Heritage Fellow’s First Impressions Excavating at Tall al-Umayri

Posted on August 16, 2012 by jennfitz

The cave with brush removed and the boulder showing

By: Amanda Hopkins, Wesley Theological Seminary, 2012 Heritage Fellow
You can read Amanda’s previous posts here and here.

Week 2

Digging is going slowly. Our first stumbling block, after cleanup is a large boulder (110 cm by 56 cm). The soft limestone boulder rests on loose soil (the accumulation debris) and it proved impossible to break into pieces. The sledge hammer blows were cushioned by the plug of soil upon which it rested. The most we could accomplish was the chipping of corners of the boulder. At some point it became small enough and round enough to lift up to the mouth of the cave and roll away. Continue reading →

Ancient Seal May Add Substance to the Legend of Samson

Posted on August 16, 2012 by jennfitz

TAU researchers uncover a 12th century BCE seal depicting a man and lion in battle in Tel Beth Shemesh

The “Samson seal” found at Beth Shemesh.
Photo: Raz Lederman, courtesy of Tel Beth Shemesh Excavations.

Tel Aviv University researchers recently uncovered a seal, measuring 15 millimetres (about a half-inch) in diameter, which depicts a human figure next to a lion at the archaeological site of Beth Shemesh, located between the Biblical cities of Zorah and Eshtaol, where Samson was born, flourished, and finally buried, according to the book of Judges. The scene engraved on the seal, the time period, and the location of the discovery all point to a probable reference to the story of Samson, the legendary heroic figure whose adventures famously included a victory in hand-to-paw combat with a lion. Continue reading →