Students Attend Archeology Conference
Seven Truman students participated in the annual Biblical Archaeological Conference which took place at the University of Nebraska Omaha, Nov. 8-9.
The conference focuses on archaeological work done at Bethsaida—located in modern day Israel. After 25 years of excavation, the site is known as one of antiquity’s most important Biblical locations. Its significance dates back to the Iron Age when the site served as a Geshurite capital city. Later, in the Roman period, Bethsaida played a primary role in the ministry of Jesus.
Each of the Truman students in attendance at the conference had first-hand knowledge and experience related to the excavation of Bethsaida. All seven were participants in Truman’s Middle East Study Abroad course last summer, which in addition to two weeks of travel through Turkey, Jerusalem and the West Bank, included two weeks of work at Bethsaida.
This year’s conference featured two keynote speakers from Israel. Avraham Faust of Bar-Ilan University spoke on the ethnogenesis of Israel, while David Ussishkim of Tel Aviv University discussed Jerusalem at the time of Solomon, Hezekiah and Nehemiah. Thirteen other scholarly papers were showcased at the conference including a presentation by Truman’s Mark Appold, associate professor of philosophy and religion, who spoke on narratology and archaeology.
The conference focuses on archaeological work done at Bethsaida—located in modern day Israel. After 25 years of excavation, the site is known as one of antiquity’s most important Biblical locations. Its significance dates back to the Iron Age when the site served as a Geshurite capital city. Later, in the Roman period, Bethsaida played a primary role in the ministry of Jesus.
Each of the Truman students in attendance at the conference had first-hand knowledge and experience related to the excavation of Bethsaida. All seven were participants in Truman’s Middle East Study Abroad course last summer, which in addition to two weeks of travel through Turkey, Jerusalem and the West Bank, included two weeks of work at Bethsaida.
This year’s conference featured two keynote speakers from Israel. Avraham Faust of Bar-Ilan University spoke on the ethnogenesis of Israel, while David Ussishkim of Tel Aviv University discussed Jerusalem at the time of Solomon, Hezekiah and Nehemiah. Thirteen other scholarly papers were showcased at the conference including a presentation by Truman’s Mark Appold, associate professor of philosophy and religion, who spoke on narratology and archaeology.
