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| Vol. 18, No. 13 | Dec. 3, 1998 |
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| Vol. 18, No. 13 | Dec. 3, 1998 |
J.P. Dessel, an archaeologist at Villanova University, will discuss the results of his last two digs in Israel, at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Dec. 7, in Room 206 of Kirkbride Hall. His talk, on excavations at Tell el-Wawiyat and Tell 'Ein Zippori, both located in lower Galilee, is free and open to the public.
Both excavations provide a clearer picture of rural life in the late Bronze Age and the Iron Age in Israel. Both sites are multi-period mounds, though clearly not urban in character.
Tell 'Ein Zippori is a particularly good example of a settlement with a great deal of resiliency. It was almost continually occupied for more than 1,000 years, in part due to its location near a secure water source and arable land, but also perhaps due to the persistence of entrenched local elite.
Much of what we know about the ancient Middle East is based on the excavation of urban settlements and on textual sources such as the Hebrew Bible. Less is known about the cultural, social and economic roles of rural villages. This village perspective has significant repercussions for understanding the social landscape of ancient Israel.
Dessel earned his doctorate in biblical archaeology at the University of Arizona. He has taught Near Eastern archaeology and biblical history at UD, the University of Pennsylvania and Bryn Mawr College. Next semester, he will be the Distinguished Visiting Scholar in Jewish studies at Bucknell University.
His UD appearance is sponsored by the Frank and Yetta Chaiken Center for Jewish Studies.
For more information, call 831-3324.
