From my Fantasy Writing Desk:
Last Saturday I joined a big crowd at the Poisoned Pen bookstore for the launch of Rhys Bowen’s latest historical mystery, Love and Death Among the Cheetahs. I caught up with several writer friends who’d also stopped by. I have so much fun when I’m hanging out with the writer community in the Phoenix area. Who knew a desert could harbor so many writers?
I enjoyed hearing Rhys talk about her books. She’s smart and funny. She has depth as a person and writer. Love and Death is the 13th of the Royal Spyness series, her lightest and funniest series, but even so, she always writes with resonance about social causes—with no hint of preachiness. This mystery, set in Kenya in 1935, has a lot to say about race and ingrained prejudices. A book of the moment, while being set accurately in its period. I haven’t sat down to write my review yet, but it’ll be easy to do.
Archaeology I Enjoyed:
More Treasure from the New Pompeian Excavations
In the new excavation area of Pompeii, archaeologists uncovered a “sorcerer’s treasure trove” of artifacts, including good-luck charms, mirrors and glass beads. The sorcerer part appears to be a bit of hyperbole, but the box does contain tiny figurines and other objects that probably had ritual significance. I noticed a scarab and a carved bead of Dionysius. The gemstones include carnelian, crystals, amber and amethyst. The wooden box itself has decayed, but its bronze hinges remain. A room in the same house held ten victims, including woman and children, who perished in the eruption. Did this box belong to one of them? Click here for BBC News “Pompeii archaeologists uncover ‘sorcerer’s treasure trove'”
New Finds on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem
A long time dig on Mt Zion in Jerusalem has recently uncovered evidence of the Babylonian conquest of the city from 587/586 BCE. They found layers of ash that are clearly more than oven clean-out etc, and have many broken household objects mixed in, indicating a residential building destroyed in an attack. They also found the type of arrowheads Babylonian soldiers used, and one piece of jewelry melted into and lost in the debris. The area they’ve begun to excavate shows signs of being a significant Iron Age building—with more to come as the dig proceeds.
Excavation director Shimon Gibson said, “I like to think that we are excavating inside one of the ‘Great Man’s houses’ mentioned in the second book of Kings 25:9. This spot would have been at an ideal location, situated as it is close to the western summit of the city with a good view overlooking Solomon’s Temple and Mount Moriah to the north-east. We have high expectations of finding much more of the Iron Age city in future seasons of work. ”
It is particularly satisfying when archaeology and written accounts and other known details align to confirm what we thought we knew. The first destruction of the Temple, which this Babylonian conquest brought about, is a central event in Jewish historical consciousness. Does this kind of discovery give you the shivers? Click here for Archaeology News Network “Evidence of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem found in Mount Zion excavation”