ANTH 3891/CLAS 3115Dr. Eric H. Cline
W 3:30-6:00 pm George Washington Univ.
MON 450Fall Semester 2016
Excavating Armageddon:
A Seminar on the Archaeology of Megiddo through the Ages
Megiddo has been excavated on and off for more than a century and has become the cradle of the archaeology of Israel during four different sets of excavations. Located in the Jezreel Valley of modern Israel and strategically perched above the most important land route in the ancient Near East, Megiddo dominated international traffic for thousands of years. As civilizations came and went, succeeding settlements at the site were built on the ruins of their predecessors, creating a multi-layered archaeological legacy that abounds in unparalleled treasures, including monumental temples, lavish palaces, mighty fortifications, and remarkable water systems. It is the only site in the lands of the Bible with the remains of at least twenty separate cities built one on top of the other. In addition, Megiddo has yielded an exceptional number of rich finds, including inscriptions, statuettes, gold, and ivories.
READINGS
Cline, E.H. 2009. Biblical Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction. New York. (Available from Amazon in either paperback or Kindle version). Recommended for concise background info.
Of particular use throughout the course will be the following:
Site Reports: Schumacher 1908; Watzinger 1929; Fisher 1929; Guy 1931; Lamon and Shipton 1939; Loud 1948a-b; Harrison 2004; Zarzecki-Peleg 2005, 2016; plus Yadin articles (Dunayevski and Kempinski 1966; Dunayevski and Kempinski 1973; Eitan 1974; Yadin 1966, 1967; Yadin et al 1972) and TAU volumes
Reviews of Site Reports: McCurdy 1930; Albright 1937, 1940, 1943, 1949; Crowfoot 1940; Finegan 1950; Wright 1950a, 1950b, 1959; Berlin 1989; Weippert 1990; Bourke 1996; Harrison 2002
Guidebooks: Shipton 1943; Dehan 1993; Goldberg 1997
Later Full Length Books: Davies 1986; Kempinski 1989
Other Relevant Books: Braun 2013; Engberg and Shipton 1934; May 1935; Guy 1938; Lamon 1935; Loud 1939; Shipton 1939
All other available books and articles have been placed on BlackBoard as pdfs. Note that I have included below and on Blackboard virtually everything that is currently available on a given topic. We will not necessarily be reading all of these (and will decide in class which ones we will read), but I wanted them all to be available to you, in case you are interested in pursuing a topic further or want to do your research paper on that topic. Note also that on Blackboard, links to the relevant pdfs are listed within the individual class meetings, but also all of the pdfs can be found listed alphabetically under the “Electronic Reserves” link, where they are color-coded as follows:
red titles are site reports by the original excavators or by later scholars;
blue titles are later full books or guidebooks from any date;
green titles are reviews of those site reports or of the later full books and guidebooks;
cyan (light blue) titles are other relevant volumes by the original excavators;
black titles are regular articles.
It is expected that students will spend two hours studying outside of class for every hour spent in class – the best way to do this is to read the material over once before class and then read it over again immediately after class.
OFFICE HOURS
Office hours will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:45 - 3:00 pm in Rome 661. Messages can be left at (202) 994-0316 or sent via email to .
EXAMS AND GRADING
There will be a research paper, minimum 10 pages in length, and four journal entries/responses, each 2-3 pages, required of each student. The research paper should be on a specific artifact, building, problem, or question related to Megiddo (that has not already been covered by one of the journal entries). In addition, participation in every class session will be expected, with readings assigned to individual students who will be responsible for summarizing the contents in class and representing that point of view.
Late assignments will not be accepted for a grade. The course grade will be determined by combining the grades with attendance and participation, for a total of 100 points as follows:
Research Paper40 points possible
Journal Entries40 points possible (10 points each)
Presentations10 points possible
Attendance/Participation10 points possible
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Specific By the end of this course, students should:
have a general understanding of the ways that archaeologists collect and interpret physical evidence at ancient sites;
have a specific understanding of how ancient historians utilize the evidence we have for the past;
understand how to use that evidence to interpret the past at a specific time and place
General This course will contribute to student competence in:
critical thinking skills, where critical thinking is defined as analyzing and engaging with the concepts that underlie an argument and in which the logic and evidence underlying an interpretation is evaluated in terms of the conclusions reached. Students will be able to analyze and evaluate abstract information; understand and analyze scholarly literature and arguments, and formulate a logical argument based on that analysis.
It will additionally contribute to student competence in:
scientific reasoning, in which interpretations that are founded on evidence are understood as distinct from speculation (legitimate or otherwise);
cross-cultural perspectives, which are given an important time depth by including knowledge of past societies;
creative thinking, in which new scholarly arguments are created which are based on a set of findings;
and written expression and communication skills, in which these ideas are communicated in an effective and coherent way.
CLASS POLICIES
Regular class attendance is mandatory. For every three unexcused absences, the final semester grade may be lowered by one full grade (an “A” drops to a “B”) at the discretion of the instructor.
Use of cell phones during class time for any reason is strictly forbidden, whether for calls, texting, games, or anything else. Similarly, use of laptops during class time for anything other than note taking is also strictly forbidden; this includes Gmail, Facebook, chats, games, and anything else that will preclude the user from participating fully in classroom discussions. Violators will have their cell phones and laptops confiscated.
There will be no make ups given except in extreme emergencies and late assignments will not be accepted for a grade.
The standard University system will be used to assign letter grades as follows: A = 92-100; A- = 90-91; B+ = 88-89; B = 82-87; B- = 80-81; C+ = 78-79; C = 72-77; C- = 70-71; D+ = 68-69; D = 62-67; D- = 60-61; F = 0-59.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
I personally support the GW Code of Academic Integrity. It states: “Academic dishonesty is defined as cheating of any kind, including misrepresenting one's own work, taking credit for the work of others without crediting them and without appropriate authorization, and the fabrication of information.” For the remainder of the code, see: It is expected that all graded work products and assignments will be completed in conformance with The George Washington University Code of Academic Integrity.
SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES (DSS)
Any student who may need an accommodation based on the potential impact of a disability should contact the Disability Support Services office at 202-994-8250 in the Marvin Center, Suite 242, to establish eligibility and to coordinate reasonable accommodations. For additional information please refer to:
UNIVERSITY COUNSELING CENTER (UCC)202-994-5300
The University Counseling Center (UCC) offers 24/7 assistance and referral to addressstudents'personal, social, career, and study skillsproblems. Services for students include:
-crisis and emergency mental health consultations
-confidential assessment, counseling services (individual and small group), and referrals
http://gwired.gwu.edu/counsel/CounselingServices/AcademicSupportServices
SECURITY
In the case of an emergency, if at all possible, the class should shelter in place. If the building that the class is in is affected, follow the evacuation procedures for the building. After evacuation, seek shelter at a predetermined rendezvous location.
Class Meetings
Aug 31
Introducing the Archaeology of Megiddo
Readings: Engberg 1940, 1941; Shipton 1943; Finkelstein and Ussishkin 1994; Goldberg 1997; Silberman et al 1999; Novacek 2011; Weintraub 2015
Sept 7
Introducing the Archaeologists of Megiddo: Schumacher, Chicago, Yadin, and TAU
Readings: Reread the above, plus Schumacher 1908 intro; Fisher 1929; Guy 1931
NB: Meeting with Shmuel Ben-Gad in 302 Gelman for first hour
Sept 14
The Last Inhabitants at Megiddo: From the Persians to the Neo-Assyrians
(Megiddo Strata I-III)
Research Questions: When did the Neo-Assyrians conquer Megiddo? How long did Stratum III last? Who was responsible for, and inhabited, Stratum II?
Journal Question #1 (due by 11 pm on Sept 13): Why was the mound of Megiddo abandoned at the end of Stratum I and basically never reinhabited?
Readings: Amiran and Dunaysevsky 1958; Barag 1966; Stern 1982, 2000, 2001a, b, c, 2002; Wightman 1985; Macchi 1994; Deutsch 2000; Peersmann 2000; Blenkinsopp 2002; Reich 2003; Zarzecki 2011; Singer-Avitz 2014
Following the Neo-Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel, Megiddo became the capital of an Assyrian province; written records refer to it as Magiddu and give us the name of one of its governors at this time. Several palaces were built on the site, as befitting its status, which look as if they could have been constructed in ancient Iraq and brought over by helicopter to Megiddo, so clearly do they reflect Assyrian influence. This period begins a cyclical rise and fall of great empires across the ancient Near East in the first millennium BC, from the Neo-Assyrians and Neo-Babylonians to the Greeks and the Romans, which will be continued in the following chapters. The final periods at Megiddo date to the sixth through the fourth centuries BC, seen in the last cities built at the site, which the Chicago excavators completely removed during their excavations in the 1920s and 1930s. Why the site was finally abandoned ca. 300 BC remains a question, though it was quite possibly related to the drying up of the city’s water source. The reign, and then death at Megiddo in 609 BC, of king Josiah of Judah, at the beginning of the Neo-Babylonian period, had a profound effect not only upon the region but also upon the development of Judaism and may have also impacted the later choice of Megiddo as the site of the penultimate battle between good and evil. Very soon thereafter, by 586 BC, Jerusalem was destroyed and Solomon’s Temple was burnt to the ground by troops belonging to the Neo-Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, known to us from the Bible as well as from his own inscriptions. Members of the Jerusalem elite, including kings and their families, were carried off to Mesopotamia in a series of deportations that began the so-called Babylonian Exile of the Jews, which had a tremendous impact on religious worship and the construction of the Hebrew Bible. The region that had once been composed of the separate kingdoms of Israel and Judah became known as “Yehud” during the Persian period.
Sept 21
Israelite Megiddo
(Megiddo Strata IV-V)
Research Questions: Who built Palace 6000 and when? Who built the Stables and when? Who is correct about Strata V and IV – should it be VA/IVB?
Journal Question #2 (due by 11 pm on Sept 20): Where are Solomon and David at Megiddo? Why is it so hard to find them?
Readings: Engberg and Albright 1940; Wright 1959; Aharoni 1972; Wightman 1984, 1985; Currid 1991; Shanks 1998; Yadin 1970, 1973 and excavation articles; Franklin 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007; Ussishkin 2007; Rosenberg 2008; Shahack-Gross et al 2009; Zarzecki 2011; Toffolo et al 2014; Regev et al 2015; Sapir-Hen et al 2016; Zarzecki n.d.
David and Solomon: Aharoni 1974; Fargo 1983; Ussishkin 1966, 1973, 1980, 1989, 1990; Shiloh 1980; Stern 1990a, 1990b; Wightman 1990; Bodine 2010
Shoshenq/Shishaq: Levin 2012; Chapman 2009, 2014; Sagrillo 2015
Shema Seal: PEQ 1904; Ussishkin 1966, 1994; Yeivin 1960; Shanks 2000
Stables and Palace 6000: Pritchard 1970; Shanks 1976; Yadin 1976; Davies 1988, 1994; Cantrell 2006; Cantrell and Finkelstein 2006; Cline 2006; Lehmann/ Killebrew 2010; Cline and Samet 2013
The question of whether there are any remains built by David or Solomon at the site at all continues to be a matter of heated academic debate. We will discuss here Yadin and his discoveries of Palace 6000 and the city gate from Stratum VA/IVB, as well as the Solomonic connections that he saw between Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer. Here we can also discuss the ongoing debates regarding the possible redating of these levels to a later period by Israel Finkelstein and evaluate which was the city destroyed by Sheshonq (a small fragment of the ten-foot-tall inscription that he erected at the site was discovered by accident by a Egyptian workman hired by the Chicago excavators, after Schumacher’s men missed it). The city of Megiddo IVA and its stables may have been built by Ahab and Omri rather than by Solomon (as originally thought by the Chicago excavators, who were using the Bible as a source), but also could have been built by Jeroboam I or II; this is at the heart of one of the most contentious debates within biblical archaeology today. The final layer within this period was destroyed by the Neo-Assyrians, who then built their own city at the site. The discussions here can be framed and placed within the context of the development of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah and the beginnings of the Hebrew Bible and of Judaism, as we know them today.
Sept 28
Israelite Megiddo, cont’d
(Megiddo Strata IV-V)
Oct 5
Destruction at Megiddo
(Megiddo Stratum VI)
Research and Journal Question #3 (due by 11 pm on Oct 4): Who or what destroyed Megiddo VIA? When did it happen?
Readings: Shipton 1939; Currid 1991; Harrison 2003, 2004, 2006; Finkelstein 2005; Margueron 2005; Green 2006; Mazar 2007; Rosenberg 2008; Chapman 2009; Cline 2011; Zarzecki 2011; Levin 2012; Toffolo et al 2014; Regev et al 2015; Sapir-Hen et al 2016
Megiddo VIB began an impoverished period for the city, with only poor and ephemeral remains found by the archaeologists, belonging to either the last Canaanites or the first Israelite inhabitants at the site. Megiddo VIA was a wealthier city, but was destroyed, either by an earthquake or by invaders, potentially Israelites or, less likely, by Sheshonq (biblical Shishak), founder of the 22nd Dynasty of Egypt, who left a victory monument at the city. Megiddo VB was a very poor city, but is now the best candidate of all those at the site to date to the time of David and/or Solomon.
Oct 12
No Class -- Yom Kippur
Oct 19
Late Bronze Age Megiddo
(Megiddo Strata VII-VIII)
Research Questions: When was Megiddo VII destroyed and by whom? What is the ivory treasure? Journal Question #4 (due by 11 pm on Oct 18): Why hasn’t a Late Bronze Age archive been found at Megiddo? Where would it be, if one is present? Who would there be letters to or from?
Readings: Shipton 1939; Kenyon 1969; Gonen 1987; Singer 1988; Ussishkin 1995; Finkelstein 1996; Martin 2011; Toffolo et al 2014; Sapir-Hen et al 2016
Gilgamesh and other fragments: Goetze and Levy 1959; Horowitz and Oshima 2006; Goren et al 2008; Cogan 2013; Shanks 2013
Ivories: Loud 1939; Dimand 1938; Mertzenfeld 1938; Wilson 1938; Kantor 1956; Liebowitz 1967, 1980; Alexander 1991; Feldman 2009
Water System: Lamon 1935; Barrois 1937; Cole 1980; Franklin 2000, 2013b; Zarzecki n.d.
Other Objects: Williams and Logan 1989; Singer 1995; Mountjoy 2008
During the fifteenth century BC, Megiddo prospered as a Canaanite city. It was the site of one of history’s first major battles, in 1479 BC, when the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III had to quell a rebellion by thirty local Canaanite princes during his first year of rule. We will describe here what we know of the battle and relate it to what we know of Megiddo Stratum VIII. From the fourteenth to the twelfth centuries BC, Megiddo continued to flourish as a Canaanite city. During the Amarna period in the fourteenth century BC in particular, its ruler Biridiya corresponded with the Egyptian Pharaohs Amenhotep III and Akhenaten; the six letters sent to Egypt have been found and can be discussed in detail. Also from this time comes a fragment of the Epic of Gilgamesh that was found out by the Chicago dump area by a shepherd in the 1950s. Within the ruins of the magnificent palace from this period were found the magnificent Megiddo ivories, now on display in the Oriental Institute in Chicago and the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem. The great water tunnel may also have been built in this period, as the Chicago excavators originally thought. The end came when the city was partially or completely destroyed ca. 1130 BC, perhaps at the hands of the Sea Peoples, either soon after or contemporary with the time of the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt described in the Bible.
Oct 26
No Class – Instructor out of town
Nov 2
Late Bronze Age Megiddo, cont’d
(Megiddo Strata VII-VIII)
Nov 9
Megiddo in the Middle Bronze Age
(Megiddo Strata IX-XIII)
Research Questions: What was happening at Megiddo during this time? How much have we lost because of Schumacher’s excavations?
Readings: Shipton 1939; Wilson 1941; Epstein 1965; Kenyon 1969; Dunayevsky and Kempinski 1973; Harif 1978; Nigro 1994; Franklin 2013a
During the early part of the second millennium BC, a mighty mud-brick fortification wall, designed to protect the city from marauders and invaders, encircled Megiddo. The city thrived, with trade connections reaching to Egypt and potentially as far as Mesopotamia. This is where the first excavator of Megiddo, Schumacher, found a series of “fortresses” dating to this period, including the so-called Nordburg and the Mittelburg, underneath which were found tombs, including one with six bodies and quantities of rich burial goods, now lost. This is the period of mass migrations around the ancient Near East and may be the time period in which to set the biblical figures of Abraham and the Patriarchs.
Nov 16
No Class — Instructor at ASOR Meetings
Nov 23
No Class — Thanksgiving Holiday
Nov 30
Megiddo in the Early Bronze Age
(Megiddo Strata XIV-XVIII)
Research Questions: Why was there so much emphasis on religion, altars, and temples in this early period?
Readings: Engberg and Shipton 1934; Shipton 1939; Thompson 1970; Dunayevsky and Kempinski 1973; Brandfon 1977; Milson 1988, 1989; Lev-Yadun and Weinstein-Evron 2002; Finkelstein and Ussishkin 2003; Ilan and Goren 2003; van der Steen 2005; Braun 2013; Adams et al 2014 (AJA) and 2014 (NEA); Regev et al. 2014; Wiener 2014; Ussishkin 2015
During the third millennium BC, the earliest truly urban period at Megiddo, the first large religious altars and sanctuaries were built, resulting in the famous circular altar and an even earlier, and larger, religious structure that may be the largest of its kind during this period in the entire ancient Near East. This also may be the period of Megiddo’s first contacts with Egypt. It is at this time, approximately 5,000 years ago, that civilization as we know it – replete with writing, cities/towns, and the invention of bronze – came into existence in both Egypt and Mesopotamia virtually simultaneously, to the north and the south of Megiddo.