Between Text and Artifact: Integrating Archaeology in Biblical Studies Teaching (Archaeology and Biblical Studies)

MORELAND: AKCHAEOLOGYINNEWTESTAMENTCOURSES

ruralhostilitytowardurbanareasappeartohaveexistedinthemove-

ment.Indeed,theaudiencecouldhavebeenandprobablywasurban-

aswellasvillagecentered.^23

143

InsUppol1ofEdwards'sposition,itshouldbenotedthaIinthefaceof

therapidshiftsbroughtonbytheseHerodianbuildingprojects,asubstan~

tialamountofstabilityprevailedintheregion,atleastfromthelate20sto

thelate50sC.E, Forinstance,nomajormilitaryfOl1ressesareknownto

havebeenfoundedintheregionbytheHerodianadministration.^24 Thus,

unlikethesurroundingregionsofHerod'sempire, centralGalilee was

negligiblypopulatedbymilitarypersonnelorfol1ressstructures.2SSeppho-

ris andTiberiaswere not fortresses in the Early Roman period,even

thoughIhecitieswerewell-positionedadministrativecentersresponsible

fortaxcollection.EventheHas!llonean"castro"ormilitaryoutpostonthe

siteofSepphoriswasnolongerbeingusedasa fortressinthefirstcemury,

andit wascompletelydestroyed priorto 66 C.E. Ratherthana military

fortress,partofthebuildinghadevidentlybeenconvertedintoanindus-

trial spacewherea substantialarea ofbone-toolproduction for use in

weavingwasfoundinoneofthelargerooms.^26

Addingtolhispictureisthefactthatthearchaeologicaldatashowno

signsofextremewealth amongthe urbanresidents ofSepphoris. An

overviewofthematerialremainsoftheinhabitantsofSepphorispresented

byReedillustratesther-..ltherstarkcontrastbetweenthewealthandpres-

tigeofthiscityincomparisontoothermajorGreco-Romancitiesinthe

region,suchasTyre,Caesarea,orScythopolis.^27 ThecitizensofSepphoris

appeartohavebeenunabletoaffordmostluxuryitems.Thereisevidence

forsometradewilhoutsideregionsintheformofimportedfine wares,

andtherearevariousdomesticdecorationsthatimplyattemptsbysomeof

theresidentstotrytoreproducesignsofwealthwithcheaperreplicas(one

examplebeingthefrescoremnantsandpaintedplastermoldingfoundin

theruinsofa first-centuryhouse).However,therearenolargequantities

ofiInpol1edmarbleandnomajorpublicbuildingprojectssuchasa hippo-

drome,temple,orgymnasiumthaidatetotheearlyfirslcentlll)'.

23 Edw:lrds,·Socia-economicandCuhur',11EthosofLowerGalilee:72.
24 Richardson,Herod.175-76.
25 Regardingthegener.lllackofevidencefornon-Jewishpeople,includingmembt:rsof
the Roman miliwry,see l.brkA. Ch;lnCCY. ·'beMythofaGelltileGalilee(S'fTSMSJ18:
Cambridge,C;1ll1bridgeUniversityPress,2(02).
26 EricMeyers,"~pphorisontheEveoftheGreatRevolt(67~C.E.):ArchaeoJo,"Wand
Josephus:inGalileeIbmrlShtheCf.!Iltlln·e:s(ed.E.Meyers:Winomlbke.Ind.:Eiscnbr:mns,
1999),J14,120-22.
27 Reed,Arcb(/eo/QRYmultheGalileallJesus. J17-31.