Eric Cline | Digging Up Armageddon: Chicago's Search for the Lost City of Solomon

Presented by Eric Cline, Professor of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies and of Anthropology; Director of the GWU Capitol Archaeological Institute
The numerous publications produced by the Chicago excavators who dug at Megiddo from 1925-39 are still held in high regard - both used and debated -- by archaeologists working in the region today. However, these provide virtually no insight into the daily activities of the team members or the stories behind their discoveries, including what are still commonly called “Solomon’s Stables.” Fortunately, they also left behind more than three decades worth of letters, cablegrams, cards, and notes, as well as their diaries, that are now in the archives of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures. There are also additional materials in the archives of the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Rockefeller Foundation, as well as other material that is in the hands of the team members’ descendants and other family members. Digging through these materials provides a glimpse behind the scenes, including intrigues, infighting, romance, and dogged perseverance over the years, situated against the backdrop of the Great Depression in the United States as well as the growing troubles and tensions in British Mandate Palestine between the two world wars. Based on the new book entitled Digging Up Armageddon by the speaker, some of the more interesting details will be shared in this lecture, including the fact that the excavations almost ended just one week after they began; that they paid rent for the excavated land to the wrong people for the first three years; that team members included a high school dropout and a possible spy for the Haganah; and that they were the first, or among the first, to use a Munsell color chart and balloon photography on an excavation in the Near East.
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2021, ISAC
Music credit: bensound.com

[@annepoitrineau5650]

Every time I attend one of the OI's KZbin conferences, I am blown away and Eric Cline is wonderful!

[@Paul-vk3gh]

A man who needs no introduction... He gives a flattering one himself.

[@karencorsi3181]

Fantastic historian and story teller. A thrill to listen to.

[@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095]

Oh, Excellent! One of the greatest speakers who has ever lived. {:-:-:}

[@chopsddy3]

Fascinating. Thanks so much.

[@janosanfran]

Fantastic presentation! Thanks so much.

[@josdelijster4505]

Loving this🤝👌

[@redcossack245]

What an amazing journey you describe. Thanks so much for doing archaeology in the OI archives!

[@jasondsimpson]

Wow, great! Love Kline scholarship.

[@parrotraiser6541]

I've been to Megiddo. The site's very interesting, but I had no idea the story of the excavation was equally dramatic. The one thing I couldn't determine was exactly which valley was the one Thutmoses used. I suspect there may have been widening for roads.

[@hittitecharioteer]

Absolutely loved this. Thankyou for yet another fascinating video.

[@PoleToPoleTravel]

Eric Cline is a rock star.

[@geraldlevin5141]

Interesting! Thanks. Armageddon event! I received sensitive information in Egypt & went to London Commonwealth Office (LCO) in July 1997. I was thanked & appointed to a Commonwealth project; 'To facilitate Israel joining the Commonwealth, as planned in 1919'. 'To facilitate Israel's entry into Commonwealth'. I asked WHY? LCO replied that during World War 1 (WW1), 19-25 September 1918, this battle of Megiddo (Armageddon) was fought. So, LCO decided to establish Israel after WW1 had to establish Israel. The LCO bible interpretation was 1] Armageddon, 2] Messiah, 3] Israel established & 4] Israel to be 'A light unto the Nations'. In 1918, LCO decided that time for 4] had arrived. LCO established Trans-Jordan as Palestine (89%) in 1921. Israel would be on Cis-Jordan (21%). BUT in 1922 the League of Nations took over and did not establish Israel as planned. So, LCO decided that Armageddon was fought over 100 years ago & that perhaps the Messiah had also ''Been & Gone''. Thus, that Trans-Jordan would be the Palestinian state and Israel (Light to Nations) would be all of Cis-Jordan. Nobody can prove LCO wrong. League of Nations (LON) tried. But LON failed. Time for Archaeology to solve ''The Riddle of the Sands''🖖💯🖖 DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.14119.21926

[@SimonSozzi7258]

This should be good. This guy gives great talks on the Sea Peoples. Good stuff.

[@TSZatoichi]

Thanks for cutting out the first 20 minutes of blank air, this time I'll leave my cell phone on. 🙂 As I said on the original video, thank you for putting these lectures up on YT for all of us to enjoy for free, if I ever become wealthy enough to just give away money, the OI will be remembered.

[@Bootrosgali]

Right on !

[@moodist1er]

The Merneptah Stele is probably talking about Megiddo as Jezreel, not Israel that didn't exist yet.

[@braincompactor]

That dollar was put to good use

[@heatherjones6647]

Money was no object just not for the diggers' wages.

[@VibrationsfromMirror]

Burnt? Like Solar extinction level event, and if so is that dated?

[@holyroodguydean]

But it does looks

[@Tyler.i.81]

You would expect to find lots of melted metals like silver bronze gold Iron etc there must be lots of melted gold especially around the zigarrat

[@veronicalogotheti5416]

1500 bc was the volcan of thera

[@carriekelly4186]

If i could have learned more about the site and less about the squabbles,7 course meals and other such trivial matters and small talk not pertinent to the results of the excavation. Seeing how there would be so many fascinating details to learn given the vast expanse of time and cultures that utilized the Meguiddo,i didnt find out much here. Very disappointed for the waste of my time and lack of enlightening.

[@carriekelly4186]

I cant listen to more about gift shops and bathrooms and Higgens. Bye.

[@sarkissati1217]

Переведите на русский

[@morrobayfishing5515]

Nice lecture. The only problem is this term BCE which is rewriting history for politics, so can you actually trust someone who does that?

[@JaredGalbraith]

BCE is a term that attempts to respect (in English) the other several billion people on earth who don't recognize the birth of Jesus as the beginning of their history, while avoiding a new year count that would be equally arbitrary. If by 'rewriting history for politics' you mean extending our (at least) intellectual empathy beyond our own specific (traditionally Christian) cultural history, then, yes, I believe we can trust someone who does that. They likely hope to understand humanity from as broad a perspective as they can, admitting cultural differences, historical contingency and practical compromise.

[@morrobayfishing5515]

@@JaredGalbraith I don't think the other billions are so sensitive they don't want to know the real history of how our years have been counted, named and why. I think they would like truth over feelings..

[@TP-om8of]

BCE is offensive woke nonsense. It doesn’t “respect” anyone.

[@craftycriminalistwithms.z3053]

@@JaredGalbraith 💯💯💯 perfectly stated

[@Ken_Scaletta]

It's not rewriting history. I don't think you have any idea what you're talking about. Just FYI, Jesus could not have been born later than 4 BCE, That date is wrong. Jesus is also not my ":Lord" and not the "Messiah" so your persecution complex is as ignorant as it is pathetic. Trigger warning: Black Lives Matter!

[@etemytradel4509]

Does the speaker ever do any of those Mediterranean cruises and give lectures and tours that would be great