15 BCE is a date of no importance at all, neither artistically nor historically. It is, thus, just another hypothesis - as it was with de Vaux's 31 BCE date. On the contrary, 20 BCE was such a turning point - at least in the Herodian cult architecture. In so far Bar-Nathan's end-date of period 1b in 15 BCE doesn't impress me much. Moreover, the beginning of period II in 4 BCE not only correlates with a rebuilding of Khibet Q. on a small scale, but likewise with the dawn of the Zealot Movement, for we have to calculate with a Judas-doublet in Josephus. Would be much better, then, to talk about a one-generation gap between period 1b and II, the time between Herod's internal military raids against opponents and the 'Eagle Affair'.
The C-14 technique, as is known, doesn't work properly in the calculation of events of the younger past. The range of 50 years is completely inacceptable for us - any result is just a rough frame for further analyses. An organic burial object of e.g. Ronald Reagan would show a date of ~2000 CE +/- 25 years, which would allow to backdate his birth into the late19th century, to make him contemporary of Karl Marx. - Dierk _______________________________________________ g-Megillot mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mailman.McMaster.CA/mailman/listinfo/g-megillot
