历史考古发掘将朱迪亚沙漠与田纳西州东部联系起来

一个孩子大小的戒指，只有大约1厘米长. in diameter, tells the story of a distant past, but also the future of a university program. 

镶有绿松石的金色圆形物体, is one of several items discovered during an initial groundbreaking excavation project in the northern Judean Desert – more specifically, 希律大帝沙漠要塞的废墟, 赫卡尼亚. 

Carson-Newman大学, in support of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archeology and in collaboration with the American Veterans Archeological Recovery (AVAR), 曼联这个夏天的网站. 这一努力已经产生了显著的成果. The earliest phase of the fortress, located on a remote, commanding hilltop, dates to the late 2^nd 或者早一点^st 公元前100年:哈斯蒙王朝. 后来由希律大帝重建和扩建. No methodological or scientific archeological excavation had ever taken place at the location – until now.  

这一切的现实很快让卡森-纽曼博士兴奋不已. 大卫·克拉奇利和马歇尔·金.  

“It puts us in the know – to have Carson-Newman linked with Hebrew University is huge,克拉奇利说, 谁是C-N圣经与神学研究学院的院长. 这是考古学的堡垒.” 

Sharing in the historic summer dig were four Carson-Newman students led by Rev. 比尔·希尔德是该大学的兼职教授. 对亲手弄脏自己的手并不陌生, Hild has followed his passion for archeology on over 40 visits to the Middle East.   

这个独特的机会来自于卡森-纽曼学院一个新的考古学辅修课程. Though the University has a history of introducing students to archeology digs, 最近一次是在约旦南部, 这是第一次为学生开设辅修课程. 

王, 克拉奇利认为他是未成年人的建筑师, drew on his love and background in the field when helping develop the new offering. “There’s a lot of connection with archeology in the liberal arts setting,” 王 said. “It’s kind of a venue for different expertise to come together and work as a team towards a common goal.” The Carson-Newman professors believe the archeology minor has the potential of drawing students from disciplines across campus – whether they are studying history, 社会学或计算机科学, 新的祭品不仅适合圣经学者.  

“这不仅是专业知识的大熔炉, but also cultures and that’s why I think there’s no replacement for archeology. 这是无与伦比的，”金说. “I want our students to leave Carson-Newman knowing that the sky’s the limit and archeology gives them a view towards the limitlessness of their future.” 

献给即将晋升的资深挖掘团队成员雅各布·伊斯特迪, 考古经历揭示了意想不到的个人潜力. 

“我想我的收获是，它帮助我成熟了, 它帮助我变得更全面，更自信,伊斯特尔想。, 圣经研究专业, 同时辅修希腊语和考古学. “我的意思是, 如果你能爬到一座能看到死海的山上, 约但河, and you’re in the middle of the Judean desert and you’re digging up all these ancient stones, 它真的让我对我的大多数其他追求充满信心.” 

马修Setsor, 攻读神学硕士学位的C-N研究生, said that what drew him was the opportunity to see the land connected to his Christian faith. 

“It was incredible that I got to participate in this with some really neat people, 但在某种程度上，它也让人不知所措, 因为我们所处的位置很重要,塞索尔说。, 谁打算从这段经历中吸取教训，为将来的事工工作作准备. “The geography of everything doesn’t make sense until you go there and see everything unfold before your eyes.” 

同时沉浸在这个位置的重要性中, 卡森-纽曼公司, 以及希伯来大学和AVAR团队, 帮助这片土地放弃世代相传的秘密. 特别值得注意的, excavators unearthed a remarkable Christian inscription paraphrasing on Psalm 86:1-2. 《全球赌博十大网站》是用《全球网赌十大网站》的语言——希腊文写成的^th century inscription is connected to a period in which a Christian monastery once sat on the site. 附有十字架, 发现的文字被翻译成:“耶稣基督, 保护我, 因为我是困苦穷乏的.” 

露出修道院的马赛克地板, to unearthing an arch keystone believed to be built during the Second Temple period, 每件物品都有一个故事. 正因为如此, the Carson-Newman group returned to East Tennessee with stories of their own – stories sure to be retold for a lifetime. 

在一份发布的联合声明中，考古发掘主任. 希伯来大学的奥伦·古特菲尔德和迈克尔·哈伯评论道:  

“By any measure, access to and actual excavation of 赫卡尼亚 is not a simple undertaking. 整个为期四周的挖掘季节, we would be impressed daily by the Carson-Newman大学 students’ enthusiasm, 好奇心, 周到的参与和持续的努力工作. 最终, 我们的试播季 取得了非凡的成功, 多亏了在犹太沙漠集结的优秀团队.” 

还有更多的东西有待发现, Hild is ready to lead the next cohort of students to the archeological site next spring. 能进入如此具有历史意义的挖掘地点, the revitalized archeology program and new minor at Carson-Newman is perfect for those interested in connecting with the past and interested in what potential lies just below the surface. 

“远古的历史就是我们的历史，”希尔德站在一旁说 i24NEWS现场报道. “因此，当我们发现历史时，我们就创造了历史. 我们觉得我们正在创造历史.”