Category Archives: History

State power and the death of a man

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Tim Frank

The recent death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands (or rather knees) of police officers has caused a wave of protests around the world. The protesters expressed their outrage at police violence and racism. Even though many other … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Assyria, Bible, Biblical Studies, History, Israel, Scholarly articles | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Household food storage in Ancient Israel and Judah

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Tim Frank

My book “Household food storage in Ancient Israel and Judah” has been published by Archaeopress. It is a revised version of my doctoral dissertation completed for the University of Bern. It explores household food storage by looking at texts, pictorial … Continue reading →

Posted in archaeological theory, Archaeology, artifacts, Bible, Biblical Studies, excavations, Gustaf Dalman, History, Household Archaeology, Israel, Judah, Lachish, Tell Halif | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

People in history

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Tim Frank

I was recently asked to comment on an article by Israel Finkelstein, which discussed the history of Ancient Israel. As could be expected, the article had some good points, reference to archaeological conclusions, declarations of scholarly consensus where no consensus … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Biblical Studies, Discussion, History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bibleworld in Rotorua

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Tim Frank

Recently I visited a relatively small, but very good museum Bibleworld in Rotorua, New Zealand. It is one of the few places in New Zealand, where people can get information about Ancient Israel. While Bibleworld has several artefacts from New … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Heritage, History, Museum | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The aim of archaeology

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Tim Frank

During my archaeological studies at university I only got a cursory introduction to the history of the discipline. But we learned that it started mainly with the collection and subsequent classification of artefacts. Just as others in the early 19th … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The aesthetics of scholarship

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Tim Frank

“I know archaeology is not always exciting, but does it have to get that boring?”, I often ask myself when reading through another archaeological article. The language is stilted, the sentences dry, the concepts uninspiring. Yes, I do understand that … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Discussion, History, Scholarly articles | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Assyrian century: interpretations of texts and ruins

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Tim Frank

The debate about the economic impacts of the Assyrian rule of the Levant is continuing. As discussed in previous posts about the Pax Assyriaca and the trade through Mediterranean ports, there are diverging views on the extent to which the … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Assyria, Discussion, History | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pax Assyriaca

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Tim Frank

Once upon a time on the eastern shores of the sea there were many little kingdoms fighting for dominance, trying to exert control over each other. The frequent raids into the territories of neighbours made life uncertain. The enmity stifled … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Bible, Discussion, excavations, History, Judah | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Remembering the past

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Tim Frank

In George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four the main character works in the Ministry of Truth, which is responsible for propaganda and historical revisionism. He revises old newspaper reports so that the historical record always supports the party line. Because … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Discussion, History | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The wisdom of history

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Tim Frank

In the movie “Shadowlands” – which dramatizes a particular time in the life of C.S. Lewis – one of his students mentions a phrase in conversation, which C.S. Lewis reflects on: “We read to know we are not alone.” Apparently, … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , | Leave a comment