The First Campaign of Excavation at Beth-zur

Abstract

In 1926 the first joint excavation of the American School in Jerusalem, at Tell Beit Mirsim, was undertaken by President M. G. Kyle and Dr. W. F. Albright, on behalf of the Xenia Theological Seminary (now the Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary). The fourth joint campaign at this site is planned for 1932. After the Rockefeller grant was made, Yale University entered into a similar relationship with the School for the excavation of Jerash; the first joint campaign began in 1930 under the direction of Dean C. C. McCown and Professor C. S. Fisher. This summer a third joint undertaking has been added, the excavation of Beth-zur by the Presbyterian Theological Seminary of Chicago. It is expected that this enterprise will be continued for a number of campaigns until the site has been thoroughly studied. The approximate location of Beth-zur has never been lost; but the ruin which now bears this name, situated to the west of the road from Jerusalem to Hebron, opposite 'Ain edh-Dhirweh (Philip's Fountain according to late tradition), represents the Byzantine-Arabic offspring of the ancient town. It was not until 1924 that Pere Abel, of the Dominican Fathers of St. Stephen in Jerusalem, observed that the ruins of Burj es-Sur were too late, and identified the ancient site with Khirbet etTubeiqah, about half a mile to the northwest. Within the same year the American and German Schools made the same observation, quite independently (see BULLETIN, No. 18, p. 9). In 1928 Professor O. R. Sellers was so impressed with the suitability of the site that he determined to excavate it, if possible. This was made possible by the active interest and support of President John Timothy Stone, who secured the funds needed for the purpose from several persons of means living in Chicago and the vicinity. To President Stone and the enlightened donors Palestinian archaeology owes a debt of gratitude. In few recent archaeological undertakings in Palestine has so much new historical material been obtained in so short a time and at so small a cost. The expedition was organized on practically the same basis as the Tell Beit Mirsim campaign of 1930 (see BULLETIN, No. 39). Drs. Sellers, Albright, Schmidt, Glueck, and Saarisalo were again on the staff during this expedition, as were also the surveyors, Labib Sorial, William Gad, and Bulos el-A'raj. Two of the trained Egyptians were also back with us, as were the cook and chauffeur, as well as 'Odeh Jirius, who assisted us with the negotiations and acted as one of the foremen. New members of the staff were Dr. Cyrus Gordon of the University of Pennsylvania, now Fellow at the Baghdad School, and Messrs. Charles Nims of the Presbyterian Theological Seminary and Milton Patterson of the American School at Larnaca, Cyprus. We were fortunate in securing Professor Fisher's chief