Tag Archives: Gath
Sheffield Biblical Studies comments on The Tel es-Safi (“Gath”) Excavation: “Apparent purity of motive does not override structural problems”
Sheffield Biblical Studies has commented on the deep rooted ideological issues relating to the archaeological site Tel es-Safi (“Gath”) and the removal of Palestinians from there in 1948. This follows a disappointingly dismissive response by Tel es-Safi archaeologist Aren Maeir to … Continue reading
Filed under Archaeology, War, Violence & Business
Carol and Eric Meyers on Tel es-Safi, Gath, and Goliath
Duke University run a television program called Office Hours, in which academics answer questions from the public concerning their particular field of study. On 1 September 2011, the program featured Carol and Eric Meyers, two archaeologists and biblical scholars. The first question … Continue reading
Filed under 1 Samuel 17, Goliath
How tall was your average Philistine woman compared with Goliath? As it turns out: about the same as Kim Kardashian compared with Kris Humphries!
Did you know that the heights of Kim Kardashian (5′ 1″) and fiance Kris Humphries (6′ 9″) perhaps exactly match the average heights of an ancient Philistine woman and Goliath? 1 Samuel 17 sets the story of David and Goliath sometime in what we … Continue reading
Filed under 1 Samuel 17, Goliath, Numbers 13-14
Facts on the Ground at Tel es-Safi (“Gath”)
There is now a Time Magazine report on the archaeological excavation at Tel es-Safi, the Arab village destroyed and ethnically cleansed by the Israeli Defence Forces in 1948, but now heavily populated by North American and South Korean biblical archaeologists … Continue reading
Filed under Ancient Jewish texts, Archaeology, Goliath
Six-fingered Giants
The book of 2 Samuel describes a Giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot: In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and … Continue reading
Filed under 2 Samuel 21, 23, Rephaim
Finkelstein vs. Garfinkel: The historical worth of the story of David vs. Goliath
In a 2008 article, Yosef Garfinkel and Saar Ganor claim that the story of David and Goliath contains a historical kernel of truth. For behind this legend, they claim, is an historical reality of tenth-century BC conflicts between Judahites and Philistines. The battle between … Continue reading
Filed under 1 Samuel 17, Archaeology, Goliath
A Kangaroo Called Goliath
As I was waiting for my Vietnamese takeaway at lunchtime, I picked up a copy of the October 2010 National Geographic. Inside the magazine was an article on Australia’s extinct megafauna: Giant kangaroos, rhino-size browsers, enormous flightless birds. And what is the … Continue reading
