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Arch Biblica

A Publication of the American Schools of Oriental Research

50th to

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Volume 50 Number 1

March 1987

AnniversarySalute the

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Biblical Archaeologist P. O. BOXH.M., DUKESTATION,DURHAM,NC 27706 (919)684-3075 Biblical Archaeologist (ISSN 0006-0895) is published quarterly (March, June, September, December) by the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), a nonprofit, nonsectarian educational organization with administrative offices at 4243 Spruce Street; Philadelphia, PA 19104. Subscriptions. Annual subscription rates are $18 for individuals and $25 for institutions. There is a special annual rate of $16 for students and retirees. Subscription orders and correspondence should be sent to ASOR Publications Office, P.O. Box H.M., Duke Station, Durham, NC 27706. Single issues are $6; these should be ordered from Eisenbrauns, P. O. Box 275, Winona Lake, IN 46590. Outside the U.S., U.S. possessions, and Canada, add $2 for annual subscriptions and for single issues. Second-class postage paid at Philadelphia, PA 19104 and additional offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to ASOR Subscription Services, Department BB, P.O. Box 3000, Denville, NJ 07834.

Editor Associate Editor Executive Editor Book Review Editor Art Director Research Associate

Eric M. Meyers Lawrence T Geraty Martin Wilcox Peter B. Machinist Linda Huff Kathryn E. Dietz

Editorial Assistants Melanie A. Arrowood John Jorgensen Stephen Goranson Timothy Lavallee Lue Simopoulos John Huddlestun Catherine Vanderburgh Editorial Committee A. T. Kraabel Lloyd R. Bailey Baruch Levine James Flanagan Carole Fontaine David W. McCreery Volkmar Fritz Carol L. Meyers Jack Sasson Seymour Gitin David M. Gunn Neil A. Silberman John Wilkinson

Copyright:' 1987 by the American Schools of Oriental Research.

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Biblical Archaeologist is not responsible for errors in copy prepared by the advertiser. The editor reserves the right to refuse any ad. Ads for the sale of antiquities will not be accepted. Editorial Correspondence. Article proposals, manuscripts, and editorial correspondence should be sent to the ASOR Publications Office, P.O. Box H.M., Duke Station, Durham, NC 27706. Unsolicited manuscripts must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Foreign contributors should furnish international reply coupons. Manuscripts must conform to the format used in Biblical Archaeologist, with full bibliographic references and a minimum of endnotes. See recent issues for examples of the proper style.

Composition by Liberated Types, Ltd., Durham, NC. Printed by PBM Graphics, Inc., Raleigh, NC.

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Advertising. Correspondence should be addressed to the ASOR Publications Office, P.O. Box H.M., Duke Station, Durham, NC 27706 (telephone: 919-684-3075).

Manuscripts must also include appropriate illustrations and legends. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to use illustrations.

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A rchaeo ogist Biblical A Publication of the American Schools of Oriental Research Volume 50 Number 1

March 1987

5

An Interview with Mrs. Emily Wright Eric M. Meyers and Carol L. Meyers

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On the occasion of BA'sfiftieth anniversary,Mrs. Wright tells about the founding of the magazine and provides insight into the other important achievements of her late husband, G. Ernest Wright.Accompanying the interview are remembrances of Wrightby AvrahamBiran,William G. Dever, and Dennis E. Groh.

10

G. E. Wrightat the HarvardSemitic Museum CarneyE. S. Gavin

Out of all the activities in a life of service, Wright's success as curatorof the Semitic Museum is probablyhis least-acknowledgedaccomplishment. Archaeological Sourcesfor the History of Palestine

The EarlyBronze Age: The Rise and Collapse of Urbanism Suzanne Richard

22

The EarlyBronze Age saw a 750-yearurban age encompassed by a preformativeperiod at the outset and a period of regression towardthe end. How are we to understandthese two dramatic episodes of sociocultural change?

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...

The Paleo-HebrewLeviticus Scroll from Qumran

45

K. A. Mathews

This scroll is an important piece of evidence for understanding scribal practice and for reconstructing the textual history of the Hebrew Bible.

Old Testament History and Archaeology Max Miller Page22 Pg

55 ",

55

Nonwritten, artifactual evidence is silent by nature and not particularlyuseful for dealing with specific historical facts. Yet the artifactual recorddoes occasionally speak with a distinctive voice that biblical historians should be preparedto hear.

2 3

Introducingthe Authors Fromthe Editor'sDesk Page 55

Front cover: G. Ernest Wright and Prescott H. Williams looking over surface remains at Tell er-Ras in 1964. Photograph from the collection of Edward F Campbell. Back cover: Wright and Frank Moore Cross in 1956, standing with vehicle used for the Shechem expedition. Photograph by George M. Gibson courtesy of McCormick Theological Seminary.

Biblical Archaeologist is published with the financial assistance of

the Endowment for Biblical Research,a nonsectarian foundation for the study of the Bible and the history of the Christian Church.

BIBLICALARCHAEOLOGISTMARCH 1987

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n this issue,the firstnumberof ourfiftiethvolume, the editors offer a special tribute to the founder of Biblical Archaeologist, the late and beloved G. Ernest Wright, and to his still vigorous wife, Emily, who for many years assisted him with the magazine. A half-century ago a strong feeling had developed in ASOR that the archaeological discoveries made in the Middle East and their relevance to biblical studies needed to be communicated to a public broader than that being reached by its prestigious Bulletin and Annuals. So it was that Millar Burrows, then president of ASOR, appointed Wright "field secretary,"with the charge of seeing that the organization's work was more widely published. Wright was at that time a recent Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins, not yet thirty years old. Trained by W. E Albright, he had a thorough understanding of archaeology, with field experience at Bethel, a part in preparing the publication of the Beth-shemesh project, and an established mastery of the typological analysis of pottery (his dissertation, The Pottery of Palestine from the Earliest Times to the End of the Early Bronze Age, was published by ASOR in 1937). At the same time, his skill in biblical studies was assured by a deep interest in theology. Added to these talents was an interest in, and a marked ability for, communicating with a nonspecialist audience. He was obviously a young scholar with great potential, but Burrow's choice of him for the position could be seen as prescient, because Wright would go on to become one of the giants of the field. One of his first enduring contributions was the founding of a magazine he titled The Biblical Archaeologist in 1938. The magazine's beginning was modest. The four issues of the first volume covered only 32 pages. But it was readable and eminently reliable. From the start, Wright set high standards and had quality assistance: Millar Burrows, Ephraim N. Speiser, and W. E. Albright, among others, lent editorial support, and Mrs. Wright efficiently handled the challenging matters of copyediting, production, and fulfillment. And BA grew as its subject grew. Since its founding, there have been enormous changes in scholarship. During his twenty-five years as editor and subsequent twelve

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BIBLICALARCHAEOLOGIST/MARCH1987

Desk

years as a member of its editorial board, no one was more aware of these than Wright, or more able to adapt to them. He embraced the "new archaeology" with enthusiasm, and he carried on his biblical studies and theological inquiry in the light of new methodological approaches. Wright was an active editor who worked tirelessly to acquire the best articles, and he published all of the leading figures of the day. Many of these articles are still studied and referred to. In addition, he contributed thirtysix articles himself -not including his book reviews or columns of 'Archaeological News and Views." In his editing, as well as in his other work, he labored diligently to bring biblical studies and archaeology into a closer and closer dialogue. In the words of Philip J.King, ASOR's immediate past president and historian: "Wright was a versatile scholar who distinguished himself in both biblical theology and biblical archaeology. The convergence of these two disciplines was central to his conception of biblical studies. Holding to his basic position that revelation comes through event, Wright understood biblical faith as rooted in history and saw it as archaeology's function to recover the historical foundation of the Judaeo-Christian tradition" (pages 106-07 in American Archaeology in the Mideast [Philadelphia: American Schools of Oriental Research, 1983]). When in 1963 he turned over sole editorship of BA to Edward F Campbell, Jr., who had served with him as coeditor since 1959, the magazine was an established and effective force in the field: a forum for communication between disciplines, as well as a means of bringing laypeople effectively into the field. Campbell and subsequent past editors-H. Darrell Lance, who coedited with Campbell from 1972 through 1975, and David Noel Freedman, editor from 1976 through 1982-worked hard to assure BA would maintain this stature. In 1980 an ASOR task force, chaired by Campbell, reviewed the organization's first eighty years and made recommendations for its future course. Two of these pertain directly to ASOR publications in general and BA in particular. One urges ASOR "to improve and accelerate dissemination of the results of scholarly research," and the other suggests that its trustees "develop and sustain

programs for communicating to the general public the results and significance of researchwithin ASOR'sfields of interest, including influencing the educational system at all levels to expand attention to the roots of human heritage that lie in the ancient Near East."(See pages 265-66 of King's book for the complete set of recommendations.) These recommendations, which were adoptedby the trustees as guidelines, are strong affirmations of views often expoundedby Wrightas editor of BA and later as president of ASOR. As BA enters its second half-century, we of the present editorial staff pledge ourselves to live up to the tradition of readability and reliability established by Wright.Wenote that archaeologyas "handmaiden"of the historian and biblical scholar has come of age of late, and a new dialogue has begun. Not everyonewill be able, like Wrightand a few others, to master both archaeologyand Near Eastern/biblicalstudies, but BA will continue to be a forum for communication between the two disciplines. G. ErnestWrightlives on not only in the pages of this

magazine and in the legacy of ASOR. He continues to be a central and vital force in biblical archaeology through his students, dozens and dozens of them, including all the current senior officers of ASOR. He was not only a mentor but a dear friend to those of us who were privileged to study with him. Helping students to the outer limits of his physical strength, Wright demanded excellence. This he got, in addition to respect, love, and admiration.The field is evergratefulto him- and to Mrs. Wright, whose constant support of him as well as her work on behalf of BA also inspire admiration.We salute both of them, andwish Mrs.Wrightandher family all the best in the years to come.

Eric M. Meyers Editor

Introducing the EricM. Meyers,Editorof Biblical Archaeologist, is a 1962 honors graduateof Dartmouth College. He received his M.A. from BrandeisUniversity in 1964 in Near Eastern and Judaicstudies and earned his Ph.D. with distinction from HarvardUniversity in 1969 in Near Eastern languages and literatures. He first studied with G. Ernest Wright at the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem in 1964-65, where he also worked with FrankCross. It was at Wright'sinvitation that he joined the first Tel Gezer excavation team in 1964, and he was part of the Gezer staff until 1969, when he conducted ASOR'sfirst survey of ancient synagogues, an effort that included excavations at Khirbet Shemac, Meiron, Gush Halav, and Nabratein in the Upper Galilee. Carol L. Meyers, Associate Professor of Religion and Associate Directorof Women'sStudiesat Duke University, received her A.B. with honors in biblical history at Wellesley College. While an undergraduateat Wellesley, she met G. ErnestWright,who helped her secure a place with the excavations at Ashdod. She then attended his archaeology seminar at Harvardand was his field assistant duringthe first season of the Harvard-HebrewUnion College excavations at Gezer. She holds an M.A. and Ph.D. from Brandeis University and has excavated for twenty-five years at sites in Israel and North America.

Authors

Currently,she is Co-directorof the Joint SepphorisProject and serves as Vice President of the W. E Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem. A frequentcontributorto learnedjournalsand a member of the editorial board of Biblical Archaeologist, she has collaborated with Eric Meyers on many publications, including their recent Anchor Bible volume on Haggai and Zechariah 1-8. Carney E. S. Gavin is a Bostonian priest who has served the HarvardSemitic Museum as Curatorsince 1975 and as Associate Director since 1981. Trained at Boston's Latin School, Boston College, Jesus College at Oxford, and the German universities in classical languages and history,FatherGavinbeganexcavatingin the Middle East at cAraq el-Emir (Jordan)in 1962. Subsequent excavations and surveyshave been complemented by his extensive joint research with most of the region'smuseums, national libraries, and departments of antiquities. His 1965 dissertationat the Universityof Innsbruckanalyzed the origins of church architecture,and his 1973 dissertation at HarvardUniversity explored the glyptic art of Syria-Palestine. From his position with the Semitic Museum, he has launched numerous rescue missions to find, organize,copy,use and share endangereddocumentation important for the history of the Middle East.

BIBLICALARCHAEOLOGIST/MARCH1987

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