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The Da Vinci Code Exposed!

The 'Holy Grail' arguments (e.g. Da Vinci Code) are based on mistranslations that lead to faulty interpretations.

One scholar [010] has proven that the whole idea that the Grail (supposedly the Cup that Christ used at the Last Supper) came to Europe, specifically Britain, brought there by Joseph of Arimathea, arises from a mistranslation of an old document that has "in britio Edessenorum", which means "in the citadel of the Edessans". "In britio" was wrongly taken to mean "in Britain". Hence the rash of king Arthur legends (is Arthur a confusion with king Agbar?), etc. today.
The Holy Grail that bears the Blood of Christ, according to tradition, went firstly to king Agbar (var. Abogar) of Edessa/Macedonia (hence "in britio Edessenorum"), a confusion with Essa being modern Urfa/Sanliurfa in Turkey (located near Haran), before going to Constantinople, then France. King Agobal is said to have lived at the time of Jesus Christ.
Also, Gaul has been confused with Galatia, hence the idea of Joseph of Arimathea's early taking of the supposed Cup to France, along with Mary Magdalene. There are allegedly many legends of her in France.
'San Graal' is actually Celtic, not French, but Dan Brown has mischievously re-translated it as 'Sang Real', Royal Blood, in order to make Mary Magdalene the bearer of a supposed child of Christ, hence a vessel of the royal blood, thereby her becoming the 'Holy Grail'. '


[010] Dan Scavone, Professor of History at University of Southern Indiana at Evansville. Ian Wilson writes on p. 171, (The Blood and the Shroud): " ... as Scavone discovered, the idea of [the Apostle] Philip's evangelising France was actually a mistake due to a ninth-century French bishop having misread a reference to Galatia in Turkey, where the apostle Philip is far more reliably known to have evangelised and been buried, than for the people of Gallis or Gauls in France". In essence the whole idea that the grail or a cup Jesus used during his ministry survived is not based on any verifiable truth. Christianity as well as Judaism admonishes us not to rever such objects with idolatrous intentions or keep them or put any value on them. Our faith is to be scripture based and only to be centered on Jesus Christ Himself. Examination will reveal that the book, `The De Vinci Code' is fiction, employing the life of Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-5/2/1519), and is based on fictional sources. There are indications that Leonardo was a heretic of the Christian faith. He may have had a pagan bent judged by naming his famous painting the `Mona Lisa', a name which appears to be derived either from Madonna Lisa, wife of Francesco di Bartolomeo del Giocondo, or from `Amon L' Isa/Isis', Egyptian pagan deities.

If you feel swayed by the narrative of Brown's book, do not crumble at his feet but read what his critics have to say to balance the available information. In these days we will encounter what amounts to Satanic plots to the highest degree and it is not over yet.

See Martin Lunn, Da Vinci Code Decoded, NY, 2004.



Today's intelectual searching for truth addressed at CIAS for Biblical History and for Sciences at AiG


The Holy Bible

The reliability of the text of the Bible is made stronger today than it ever was in the past due to great scholarly achievements in translating ancient texts and fragments of texts of biblical books and finding them in agreement with the Bible we know today.

That Jesus was not married underlies the wording of the Apostle Paul in 1.Cor. 9:5, "Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife ...". If Jesus would have been a married man, Paul could have said, `Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife like Jesus had ...'.


Die Argumente des `Heiligen Gral', die (Da Vinci Code) haben im Grunde genommen ihre Basis in falschen Übersetzungen, die ihrerseits zu falschen Interpretationen führen.

Es gelang einem Gelehrten [010] zu beweisen, das die gesamte Idee, das der Gral (der vermeintliche Becher den Jesus beim letzten Abendmahl benutzte) nach Europa kam, und im besonderen nach der französischen Provinz `Bretagne', und von Josef von Arimatia nach dort transportiert wurde, mit der falschen Übersetzung einer alten Quelle zu tun hat, die besagt "in britio Edessenorum", was bedeutet "in der Zitadelle der Edessaner". "In britio" wurde falscherweise als "Britain/Bretagne" verstanden. Daher kamen dann auch die vielen Legenden über König Artur, wo Artur/Arthur auf den Namen Agbar(?) zurückzuführen ist.
Der Tradition gemäß kam der heilige Gral mit dem Blut Christi zuerst zu dem König Agbar (od. Agobar) von Edessa (deshalb haben wir "in britio Edessenorum"), Essa ist die Moderne Stadt Urfa/Sanliurfa in der Türkei, in der Nähe des alten Haran. Dort soll der Becher gewesen sein, bevor er nach Konstantinopel kam, und dann nach Frankreich. König Agobar soll zur Zeit Jesu Christi gelebt haben.
Wir wissen auch, das Gaul mit Galatia/Galatien durcheinander gebracht wurde, und daher kommt dann auch die Idee, das Joseph von Arimathea zu so früher Zeit den vermeintlichen Becher, zusammen mit Maria Magdalena, nach Frankreich transportierte.
Das Wort 'San Graal' ist tatsächlich ein Keltisches und nicht ein Französisches Wort, aber Dan Brown hat es mit schelmiger, boshafter Absicht als `Sang Real', also `königliches Blut', wieder gegeben, um dadurch Maria Magdalena, die Mutter des vermeintlichen Kindes mit Jesus, also ein `Gefäß' des königlichen Blutes, und damit das `heilige Gral' zu machen.


[010] Dan Scavone, Professor der Geschichte in Evansville, `Süd-Indiana', USA. Ian Wilson schrieb auf S. 171, (The Blood and the Shroud): " ... wie Scavone entdeckte, die Idee, das [der Apostel] Phillip in Frankreich evangelisierte, war wirklich ein Fehler auf Grund der falschen Lesung eines Französischen Bischofs, der eine Bemerkung über `Galatia/Galatien' in der Türkei falsch verstand. Galatien in der Türkei war eine viel besser bekannt Stadt, wo der Apostel Phillip für die Einwohner von Gallis predigte und beerdigt wurde, als `Gaul' in Frankreich. Im grossen und ganzen, die Idee das ein Becher den Jesus während seiner Zeit auf Erden benutzte noch vorhanden ist kann nicht als Wahr geprüft werden. Christentum und Jüdischer Glaube ermahnt uns nicht solche Dinge zu verehren oder irgendwelche Werte darin zu sehen. Unser Glaube soll nur auf die Bibel und Jesus selber gerichtet sein.
Die heutige Suche nach Wahrheit finden sie behandelt in CIAS für Biblische Geschichte und für die Wissenschaften in AiG
Comparing the Evidence for the Location of Tunip
Tell Asharneh is Tunip Baalbek is Tunip
The 70 hectare site of Tell Asharneh on the banks of the Orontes River in Syria is considered by some to have been Tunip on the basis of petrographic studies. EA letter #59 was analyzed to have been made of foraminiferous marl dominated by abundant glauconite spheres. According to this view, it is commonly accepted that glauconite, a soft silicate of the potash (Potassium content)/mica group, is formed by marine diagenesis of materials in shallow water at a time of slow sedimentation. According to the report this type of clay was found in the local pottery of Tell Asharneh, Syria. At the same time the report excluded other locations because of their conventional interpretation of the EA letters time period.
Conclusion: While this method sounds scientific it does depend on looking for samples in various locations. It does not take a huge deposit to produce pottery grade clay for many years.










A B&W image of heavy, bulging layering of the mountains northeast of Beirut, Lebanon, can be seen in Donald Redford's, `Egypt, Canaan and Israel in Ancient Times', Princeton, 1992, Plate 8.
Baalbek has been identified by Immanuel Velikovsky and Jan Sammer as the location of Dan and Tunip on the basis of finding monoliths there and some rare Solomonic ashlars and textual evidence as described by Jan Sammer. This textual evidence has recently been been confirmed by Ibrahim Kawkabani, Lebanon, on the basis of a sherd found at the ancient site of Baalbek inscribed in cuneiform containing the name `Baal Tunip'. Ibrahim thought that the Romans changed the contour of the hill they built the temple of Jupiter on. During searches he found some artifacts like flint, an ax, a scarab and a small broken piece of pottery showing a ritual scene with cuneiform writing reading: "Kissib Abi-Malek, Ibn (...), Baal-Tunip." He knew that for a long time the Egyptians called Baalbek Tunip, city of the sun, and later the Greeks helenized the name from Tunip to Heliopolis and that the Arabs used its original Canaanite name of `Baal al-Beqaa' or lord of the plain. The significance of the sherd is twofold: it refers to Tunip and the signed sherd was discovered during excavations in the great hall of Baalbek. The finds are currently at the Lebanese Heritage Center at the Lebanese/American University. This discovery would mean that Tunip was not in Syria but rather is to be equated with Baalbek.
[This information was posted in June 25, 2004 at: `http://dailystar.com.lb/printable.asp? art_ID=5604&cat_ID-1']
In the past splendid specimen of fossil fish have been found in the Lebanon mountains. In addition also considerable amounts of ancient amber has been found in the Baaka Valley near which Baalbek is located. This leads us to conclude that this region was flooded once with ocean water and we should expect to find glauconite somewhere. However, to our knowledge a search for this mineral near Baalbek has not been made, probably due to not considering the revised setting that the EA Period came after the reign of King Solomon.
Conclusion: Many times towns have been identified on the basis of inscribed ostraca, seals or sherds. We accept the textual evidence for Tunip.


The outer sarcophagus of Herischef-hotep - Der äußere Sarg des Herischef-hotep

The `Ägyptische Museum of the Universität Leipzig' has the inscribed and decorated sarcophagus of Herischef-hotep on display. The contents were found in 1902 during excavations by the `Deutschen Orientgesellschaft' under the direction of Ludwig Borchardt in the vicinity of the pyramids of Ni-user-re conventionally dated to ca. 2170 - 2020 BC, the so-called First Intermediate Period.
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Barrekub, Ruler of Sam'al
The account of the Stela of Barrekub, ruler of Sam'al/Zinjirli The old Hebrew inscription on the Stele of Barrekub, dated to the mid 8th century BC can be seen in BA, Vol. 39, Mar 1977, p. 24-28. It shows the ruler seated on a throne with a foot stool and decorated with carvings with his scribe standing before him, their right arm raised in a greeting.
The articel by C.C. Smith, `The Birth of Bureaucracy' expounds on the develoment of urban civilization (or is it just a continuation of urban living known from ages before?), the impact of bureaucracy on cuneiform writing, the origin of royal administrations based on household procedures, how ancient `boring' documents from the Ur III dynasty studied by Tom .B. Jones and John W. Snyder show that at ancient Drehem, where animals were sorted and redistributed for the various temples near Nippur, the scribes used elaborate double-entry book-keeping to tabulate receipts and their sources plus distribution with the destinations. Such `advanced' book-keeping techniques betray that these represent not the beginnings of civilized urban living. We believe such ought to be looked for in the already destroyed antedeluvian days, according to the scriptures, a subject requiring still years of patient study. [See also Simon B. Parker, `Appeals for Military Intervention: Stories from Zinjirli and the Bible' in BA, Dec. 96, p. 213-224. Features the plan of the citadel of Zinjirli and an artist's reconstruction of it. The caption says, `Kilamuwa's reference to his hostile neighbors, especially the king of the Dunanians, illustrates the need for the fortifications. Shown is the Phoenician Inscription of a) Kilamuwa (ca. 825 BC):
Part I: "...destroyed/the terrible thing...from/in his father's house, and he killed his father Bir-Sur, and he killed his father's 70 brothers. But my father mounted a chariot and ... and he filled the prisons with the rest of them, and he made ruined towns more common than inhabited towns, ...and if(?) you bring the sword into my house, and kill one of my sons, then I will release the sword in the land of Sam'al."
Part II: "Then he/they pierced(?).. the curse(?) of Panamuwa son of QRL...my father Panamu[wa], son of Birsur, (they) fled from the land. And sheep and cattle and wheat and barley [were scarce]; and a half-mina stood at (only) a shekel, and a STRB(-weight?) of onions(?) at a sheke, and 2/3 of a mina of oil(?) at a shekel."
Panamuwa's inscription:
6-8; "Then my father Pana[muwa, so]n of Bi[rsur], brought [a present] to the king of Assyria, who made him king over the father's house and killed the stone of destruction from his father's house and ... from the treasure of the houses of the land of Sam'al from... Then he broke open the prisons and released the prisoners of Sam'al."
8-11; "Then my father arose and released the women from the [neck stocks?]...the house of the women who had been killed, and he buried them in(?)...[Then he took] his father's house and made it better than before. And wheat and barley and sheep and cattle were abundant in his days. And all [] ate from...the price was cheap. And in the days of my father Panamuwa, he appointed masters of villages and masters of chariots. And my father Panamuwa was counted among mighty kings...And my father was rich in silver, yes, and rich in gold."

See also David Ussishkin, Der Alte Bau in Zincirli in Basor, Feb 1968, p. 50-53; Provides a plan of the excavation of the acropolis.
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The Great Royal Inscription of Arsameia
For B&W images of the Great Royal Inscription made by Antiochus I in Greek to honor his father, Mithridates Callinicus and found by Professor Dörner in Anatolia see H. Eydoux, `In Search of Lost Worlds', p. 239. The king had chosen this site for his hierothesion, not far from the Arsameia and near the River of the Nymphs (today called `Kahtacay'). See also: Friedrich Dörner, `The Royal Residence on the River of Nymphs' in Ceram's Hands on the Past, p. 295.

A Fragment of an Israelite Stele
What was described in the 1950's as the only fragment of an Israelite monumental stone inscription showing only the word asher/`which' in paleo-Hebrew writing can be seen in G.E. Wright, `Samaria' in BA, Vol. XII, Sep 1959, p. 67-(77)-78.; For a photo of a readable Greek inscription from near the Temple Mount of Jerusalem reading, "Theodotus son of Vettenus ... rebuilt this synagogue for the reading of the Law and the reading of the commandments ..." see BAR, Nov 2001, p. 55.

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References to images of Astarte
Since Astarte played a part in synchronizing the possible alter egos of Ben Hadad with Ashurnasirpal / Yuiya, we present some source information where to view the various images of this pagan goddess.
A 4 sided (7x3.8x2.5 cm) ivory object bears on two sides a standing, barefoot, robed female wearing on her head cow's horns and a sun disc. [M.E.L. Mallowan, Nimrud and Its Remains, Vol. I, p.111, Fig. 54, ND#768.]

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Palm Trees
Among the palm trees of Egypt "... the Doum Palm differs greatly from the ordinary date-palm. Instead of the single straight stem, it divides into two main branches, which again bifurcate as the tree grows. Its fruit which is about the size and colour of a pomegranate, is said to taste like ginger bread. It contains an exceedingly hard stone, which is used by the modern, as it was by the ancient, Egyptian carpenters for making sockets, drills, or hinges." [Rev. Samuel Manning, `The Land of the Pharaohs', Manchester, 1800's, p. 91]

Old Water Wheels
Among the mechanical methods to draw water from the (Nile) river, Egyptians used from of old a system called the sakieh which consisted of great, squeaky cogg wheels turned by a buffalo in his worn, circular path underneath a shed whose water wheel had cups around its circumference to pour water into a trough or pipe.
Another method was the very common shadoof consisting of a long pivoting pole with a counter weight at its handling end and a chain on its tip attached to a bucket.
A photo of large water wheels from the Euphrates area at `Hit' can be seen in Splendors of the Past, p. 57.

How to make Egyptian parchment: The initial steps are not described but involve `lime' or `chalk.' 1. Wipe it. 2. When it is shriveled polish it. 3. If it is in wrinkles put pumice on both sides and wipe it. 4. Put a little white lead mixed with a little alum (or vitriol) pounded together and tied in a linen cloth so that only the powder gets on the parchment, wipe and dry it and write on it.[W.E. Crum, A Coptic recipe for the preparation of parchment in PSBA, No. CCV, June, 1905, p. 166-171.]



Geographical, Geological Notes on Egypt

"The massive blocks of stone of the Quays in the harbour of Alexandria and Port Sa`id came from the quarries of Meks. They consist of decent tertiary, light colored, sandy limestone, composed chiefly of innumerable broken fragments of conchylia, a kind of rock which extends far to the west of Alexandria, and probably constitutes the greater part of the lofty Cyrenaean plain. In the vicinity of Port Suez a greenish-grey gypseous marl overlies the solid limestone; which contains the tertiary marine conchylia, sharks teeth, and remains of crocodiles and amphibious mammalia. At several points on the Red Sea coast, particularly near Qoseir, at a height of 600-950 feet, above sea level, we find rock of the late tertiary or diluvial era containing coral.
To the post-pliocene, or latest tertiary period, belong several isolated deposits of sandstone near Cairo, in which are found the beautiful fossil sea-urchins (Clypeaster Aegypticacus). Near Cairo, 4 hours east at Bir al Fahmeh, is the great `Petrified Forest', 2.5 hours beyond is/was the little `Petrified Forest'.
Above Cairo, to the south, the Nile is flanked by ranges of hills, beyond which, to the east, stretches the Arabian desert, and to the west the Libyan desert. The hills on both banks of the Nile consist of early tertiary nummulite limestone. The strata dip gradually from south to north, so that the farther away we ascend the Nile the older are the strata that we meet with. To the south of Edfu the nummulite limestone disappears, being succeeded by Quartzose sandstone, belonging to the middle or upper chalk formation, and forming considerable cliffs at the Gebel Silsileh, which confine the river within within a narrow bed. This last formation, known as `Nubian Sandstone', covers many thousands of square miles of Nubia and the Sudan. From Assuan to Silsileh the Nile flows through Nubian sandstone, but near the ancient Syene a transverse barrier of Granite and `syenite' advances from the east, forming the boundary between Egypt and Nubia. This barrier extends southward for about 180 miles, forming a very irregular chain of barren hills 900-1300 fett in height. The Nile has forced a passage through this hard rock, exposing to view at places the beautiful red feldspar crystals which it contains, and forms the first cataract at Assuan." [Karl Baedeker, Egypt, Leipzig, 1902, p. lii-liii.]


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Comparing the Teachings of the Book of the Dead with the Biblical Teaching about the Devil
The Biblical View on the Devil The Book of the Dead on the Devil
Does the Bible teach about eternal existence? Did the Egyptians believe in eternal existence?
Yes! Yes!
What does the Bible say about the origin of life? What does the BoD say about the origin of life?
All life is created by God. Not specifically addressed, only in a round about way.
Does the Bible teach about the devil and sin? Did the Egyptians believe in a devil antagonist?
Yes! Yes!
What does the Bible say about who the devil is? What does the BoD say who the devil antagonist is?
Where are the dead? The Bible speaks about Satan and his fallen angels.
To answer the question, have any others than human beings sinned? See 2.Peter 2:4.
Who was the leader of these sinning angels? See Matthew 25:41.
From where did Satan fall? See Revelation 12: 7-9.
What was the devils position in heaven? See Ezekiel 24:14.
Since his fall the character of the devil has been evil. See John 8:44; 1.John 3:8.
During his earthly ministry Jesus Christ was opposed to Satan. See Matthew 2:13-21; 4: 1-11; Hebrew 2:14; John 12:31; Rev. 12:17.
The name of the evil (or hidden) one is Apep/Apepi, Apophis or Typhus [Seth]. Evil was conjectured into the physical being of a snake (`Tsir', Ophis, `evil genius) sometimes being shown as being speared by a deceased to illustrate conquest or vengeance against evil. This appears to be a distant knowledge of the earliest Hebrew beliefs. [1000]

Another Egyptien pagan god often shown with aggressive characteristics is `Bes'. His representations seem not far removed from, what one may consider as satanic characteristics. [1100]

On the Subject of Disappearing Antiquities
See Carlo Maueilio Lerici, `How to Steal Antiquities' in C.W. Ceram, Hands on the Past, p. 18-26.

A Collection of Assorted Oil Lamps
`The changing shapes of ancient oil' lamps from MB I to Byzanrine times can be seen in BAR, Vol. XI, Mar/Apr 1985, p.44-56 and in Vol. 24, Mar/Apr 1998, p. 40-47.


The Babylonian Chronicle
What is the Babylonian Chronicle? Source information is dicussed in:

1. Wiseman, D. J., `Chronicles of the Chaldean Kings (625-556 BC) in the British Museum', BM., London. (1956). His Babylonia Chronicle was put together in 1956 from 9 clay tablets containing events in the reign of each king's regnal year. They are just a tiny portion of the 90,000 tablets received at the BM between 1872 and 1889. [See BAR, Vol. XVI, Sep/Oct 1990, p. 62.]

2. Horn, S. H., "Babylonian Chronicle and the Ancient Calendar of the Kingdom of Judah", Andrews University Seminary Studies. Vol. 5. (January 1967) 12.

3. Thiele, E. R. `The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings:a Reconstruction of the Chronology of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah', Chicago, IL. (1951), p. 52-66.

4. Freedman, David N., "Babylonian Chronicle", Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 19, (1956) p. 50.

5. Tadmor, Hayim, "Chronology of the Last Kings of Judah in Light of Two Neo-Babylonian Chronicles from British Museum" in JNES, Vol. 15, 1956, p. 229-230.

6. Green, Alberto R. "The Chronology of the Last Days of Judah: Two Apparent Discrepancies", Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 101, Mar, 1982, p. 61-62.

7. The cuneiform tablet BM 36304 and others in the British Museum.

Besides the Babylonian Chronicle there is also the:

Nabonidus Chronicle

Anthropoid Coffins - a growing collection of information

The custome of burying the dead in large, baked clay coffins comes from Egypt. They were also found in Palestine:

(1) In Deir el-Balah, Gaza, archaeologists found a large anthropoid coffin containing two skulls, gold and carnelian earrings and pendants, bronze and alabaster vessels, a large bronze platter, an alabaster cosmetic spoon the handle of which was in the shape of a nude swimming girl, a bronze mirror and faience and carnelian scarabs and seals which helped date it to the time of Ramses II. The molded head of the coffin wore a pharaonic wig, not a feather type headdress. The pottery laying outside the coffin itself appears not to be of the Philistine ware type.
(2) After removing more than 30 feet of accumulation in 1923, archaeologists came upon an Egyptian style complex at the southern edge of Beth Shean. Door jambs and lintels bore fragmentary hieroglyphic signs and several the name of `Ramesses-Weser-Khephesh', commander of the garrison at the location, whose titles included the cartouche of Ramses III. Some 50 anthropoid type coffins were found at Beth Shean, two of which were restored, while the remainder was too fragmentary.1) Some of the lids had natural facial moldings, others were more grotesque. Some thought of them as betraying Mycenaean characteristics by comparison to the famous Mycenaean gold mask which some now regard as perhaps to be a fake. So this comparison needs to be treated with caution. One of the anthropoid coffin lids found at Beth Shean has, what is thought to represent a molded feather headdress, and is therefore conventionally attributed to the Philistine era. But no Philistine type pottery was found since Beth Shean was outside their area of influence anyway.2) This should also alert us to the possiblity that the chronological attribution of these layers is suspect. In revised view, following the end of the Persian led invasion of Egypt, Ramses III may have tried to secure his border for military intelligence by a few outposts.
(3) An anthropoid coffin was found in the east corner of the `Kasr' portion of ancient Babylon. [See R. Koldewey, `The Excavations at Babylon', London, 1914, p. 275. This may strengthen the period of anthropoid coffins to be Persian.]


1) For images of anthropoid coffins see BAR, Vol. XVI, Jul/Aug 1990, p. 52-54 & Vol. 24, May/June 1998, p. 43 & Vol. 24, Sep/Oct 1998, p. 24-37.
2) T. Dothan, `People of the Sea'.


(3) See also Ernest Wright, `Philistine Coffins and Mercenaries' in BA, Sep 1959, p. 54-66. The author concludes that these types of coffins belonged to the Philistine period mentions: "The Beth-Shean coffins were found in rectangular tombs, the contents of which were dated by Vincent and Fisher in the 12th century BC. By contrast Canaanite tombs of the preceding Late Bronze Age tended to be more round in shape. While the pottery in the tombs was locally made, a number of scarabs showed that the deceased had been influenced by Egyptian customs. A lozenge-shaped mouth-plate of gold foil was found in one tomb. It had a hole in each end and originally had been tied over the mouth of a corpse. This reminded the archaeologists studying the finds of comparative discoveries at Mycenae in Greece."
The article brings out the correlations of these types of burials with the time of Ramses III who has been wrongly dated by conventional history and belongs in the 4th century BC. Thus, many of these anthropoid coffins probably represent burials of participants of Persian army personnal and/or their hired (Greek) mercenaries.
(4) During the Persian period, in particular the time under or subesequent to Artaxerxes II (404-359 BC), a city named `Maqqedah/(Khirbet el-Kom?)' located near Hebron became prominent. From this city seem to have come many ostraca dated to between 362-312 BC. [Andre Lemaire, `Another Temple to the Israelite God' in BAR, Vol. 30, Jul/Aug 2004, p. 38-44f. Also G.E. Wright, `Philistine Coffins and Mercenaries' in BA, Vol. XXII, Feb 1959, p. 54-66.]

Mari Letters
A Mari Letter from Itur-Asdu informs Zimri-Lim that another man, Malik-Dagan, has received a dream or prophecy from the god Dagan. BAR, Vol. 29, Jan/Feb 2003, p. 46. A color photo of the ML accompanies the information.

Famous Names from Mari
The statue of a governor (sakkanakku) of Mari named `Istup-ilum' found in room 65 of the Palace of Mari and the governor cuneiform inscribed `Idi-ilum' and `Laasgaan' are shown in M.H. Gates, `The Palace of Zimri-Lim at Mari' in BA, Vol. 47, June 1984, p. 70-(79, 81)-87. On page 85 is shown a life size diorite statue of `Puzur-ishtar' of Mari which was found in the museum of Nebuchadnezzar in his palace at Babylon and on page 95 we see the 27.2 cm tall statue inscribed on the right shoulder with the name of `Lamgi-Mari' or `Lamgi of Mari' which helped identify the site of Tell Hariri as ancient Mari.
The name of king Ibni-Addu, son of Hadad, was found at Mari. In about 20 of the Mari letters occurs the city name of Hazor.



Alalakh Painted Pottery Designs
Sir Leonard Wooley illustrates some interesting painted pottery designs featuring what he calls birds but which look to us like geese not unlike those found on Philistine pottery and illustrated by Trude Dothan. Philistine goose A difference is that the Alalakh geese face forward while a favorite position of the Philistine geese is to have their head turned backward. Alalakh wareExamples in question can be seen in the referenced sources. [L.Wooley, `Alalaakh', London, 1955, Plate LXXXV, c. Assigned to level XI, Plate XC, XCI and XCII. Compare to T.Dothan, `People of the Sea', p. 37. In some cases even the painted lines or bands of lines do not seem to be greatly unlike from each other. The authors do not discuss these kinds of resemblances originating from widely separated regions but what about their time? Are the assigned times fool proof? Unfortunately Wooley does not discuss these bird designs at length as to place of origin, sometimes probably found in fill outside of dated strata.] Occasionally one can see also a Philistine goose facing forward as in BAR, Vol. 27, Nov/Dec 2001, p. 26.
Alalakh/Tell Atchana is located not far from Ugarit/Ras Shamra and therefore may have had some connections to the Greek Isles or Anatolian/Lydian times, a region from which Greece drew many of its mercenary soldiers who, as a working hypothesis, may have helped spread pottery styles. Besides the pottery also two carved ivory `toilet-boxes' are described which are made into a duck with its head turned back as a handle. The neck was made of rings of other material which had disappeared. The style was thought to originate from Egypt and they were found in Level IV, Room 6 of the `Niqme-pa' palace conventionally dated to between 1435-1370 BC. However, overall the proposed chronology is recognized as not without problems. Additional examples were found at Ugarit. On this tentative basis we explore the possibility that the so called Philistine pottery did not necessarily belong to the Philistines but was introduced in Palestine whenever and wherever Greek/Anatolian/Ugaritan(?) mercenary units were stationed there.

The Early Discoverers of Antiquities
Benjamin of Tudela: He traveled ca. 1100 AD by way of Tadmore to Mosul, Nineveh and Babylon.
Claude James Rich: Early in the 19th century he worked for the East India Company at Baghdad and visited the mounds of Hillah/Babylon and Kouyunjik/Niniveh.
Paul Emil Botta: He was the French vice-consul in Mosul.

The Persian Presence in Palestine
Artifacts of the Persian period are scant but one outstanding artifact was found in the area of Sepphoris a vase fragment inscribed with Elamite and Babylonian cuneiform characters reading, "Artaxerxes, King", could indicate that the Persians maintained a garrison near Sepphoris. The other artifact found was an uninscribed, Persian style Rhyton. [M. Chancey & E. Meyers, `How Jewish was Sepphoris in Jesus Time?' in BAR, Vol. 26, Jul/Aug 2000, p. 18-33.]

Partial List of Images of Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian Artifacts
[Morris Jastrow, `The Civilization of Babylonia & Assyria', Philad., London, 1915.]

List of the otherwise harder to find Plates (Roman)/Figures (Latin): 1. B&W view of painted village of Khorsabad, 2. Birs Nimrud, the site of Borsippa, VII, 1. Sennacherib in his chariot, 2. carrying materials across a stream in a round vessel (Kouyunjik), VIII, 2. Hunting wild horses, IX, 1. Omen tablet fr. Ashurbanapal's library, 2. syllabary, ibid., X, Shamash, sun-god, in his shrine at Sippar, -with somewhat readable cuneis., XI, 1. Babyl. boundary stone, 2. stone pedestal (steatite) from excavations at Telloh., XII, 3. cunei inscribed terra-cotta cyl. & cones from Telloh , XV, 1. later period decorated in situ but all exposed clay coffin from Nippur, XVI, 1. statue of goddess Ninlil from Bismya, XVII, 1. excavations at Kaleh-Shergat (Ashur), 2. in situ exposed Assyrian memorial stela, XVIII, 2. Khorsabad archway of colored, glazed tiles showing round 8 petal floral designs and two winged priestly/royal figures, XIX, 2. the PROPYLÆ of the palace of Xerxes at Persepolis, XXI, 1. Rock sculpt. of Darius I., 2. Vase of Xerxes I., showing hieroglyphic (his name?) characters and a cunei inscr., XXIII, 1-2. inscribed obelisk and bust of Manishtusu, king of Kish., XXIV, 1-2. Lugal-Dudu, king of Adab - type Sumerian, Marduk-nadin-akhi, kng of Babylonia - type Semite., XXV, 2. Cyrus clay cyl. capture of Babylon, XXVII, terra-cotta votive images of the god Enlil and his consort Ninlil (Nippur), XXVIII, 2. said to represent a procession of gods, XXXI, 1-3. Ashur, Assyria's chief deity and 2 of his winged discs., Plate L, 1-2. Stele of Naramsin, king of Agade, bas-relief of same., LIII, 1-2. human headed bulls.



The Government of Iraq

Directorate General of Antiquities
Yusuf Ghanima

The Iraq Museum Collections - 1942

The List of `Governors of Lagash', Kish III. Dynasty as known in 1942

01. Ur (Zur) - Nanshe (formerly misread as Ur-Nina)
02. Akurgal
03. Eannatum (son)
04. Enannatum I. (brother)
05. Entemena II. (son)
06. Enannatum II. (son)
07. Enetarzi
08. Enlitarzi
09. Lugalanda (son)
10. Urukagina

List of Kings and Ishakus (governors)

The Kings before the Flood (according to the king lists)

Alulim ........................ NUNki .................. 08 sars 28,800 yrs
Ala(l)gar .................... NUNki .................. 10 sars 36,000 "
Enmeenbianna ............ Badtibira ................ 12 sars 43,200 "
Enmeengdanna ........... Badtibira ................ 08 sars 28,800 "
Dumuzi the shepherd .. Badtibira ................ 10 sars 36,000 "
En-Sib-zi anna ............ Larak ..................... 08 sars 28,800 "
Enmeenduranna .......... Sippar .................... 05 sars 21,000 "
(?) dudu ...................... Shuruppak ............. 05 sars 18,600 "


Total: ............. 8 kings ........... 5 cities ............. 241,200 years.

Guide to the Iraq Museum

A List of Artifacts found in the 1942 Document

Important Notice - Work in progress

The 1942 guide had been prepared according to the numerical order of the cases in the Exhibition Rooms which consist of two different groups; (1) the wall cases, which have a serial number throughout, (2) the central cases which have alphabetic letters. The objects are displayed in chronological order from the earliest period to more recent times. All images in the publication are in B&W and due to age frequently pale and would not well scan. We shall try to provide some images however, as time allows.

Case 1
A collection of fine, painted pottery, Fig. 1, belonging to the `Tell Halaf' or 4th pre-dynastic period, found at Arpachiyah near Mosul, dating from ca. 5000 BC.
Fig. 2 artifacts came from a mound near `Ras-al-Ain' on the Iraq, Syria frontier, where this class of pottery was first found.
Case 2
Same types as in case 1 plus a large storage jar of the 1st dyn. Jamdet Nasr period discovered at Fars, the ancient Shuruppak in the south of Iraq.

The `Decree of Naucratis'

[Source: http://www.franckgoddio.org/english/projects/canopicregion/history/history_01.asp]

`The doublet of the so-called stele of Naukratis.' by Jean Yoyotte, Prof. at the Collège de France Paris, June 7, 2001

A perfectly intact stele unearthed on the site of Nokratj (Naukratis in Greek), a little over a century ago (1899), revealed the contents of a decree which Nektanebos I, founder of the 30th dynasty, had published during his visit to Sais shortly after his accession to the throne (~ November 380 BC). The text, which is written in classic Egyptian and engraved in hieroglyphs using a particularly astute procedure, begins with a preamble relating the royal entry, followed by an emphatic praise of the sovereign. It then notes briefly his decision in favour of the goddess Neith, patroness of Sais and of the two preceding dynasties. This decision favouring the treasury of the goddess' temple, through a tax on the activities of the Greeks installed in the nearby trading post of Naukratis, on their imports via the canopic branch of the Nile on the one hand, and the products manufactured in From the volume of the tax regularly levied by the King's House, i.e. the state, on these two chapters, a dime was henceforth to be attributed to the temple of the goddess in order to create an additional offering, i.e. a benefit in kind for the local clergy which the newly arrived king wished to rally to his person.

Nectanebo's decision is presented as follows:
"Then His Majesty said: " Let one tenth of the gold, silver, wood and joinery and all thing coming from the Greek Sea, be taxed for the King's House in the place called Honë, as well as the tenth of gold, silver and all things existing in the domain of the harbour named Kratj on the bank of the Anu canal.."

Follows the order of the imposing posting of Nectanebos' decision in Naukratis itself:
"Then His Majesty said: "Let this be set on this stele erected in Nokratj on the bank of the Anu canal…"

On the upper part of the stele, above the 14 columns of learned hieroglyphs which metaphysically consecrated the perpetual donation, is engraved a picture showing the king offering to Neith a plate of food on the one side and a great golden necklace on the other. The Greeks knew well the Egyptian image of the goddess – which they had long since assimilated to Athena – and the message contained in the imagery, must have been as clear to them as to the Egyptians.

Both from the historical and the geographical point of view, the recent search and discoveries of Franck Goddio's mission allow definite conclusions as to important questions concerning the site of strategic and economic importance through which the Greeks were allowed – under surveillance - to penetrate the pharaonic kingdom.

It has been established in 1958 that the classic Egyptian word Honë – in the spoken language normally preceded by the female article T – was the place name transcribed into Greek as Thonis; the honë was a special term in the oldest Egyptian vocabulary designing the various outlets of the Nile's branches, which were in fact as many small deltas of several branches ending in the lakes along the coastline.

Herodot, on the other hand, tells us that the guardian policing the entry to the Nile's canopic branch was called Thonis. Diodor of Sicily would learn later on that Thonis had once been the name of the emporium, the place of commercial exchange, of the Egyptians. The trilingual Decree of Canopus indicates that the locality, which the Greeks called Heracleion, after a temple which legend attributed to Herakles, was situated precisely "at the entrance of the honë" in question.

In 2000, Franck Goddio's underwater mission succeeded in establishing the site of all of Heracleion, its harbour installations and the city itself, and more specifically a most important temple in the pharaonic style. The readable remnants of inscriptions on a huge ptolemaic naos which is part of this temple have further confirmed – if such was needed – that this building was indeed the sanctuary of Amun and Khonsu, alias Herakles, mentioned in the Canopic Decree. Bathymetric surveys indicate, on the other hand, that the hydrographic configuration of the site does indeed correspond to the type of river outlet called honë in the Egyptian language.

In May 2001, during an inventory of the monuments of Heracleion, Franck Goddio discovered a stele of Nektanebos I. which is a perfect replica of the Naukratis stele: material and dimensions are the same, as is the double image even in detail, and here, too, are 14 columns of vertical text.

In all logic, this discovery is not surprising, since part of the tax measures contained in the decree concerned the very customs of Thonis-Heracleion. Nevertheless, it is an extraordinary discovery: here are two versions of one and the same document, concerning two distant townships, preserved intact on the sites where they had been exposed in antiquity, and surely at little distance from the very spots where they had been erected. This might well be called a miracle when considering the destruction which nature and men have inflicted on the monuments of the two sites, and the disconcerting collection of dispersed and dismembered stones which are the normal picture in the region of Alexandria and most of Lower Egypt.

The Naucratis and Thonis versions provide texts which are word for word alike all along the first 12 columns and the 14th; the only differences concern small variations in the graphism of two words. Column 13 of the Thonis version is resolutely and most logically different from column 13 of the Naukratis stele:"Then His Majesty said: " Let this be set on this stele erected at the entrance of the Sea of the Greeks…"

This twinfold display is a further illustration of the refined art of communication mastered by the services of the pharaohs: communication between the state and its subjects, between Egypt and its foreign partners, as well as between the world of men and that of the gods. Sacred scripture ideally integrated politics and economy into a concept of the cosmos, which we call religious.

The two twin steles are both splendid examples of the art of engraving on hard stone in which the artists around the 4th century provide a rich collection of information for historians. The way in which the Sais workshops managed to manually produce two practically identical monuments is truly surprising.

Comments: We do well to remember that the hieroglyphic name engraved on the Stele of Naukratis is that of `Nekhtnebef'.


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A Variant Reading of the Tel Dan Stela' [See also Here!]

01. "[...]MR '[...]and cut/made (a treaty) ?[...]
02. [ooo]-el my father, went up [against him when] he was fighting at A[bel?]
03. and my father lay down; he went to [his ancestors.] Now the king of Israel entered
04. formerly in the land in my father's land; [but] Hadad made me myself king,
05. and Hadad went in front of me; [and] I departed from [the] seven [...]
06. of my kingdom; and I slew sev[nty ki]ngs, who harnessed thou[sands of cha]riots
07. and thousands of horsemen. [And I killed Jo]ram, son of A[hab,]
08. king of Israel, and [I] killed [Ahazi]yahu, son of [Joram. kin]/g
09. of the House of David; and I set [their towns into ruins? .... ci]/ties
10. of theor land into de[solation? ...]
11. ... other and to over[turn all their cities? ... and Jehu]
12. [ru]/led over Is[rael ...]
13. siege upon [...]

Author's Conclusion: In sum, this inscription should be attributed to Hazael. It was not `an emergency display inscription', but a memorial stela much like the Mesha Stela. It was intended as propaganda boasting of Hazael's victories on the northern border of Israel. What does the Tel Dan stela teach us about our use of the book of Kings as a historical source? Kings is selective and political/ideological in nature, but it is also a redacted work that used earlier sources. At the beginning of this article I suggested that we need to look for "disinterested" statements, i.e., those things that do not apparently serve the political and ideological interests of the biblical narrative. To some extent, even a text like `.Kings 9:15-18 is not "disinterested"; that is, it can be explained as serving the political and ideological interests of an earlier source, perhaps as part of an apologetic for Jehu's revolt. Yet, it cannot be explained easily within the style and ideology of the later deuteronomistic editors. It is evidently truncated from its original source. By looking for such truncated motifs, we also can find fragments of earlier sources, which can fill in the gaps left by the selective editing and political/ideological agenda of the later redactors.
Additionally, this inscription should refocus our attention to the political dimensions of the "house of David". Biblical scholarship has tended to be overly enamored with the theological idea of the "house of David" and has tended to read all references to David in prophetic literature as late or as reflecting eschatological and utopian ideals. The Tel Dan inscription should remind us that the "house of David" was first a political designation and only much later did this political idea by its association with the temple and priesthood take on theological and ultimately eschatological dimensions.[2000] [See William E. Schniedewind, `Tel Dan Stela: New Light on Aramaic and Jehu's Revolt' in BASOR, Feb 1996, p. 75-90.; Avraham Biran, Five Years Later in BA, Summer 1980, p. 168-182; showing a dedicatory inscription in Greek and Aramaic reading, `To the god who is in Dan, Zoilos made a vow'.; an early EB jar and excavated cross section of an earthen ramparts, Mycenaen pottery from tomb 387 (Israel Museum), large to smaller IA I wares found in a stone lined pit, a view of the excavated sacred area, Roman period fountain house, a seal showing a running horse pulling a chariot with 3 persons with possible lancets sticking up and forward inside, a drawing of the city and gate of the time of Ahab.]


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Notes & References

[1000] E.A.W. Budge, `The Book of the Dead', p. xxxii.; Brian Fagan, The Egypt of the Pharaohs, p. 184. Also Edouard Naville, The Book of the Dead in PSBA, June 11, 1902, p. 195-204.; Since Nu hates what is corrupt and Nu is associated with Ra (he navigates in the boat of Ra), and since Maat Ra drives away the Mighty One, Apepi, Apepi ought to be the one who corrupts. See also "The knowing of the pylons of the house of Osiris, in the garden of Aarru." Of the 15th pylon it is written, "The evil one, with red hair and eyes, who comes out at night, who binds her enemy all round, who puts her hands over the god whose heart is motionless (dead), in his hour (of danger), who goes and comes. She will prepare the unwrapping of the dead." The Book of the Dead, ch. CXLV in PSBA, Vol. XXIV, June 1902, p. 201. Also `Euphratean stellar researches' in PSBA, Vol. XVIII, Jan. 1896, p. 25-(39)-53.
[1100] See Kate Bosse-Griffiths, A Beset Amulet from the Amarna Period in Egyptian Archaeology, 1977, p. 98-106.
[2000] This is the authors view. We may want to caution to entertain that view because, according to the biblical account, God chose David from a young age on because of certain qualities to lead Israel. Only God knows how to read a heart and only God knows the end from the beginning and only God inspires prophets to prophecy true prophecies.

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