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Papers by Eric Welch

The Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council, 2019

The fear of missing the mark often shapes how honors students approach risk in the classroom and,... more The fear of missing the mark often shapes how honors students approach risk in the classroom and, consequently, how instructors build risk-taking exercises into their curriculums. This paper explores the concept of propositional risk in the context of honors pedagogy, wherein students are challenged to interrogate deeply held beliefs and tasked with exercises designed to call forth the full complexity of attendant issues surrounding any individual viewpoint. As distinct from strategic risk, which can be characterized as performative and externally motivated, propositional risk requires students to critically evaluate a spectrum of thought, value, and ideology in the context of singular, independent vantages. The author uses examples from a study abroad program and provides tips for fostering propositional tension in the classroom, suggesting that this type of risk, latent with the potential for change, is of greater benefit to the student long-term .

In this paper we discuss two aspects of olive production in Philistia and the Shephelah during th... more In this paper we discuss two aspects of olive production in Philistia
and the Shephelah during the Iron Age. Previous studies suggested
that olive oil production became important in this region only in
the 8th century BCE centred at Tel Miqne-Ekron, and that the
Kingdom of Judah was not involved in the production of olive oil
in this region. Recent finds, at Tel Beth Shemesh and at Tell esSafi/Gath, indicate that this narrative is in need of change. On the
one hand, finds from Tell es-Safi/Gath show that production of
olive oil was a central aspect in the agricultural production in this
region already during the Iron I and Iron IIA. On the other hand,
recent finds at Tel Beth Shemesh show that in the 7th century,
the Kingdom of Judah was involved in the production of olive oil
in the eastern Shephelah.

Enemies and Friends of the State: Ancient Prophecy in Context, 2018

This brief article explores the possible Semitic origins of amurca/ἀμόργη, a technical term relat... more This brief article explores the possible Semitic origins of amurca/ἀμόργη, a technical term related to the olive oil production process.

Tell es-Safi/Gath is a multi-period site located on the border between the Judean foothills (Shep... more Tell es-Safi/Gath is a multi-period site located on the border between the Judean foothills (Shephelah) and the southern coastal plain in central Israel, which has been subject to survey and excavations over the last two decades. Excavations by Bliss and Macalister in 1899 exposed a fortification system which was dated to the " Jewish period.. In this paper, we present updated data on these fortifications which have led to fresh insights. In two separate excavation areas, we excavated portions of the fortification system that surrounded the site which can now be dated to the EB III of the southern Levant. The EB fortification system influenced the location of later fortifications at the site. The nature of the construction techniques of these fortifications and the character of the settlement which they surrounded suggest that Tell es-Safi/Gath was a major regional urban centre during the EB III and was governed by a centralised administrative hierarchy. The excavations by Bliss and Macalister at Tell es-Safi/Gath in  were one of the first archaeological excavations of a large multi-period site in the Levant, and as such have an important role in the history of the development of archaeological research in the region (e.g. Avissar and Maeir ; Avissar Lewis and Maeir ). As this excavation was done under the auspices of and with the support of the Palestine Exploration Society (Bliss and Macalister ), the preliminary publications of the excavations were published in the issues of the Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly Statement. The current excavations at Tell es-Safi/Gath (Maeir ) have uncovered various remains which were also dealt with in the earlier excavations, including aspects relating to the fortifications during various periods of this site. In the present paper, we wish to present a renewed look at the Early Bronze Age (EB) fortifications at the site, based both on the finds from Bliss and

Archaeologists work to reconstruct the past by organizing their findings in a variety of ways. An... more Archaeologists work to reconstruct the past by organizing their findings in a variety of ways. Ancient cities are reconstructed as they once existed in unique “snapshots” called strata or phases. This essay explains what stratigraphy is and how it is used to explain the history of a site.

If the primary task of the archaeologist is to recover and study the past, then one of the most c... more If the primary task of the archaeologist is to recover and study the past, then one of the most critical tools in this venture is the ability to date artifacts and the contexts from which they are excavated. This essay explores the different techniques used by archaeologists to date archaeological finds.

Archaeology is fundamentally a destructive science and therefore, its practitioners must make eve... more Archaeology is fundamentally a destructive science and therefore, its practitioners must make every effort to thoroughly document their discoveries. This brief essay describes the types of measurements archaeologists record as they document their excavations.

Vetus Testamentum 63.3 (2013): 471-85

The superscription of the book of Zephaniah places the composition in the 7th century BCE, during... more The superscription of the book of Zephaniah places the composition in the 7th century BCE, during the reign of King Josiah of Judah. While some scholars support a monarchic date for composition on the grounds of geopolitical details, others have accepted the book as a post-monarchic composition, in which geopolitical details are merely functions of literary techniques. Critical in the discussions of date and historicity are the oracles found in the book's second chapter. This essay examines the introductory poem found in Zeph 2:4 and argues that the oracle is representative of 7th century Judean sentiments toward the city of Ekron because of a specific pun, which should be read in light of the city's impressive olive oil industry dating to the 7th century BCE.

Conference Presentations by Eric Welch

This paper uses Achaemenid texts and archaeology to demonstrate how the description of the feast ... more This paper uses Achaemenid texts and archaeology to demonstrate how the description of the feast at Susa (Esther 1:6) is representative of Achaemenid practices of conspicuous consumption. The monumental display of material resources drawn from the empire's periphery served an important social function in antiquity, and serves an equally important function in the Esther narrative as a precedent for the ability for the empire to import the most desirable women for the royal court.

The Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council, 2019

The fear of missing the mark often shapes how honors students approach risk in the classroom and,... more The fear of missing the mark often shapes how honors students approach risk in the classroom and, consequently, how instructors build risk-taking exercises into their curriculums. This paper explores the concept of propositional risk in the context of honors pedagogy, wherein students are challenged to interrogate deeply held beliefs and tasked with exercises designed to call forth the full complexity of attendant issues surrounding any individual viewpoint. As distinct from strategic risk, which can be characterized as performative and externally motivated, propositional risk requires students to critically evaluate a spectrum of thought, value, and ideology in the context of singular, independent vantages. The author uses examples from a study abroad program and provides tips for fostering propositional tension in the classroom, suggesting that this type of risk, latent with the potential for change, is of greater benefit to the student long-term .

In this paper we discuss two aspects of olive production in Philistia and the Shephelah during th... more In this paper we discuss two aspects of olive production in Philistia
and the Shephelah during the Iron Age. Previous studies suggested
that olive oil production became important in this region only in
the 8th century BCE centred at Tel Miqne-Ekron, and that the
Kingdom of Judah was not involved in the production of olive oil
in this region. Recent finds, at Tel Beth Shemesh and at Tell esSafi/Gath, indicate that this narrative is in need of change. On the
one hand, finds from Tell es-Safi/Gath show that production of
olive oil was a central aspect in the agricultural production in this
region already during the Iron I and Iron IIA. On the other hand,
recent finds at Tel Beth Shemesh show that in the 7th century,
the Kingdom of Judah was involved in the production of olive oil
in the eastern Shephelah.

Enemies and Friends of the State: Ancient Prophecy in Context, 2018

This brief article explores the possible Semitic origins of amurca/ἀμόργη, a technical term relat... more This brief article explores the possible Semitic origins of amurca/ἀμόργη, a technical term related to the olive oil production process.

Tell es-Safi/Gath is a multi-period site located on the border between the Judean foothills (Shep... more Tell es-Safi/Gath is a multi-period site located on the border between the Judean foothills (Shephelah) and the southern coastal plain in central Israel, which has been subject to survey and excavations over the last two decades. Excavations by Bliss and Macalister in 1899 exposed a fortification system which was dated to the " Jewish period.. In this paper, we present updated data on these fortifications which have led to fresh insights. In two separate excavation areas, we excavated portions of the fortification system that surrounded the site which can now be dated to the EB III of the southern Levant. The EB fortification system influenced the location of later fortifications at the site. The nature of the construction techniques of these fortifications and the character of the settlement which they surrounded suggest that Tell es-Safi/Gath was a major regional urban centre during the EB III and was governed by a centralised administrative hierarchy. The excavations by Bliss and Macalister at Tell es-Safi/Gath in  were one of the first archaeological excavations of a large multi-period site in the Levant, and as such have an important role in the history of the development of archaeological research in the region (e.g. Avissar and Maeir ; Avissar Lewis and Maeir ). As this excavation was done under the auspices of and with the support of the Palestine Exploration Society (Bliss and Macalister ), the preliminary publications of the excavations were published in the issues of the Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly Statement. The current excavations at Tell es-Safi/Gath (Maeir ) have uncovered various remains which were also dealt with in the earlier excavations, including aspects relating to the fortifications during various periods of this site. In the present paper, we wish to present a renewed look at the Early Bronze Age (EB) fortifications at the site, based both on the finds from Bliss and

Archaeologists work to reconstruct the past by organizing their findings in a variety of ways. An... more Archaeologists work to reconstruct the past by organizing their findings in a variety of ways. Ancient cities are reconstructed as they once existed in unique “snapshots” called strata or phases. This essay explains what stratigraphy is and how it is used to explain the history of a site.

If the primary task of the archaeologist is to recover and study the past, then one of the most c... more If the primary task of the archaeologist is to recover and study the past, then one of the most critical tools in this venture is the ability to date artifacts and the contexts from which they are excavated. This essay explores the different techniques used by archaeologists to date archaeological finds.

Archaeology is fundamentally a destructive science and therefore, its practitioners must make eve... more Archaeology is fundamentally a destructive science and therefore, its practitioners must make every effort to thoroughly document their discoveries. This brief essay describes the types of measurements archaeologists record as they document their excavations.

Vetus Testamentum 63.3 (2013): 471-85

The superscription of the book of Zephaniah places the composition in the 7th century BCE, during... more The superscription of the book of Zephaniah places the composition in the 7th century BCE, during the reign of King Josiah of Judah. While some scholars support a monarchic date for composition on the grounds of geopolitical details, others have accepted the book as a post-monarchic composition, in which geopolitical details are merely functions of literary techniques. Critical in the discussions of date and historicity are the oracles found in the book's second chapter. This essay examines the introductory poem found in Zeph 2:4 and argues that the oracle is representative of 7th century Judean sentiments toward the city of Ekron because of a specific pun, which should be read in light of the city's impressive olive oil industry dating to the 7th century BCE.

This paper uses Achaemenid texts and archaeology to demonstrate how the description of the feast ... more This paper uses Achaemenid texts and archaeology to demonstrate how the description of the feast at Susa (Esther 1:6) is representative of Achaemenid practices of conspicuous consumption. The monumental display of material resources drawn from the empire's periphery served an important social function in antiquity, and serves an equally important function in the Esther narrative as a precedent for the ability for the empire to import the most desirable women for the royal court.