This project is a digital catalog of all the artifacts, archives, and photographs from the Tell en-Nasbeh Collection at the Badè Museum of Biblical Archaeology at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. This collection derives from the excavations of Tell en-Nasbeh conducted by William Frederic Badè between 1926 and 1935. The project was jointly sponsored by the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) and the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) and represents one of the earliest scientific excavations in Israel/Palestine.
Tell en-Nasbeh, likely the biblical city of Mizpah, is a 3.2 hectare (8 acre) tell located 12 kilometers (8 miles) northwest of Jerusalem on a low plateau. The site lies adjacent to an ancient roadway connecting Jerusalem with the northern hill country, which is how Tell en-Nasbeh gained importance as Judah's northern border fortress during its prime phase of occupation in the Iron Age (Strata 3A-C; 1000-586 BCE). There are also archaeological remains at the site and in surrounding cave tombs that have been dated to Early Bronze I (Stratum 5; 3500-3300 BCE), Iron I (Stratum 4; 1200-100 BCE), Babylonian and Persian (Stratum 2; 586-323 BCE), Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine Periods (Stratum 1; 323-630 CE).
At the conclusion of five seasons, Dr. Badè and his team had excavated approximately two-thirds of the ancient town to reveal a massive fortification wall, impressive gateway, three and four-room houses, family tombs, and hundreds of lamps, pitchers, bowls, jars, jewelry, metal objects, stamped jar handles, ceramic figurines (including 'Judean pillar figurines'), and cosmetic items. While many of these artifacts were deposited at the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem, the majority were shipped back to Berkeley for further analysis and conservation, leading to the publication of two final report volumes (McCown 1947, Wampler 1947). These 5,800 archaeological artifacts and the project's accompanying documentation, including the field notebooks, architectural drawings, and photographs, form the core of the Badè Museum's holdings.
Publications:
Arnold, P.M.
1992
"Mizpah," pp. 879-881 in D. N. Freedman, ed., Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol III. New York: Doubleday.
Avigad, N.
1958
"New Light on the MSH Impressions," Israel Exploration Journal 8:113-119
Badè, W.F.
1927
"Excavation of Tell en-Nasbeh," Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Reasearch 26:1-7
1927
"The Excavations at Tell en-Nasbeh," PEFQS 1927:7-13.
1927
Excavations at Tell en-Nasbeh, 1926 and 1927: A Preliminary Report. Palestine Institute Publications No. 1. Berkeley.
1929
"Excavations at Tell en-Nasbeh," RB 38:317-319.
1929
"Tell en-Nasbeh in 1929," Bulletin of Pacific School of Religion 8(3):3-12.
1930
"The Tell en-Nasbeh Excavations of 1929, A Preliminary Report," PEFQS 1930:8-19.
1930
"The Tell en-Nasbeh Excavations of 1929, A Preliminary Report," Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, pp 483-494.
1931
Some Tombs of Tell en-Nasbeh Discovered in 1929 Palestine Institute Publications No. 2. Berkeley.
1932
"A Jar Handle from Tell en-Nasbeh," ZAW51:150-156.
1932
"Tall en Nasba," QDAP 2:147, 192-193.
1933
"The Seal of Jaazaniah," ZAW 51:150-156.
1934
A Manual of Excavation in the Near East Berkeley: University of California Press.
1935
"New Discoveries at Tell en-Nasbeh," Werden und Wesen des Alten Testaments 66:30-36.
Bothmer, D. von
1941
"Greek Pottery from Tell en-Nasbeh," BASOR 83:25-30.
Branigan, K.
1966
"The Four-Room Buildings of Tell en-Nasbeh," IEJ 16:206-208.
Branigan, K.
1966
"The Four-Room Buildings of Tell en-Nasbeh," IEJ 16:206-208.
Brody, A. J.
2009
"'Those Who Add House to House': Household Archaeology and the Use of Domestic Space in an Iron II Residential Compound at Tell en-Nasbeh," pp. 45-56 in D. J. Schloen, ed., Exploring the Longue Dure: Essays in Honor of Lawrence E. Stager. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns.
Brody, A. J. and Friedman, E.
2007
"Bronze Bangles from Tell en-Nasbeh: Cultural and Economic Observations on an Artifact Type from the Time of the Prophets," pp. 97-114 in R. B. Coote and N. K. Gottwald, eds., To Break Every Yoke Essays in Honor of Marvin L. Chaney. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press.
Broshi, M.
1977
"Nasbeh, Tel En-" pp. 912-918 in M. Avi-Yonah and E. Stern, eds., EAEHL, Vol. III. Jerusalem: Massada Press.
1992
"Nabeh, Tell en-" pp. 1027-1029 in D. N. Freedman, ed., Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol IV. New York: Doubleday.
Cross, F.M.
1969
"Two Notes on Palestinian Inscriptions of the Persian Age," BASOR 193:19-24.
Diringer, D.
1967
"Mizpah," pp. 309-328 in D.W. Thomas, ed., Archaeology and Old Testament Study Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Grant, E.
1927
"Tell en-Nasbeh Expedition of the Pacific School of Religion," PEFQS (1927):159-161.
Gunneweg, J., Asaro, F., Michel, H.V. and Perlman, I.
1994
"Interregional Contacts between Tell en-Nasbeh and Littoral Philistine Centres in Canaan during Early Iron I," Archaeometry 36:227-240.
Katz, H.
1998
"A Note on the Date of the 'Great Wall' of Tell en-Nasbeh," TA 25:131-133.
McClellan, T.L.
1984
"Town Planning at Tell en-Nasbeh," ZDPV 100:53-69.
McCown, C.C.
1945
"The Long-Room House at Tell en-Nasbeh," BASOR 98:2-15.
1947
Tell en-Nasbeh I: Archaeological and Historical Results. Pacific Institute of Pacific School of Religion and American Schools of Oriental Research, Berkeley and New Haven.
Masterman, E.W.G.
1929
"Excavations at Tell en-Nasbeh, 1926-7," PEFQS (1929):56-57.
Muilenburg, J.
1954-55
"Mizpah of Benjamin," Studia Theologica 8:25-42.
Naish, J.P.
1932
"Tell en-Nasbeh," PEFQS (1932):204-209.
Vanderhooft, D. and Horowitz, W.
2002
"The Cuneiform Inscription from Tell en Nabeh: The Demise of an Unknown King," TA 29:318-327.
Wampler, J.C.
1940
"Triangular Impressed Design in Palestinian Pottery," BASOR 80:13-16.
1941
"Three Cistern Groups from Tell en-Nasbeh," BASOR 82:25-43.
1947
Tell en-Nasbeh II: The Pottery. Palestine Institute of Pacific School of Religion and American Schools of Oriental Research, Berkeley and New Haven.
Wright, G.E.
1947
"Tell en-Nasbeh," BA 10:69-77.
Zink, J.H.
1947
"Tell en-Nasbeh," pp. 569-571 in C.F. Pfeiffer, ed., The Biblical World. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.
Zorn, J.R.
1988
"William Frederic Badè," BA 51:28-35.
1988
"The Badè Institute of Biblical Archaeology," BA 51:36-45.
1993
Tell en Nasbeh: A Re-evaluation of the Architecture and Stratigraphy of the Early Bronze Age, Iron Age and Later Periods. Berkeley: University of California doctoral dissertation.
1993
"Nabeh, Tell en-," pp. 1098-1102 in The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, edited by E. Stern, vol. 3. Jerusalem: Carta, 1993b.
1993
"Mesopotamian-style Ceramic 'Bathtub' Coffins from Tell en-Nasbeh," TA 22: 98-106.
1994
"Two Rosette Stamp Impressions from Tell en-Nasbeh," BASOR 293:81-82.
1994
"The M(W)SH Stamp Impressions and the Neo-Babylonian Period," IEJ 44: 161-183. With J. Yellin and J. Hayes.
1995
"Three Cross-Shaped 'Tet' Stamp Impressions from Tell en-Nasbeh," TA 22: 98-106.
1996
"The Date of A Bronze Vase from Tell en-Nasbeh," TA 23:209-212.
1997
"Tell en-Nasbeh," pp. 101-103 in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Ancient Near East. edited by E. Meyers, vol. 4. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
1997
"Mizpah: Newly Discovered Stratum Reveals Judah's other Capital," BAR 23(5):28-38, 66.
1997
"An Inner and Outer Gate Complex at Tell en-Nasbeh," BASOR 307:53-66.
1998
"The Dating of an Early Iron Age Kiln from Tell al-Nasbah," Levant 30:199-202.
1999
"A Note on the Date of the 'Great Wall' of Tell en-Nasbeh: A Rejoinder." Tel Aviv 26:146-150.
2001
"Wedge- and Circle-Impressed Pottery: An Arabian Connection." pp. 689-698 in Studies in the Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands in Memory of Douglas. L. Esse, edited by S. R. Wolff. Chicago: Oriental Institute.
2003
"Tell en-Nabeh and the Problem of the Material Culture of the 6th Century." pp. 413-447 in Judah and the Judeans in the Neo-Babylonian Period, edited by O. Lipschits and J. Blenkinsopp. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns.
2008
"Mizpah, Mizpah Wherefore Art Thou Mizpah? Tell en'Nabeh, Nebi Samwil and the Identification of a Biblical Site," BAR Web Extra August.
