Summer 2013 Newsletter

The Archaeological Society of Staten Island

The Archaeological Institute of America

Staten Island Society

2013- 2014 Sunday Lecture Series: Part 1 (Sept.-Nov.)

September 15, 2013 at 3pm     Archaeological Institute of America Lecture
Dr. Matthew Johnson         Understanding Bodiam Castle, England
Bodiam Castle, built in the 1380s in south-eastern England, is perhaps the most extensively discussed castle in medieval Europe. It is certainly the most controversial—was it built as defense against the French, or was it an old soldier’s dream house, a fairytale castle set in a symbolic landscape? In this talk, I report on three seasons of archaeological survey at Bodiam. A team from the University of Southampton in the UK and Northwestern University in the USA, working in collaboration with the National Trust, have surveyed the castle fabric, mapped the surrounding landscape, and conducted geophysical survey. Our conclusions are that the academic ‘battle for Bodiam’ has generated more heat than light. I present a new view of the castle, stressing its active role in regional politics and economics, and understanding Bodiam at a serried of scales from the smallest action of washing one’s hands in the chapel piscine out to the castle’s place in world history.

October 20, 2013 at 3pm    Archaeological Institute of America Lecture
Dr. Jodi Magness                  Ossuaries and the Burials of Jesus and James
In November 2002, the existence of a sensational archaeological artifact was announced to the world: a small stone box called an ossuary inscribed with the name of James, the brother of Jesus. And in spring 2007, yet another sensational claim made headlines around the world: the supposed identification of Jesus’ family tomb in Jerusalem’s Talpiyot neighborhood. In this slide-illustrated lecture, I discuss these finds within the context of ancient Jewish tombs and burials customs in Jerusalem in the time of Jesus (late Second Temple Period). I conclude that the so-called Talpiyot tomb could not have belonged to Jesus’ family, and the so-called James ossuary never contained the remains of Jesus’ brother James the Just.

November 17, 2013 at 3pm    The Helen H. Loeffler Memorial Lecture
Dr. Robert R. Stieglitz         Sea Peoples in the Promised Land
Recent Archaeological evidence unearthed in Israel and on Cyprus, has shed new light on the history of the Philistines, a leading tribe in a federation the Egyptians termed ‘People of the Sea’ who settled along the coasts of Canaan. Archaeology reveals that these newcomers to the Promised Land, together with allies such as the Sikala, brought from their Aegeo-Anatolian homeland a sophisticated heritage including ashlar architecture and innovations in naval technology. Some Sea People were literate, using a syllabic script called Cypro-Minoan. Biblical narratives and Egyptian records portray the Sea Peoples as highly organized warriors. The Philistine tribe gave its name to their new homeland as Philistia (Peleshet/Plst/Pilisti) whence Greek Palaistinē gave us Palestine.