Archaeology, Epigraphy, Philology

Abstract

Archaeology, Epigraphy, Philology Christopher T. Begg, William J. Urbrock, John R. Spencer, Thomas Hieke, Victor H. Matthews, and Fred W. Guyette Christopher T. Begg Catholic University of America William J. Urbrock University of Wisconsin Oshkosh John R. Spencer John Carroll University Thomas Hieke Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz Victor H. Matthews Missouri State University Fred W. Guyette Erskine College and Seminary 196. [The Chalk Vessel Assemblage from Shuʿafat] Yonatan Adler, "Ritual Purity in Daily Life after 70 CE: The Chalk Vessel Assemblage from Shuʿafat as a Test Case," JSJ 52 (2021) 39-62. Chalk vessels became common at Jewish sites throughout the Southern Levant beginning in the late 1st cent. b.c.e., apparently because Jews considered stone to be impervious to ritual impurity. It is commonly thought that a drastic decline in this phenomenon occurred after 70 c.e. as a direct result of the temple's destruction—on the assumption that the central motivation for Jews' observance of the purity regulations was to ensure that they could participate in the temple cult. This assumption is reconsidered here in light of an impressive assemblage of chalk vessels recently unearthed at Shuʿafat that was occupied during the brief 70–132 c.e. interwar period. The character of this assemblage, which I present here in a preliminary fashion, suggests that both the use and production of chalk vessels continued unabated for decades after 70 c.e., this contradicting the notion that the chalk vessel industry was reliant on a functioning temple and that observance of the purity laws was inexorably linked with the Jerusalem cult. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 197. [Stepped Pools; Chalk Vessels] Yonatan Adler, "Watertight and Rock Solid: Stepped Pools and Chalk Vessels as Expressions of Jewish Ritual Purity," BARev 41 (1, 2021) 44-51. Analyzing geographic distribution patterns that "manifest boldly along ethnic lines," A. defends against recent challenges the "rather broad scholarly consensus" that stepped pools and chalk vessels are best interpreted as reflections of Jewish adherence to pentateuchal ritual purity laws. Illustrated.—W.J.U. Google Scholar 198. [A BA Tomb at Tell Qsubi on the Middle Euphrates in Syria] Sawssan Alachkar and Yasser Showhan, "Découverte d'une tombe du Bronze ancien à Tell Qsubi (Moyen-Euphrate, Syrie)," Syria 96 (2017) 273-92. An EBA tomb was discovered in 2009 at Tell Qsubi on the right bank of the Euphrates, 59 km west of Deir ez-Zor. Dug into the bedrock on the edge of the tell, the tomb consists of an access shaft and a chamber divided into three parts, which contained a few [End Page 64] human bones and 204 ceramic vessels, but no other grave goods. This article focuses on the large, previously unpublished pottery assemblage from the tomb. A typological and stylistic study of the assemblage enabled us to divide the component pottery into various ceramic categories and morphological types. The predominant category, we determined, is Simple Ware, with only a few instances of Black Euphrates Ware and a single example of Combed Wash Ware. Our chronological analysis of the assemblage, based on comparisons with other sites in the region, indicates that the assemblage can be attributed to the EME 4-5 (2450–2100 b.c.) period. The tomb itself can be classified as a shaft grave, a type which is well documented for the Middle Euphrates region. Its discovery extended the distribution area of such tombs along the Euphrates valley further to the south. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 199. [Funerary Complex of Sarenput II] José M. Alba Gómez, "The Funerary Chambers of Sarenput II and the Destruction of His Outer Coffin," Middle Kingdom Palace Culture, 16-44 [see #789]. The funerary complex of Sarenput II is one of several rock-cut tombs built at Elephantine for the powerful local rulers who lived there during the Middle Kingdom Era. The tomb, now numbered QH31 has been the subject of several studies. Wallis Budge first published details of the funerary chambers in 1886, but the team undertaking the work did not completely excavate the complex. Budge himself did...