O que é a arqueologia?

BAHN, P. Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction. 2. ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012, 136 p. – ISBN  9780199657438.

BAHN, P. Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction. 2. ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012, 136 p.

This entertaining Very Short Introduction reflects the enduring popularity of archaeology – a subject which appeals as a pastime, career, and academic discipline, encompasses the whole globe, and surveys 2.5 million years. From deserts to jungles, from deep caves to mountain tops, from pebble tools to satellite photographs, from excavation to abstract theory, archaeology interacts with nearly every other discipline in its attempts to reconstruct the past. In this new edition, Paul Bahn brings the text up to date, including information about new discoveries and interpretations in the field, and highlighting the impact of developments such as the potential use of DNA and stable isotopes in teeth, as well the effect technology and science are having on archaeological exploration. Paul Bahn is a freelance writer, translator, and broadcaster in archaeology.

Este livro é uma boa introdução para quem quer saber um pouco mais sobre o assunto, mesmo que não tenha interesse em estudar arqueologia.

Paul Bahn

Leia Mais:
Histórias do Antigo Oriente Médio: uma bibliografia
Sugestões de livros para iniciar os estudos em Arqueologia

O básico da arqueologia

GAMBLE, C. Archaeology: The Basics. 3. ed. Abingdon: Routledge, 2015, 306 p. – ISBN 9780415694834.

GAMBLE, C. Archaeology: The Basics. 3. ed. Abingdon: Routledge, 2015, 306 p.

This book answers key questions about how and why we practice archaeology and examines the theories and themes underpinning the subject. Fully updated, this new edition includes a wide range of examples and new material on key growth areas including evolutionary approaches in current archaeology, the archaeology of landscape and place, the impact and value of archaeology, conflict archaeology and the politics of the past. This text is essential reading for all those beginning to study archaeology and anyone who has ever questioned the past. Clive Gamble (born 1951) is a Professor of Archaeology at University of Southampton, UK.

Este livro responde a perguntas-chave sobre como e por que praticamos a arqueologia e examina as teorias e os temas subjacentes ao assunto. Indicado para iniciantes.

 Clive Gamble (born 1951)

 
Sumário

What is archaeology?

How many archaeologies are there?

Basic concepts

People

Objects

Time and space

Change and stasis

Identity and power

Leia Mais:
Histórias do Antigo Oriente Médio: uma bibliografia
Sugestões de livros para iniciar os estudos em Arqueologia

Como a arqueologia revoluciona nossa compreensão da Bíblia

FIENSY, D. A. Insights from Archaeology. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2017, 160 p. – ISBN 9781506400143
 

FIENSY, D. A. Insights from Archaeology. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2017, 160 p.

Archaeological exploration of Syria-Palestine and the ancient Near East has revolutionized our understanding of the Bible. David A. Fiensy describes how key archaeological discoveries have opened up new understandings of Israels own history and religion as well as the ancient Near Eastern and later Greco-Roman environments. He discusses the impact these discoveries have had on biblical studies, theology, and the task of biblical interpretation. The challenges for the future of archaeology and biblical study will be explored. Part of the series, Reading the Bible in the 21st Century: Insights.

A exploração arqueológica da Síria-Palestina e do Antigo Oriente Médio revolucionou nossa compreensão da Bíblia. David A. Fiensy descreve como descobertas arqueológicas importantes possibilitaram novas compreensões da história e da religião de Israel, bem como do mundo greco-romano e do Antigo Oriente Médio. Ele discute o impacto dessas descobertas sobre os estudos bíblicos e a teologia. Os desafios para o futuro da arqueologia e dos estudos bíblicos serão explorados. O livro faz parte da série, Reading the Bible in the 21st Century: Insights.

 

Sobre isso, leia o artigo de David A. Fiensy em The Bible and Interpretation, publicado em abril de 2017:

What Do Old, Dirty, Broken Pieces Of Pottery Have To Do With The Bible?

Onde ele diz, entre outras coisas:

… archaeology can be exciting if the excitement is about the people whose lives we come to know through the remains. If you expect to see your picture in the New York Times standing with a serious and scholarly expression on your face, surrounded by smiling “locals,” while you modestly point toward your sensational discovery under the screaming headlines: “HOW I FOUND THE ARK OF THE COVENANT!”—you may want to explore another career or at least another venue for your career. That will almost never happen in Israel.

If, however, meeting ancient folk through “their stuff” excites you, you might want to consider archaeology as a career or hobby. If you can hold a broken cooking pot, reflect on the ancient hands that fashioned it from wet clay, imagine the persons that handled the pot repeatedly to cook meals, and finally picture in your mind’s eye the many hands—large and small—that dipped into the pot to eat, then you will love archaeology. The artifacts tell us about the people who used them. That is where the “excitement” lies.

This is what my new book, Insights from Archaeology, is about (Fortress Press, due out in August of this year). It is about what life was like for the common person in both the Old Testament and New Testament periods. These are the persons who wrote nothing. They never visited the royal palace, never conquered foreign foes, and did not leave behind monumental landmarks. So, how did they live? What was their daily life like? What sort of houses did they inhabit? How did they interact with one another in community? Were they happy?

Some of these questions (“Were they happy?”) cannot be answered, at least not by archaeology. One can only guess. But we can make inroads into answering the others. We will in this monograph use not just archaeology and the biblical text but cultural anthropology as well. Answering some of these questions may not be as sensational for some readers as were the previous generations’ archaeological finds, but the answers get us to the real-life situations for most people of the ancient Israelite world, the world of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.

11º Congresso de Arqueologia do Antigo Oriente Médio

Na Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität de Munique, Alemanha. De 3 a 7 de abril de 2018.

11th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East – ICAANE

The Organizing Committee on behalf of the LMU invites all scholars working on subjects related to Near Eastern Archaeology to participate in the 11th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (ICAANE), which will take place at the LMU Munich (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) from 3–7 April 2018.

The 11th ICAANE will cover all aspects of the archaeology of the Near East, from prehistoric to Islamic times, from archaeological fieldwork to art historical, historical and philological studies, as well as Cultural Heritage.

The Programme is organized in eight sections and themes:

1. Mobility in the Ancient Near East

2. Images in Context

3. Archaeology as Cultural Heritage

4. Engendering Near Eastern Archaeology

5. Societal Contexts of Religion

6. Shaping the Living Space

7. Field Reports

8. Islamic Archaeology

Eric Cline: uma introdução à história da arqueologia

CLINE, E. H. Three Stones Make a Wall: The Story of Archaeology.  Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2017, 480 p. – ISBN 9780691166407.

CLINE, E. H. Three Stones Make a Wall: The Story of Archaeology.  Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2017, 480 p.

    
In 1922, Howard Carter peered into Tutankhamun’s tomb for the first time, the only light coming from the candle in his outstretched hand. Urged to tell what he was seeing through the small opening he had cut in the door to the tomb, the Egyptologist famously replied, “I see wonderful things.” Carter’s fabulous discovery is just one of the many spellbinding stories told in Three Stones Make a Wall.

Written by Eric Cline, an archaeologist with more than thirty seasons of excavation experience, Three Stones Make a Wall traces the history of archaeology from an amateur pursuit to the cutting-edge science it is today by taking the reader on a tour of major archaeological sites and discoveries, from Pompeii to Petra, Troy to the Terracotta Warriors, and Mycenae to Megiddo and Masada. Cline brings to life the personalities behind these digs, including Heinrich Schliemann, the former businessman who excavated Troy, and Mary Leakey, whose discoveries advanced our understanding of human origins. The discovery of the peoples and civilizations of the past is presented in vivid detail, from the Hittites and Minoans to the Inca, Aztec, and Moche. Along the way, the book addresses the questions archaeologists are asked most often: How do you know where to dig? How are excavations actually done? How do you know how old something is? Who gets to keep what is found?

Taking readers from the pioneering digs of the eighteenth century to the exciting new discoveries being made today, Three Stones Make a Wall is a lively and essential introduction to the story of archaeology.

Sobre o autor:
Eric H. Cline is professor of classics and anthropology and director of the Capitol Archaeological Institute at George Washington University. An active archaeologist, he has excavated and surveyed in Greece, Crete, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and the United States. His many books include 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed (Princeton).

Faça um tour virtual por Petra

A virtual trek through Petra with Google Cardboard

Natalie Brow
Interactive Designer Google Brand Studio 

 Jan 18, 2017

Last year, we launched a virtual tour of Petra and more than 30 historical sites across Jordan in Google Street View. The interactive Maps experience took visitors on an intimate journey into Jordan’s lost city of stone—and now, we’ve made this historic trek even more immersive with a 360º experience for Google Cardboard

We’ve used 360º mapping, aerial imagery and millions of photos stitched together, to recreate six of Petra’s most beautiful and iconic panoramas for you to explore. Audio narration, interactive hotspots and sound effects guide you as you follow the footsteps of the ancient Nabataeans. This 2000-year-old civilization miraculously transformed the harshest of deserts into an oasis of life and culture.

Petra

Wander through the winding pathway of Al Siq to the Treasury, Petra’s most famous landmark. Look all around in 360º to explore every detail of this elaborate carved facade recognizable from movies like “Indiana Jones” and “Transformers.”

Make your way past Petra’s carved theatre and hidden tombs until you reach Al Deir, or the Monastery. No trip to Petra is complete without staring up in awe at its grandeur. The doorway alone is eight meters tall!

Of course, nothing can compare to visiting Petra in real life. But now anyone with an internet connection can trek this remarkable UNESCO Heritage Site like never before—and we hope this 360º experience inspires a new generation of tourists to come to visit the rose-red city for themselves. Start your tour now on your mobile phone at g.co/PetraVR.

9 importantes descobertas arqueológicas em 2016

The 9 Biggest Archaeology Findings of 2016

By Owen Jarus – Live Science: December 26, 2016

Neste ano os arqueólogos desenterraram uma riqueza de tesouros que revelaram não apenas algumas práticas estranhas (como construir uma pirâmide dentro de uma pirâmide dentro de uma pirâmide), mas também alguns dos segredos de longa data de artefatos conhecidos. De novos Manuscritos do Mar Morto à múmia mais jovem já encontrada no Egito, a um complexo de pedra de 1.500 anos do tamanho de 200 campos de futebol americano ao túmulo de Jesus, aqui está um panorama das maiores histórias de arqueologia de 2016.

This year, archaeologists dug up a wealth of treasures that unveiled not only some strange practices (like building a pyramid within a pyramid within a pyramid) but also some of the long-held secrets of well-known artifacts. From new Dead Sea Scrolls to the youngest mummy ever found in Egypt, to a 1,500-year-old stone complex the size of 200 American football fields to the tomb of Jesus, here’s a look at the biggest archaeology stories of 2016.

Arqueologia e política: um papiro cita Jerusalém, mas…

Arqueólogos israelenses publicaram um fragmento de um papiro que, segundo eles, é a mais antiga referência hebraica a Jerusalém fora da Bíblia – uma descoberta da qual o governo rapidamente se apropriou para listar como evidência da conexão judaica com a cidade santa.

O pedaço de papiro, de 11 cm por 2,5 cm, datado pela Autoridade de Antiguidades de Israel como sendo do século 7 a.C., foi apresentado em uma conferência de imprensa em Jerusalém logo após a UNESCO ter aprovado uma resolução que, segundo Israel, negava a ligação do judaísmo com a antiga cidade, segundo relata a Reuters nesta quarta-feira (26). Duas linhas do texto, em hebraico, sugerem que o fragmento era parte de um documento que detalhava o pagamento de impostos ou a transferência de bens para armazéns em Jerusalém. “Da serva do rei, de Na’arat, jarros de vinho, para Jerusalém”, lê-se no papiro. As autoridades israelenses disseram que seus investigadores recuperaram o documento, descrito como “a mais antiga fonte extra-bíblica a mencionar Jerusalém em escrita hebraica”, depois que ele havia sido saqueado de uma caverna por ladrões de antiguidades. ​Para o governo de Israel, o papiro é uma refutação à UNESCO, organização científica e cultural da ONU (continua).

Sobre o desentendimento de Israel com a UNESCO, confira aqui.

No site da IAA – Israel Antiquities Authority – leia sobre o papiro: A Rare Document Mentioning the Name of Jerusalem from the Time of the First Temple was Exposed.

Porém, Christopher A. Rollston, da Universidade George Washington, pede cautela quanto ao papiro. Que pode até ser antigo, mas, a escrita, segundo ele, deve ser moderna. Portanto, podemos estar diante de uma fraude…

Leia:

The New ‘Jerusalem’ Papyrus: Not so Fast…  – Rollston Epigraphy: 26 October 2016

Ele faz 10 considerações em seu post. Destaco algumas:

II. There are some palaeographic and orthographic anomalies and inconsistencies in this papyrus inscription that are concerning and may suggest that it is modern, not ancient. Thus, again, Caveat Eruditus.

VIII. In short, to those wishing to declare that the letters on this papyrus inscription are ancient, I would say: ‘Not so fast!’

IX. Ultimately, I believe that there is a fair chance that although the papyrus itself is ancient the ink letters are actually modern…that is, this inscription is something that I would classify as a possible modern forgery.