Daily Archives: February 27, 2009

Last evening I watched The Book and the Spade, a documentary film produced in 1967 by the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. The film is about the archaeological work in Jordan. At the time that included Jerusalem, Gibeon, Shechem, Samaria, Bethlehem, Qumran, Amman, Jerash, and Tell es Sadiyeh in the Jordan Valley. Pritchard is seen on the film at Tell es Saidiyeh, east of the Jordan River, giving an account of the discoveries there. He believed the site to be Zarethan. The Bible says that the bronze utensils which Hiram made for King Solomon were made,

In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. (1 Kings 7:46)

This film is of great historical significance because it features Pritchard and because it shows places that no longer look the way they did in 1967. I suggest you take the time to watch it. Here is the link to The Book and the Spade. The film is about 28 minutes long.

Excavations were resumed in 1985 by Jonathan N. Tubb of the British Museum.

Some scholars have suggested that Zarethan should be located on the west side of the Jordan Valley.

This photo shows the north side of Tell es Saidiyeh with the steps leading to the spring that Pritchard mentions in the film.

Tell es Saidiyeh, excavated by James B. Pritchard. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

HT: The Book and the Spade blog by Gordon Govier.