The David A. Kipper Ancient Israel Lecture Series: Eric Cline

Tue Nov 16 2021 at 07:00 pm to 09:00 pm

Oriental Institute - Breasted Hall | Chicago

Oriental Institute - University of Chicago
Publisher/HostOriental Institute - University of Chicago
The David A. Kipper Ancient Israel Lecture Series: Eric Cline
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Eric Cline joins us for a discussion on the OI's historic excavations at Megiddo, the site of biblical Armageddon.
About this Event

Registration is for in-person attendance only. A link to the video livestream will be sent out on OI social media closer to the event. Do not register for the link. Masks are required in all University of Chicago buildings.

Eric will be signing copies his new book, Digging Up Armageddon, after this lecture.

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 Oriental Institute. 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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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Oriental Institute - Breasted Hall, 1155 East 58th Street, Chicago, United States

Tickets

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