenistic sculpture at Hippos/Sussita, overlooking the Sea of Galilee, as related by excavators Arthur Segal and Michael Eisenberg in "Hercules in Galilee." What a contrast with Jewish Tiberias on the other side of the lake.

While the public awaits the verdict in the Jerusalem forgery trial, BAR editor Hershel Shanks takes a closer look at one of the major players in "Fudging with Forgeries." Tel Aviv University professor Yuval Goren has been the driving force behind the declarations of forgery that have been attached to several objects from Israel's antiquities market in recent years. Yet he has judged the recently discovered "Miriam" ossuary, also from the antiquities market, to be authentic. What makes this one different from the others?

And finally, it's no secret that ancient Israelites practiced animal sacrifice in the Temple. But where did this practice come from? What did it mean? Although Israelite sacrifice evolved from the practice in Mesopotamia, William W. Hallo explains in "The Origin of Israelite Sacriï¬ce" that it was given new meaning in Israel.

Bible scholar Jane Schaberg answers the question "Are feminists biased about the Bible?" in our Biblical Views column. And in Archaeological Views, Bruce Zuckerman describes how advanced technologies are shedding new light on ancient texts. Online visitors can try them out on the BAS Web site.

Our Web site also features a slide show of ancient menorot in Bible History Daily, where visitors can access daily articles on key Biblical archaeology topics, the latest news, book reviews and dozens of free eBooks, including The Dead Sea Scrolls-What They Really Say. As always, the BAS Library online features easy access to all footnoted articles in BAR Notables, as well as new Special Collections each month.