Theology staff are delighted and excited to be hosting two very distinguished scholars next month – Professors Carol and Eric Meyers from Duke University are visiting the University of Auckland and will be delivering a public lecture on 4 March that promises to be absolutely fascinating. We can’t wait! More details below.
Theology at the University of Auckland Public Lecture
Tuesday 4 March, 6pm
Venue: Arts 1, 14a Symonds Street, room 209 (206-209)
Holy Land Archaeology: Where the Past Meets the Present
Professors Carol Meyers and Eric Meyers (Duke University, North Carolina)
Archaeology is commonly understood as the study of human life in the past by analyzing the material remains of the past. But it is not usually recognized that the archaeological quest for the past is inevitably shaped by the excavators’ present. Professors Carol and Eric Meyers will use four case studies to illustrate the intersection between the discoveries at ancient sites and the pressures of the modern world. They will first present the stunning mosaics of the Beth Alpha synagogue in the context of the early Jewish settlement of the “Promised Land.” Then the excavations of Hazor, the largest biblical-era site in Israel, will be set against the background of the early days of the State of Israel. Next, the ruins atop the towering plateau of Masada near the Dead Sea will be considered in light of the nationalist loyalties of the excavators. Finally, the discoveries at Sepphoris, a major Galilean city in the Roman and Byzantine periods, are viewed in relation to the turmoil in the Holy Land since the first intifada.
CAROL MEYERS holds the Mary Grace Wilson Professorship in Religion at Duke University. She is a specialist in biblical studies and archaeology, as well as in the study of women in the biblical world. Author of many books and articles in these fields, one of her most recent works is Rediscovering Eve: Ancient Israelite Women in Context (OUP, 2012). She is a trustee of the American Schools of Oriental Research and of the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, serves on the board of directors of the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation, and is immediate past-president of the Society of Biblical Literature.
ERIC MEYERS holds the Bernice and Morton Lerner Chair in Jewish Studies at Duke University. His specialties include biblical studies and archaeology with a focus on the Second Temple and Greco-Roman period. His most recent publications include co-edited volumes Alexander to Constantine: Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, vol. 3 with Mark Chancey (Yale University Press, 2012) and The Pottery from Ancient Sepphoris (Eisenbrauns, 2013) with Carol Meyers. He is the past three-term president of the American Schools of Oriental Research.
For more details about the conference please contact theologyadmin@auckland.ac.nz
PDF flyer available here: Meyers Public Lecture (2)
Auckland Theology & Religious Studies 