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Re: orion Status quo of Qumran archaeology
In a message dated 98-06-20 03:13:54 EDT, Stephen Pfann wrote:
<<
That the majority of the coins cannot be located is true. However, the
collection was analyzed by one of the best numismatists of the day
(August Spijkerman) and the identification and data of each coin were
recorded on cards (before the coins were missing).
>>
While it is certainly true that Fr. De Vaux consulted the leading Christian
experts on ancient Jewish coins of the time, including Fr. Spijkerman and
Henri Seyrig, the state of ancient Jewish numismatics has advanced
considerably since 1960. All of the standard works have been published since
then, all by Jewish numismatists, influenced by the great increase in datable
material recovered by archaeologic excavations throughout Israel. A few new
types have been discovered and a number of coins have been reattributed. The
1996 publication of the coins provides no catalog numbers that would permit
possible misattributions to be corrected.
A publication of the coins now curated, cataloged by current standard works
and cross-referenced to Fr. Spijkerman's attributions, would be useful in
evaluating the accuracy of the conclusions drawn from the Qumran numismatic
material. I hope that resources might be available to accomplish this.
Best wishes for the speedy completion of publication of the archaeological
material on Qumran.
Robert D.Leonard Jr.
Winnetka, Illinois