The Biblical Archaeologist - Vol.57, N.2

59 Pages·1994·24.81 MB·English

by  American Schools of Oriental Research

ialAc
eoRis
D
on4the "otamia dIerranean
DIves Ancient World from Meso to the Me Vol. 57 No. 2Jun
Arclhaeok's
BiblicaAl rchaeologist
Perspectiveso n the AncientW orldf romM esopotamiat o the Mediterranean Volume5 7 Number2
A Publicationo f the AmericanS choolso f OrientalR esearch June1 994
66
Archaeology in Lebanon in the Twentieth Century
William A. Ward
So much of archaeologicali nteresti n Lebanoni s inaccessible,c overed by
modem successors to ancient towns in which the competition between the
archaeologista nd the demands of modem society rumbles on. The long
civil war that destroyed much of the country has had devastating effects
on archaeologicalr esearcha nd the preservationo f cultural resources.Y et
archaeology in Lebanon is alive and getting well again. Long-time mem-
ber of the community of the American University of Beruit, Bill Ward
chronicles the ebb and flow of archaeological discovery in this crucial
crossroads of the ancient world.
86 Had the Works of Philo Been Newly Discovered
Abraham Terian
page 66 The voluminous works of Philo have been known for so long; their exis-
tence is taken for granted.B ut imagine the headlines had this first-century
Jew's commentaries on the Pentateuch,h is declamatory books, and his
dialogues appeared unexpectedly, even mysteriously, from some dry
corner of Alexandria!T hough the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and
the Nag Hammadi Codices has eclipsed scholarly interest in Philo, re-
newed devotion to Philonic studies will be requiredf or the advancement
of scholarshipo n EarlyJ udaism and Christianity.
98 Hellenization in Syria-Palestine:
The Case of Judea in the Third Century BCE
Robert Harrison
How and to what degree was Judea Hellenized during the third century
BfE? Its Ptolemaic masters laid their hands on the Judean economy; Ptole-
maic Yehud coins indicate that much. But do the coins signal Hellenistic
page 98 culturali nfluence as well? What of monumental remains at principalH el-
lenistic sites? Taken as a whole, the growing body of archaeologicald ata
depicts third century BCEJ udea as still aloof from the Hellenistic cultural
inundation of the next century.
110
Literary Sources for the History of Palestine and Syria:
The Ph'enician Inscriptions, PartT wo
Donald R. Vance
Find spots of Phlencian inscriptionss pan the entire Mediterraneanb asin,
stretchingf romS yriat o Spain.S uch a broadd istributionm inors the phenom-
enal range of this seafaringc ulture.V ancec oncludes his cataloga nd com-
mentaryo n the rich legacy of Phoenciani nscriptionsg, atheringt hose of chief
importance found apartf rom the famed cities of the Phcencianc oast. The
inscriptionso ffer a crucialw indow into Phcencianc ulturea nd its influence.
page 110 On the cover: A monumental Roman archway from the Lebanese city of Tyre.
The surface remains of the Roman-Byzantinec ity dominate the archaeological
landscape, but the recent discovery of a Phoenician period cemetery offers an
exciting new glimpse at pre-Roman Tyre. Photograph courtesy of Aramco World.
Fromt he Editor
Biblical
Archaeologist
Perspectiveosn theA ncientW orldfr om
Mesopotamitao theM editerranean
My son and I will be hot and dusty digging in Amman as this issue comes
off the press. We join thousands of other archaeologists,v olunteers, and staff Editor David C. Hopkins
who form the crest of this summer's archaeological wave. Brian-nearly 13-is a ArtD irector RobertD . MenchT, opD esign
Book Review Editor James C. Moyer
veteran now, returning for his second season. Things will likely be a bit different Editorial Assistant Timothy L. Adamson
this time around, I tell him, anticipating diminished excitement at finding a stray
Editorial Committee
tessera or glazed sherd. He doesn't believe me. He is summoned by the lure of Jeffery A. Blakely Kenneth G. Hoglund
recollected joy. I will admit to the same, in some measure, though it is fascination Elizabeth Block-Smith Douglas A. Knight
with more persistent anthropological and historical questions that impels so Betsy M. Bryan Gloria London
many to return to the field season after season. J.P.D essel Jodi Magness
An array of persistent questions finds expression in articles of this issue. Robert ERornnaelsdt SS. .F Hreenridcehl s GGaeertaalndo L P. Maluamttbinog ly
Harrison assesses the state of researcho n Hellenistic Judea:h ow assimilated were Richard S. Hess Paul Zimansky
the indigenous peoples into Greek culture during the Ptolemaic third century?H is Subscriptions Annual subscription rates are
analysis of monumental architecturea nd material culture-coins to jar handles- $35 for individuals and $45 for institutions. There
discounts the pervasiveness of Hellenistic culture. Yet archaeologists still labor at is a special annual rate of $28 for those over 65,
a preliminary stage in their assessments of the cultural phenomenon of Hel- Aphrcyhsiaceaolllyo gcishitsa alllesno gaevda,i laobr luen aes mpaprlto oyfe tdh. e Bbeibnleicfiatls
lenization, even as like questions of multi-culturalism and community identity of some ASOR membership categories. Postage
swirl around the late twentieth century. for Canadian and other internationala ddresses is
Persistenced ogs a related area of inquiry-the persistence of neglect. According an additional $5. Payments should be sent to
to Abraham Terian,t he tremendously prolific and strategically well-placed figure ABoSxO 1R5 3M99em, Abtelarnshtaip, G/ AS u3b0s3c3r3i-b0e3r9 S9e (rpvhic: e4s0,4 P-7.O27. -
of Philo of Alexandria remains virtually undiscovered among historians of Early 2345; Bitnet: SCHOLARS@EMORYUI).V ISA/
Judaism and Christianity.T eriani llustrates the potential inherent in Philo's legacy: Mastercard orders can be phoned in.
whether following the history of Hebrew Scripture interpretation through his Back issues Back issues can be obtained by call-
works or exploring their pertinence for New Testament interpretation or assess- iinngg SSPP CCuussttoommeerr S Seerrvviciceess a,t P80.O0-. 4B3o7x- 66699926o , rA wl-r it-
ing the interactiono f Judaism and Hellenistic philosophy expressed in his thought, pharetta, GA 30239-6996.
it is undoubtedly time to rediscover Philo. Terian shows how the discovery of Postmaster Send address changes to Biblical
the Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi libraryh as drained energy from Philonic ArchaeologistA, SOR Membership/Subscriber Ser-
studies. Ironically,t he heightened interest in the emergence of Judaism and Chris- Sveicceosn, dP-.cOla. Bsso xp 1o5st3a9g9e, A ptalaidn taat, GAAtla 3n0t3a3, 3G-0A3 9a9n.d
tianity kindled by these well-advertised discoveries heralds a re-discovery of additional offices.
Philo himself. Copyright @ 1994 by the American Schools of
A re-awakening of another sort focuses Bill Ward's review and assessment of Oriental Research.
the archaeology of Lebanon. Lebanese archaeology has lived through a terrible Correspondence All editorial correspondence
time of civil war. It now finds itself able to begin to attend to the enormous needs should be addressed to BiblicalA rchtaeolcgis4t5, 00
Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
for rescue and preservationa s well as to fill the huge gaps that exist in the cultural 20016-5690 (ph: 202-885-8699;f ax: 202-885-8605).
history of Lebanon. Ward chronicles the war's decimation of Lebanon's ancient Books for review should be sent to Dr. James C.
heritage and the faithfulness of those who struggled to protect it. His account Moyer, Department of Religious Studies, South-
west Missouri State University, 901 South
injects a realistic and needful word into current debates about the ownership of National, Box 167,S pringfield,M O 65804-0095.
cultural property and the intractableb attle between modern needs and develop- Advertising Correspondence should be ad-
ment and the heritage of ancient times. Archaeological excavators dig to portray dressed to Sarah Foster, Scholars Press, P.O. Box
the past: many enmeshed in Lebanon's war dug to survive the present. 1fa5x3:9 490,4 A-7tl2a7n-t2a3, 4G8A). A3d03s 3f3o-r0 t3h9e9 s (aplhe: o4f0 4a-n7t2iq7u-2it3i2e5s ;
Archaeological projects return in force to the field this summer, focused on will not be accepted.
how their research relates to one or another set of persistent questions. As the
new day in Lebanon teaches, the opportunity to engage in such research is also BiblicalA rchaeologis(tI SSN 0006-0895)i s published
quarterly (March,J une,S eptember,D ecember)
an occasion for joy. My son, Brian, knows this, and so should we. by Scholars Press, 819 Houston Mill Road NE,
Atlanta, GA 30329, for the AmericanS chools of
Oriental Research( ASOR),3 301 North Charles
Street, Baltimore,M D 21218. Printedb y Cadmus
JournalS ervices, BaltimoreM D.
OF
30
SaV 47
O~?
Archaeology in Lebanon in the Twentieth Century
Author(s): William A. Ward
Source: The Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 57, No. 2 (Jun., 1994), pp. 66-85
Published by: The American Schools of Oriental Research
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3210385
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http://www.jstor.org
in Lebanon
Archaeology
in the Twentieth Century
By William A. Ward
W hile archaeological it theo pportunittyo do so. Unfortunate-
in Lebanon has a lodnigsc aonvde ry" ;ya, rchaeologistds o not often have that
productive history, research opportunitvT:h ei slando f Araduso ff the
into the nation'sp ast has beetns omewhat southernSmyr ianc oasti s coveredb y\t he
modern The ancientt ellso f Beirut,
by long-standingd emograph- toxwin.
hica amndp eerceotndo mic factors.A s a result,m any\ Sidon,a nd Baalbekli eb eneatht hei nhab-
of the sites important to the history of iteda reaso f thesec itiesm, akinge xcava-
Lebanon have not xbeene xcavated. tWe tion nearlyi mpossibleT. herea rea fewl
know from ancient accounts that cities gleaminge xceptionssu, cha s Bvblosa nd
like Aradus, Beirut, Sidon, and Tvre Sarafandb, oth situatedi n fieldso utside
playe!da n importantr ole in world affairs, the moderntmox wnsa,n d Kamide l-LCz,
though written sources cannot replace in the southernB eqaaV alley\ \here the
the material evi- ancientt elli s uninhabitedB. uts itess uch
dence that ar- as thesea re rare.O n the otherh and,i n
chaeology recentv earrtsh e new tht hniquexos f urban
couldp ro- archaeologyh a\vep roducedm uch us-
vide had able datao n earlyr\ emainsa t still
occupied Thep ossibilistiyti es .tsh us
today.:
open thatt he ancientc itieso f the Lev-
antc oulda t leastb e partially Tourisma, majorf actori n the Leban-
revealedc
by the ne\wm ethodologyL: ese economyu ntil 1975w hen it was to-
tallyh altedb y the civil\ wara, lso placed
certainr estrictionso n archaeological
work.T he Departmento f Antiquities
Egyptian sphinx of Amenemhat IV regularlysp entm ucho f its limitedb ud-
(ca. 1798-1789 BCEd)is coveredin 1926 dunring get on restorationp rojectas imeda t both
constructiono f a buildingi n downtown Beirut.
scientificr esearcha nd the creationo f
Thisi mportantp iece was quietlys old on the
antiquitiesm arket,h ence its archaeological tourisms ites.A mongt hesea, ret hes plen-
context which may have been a Middle did Romana nd Byzantiner emainsa t
BronzeA ge temple is lost. Thisi s one of T\re, the imposingR omant emplesa t
severalM iddleK ingdomE gyptian Baaltbka, nd thet leserk nownb utj usta s
royals tatues found at key sites in importanRt omant own at BeitM eri in
Syria-Palestimneo,s to f which the foothillsa bove BeirutO. ne should
have no cleara rchaeological not minimizet he efforts pent on restor-
context. ation,f ori t produceds ome archaeolog-
Photographc ourtesyo f ical marvelst hato therwisem ightn ot
TheB ritishM useum.
exist.B uti t also meantt hatg overnment
funds for werel imiteda nd
excavation
that fielda rchaeology\\ waos ften left to
locala nd foreigni nstitutionls.
The InstitutF ranoaids 'Archdolo~gie
66 BiblicalA rchae'ologi5s7t :2 (1994)
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).? VCC
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lIP? (cid:127) '- (cid:127) ,A94W
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de Beyrouth has supported excavation and around Beirutb est illustratesa nother Byblos, temple of the obelisks. ThisM iddle
and researchf rom the early 1920s to the problem in Lebanese archaeology, i.e., BronzeA ge temple is unique in the Canaanite
present.T he Orient-Institudt er Deutsch- competition between the archaeologist world, the votive obelisksb eing one of many
en Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft,a lso and the demands of modem society. obvious Egyptiani nfluencesa t the site. Some
have small recessesi n which bronze statuettes
in Beirut,h as a continuing researchp ro- This is not unique to Lebanon,o f course;
of deitiesw ere once placed. It is generallyf elt
gram centering on the Islamic period. it is symptomatic of archaeological that this temple was dedicatedt o the Canaan-
The American University of Beirut, the work around the world. To put it blunt- ite god Reshep.T het emple of the obelisksw as
Universit6S te. Joseph and, more recent- ly, the issue is: who gets to dig the hole- found directlyo vert he EarlyB ronzeA ge tem-
ly, the Lebanese University, have all the archaeologisto r the contractore rect- ple and moved stone by stone to its present
sponsored excavationso ver the years. In ing a new building? This problem is location. Photographc ourtestyo f Dare l-Machreq
the 1970s, there was a growing interest particularlya cute in Lebanonw here land PublishersB, eirut.
in Lebanesea rchaeologyo n the part of for urban expansion is at a premium
foreign institutions,b ut several planned and ancient towns and burial grounds
expeditions were cancelled because of almost blanket the country).A rchaeology mas.2 As the site for the new building
the civil war that began in 1975. The in the Beirutr egion also demonstratest he was being prepared, the contractor
groundwork has been done, however. most crushing blow to archaeological found an Egyptian royal sphinx of the
Before1 975,s everal foreigns urvey teams research,n amely, the devastating effects Twelfth Dynasty and immediately sold
worked in Lebanon, and a recent work of the long civil war thatd estroyed much it to a local antiquitiesd ealer.T wo years
(Hakimian 1992) is the first step toward of the country. later,t he sphinx turned up in the British
the creation of a complete archaeologi- In 1926, the municipality of Beirut Museum (Hall 1928)a nd, because of its
cal map of the country. erected a new building downtown in the intrinsic artistic value, the object was
The story of archaeological work in vicinity of the Rivoli and Byblos cine- immediately discussed at length (e.g.,
Biblical Archaeologist 57:2 (1994) 67
Moret 1928; von Bissing 1930). Within Historians have wondered for decades requested a year ago...were not
weeks of the initialp ublication,D unand if the sphinx was an isolated find or if, allocated in time to examine it. A
(1928)w as able to run down the circum- as we all suspect, a Middle Bronze tem- large intersection now marks the
stancesa nd locationo f this discovery.T he ple was swept away in the name of in- spot (Copeland and Wescombe
sphinx has been a sore point in Lebanese stant progress. 1966:162).
archaeologye ver since. This monument, Instant progress accounts for many
potentially of great historical signifi- other lost opportunities. In the 1960s, a Once again, archaeology and urban
cance, became just another piece of art Britisht eam surveyed the entirec ountry development came into conflict with
in a museum collection because it had for prehistoric sites. The first volume of yet another little piece of history being
no archaeologicalc ontext. Its importance this survey records a Neolithic deposit buried under modem pavement. Simi-
as a historical document is lost forever, behind the parking lot of the Byblos larly, in the 1960s, a small Neolithic tell
but neither the antiquitiesd ealer nor the Cinema (Copelanda nd Wescombe1 965: was swept away by a bulldozer when
BritishM useum is to blame. The value 74-75). Volume Two of this survey notes the runways of the Beirut International
of the sphinx was lost the moment it the following: Airport were enlarged, and an impor-
was taken from the ground (so that con- tant Natufian site was covered over as
struction on the new municipal build- We regret to report the destruction the southern suburbs of Beirute xpand-
ing could continue without a break). of the Byblos Cinema site. Funds ed (Saidah 1970:9).
The runways of the airportp lay a role
in another archaeologicals tory, this one
successful. When the airportr unways
were again expanded some years ago
just south of Beirut at Khaldeh, several
tombs were discovered and immediately
reported to the authorities. The result-
ing excavation (Saidah 1966) yielded a
Phoenician cemetery, though it could
not be completely exposed since it lies
partially beneath the modem coastal
highway. Still,s ome 150 tombs were un-
covered, providing a corpus of Phoeni-
cian pottery of the earlier first millenni-
17 : um BCEL. arge quantities of pottery of
this period are known from southern
Lebanon (Chapman 1972),a nd current
excavations are making this age known
in the north (Thalman 1978a, 1978b).
Khaldeh,h owever, provides the firstd at-
able Phoenician material in the Beirut
~ ~ ~
?.. ,,... ? region.A long with the local pottery,t here
are imported wares which indicate that
OrW Beirut was a trade center at the time,
ll
though we have no Phoenicianr emains
from the city itself.
,;~..,r. , -?i
.WM A few years later,e xcavationsa t near-
by Khan Khaldeh uncovered the remains
Tomb no. 121 in the Phoenician cemetery
at Khaldeh. Laten intht o late eighth centuries
BCET. hisi s a multipleb urial,i ncludingb oth in-
humationa nd cremationi n cineraryu mrnTsh. e
lattert ype of burialw as far more common
among the Phoeniciansth an generallyr ealized,
both in Lebanoni tselfa nd at Punics ettlements
in the west. In both regions,t he two types of
buriala re frequentlyf ound in the same tomb.
68 BiblicalA rchaeologis5t7 :2 (1994)
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Kamid el-L6z, ancient Kumidi, seen from cept a brief note on the surface survey rebuilt. We know practically nothing
the northi n 1969. Situatedi n the southern (Saidah 1970:11-12).W hatever the rea- about the city in pre-Roman times and
BeqaaV alleyK, umidwi as an importantB ronze son, this opportunity to investigate the may have a wealth of new, information
Age cityo n the crossroadso f two majort rade whole history of the ancient city was over the next year or so, provided ar-
routes.T he Universitoyf Saarbruckecna rried abandoned. This may be remedied by chaeology can prevail for a while over
out excavationsh ere for two decades, reaching another projecto f much greater magni- urban development. Therea re ambitious
the laterM iddleB ronzeA ge strata,b efore
workw as halted by the civilw ar.P hotograph tude that has at last become a reality plans for the immediate reconstruction
courtesyo f BerytusA rchaeologicaSl tudies. Around 1980, during a lull in the civil of the city's center. Archaeologists will
war, an intensive survey program was have to compete again, this time not
begun in the downtown area in prepa- with militiasa nd armies,a s was the case
rationf or an excavationo f the pre-Roman during the war years,
of a small basilica built in the sixth cen- city. Since everything modemrwn as al- but now with a gov-
tury CEa nd enlarged in the seventh. ready destroyed, archaeologists did not ernment anxious to re-
The most significant finds are the spec- have to tear down anything to investi- storet hef ocapl ointo f
mosaics which cover much of the gate the city's past. Because of renewed Lebanon's economyx
tactular
floor area in several rooms (Duval and fighting, this work was stopped soon Another promising archaeo-
Caillet 1982). Fine and well-preserved afteri t began. The survey team could not logical success story began in 1954
mosaic floors in both churchesa nd pri- even finishr ecordingt he Romanr emains and may finally be completed in
vate houses are a hallmark of Lebanese that lie just below the surface. another two or threey ears. It
archaeologyo f the classicala nd Byzan- The projecth as been revived,a nd local -f it
tine periods and are described in the ex- and foreigna rchaeologicalt eams
tensive survey of this materialk nown in under the auspices of UN-
the late 1950s (Chehab 1959, see also ESCO are currently mak-
Chehab1975). ing soundings at several
In 1969,t he Department of Antiqui- points in the city center.
ties began a sounding in downtown This is a unique opportu-
Beirut that suggested continuous occu- nity, perhaps the last one,
pation of the city back into prehistoric to discover ancient Beirut
times. Nothing was reported of this ex- before the downtown area is
70 BiblicalA rchaeologis5t7 :2 (1994)
starteda, s so many terya, numbero f metalw eapons, ing. Theb uildingi tselfi s badly dam-
of these thingsd o, a fine collection of Egyptian aged and an enormousn umbero f arti-
with the construc- , scarabs and alabasterv essels, factsh ave been destroyedo r arem iss-
tion of a new office Minoana ndM ycenaeavna ses, ing. Whilet he Beirutt ombsm aterial
buildingi n down- jewelrya, nd otheri tems.H ere, may or may not eventuallyb e found,4
townB eirutT. he at last,w as a chancet o get a enoughp rogressin photo-
builderw as a busi- glimpse of graphinga nd
nessmanw ith an in- Beirut in the
teresti n locala r- Middlea nd Late
chaeologyu, nlike BronzeA ges.3
the governmento f- This impor-
ficiawl ho foundt he tantc ollection
sphinxi n the same of material
neighborhood was storedi n
thirtyy earse arlier. boxes in the muse- 0 .25cm
L i
As excavationf or um basementa nd forgottenw, ith
the underground onlya shortn oteo n its discovery recordingt he objectsw as made some
levelsp rogressed, (Chehab1 955:5051S).o mey ears yearsa go to makea publicationp ossi-
the construction later,R ogerS aidah,a n archaeologist ble. Some4 0 yearsa ftert hey were
crewc amea crossa of the Departmenot f Antiquities, found, the Beirutt ombsw ill at lastb e
smallc ave contain- found this materiaal ndp ut togethera n made known.5
ing a largen umber internationatel amo f expertst o deal Whilea rchaeologicrael searchin Beirut
of antiquitiesC. on- with the variedc ontentso f the tombs. illustratest he problemso f excavations
structionw as halt- Butt wo thingsh altedt his projecti n its in an urbans etting,a sitei n thes outhern
ed for two weeks initials tages.I n 1975,t hew ar begani n BeqaaV alleyr epresenttsh e
so the archae- Lebanona, nd in 1979,S aidah,s till a excavator'isd eal.W orko n
ologistsc ould get to young man,d ied aftera long illness. a tella djacentto the
work and, while Thep rojecits now on againu ndert he town of Kamide l-L6z ,
two weeks is hardly directiono f Prof.H elga Seedeno f the revealedt hea ncient
enought o do a AmericanU niversityo f Beirutt, houghi t cityo f Kumidi,
properj ob,t he final will not be as completea s it couldh ave mentionedin the
countw as four been.A s noteda bove,t hise xtraordinary AmarnaL etters
tombsf illedt o over- collectiono f objectsw as storeda way in of the four-
flowingw ith intact the NationalM useum,l ocatedo n the teenth
burials.T wot ombs infamousg reenl ine thatd ivided Beirut
date to the Middle into east and west for 15 years.T he
BronzeA ge, two to greenl ine, todayf ortunatelyg one, was
the LateB ronzeA ge. All 0 .25 cm a genuinef rontierc, ompletew ith no-
the artifactsw ere removed man'sl and and check-pointos n either
and sent to the National side mannedb y very seriousm ilitia-
Museum.T hisw as the men. Nearlye verythinga long the
firsts olid archaeological lengtho f the greenl ine was destroyed,
evidencef or ancientB eirut and the mu-
thath ad a context.A nd it seumrn
was an importantc ontext. could :
Therew as a mass of localp ot- hardly es-_
cape dam-
age. The mu- 0I .2I5 cm
seum was continuously occupied for
Ivory figurines from Kamid el-L6z. They
years by a succession of local mili-
areo f goodq ualitayn di ncludae lyre-playae r,
tias and invading armies. A re- handlein t he formo f an acrobata, calf,a nda
port on the condition of locustT. hesea ndo theri voriebs elongt o a
the museum published cachef oundi n a tombc omplexin t he palace
" recently (Asmar area,p erhapms aintainefdo rm emberos f the
'
1992) makes royalf amily.P hotographcso urtesoyf Berytus
0I .2I5 cm S very sad read- ArchaeologicaSl tudies.
BiblicalA rchaeologis5t7 :2 (1994) 71