Tel Burna Featured in BAR

The recent addition of BAR (Biblical Archaeology Review) chronicles the different active archaeological sites in Israel.  Tel Burna, the dig that Mindy and I are involved with is one of the featured sites - see some information regarding Biblical Libnah (?) and it's beautiful cover girl/photographer here.

Tel Burna 2010-11 Excavation Season(s)

The dates for Tel Burna's excavation seasons have just been announced. Can't wait to go back for a couple days with IBEX this November to continue work at this fascinating site.  You can see some of Burna's fortifications here. Our short season will include a continuation of the surface survey, as well as a clearing of brush around some of the fortification lines.

Taken from 1980 Calloway, J. "Sir Flinders Petrie: Father of Palestinian Archaeology," BAR 6/6: 44-45.

Here is what Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (of headless fame) had to say about the site in 1891 in his journal on Tell el Hesy:

“Tell Bornat – Late Jewish pottery, no Greek (?) or Roman. Top is in crops, the sides half barren.  About 200 feet square with long slopes."

Petrie's description was spot on as this is the exact archaeological picture (there were no such designations as EBIV/MBI/IB, LB I, Iron IIa in Petrie's day) we have of Tel Burna with the same dimensions he describes nearly 120 years ago.  As confirmed by Google Earth.

If you look closely you can make out the shape of the tell on its  north, west and east sides (oriented due north) - these sides are basically symmetrical and according to Google Earth about 200 ft long.  (Google earth is amazing).

Tel Burna Slideshow

My lovely wife has put together a phenomenal slideshow of this year's excavations at Tel Burna.

Tel Burna 2010 from Mindy McKinny on Vimeo.

Tel Burna's Impressive (Visible) Fortifications

Here are a few looks at Tel Burna's impressive fortifications taken by Sky View.  Understand that it is extremely rare to be able to see Iron Age architecture directly on the surface of a tell - especially one that has not been touched by the spade of archaeology (you should hear the giddiness in my voice).

Needless to say - the possibilities for this site are very tantalizing. You can see some other aerial shots and descriptions at the official blog site of Tel Burna.