The Eastern Desert of Egypt during the Greco-Roman Period: Archaeological Reports

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Oller Guzmán

This paper tries to explain the first results obtained on trench 102, located on the southwestern area of the ancient harbour of Berenike. Chronologically the trench runs from the Late Hellenistic to Roman Period, showing different uses of this area during Antiquity. Some of the data recovered are quite interesting in order to understand the evolution of this scarcely known area of Berenike’s harbor. The identification of a metallurgical furnace related to the Late Hellenistic Period is especially remarkable, as it provides some insights about the structure of this zone under the last Ptolemaic rulers. So, the main objective of the paper is to offer new data about the productive structure of this site during the Ptolemaic period with special focus on the metallurgical production.


Author(s):  
Michael E. Pregill

This chapter examines the earliest traditions of interpretation of the Golden Calf narrative, found in Jewish literature of the Greco-Roman period; these early retellings of the narrative are deeply colored by apologetic concerns. Major shifts in interpretation can be charted over the course of a few short centuries during this era due to rapid changes in the cultural and religious landscape. While the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, is frank regarding the Israelites’ sin of idolatry, the versions of the Golden Calf episode found in Philo, Pseudo-Philo, and Josephus are concerned to minimize the impact of attacks on the Jewish community and its traditions from gentile outsiders, and so represent the story in ways intended to mitigate the impression of Israel’s idolatry. Early rabbinic exegetes, in contrast, are relatively candid about Israel’s sin with the Calf. However, the emergence of the Christian movement, which entailed the revision of numerous biblical stories, including new understandings of the Calf narrative, induced rabbinic exegetes to approach the Calf narrative with a new sense of circumspection and caution in order to counter rival interpretations that were potentially harmful to the reputation and self-conception of the Jewish community.


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