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Enduring Traditions: The Collared Pithos Of Transjordan, Trisha Gallimore Broy

Dissertations

Problem

The collared pithos is a very tall, ovaloid, ceramic storage vessel peculiar to the southern Levant. Through the data that has emerged from Cisjordan a general consensus has developed that the collared pithos is part of an Iron Age 1 tradition that ended in the early years of the Iron Age 2. The data from Transjordan, however, is less familiar in discussions of the vessel, as it has only been added to the corpus within the last few decades. Preliminary indications from excavations in Transjordan reveal a different chronological scope and evolution of form than is observed in Cisjordan. …

Pottery Horizons Of The Jalul Ceramic Assemblage In The Iron Age Iia-C From Square G4 In Its Historical And Geographical Context, Michael Christian Orellana Mendez

Dissertations

Problem

Several scholars have debated the traditional and low chronology of the Iron Age in Southern Levant using pottery as one of their main pieces of evidence. Both approaches disagree in regards to the dates assigned to the early Iron Age II pottery. To achieve a better understanding of the problem, the still rudimentary knowledge of Iron Age II pottery in Transjordan needs to be improved. Since 1992, Tall Jalul—the largest tell site in the central Jordan plateau—has been due for a comprehensive study of its ceramic assemblages. The site produced Iron Age IIA-C pottery in stratified layers, and it …

A Stratigraphic Analysis Of The Middle Bronze Age From The Tell Taanach Excavations In 1963, '66 And '68, Ronald H. Wakeman

Dissertations

The Problem

One the most troubling issues for Near Eastern Archaeology is the lack of published excavation reports. Part of the problem is that archaeologists love to dig, but dislike writing publication reports. As a result, final reports are lacking for substantial number of archaeological excavations. Without a final report, the results of an archaeologist season and new information is lost forever. Dr. Paul Lapp of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary lead excavations at Tell Taanach in the West Bank, Palestine in 1963, ’66 and ’68. At the end of each season he wrote and published preliminary reports. Preliminary reports provide an …

Ceramic Architectural Models From The Madaba Plains Region: A Selected Art Historical Analysis, Stefanie P. Elkins

Dissertations

Problem

Architectural models can be described as small, ceramic, house-shaped structures that come in an often bewildering array of shapes and sizes. They appear all over the ancient Near East, and although evidence shows that they were created as early as the Neolithic period, they seem to have peaked in popularity and proliferation during the Iron Age. A few studies and several typologies have been offered over the years, but none have addressed iconography or artistic motifs as well as shape. Furthermore, no in-depth typology of architectural models within the country of Jordan has been offered. This dissertation explores the …

A Reassessment Of The Excavations At Tall Safut, Owen D. Chesnut

Dissertations

Problem

The site of Tall Safut in Jordan was excavated under the direction of Donald Wimmer during the years of 1982-2001. Other than the preliminary reports and encyclopedia articles published by Wimmer, no detailed analysis of the remains and no final reports have been published since the conclusion of excavations in 2001. The site has received only brief mention in other articles and books dealing with archaeology because of its remains dating to the Middle Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age, and Iron Age. However, there is a significant gap in the scholarly understanding of the history of the northern hill …

Bab Edh-Dhra', Numeira, And The Biblical Patriarchs: A Chronological Study, Kris J. Udd

Dissertations

Problem. Bab edh-Dhra' and Numeira have been identified by archaeologists as possible candidates for two of the biblical cities of the plain, but their existence in the Early Bronze Age III is too early to match the biblical narrative (Gen 19) by many chronologies of ancient Canaan. This study sought to determine if there is sufficient flexibility in the archaeological and biblical chronologies to make the identification of Bab edh-Dhra' and Numeira with the cities of the plain a viable interpretation.

Method. The range of dates possible for both the archaeological data and the biblical narratives was analyzed. …

The Book Of Daniel In Light Of The Ancient Near Eastern Literary And Material Finds: An Archaeological Perspective, Patrick Mazani

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the text of the book of Daniel in light of some ancient Near Eastern archaeological discoveries. While chapter 1 of this research is introductory, chapter 2 begins by investigating personal and place names mentioned in Daniel and making a comparative analysis between the claims of Daniel's text and related archaeological discoveries. Archaeological evidence shows that the place names mentioned in the book of Daniel were real geographical locations where historical events are claimed to have taken place. Archeological materials not only help clarify some words, phrases, and locations of places, but seem to show that at least …

The Iron Age I Structure On Mount Ebal: Excavation And Interpretation, Ralph K. Hawkins

Dissertations

Problem. The Iron Age I site on Mt. Ebal, discovered in 1980 by Adam Zertal and excavated between 1982 and 1989, has remained largely unknown by both the scholarly community and the public. No scholarly congress or colloquium has ever been held regarding the Mt. Ebal excavations. The Mt. Ebal excavations, however, may have important implications for reconstructing Israelite origins. This present study investigates the Mt. Ebal excavationand its results.

Method. My study uses the comparative method and is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 serves as in introduction, giving an overview of the investigation to be carried out in …

The Early Bronze Age Ceramic Assemblage From Tell Ta'annek, Palestine, Mark S. Ziese

Dissertations

The problem

Greenberg has recently stated that isolating temporal ceramic indicators for the Early Bronze II-III periods is "one of the thorniest issues in the archaeology of Palestine" (2000: 183). Part of theproblem stems from the homogenous nature of ceramic assemblages from Early Bronze Age Palestine; part of it stems from a continued lack of published information. Both of these issues are addressed by this study. Excavations at Tell Ta`annek between 1963 and 1967 unearthed the remains of a multi-period site, including the residues of an Early Bronze II-III fortified settlement. It is purposed here to isolate that portion of …

Tell Hesban And Vicinity In The Iron Age, Paul J. Ray

Dissertations

Problem. Tell Hesban is a major archaeological ruin in central Transjordan. It was excavated from 1968-76 by Andrews University. However, almost 25 years after the termination of this endeavor, a final report dealing with the Iron Age remains has not yet appeared. Although relatively little remains from the Iron Age, which is the earliest period represented on the tell, an understanding of what is left is nevertheless important for comprehending the role the site played in the region at this time.

Method. A historical research design has been used in this study. The excavated architectural and soil/debris layers were analyzed …

Ammon In The Hebrew Bible: A Textual Analysis And Archaeological Context Of Selected References To The Ammonites Of Transjordan, James Roger Fisher

Dissertations

The study of the Transjordanian Iron-Age (ca. 1200-550 BC) state of Ammon is important to students of the Bible because of the numerous references to the Ammonites (bene 'ammon) included in the historical and prophetic sections of the Hebrew canon. The book of Genesis traces the ancestry of the "Sons of Ammon" to an eponymous ancestor named Ben Ammi--son/grandson of Abraham's nephew Lot (Gen 39:17).

Chapter 1 points out how Ammon--though often ignored or slighted in studies up to the mid-20th century--increasingly receives scholarly attention. It also shows a need for applying the results of archaeological research to facilitate a …

Sociopolitical Structure Of Transjordanian Societies During The Late Bronze And Iron I Ages (Ca. 1500-1000 B.C.), Paul Z. Gregor

Dissertations

According to the biblical account the Transjordanian region was occupied with somewhat organized societies during the time of the Exodus (ca. 15th century B.C.). Unfortunately, archaeological excavations could not confirm this account, and as result, the biblical data have been dismissed as unreliable and historically inaccurate.

The purpose of this study was to provide the most recent archaeological data as well as to reinterpret the old data to see whether or not the biblical account bears any historical value. For this reason, this dissertation provides evidence from three fields: archaeological, anthropological, and biblical.

In spite of Glueck's claim that Transjordan …

Khirbet Nisya 1979-1986: A Report On Six Seasons Of Excavation, David Palmer Livingston

Dissertations

Problem. This project was an investigation of Khirbet Nisya (near Ramallah/El-Bireh) for six seasons to describe and interpret the excavation evidence. The excavation and analyses of finds were correlated with biblical data to help clarify certain problems relating to the Israelite settlement in the hill country of Palestine.

Method. Preliminary studies in the literature were made to determine the proper biblical, geographical, and topographical relationships of the traditional sites for both Bethel and Ai at Beitin and Et-Tell. The archaeological results from both sites were reviewed as to their fit with the biblical data. Patristic evidence was also considered in …

Toward A Criticism Of Theological Reason : Time And Timelessness As Primordial Presuppositions, Fernando Luis Canale

Dissertations

This investigation studies the possibility of developing a theological criticism of Christian theological reason. The investigation proceeds by developing a phenomenological analysis of three major contexts within which reason has been interpreted and utilized by Christian theology for the constitution of its exegetical and systematic formulations: the philosophical, theological, and Biblical contexts. The philosophical context shows that the structure of reason requires the interpretation of Being's dimensionality which determines its basic meaning and functioning. Moreover, it shows that Being's dimensionality has been interpreted in two ways: as timeless and as temporal.

The theological context, through the analysis of reason's procedures …

The Stratigraphy Of Tell Hesban, Jordan In The Byzantine Period, J. Bjørnar Storfjell

Dissertations

Problem. The purpose of the present study was to identify the Byzantine evidence from the Tell Hesban Excavations in Jordan and delineate site-wide strata parameters within this period.

Method. The Byzantine remains from the site were identified through an analysis of the excavators' field notes and balk drawings. Field ceramic readings and stratigraphic relationships determined the period, stratum, and stage to which a locus belonged.

Results. The Byzantine evidence from Tell Hesban fell into four strata. The transition from the Late Roman period was not very distinct from a cultural viewpoint and came about the middle of the 4th century …

Usage Of Archaeological Data In North American Seventh-Day Adventist Literature, 1937-1980, Lloyd A. Willis

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine how archaeological data have been used in Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) literature of North America since the first SDA attained advanced qualifications in the discipline (1937). The early twentieth-century SDA literature showed a strong tendency to apply archaeological information apologetically especially in defense of Scriptural reliability and sometimes seeming to imply that Scripture is reliable because archaeology has declared it so. The thesis was that increased expertise as heralded by the formal training of such SDA scholars as L. H. Wood, E. R. Thiele, S. H. Horn, and their successors, would introduce a …

The Hellenistic And Roman Periods At Tell Hesban, Jordan, Larry A. Mitchel

Dissertations

The site of Tell Hesban, 9 km north of Madaba, Jordan, was excavated by Andrews University, in cooperation with the American Schools of Oriental Research and the Department of Antiquities of Jordan (five seasons, 1968 to 1976).

Evidence from the site suggests it was first occupied in Iron Age I (ca. 1200 B.C.) and continuously thereafter, except for two gaps in occupation (6th century to ca. 198 B.C., and A.D. 969 to 1200). This present research has limited itself to Tell Hesban Strata 15 through 11 (ca. 198 B.C. to A.D. 363). Research has been based primarily on the records …