From Trash to Historical Treasure

In Gibeon, Where the Sun Stood Still, James B. Pritchard, director of the Penn Museum's 1956-1962 excavations at this site (modern el-Jib, Palestinian Territories), gave clear expression to what he found to be the ultimate significance of his discoveries there. The biblical archaeology of Pritc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inExpedition Vol. 64; no. 3; p. 39
Main Author Herrmann, Virginia R
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania, University Museum 01.12.2023
Subjects
Archaeology
Bible
Excavation
Historic buildings & sites
Pritchard, James B
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Summary:In Gibeon, Where the Sun Stood Still, James B. Pritchard, director of the Penn Museum's 1956-1962 excavations at this site (modern el-Jib, Palestinian Territories), gave clear expression to what he found to be the ultimate significance of his discoveries there. The biblical archaeology of Pritchard's day was motivated--in reaction to biblical skeptics--by a desire to empirically test the historicity of the events described by the Hebrew Bible. Today, most scholars consider archaeology a better tool for identifying long-term patterns in social and economic life and cultural history than for detecting short-term events. They also acknowledge how subjective readings of ancient texts can influence archaeological interpretation. The most impressive sight at Gibeon today is the great cylindrical cut down into the bedrock, 37 feet in diameter and 35 feet deep.
ISSN:0014-4738