Digital Commons Network^™

A Middle Bronze Age Iia–B Tomb At Bet She’An (Hebrew, Pp. 11*–20*; English Summary, Pp. 195–196), Michael Cohen

'Atiqot

The tomb, uncovered beneath the Bet She’an Youth Hostel, was hewn from the local travertine. At least four individuals were interred in the cave, each with their associated burial goods—pottery vessels and metal artifacts. The finds date from the end of Middle Bronze Age IIA to the transition to Middle Bronze Age IIB. It seems that the tomb served the population of a nearby settlement located about 800 m from Tel Bet She’an.

A Sacred Mountain And Storytelling About Pilgrimage: Contemporary Religious Practice Of Incense Associations At Mount Tai, Ziqi Xuan

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

As a form of pilgrimage in China, the Chaoshan jinxiang (朝山進香, ‘offering incense towards the mountain’), is a ritual that has garnered significant academic attention. However, research on contemporary incense offering practices remains inadequate. Grounded in fieldwork conducted from September 2023 to January 2024, this paper delves into the pilgrimage practices of local incense associations at Mount Tai, a historical site steeped in profound religious significance for centuries. Within the framework of collective memory studies, the paper posits that the contemporary practices of incense offering used to connect with spiritual beings during the pilgrimage to Mount Tai highlight a shift …

Hold Fast The Rope Of God: Space, Authority, And Speech In Muslim Prison Narratives, Basit Kareem Iqbal, Walaa Quisay

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

Scholarship about Muslims in prison has been overwhelmingly dominated by security studies’ radicalization thesis and by a superficial reading of incarcerated Muslims’ “religious resilience.” Such approaches caricature the force of Islam in prison and indeed in Muslim prison narratives. This essay draws on interviews with survivors of prisons in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Syria in order to develop other terms for analysis. Across our textual and ethnographic engagements, we read for varied permutations of carceral space, formations of religious authority, and an intimate (witnessing) relation between speech and violence. Muslim prison narratives see a broad emphasis on the …

Terrorists, Spies, And Diplomatic Crises: The Birth Of Morocco’S Multimedia Prison Literature, Brahim El Guabli

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

This article captures the literary shift that accompanied the transformation of the nature of political imprisonment in Morocco in the last twenty years. Focusing on the new victims of state violence, who fall within two categories: prisoners accused of terrorism and those accused of heinous sexual crimes, this article argues that the emergence of these new criminal profiles has led to the establishment of a transnational “Multimedia Prison Literature” (MPL). Drawing on the cases of Ali Arras, a Belgian-Moroccan whom Spain delivered to Morocco for terrorist charges, and Mohamed Hajib, a German-Moroccan citizen whom Germany extradited to his country of …

Human Skeletal Remains From Tomb 80 In The ‘En Esur Cemetery (Pp. 121–124), Yossi Nagar

'Atiqot

The human skeletal remains from Tomb 80 in the ‘En Esur cemetery indicate that a minimum number of 94 individuals were buried there during Early Bronze Age I. The life expectancy calculated for the interred seems to support the excavators' hypothesis concerning their lower socio-economic status.

An Early Bronze Age Tomb Of The ‘Common People’(?) In The ‘En Esur (‘Ein Asawir) Cemetery (Pp. 85–112), Amir Gorzalczany, Jacob Sharvit

'Atiqot

Within the boundaries of the ancient cemeteries associated with the protohistoric settlement of ‘En Esur, another tomb (T80), dated to EB IB–EB II, was discovered. A close examination of the burial gifts reveals a notable regionalism, in contrast with the imported and luxurygoodsdiscovered in other tombs in the ‘En Esur cemeteries. The local nature of the finds and lack of prestige items, as well as the anthropological analysis of the interred, might suggest that a less-affluent group of people was buried here.

Prehistoric Investigations Along The Cross-Israel Highway: State Of Research (Pp. 5–23), Hamoudi Khalaily, Ofer Marder

'Atiqot

Prehistoric research along the Cross-Israel Highway was undertaken from the earliest planning stages of the archaeological surveys along the intended route. During this survey, much data was accumulated concerning site function, economics, intra-site interaction etc. In the systematic survey and the subsequent excavations, 31 prehistoric sites were identified, dating from the Lower Paleolithic period to the Chalcolithic period, covering a time span of c. 500,000 years. This review presents a brief description of the surveyed and excavated sites for which there is available data, as well as a comparison with other sites from the same period.

Bones From The Late Byzantine Remains Near Shiqmona (Pp. 225–226), Vered Eshed

'Atiqot

Human skeletal remains, in a poor state of preservation, were retrieved from the burial caves at Shiqmona. Sex and age estimations are presented according to caves.

Late Byzantine Remains Near Shiqmona: A Monastery, A Cemetery And A Winepress (Pp. 147–182), Raz Kletter

'Atiqot

Excavation at the site of Shiqmona, east of the Tel Aviv–Haifa highway, revealed finds from the late Byzantine period, including a monastery, a large winepress, a dozen rock-cut tombs and two large buildings. The monastery is a large building, incorporating the chapel excavated by Makhouly in 1940, which was re-discovered. The monastery was dated on the basis of the meager pottery finds to the sixth century CE. North and south of the chapel were found marble and stone fragments, probably originating from the chapel, adorned with motifs known from mosaics of the same period. The finds here point that Shiqmona …

Iron-Age Quarries, Second Temple-Period Installations And An Ottoman Watchtower On The Southern Slope Of Mount Scopus, Jerusalem (Pp. 27–43), Amit Re’Em

'Atiqot

The southern slope of Mount Scopus is characterized by soft white limestone, which served in ancient times for hewing tombs and quarrying stones. Within one of the quarries, installations dating to the Second Temple period were exposed, post-dating the quarrying activity, which should be attributed to the Iron Age. The tombs documented on the slopes of Mount Scopus are of the loculi type, belonging to the northern necropolis of Jerusalem in the late Second Temple period. Based on the plan of the tombs, as well as the ossuaries and pottery finds found within one of them, it appears that they …

A Chalcolithic Burial Near Ḥorbat Govit In Lower Galilee (With A Contribution By Hamoudi Khalaily) (Pp. 1–18), Edwin C.M. Van Den Brink, Catherine Commenge

'Atiqot

Excavations within a rock shelter opposite Ḥorbat Govit in the Lower Galilee uncovered two strata dating to the Chalcolithic period. The pottery finds of the earlier Stratum 2 were of domestic types. In Stratum 1, the rock shelter was reused for the burial of one individual, surrounded by funerary gifts typical of the Late Chalcolithic period, including V-shaped bowls, basins and holemouth jars. These finding are important with regard to the scarcity of Late Chalcolithic dwelling and burial sites in the Lower Galilee.

Anthropological Remains From A Middle Bronze Age Ii Site West Of Tell Qasille (Pp. 133–134), Yossi Nagar

'Atiqot

The human skeletal remains from the Middle Bronze Age II graves were fragmentary, in a poor state of preservation. At least 26 individuals were identified, including infants, children, sub-adults and adults of both sexes, indicating a normal civilian population.

A Middle Bronze Age Ii Site West Of Tell Qasille (Pp. 65–128), Raz Kletter

'Atiqot

The site remains comprise a cemetery, two pottery kilns and a settlement dating to Middle Bronze Age II. Ten burials were excavated, all except one (T800) were rectangular pit-graves dug into kurkar sandstone. Each grave contained one to three individuals; T800, which was round, contained seven individuals in secondary deposition. The average grave assemblage comprised about ten pottery vessels, which were usually placed in a row next to one long side of the burial. The pottery kilns are almost identical in size, direction and structure. They are of the vertical type, with two main superimposed parts: a combustion chamber and …

Human Skeletal Remains From Ḥorbat Ma’Aravim (Hebrew, Pp. 7*–17*; English Summary, Pp. 234–235), Yossi Nagar

'Atiqot

Human skeletal remains were found in 83 cist graves in the Byzantine-period cemetery of Ḥorbat Ma’aravim. At least 121 individuals were identified, including infants, children and adults of both sexes, as is expected in a normal civilian population. The morphological characteristics of the skulls indicate a local desert population, perhaps Nabatean in origin.

Aspects Of Phoenician Burial Customs In The Roman Period In Light Of An Excavation Near El-Kabri (Kabri) (Pp. 91–123), Edna J. Stern, Nimrod Getzov

'Atiqot

Seven tombs were excavated, belonging to three types: three loculi (kokhim) tombs, with clay coffins; three shaft tombs; and one pit grave. The first two types date to the Late Roman period, and the third type, to the Ottoman period. The burial goods found within the Roman-period tombs are typical of Phoenician burials, thereby identifying the ethnic identity of the deceased. This observation is further confirmed by historical sources describing the geographical border between the Jewish and Phoenician populations in western Galilee during the second and third centuries CE.

Burials From The Intermediate Bronze Age And The Roman Period At Bet Dagan (Pp. 23–30), Martin Peilstöcker

'Atiqot

Nine tombs were excavated: seven dated to the Intermediate Bronze Age (IBA), and two, to the Early Roman period. The IBA tombs were all simple burial pits, dug into hamra soil. The Roman-period tombs were cist graves. The pottery finds from the IBA pits included a bowl, cups, jars, amphoriskoi and a lamp, all resembling Dever’s Southern Family. The finds from the Roman period comprised two pottery vessels and a rare bronze jug with a decorated handle.

A Middle Bronze Age Burial Cave At Tur‘An, Lilly Gershuny, Emanuel Eisenberg

'Atiqot

The burial cave, carved into limestone, consists of a square, vertical shaft and an elliptical room. The cave’s contents, which included pottery vessels, carnelian beads, a bronze toggle pin and a stone pommel, were scattered on a fill on the floor. Six adult individuals and one child were identified. The bones of sheep and cattle, which served as food offerings, were found as well. The pottery included bowls, a storage jar, a large krater with loop feet, jugs, dipper and piriform juglets, and a unique Tell el-Yahudiyeh juglet with a zoomorphic protome. The cave is a typical Early Bronze Age …

“K-Pop In Public”: Vietnamese Youth Using Dance To Queer The Public Space, Ha Bich Dong, Thuy Bich Dong

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

In Vietnam, where public protests are criminalized (Kerkvliet, 2022), young people continue finding creative ways to advocate for their rights through different venues, particularly the arts. This research combines digital ethnography and duoethnography to examine K-pop dance covers in Vietnamese public spaces as a platform for youth to explore their gender identities, connect, and visibilize queerness.

K-pop is a music genre, pop culture, and cultural phenomenon that emerged in South Korea and has gained significant popularity and influence around the world (Aini, 2020). We, two researchers (one is a K-pop dancer), began the research by using digital ethnography (Zorn, & …

The Apologetic Method Of Thomas B. Warren: A Presentation Of His Case And A Biblical Assessment, George F. Beals

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Philosopher of religion and biblical theist Thomas B. Warren insists that the philosopher and theologian, and all, must do more than try to collect information and leave the matter there. Especially when dealing with matters of great import, to make one’s case, one must take the added step of forming an argument. “What is your argument?” he often asked. Accordingly, he worked out a precisely worded argument, valid in form, all of whose premises, he believes, are true, that he then defends as the basic argument of biblical Christianity. He specifies that its conclusion is the overall theme of the …

What Hath Jerusalem To Do With Chile: Towards An Evangelical Understanding Of The Enneagram And Its Usage For Spiritual Development, Wesley E. Scholtz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Currently, it is estimated that the personality testing market is worth approximately $2 billion. The Church has expressed interest in understanding personality types through various testing methods. The Enneagram offers a possibly ancient method to help people understand who they are in a spiritual capacity, which can be an aid in connecting more closely with God. This dissertation addressed the research gap that exists within the current literature which is the lack of data concerning whether adults who are professional, ordained ministers are aware of, use, and may be skeptical of the Enneagram. The research method in this dissertation was …

Arguments For The Sovereignty Of God In The Book Of Job, Elizabeth J. Welch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The book of Job is a complex piece of wisdom literature studied for centuries using various methodologies to elucidate theological doctrines, biblical themes, and literary motifs. This dissertation aims to demonstrate that a midrashic form of exposition significantly expands the understanding of the Joban arguments for and against the sovereignty of God within the context of the ancient views of divine retribution and human suffering. Encapsulated in the legal motif, the disclosure and discussion of these views with associated themes, such as theocracy, theodicy, justice, and theophany, identified God’s sovereignty as the most prevalent doctrine in the book. The three …

Doctor Of Ministry Final Portfolio: Addressing The Lack Of Christian Education In The Local Church Through Podcasting, Workshops, Flowcharts, And Advertisement For Ministry Launch, Tracy (Trey) Harris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Why Theology? The "Why Theology" question will be defended to highlight the truths of systematic theology. The truths of systematic theology within the biblical text are rooted in the doctrines of biblical truths. Answering the why question of theology within Christian education from a systematic theological perspective empowers the local church with doctrinal truths about God's nature, character, and identity. Introducing Christian education to the local ministry offers next-level learning opportunities and a learning center for theological education. Theological education may not solve the entire ministry problem of the local church, but theological education will answer the why and enhance …

A Philosophical, Theological, And Biblical Defense Of The Hebrew Concept Of Resurrection, Daniel M. Danciu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This project challenges the consensus view on the origins, hermeneutics, and validity of resurrection hope in Hebrew thought. It provides a scientific, philosophical, theological, and historical defense against minimalist and moderate perspectives. The case against the minimalists offers empirical evidence for an afterlife. It demonstrates that the Hebrew Bible discloses the afterlife and that early passages express the Hebrew concept of resurrection. New scientific data for near-death experiences, as well as the existence of the soul, which contradict specific neuroscience perspectives, support this argument. The practices such as necromancy and the resurrection of Jesus provide additional evidence for an afterlife, …

Towards The Non-Spectacle: Responses To Necropolitics In The Artwork Of Teresa Margolles And Maya Watanabe, Leslie Anne Condon

Masters Theses

How do we engage with artwork that addresses complicated histories

of colonialism and political violence, specifically intangible and

incomprehensible violence? Mexican artist Teresa Margolles’ 2005 work, Lote

Bravo, is named after and composed of the soil from a mass grave site

discovered in 1995 in the southeastern corner of Ciudad Juárez, a city known

internationally for the femicide that has continued to haunt its streets and

peripheries since the 1990s. Peruvian filmmaker Maya Watanabe’s 2019 film

Liminal cinematically documents the official exhumation of two mass graves

in the Ayacucho and Huánuco regions of the Andes highlands, where

thousands of …

Myth, Murder, And Mayhem: Discerning The ‘Other’ In Our Flag Means Death, Sara Brown

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

Although the television series Our Flag Means Death presents on the surface as a romantic comedy, it is enhanced by mythic elements that infuse the narrative with a clear sense of the fantastic. Here, the pirates exist in a Secondary World that openly draws upon the Primary (both in terms of historiography and legend); hence 18th-century piracy and British colonialism can interact seamlessly with human-to-animal-transformations (paying homage to the Greek myth of Ceyx and Alcyone) without seeming either disconcerting or anomalous – all co-exist comfortably in Faerie. OFMD both inverts and deconstructs mythopoeia; the Primary World myths of the Gentleman …

Intermediate And Middle Bronze Age Settlement Remains, Domestic Worship, Pits And Burial Practices In Nahal RefaʼIm, Jerusalem, Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah, Alexander Onn

'Atiqot

Excavations on the northern bank of the Refa’im Valley uncovered four sites: a shaft tomb and building remains with a standing stone dating to the Intermediate Bronze Age; a concentration of eight pits dating to the Intermediate Bronze Age and the Middle Bronze Age II; and an Ottoman-period agricultural watchtower. The building remains and installations were probably part of the Intermediate Bronze Age settlement along Naḥal Refa’im. The standing stone’s prominent location, and the large concentration of pits and installations near it, may support its identification with domestic worship. The thin fill at the bottom of some of the pits …

Figurines And Their Makers: A View From A Canaanite Cultic Enclosure At Tel Burna, Jon Ross, Itzhaq Shai

'Atiqot

Plaque figurines are a well-established Canaanite tradition of the Late Bronze Age Southern Levant. In this paper, we go beyond typology to consider who made these ritual objects at Tel Burna, based on impressions of fingerprints from shaping these figurines using an open mold. The lack of care exhibited on the backs and sides of the plaques has enabled a fingerprint analysis using proven biometric methods to clarify the demographics of their producers and the division of labor. Such analyses, when possible, potentially add another dimension to existing debates over how these cultic objects functioned in society, who made them …

The Emergence Of Worship And Religion In The Neolithic Period: Direct And Indirect Evidence From Moẓa (Motza), Hamoudi Khalaily, Anna Eirikh-Rose, Ianir Milevski

'Atiqot

Evidence of worship and religion in the form of architectural remains is rather scanty before the shift in human behavior, from hunter-gatherers to sedentary communities, and the emergence of permanent settlements. Communal and ritual structures first appeared in the Natufian culture (12,500–9400 BCE) and expanded during the Neolithic period (9400–5300 BCE), alongside the treatment of burials linked to ritual related to ancestor worship. The excavations at Motza’s Final PPNB (7100–6700 BCE) layer exposed many non-residential structures, some presumably used for worship and ritual. Some burials, including the one interpreted here as a shaman burial, included objects of symbolic importance. Cultic …

Front Matter & Editorial, The Editorial Board

'Atiqot

No abstract provided.

Rereading Nick Joaquin As A Devil’S Advocate “La Naval De Manila” (1943) In Context, Luisa L. Gomez

Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia

Nick Joaquin characterized himself as a “devil’s advocate” for taking contrarian positions in Philippine cultural history. His early essay “ La Naval de Manila” is taken as an example of such. A re-examination of the essay within its original context of the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines, however, reveals that Joaquin’s early historical imagination must be understood less as an act of rebellion and more as a product of negotiation. It navigates multiple audiences and overlapping empires—the Spanish past it venerates, the American period whose language it uses, and the Japanese present that enabled its publication. Its power lies not …