Randy Curtis S00254162 ANTH-1030-03 12/4/13

THE PATIO TOMB AND POLLUTION PROJECTS COMPARED

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! A lot of contrastive conclusion have resulted from the Patio Tomb ndings I will research in this paper and I thinks thats I why I chose to write about them. Many precious Christian traditions and beliefs hinge on the polarizing outcomes decided upon by the archaeologists involved. Pollution and Global Warming also are controversial subjects. Though not religious in nature like the Patio Tomb, the Pollution Project examines aspects that border on potential political implications which have attached proponents of its own. ! ! The rst site I will introduce gets its name from its context; We refer to this tomb

as the Patio tomb, since it is now located beneath an apartment patio. (Excerpt From: James D. Tabor & Simcha Jacobovici. The Jesus Discovery. Simon & Schuster. iBooks.) I plan to summarize the details behind this fascinating project and compare it to another project in Salt Lake City. I plan on continuing my research long after this paper is due and Im grateful for the opportunity to get started on it now when I have excellent resources available to me.!! ! In 1981 on Easter weekend, an accidental discovery occurred in Talpiot,

Jerusalem when construction crews uncovered an ancient tomb while commencing

construction to build a new condominium complex. The edice project delayed its progress out of respect for the deceased, but unfortunately and for the same reason, the Jewish community pressures impeded a thorough analysis of the tomb. Archaeologist roughly rushed through the nd before it experienced a quick sealing and not until recently with modern technology do we know how valuable the information of this burial proves to provide. ! ! The second project I will use in this paper is for the purpose of nding similarities

of techniques and interpretations as they pertain to nding and understanding evidence. In 2009, the Chair of The History and Archaeology Department at Salt Lake Community College and Archaeologist Alan Grifths discussed the possible venture of digging for 80 year old pollution trails infused in the soil. Eventually the decision was made to move forward with the idea and to involve students from the college to participate. Though the funding and tools used may not exactly match that of the Jesus Tomb, there are plenty of commonalities to work with. ! ! In Jerusalem, however, with the help of a ground penetrating radar (GPR),

James Tabor and Simcha Jacobovici succeeded in locating an ideal spot to drill holes large enough to insert a robotic cameraman to search underground for many ossuaries without disturbing their sacredness as determined by the Israeli Government. What they found challenges the playing-eld of early Jewish Christian sites. They found what the Gospels term the sign of Jonah. This symbol shows a sh spitting out a human and signies the resurrection as interpolated by Jesus followers into the ancient Hebrew story of Jonah and the Whale. Plenty of third and fourth century caskets of Christians

adorn this same symbol but nothing earlier reveals this token with exception to this particular ossuary dating back to the rst century. ! ! Here, in the Salt Lake Valley and in Archaeology in general, Archaeologists look

for signs and though they might not always be inscripted, they turn out to be helpful. For example, pollution leaves signs in the form of black particles. We nd them in our earth as evidence of pollution in the air that has been carried to the ground by rain. These tokens create a circular microscopic footprint of dark residue. ! ! The Jesus controversy lies in the fact that just 200 feet away environed the

location of many other hotly debated ossuaries with the names of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary among others. The sign of Jonah placed in such proximity to these questionable ossuaries only reinforces a previous held hypothesis that these names belonged to at least some believers if not the actual historical gures themselves. ! ! This method of using surrounding sites to reinforce a theory is a regular

procedure in Archaeology. In the case of Salt Lake Valley pollution project, many location soil samples were inspected for black particles to conrm the widespread effect of pollution in the area. The lab results contain signicant information that either conrm or deny the hypothesis.! ! Evidence is mounting to support the Patio Tomb theory but many scholars still

strongly doubt and perceive many conicting variables that need to be overcome before jumping to these kinds of conclusions. I myself am skeptical that the bones of Jesus have been found but I enjoy entertaining rival view points and come away knowing more than I did before and learning some truth in unlikely places. !

Locally, with the pollution research project, the evidence isnt all conclusive

either. The need for continuous investigation remains but its not devastatingly discouraging to those involved. With time and effort, more accurate determinations can be deduced and, like in the instance with the Jesus Tomb, whats learned during the journey contributes to the intellect in benecial ways though all the answers arent absolutely certain at this particular moment in time. ! !