#like Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world

[souredfigs]

Israel is an illegal state which has no right to exist and every european white settler living in the terrorist state of Israel is fully and wholly aware of the fact that they are in a land which they stole from carrying out the genocide of Palestinians who have been living there for as far back as 11000 years on the basis of a fake ridiculous piece of writing . It's very simple to understand .

[melit0n]

for the lyrics thing: “there’s something in the way you lay / that makes the dead switch graves / you take your leave” from Jericho. is “you lay” a euphemism for sleeping around (so the person is so sexually active that they make the dead roll in their grave)? or is it saying that the person is so wonderful that they can even move the dead? i’ve never been able to figure it out so i’d love to hear your thoughts!

I was hoping someone would ask about the Two ep! Just my luck, thank you anon <33

In the UK, and in America as well I'm pretty sure, "lay" is used as slang for having sex with someone, so you're right on that part, definitely. However, the line "there's something in the way you lay" brings both negative and positive connotations to me. He's saying 'there's just something about you. The way you look like that.' There's either a sense of stillness and serenity with it; a calm brought about by the way they lay, possibly asleep next to their partner.

On note of the next line, which I'll talk about in a moment, a large amount of people are known to 'sleep like they're dead', and others note that having Sleep Paralysis feels like death. The Dead are often confused for the sleeping as well, as long as they don't have any noticible abnormalities.

Even though two is quite sexually charged, I mean hey, take a look at Nazareth, I'd like to go with it being they're just so wonderful, or, in the least, appear to be so.

"Enough to make the dead switch graves" Is a stupidly powerful line. Whoever this is is just asleep, or sleeping around, and they have enough authority to make the dead switch graves.

In addition to this, a typical euphemism you may hear is 'make the dead roll in their grave'. It's one thing to do something so disgusting that you make the dead roll around, but this is something enough for these corpses to get reanimated, dig their selves out, get up, walk to another grave, and switch. This person's mere existence is potent enough that it causes the deceased to get up and leave.

It gives the vibe of a shift in the natural order of things, if that makes sense.

Plus, plus, in Islam (I know, I'm back at the religion again, bare with me lads), after a person has died, it is believed they will rest in their grave until The Day Of Judgement where they will be full body resurrected and either be taken to Paradice or Hell. Aka, the corpse will be reanimated to be eternally judged. There's also a similar idea in Christian theology; some denominations believe they die and either straight up go to Heaven or Hell, or will wait in their grave to be reanimated and judged on Judgement Day. Just something to think about.

Further, Jericho is the 'oldest city in the world', and makes an appearance in the Bible and the Qur'an; Israelites conquer the city and destroy it's protective walls. Nazareth was the home of Mary in the Bible and also where she received Annunciation. Calcutta is the old name for the capital of British India (now called Kolkata). Overarching theme of big cities with violent histories.

Lastly, we have "you take your leave". It's sung in a very final tone, if you get what I mean. Basically a 'you leaving isn't a big deal...but it means a lot to me. You've hurt me; again.'. There's not much to analyse here; it's simple and it's final. Whoever this is is gone, either 'dead' and so thoroughly disgusted/angered by Vessel that they've reanimated themselves and walked off, and Vessel will spend his time dissecting old encounters and feeding off of whatever he can salvage.

On the note of 'death', a bed can also be a grave for some people, either a metaphorical one or a literal one.

[amberfaber40]

25 Mysterious Facts about Ancient Cities - Fact Republic

25 Mysterious Facts about Ancient Cities - Fact Republic

1. Heracleion, an ancient Egyptian city that was swallowed by the Mediterranean Sea 1,200 years ago, was discovered in 2000 and has been the site of an underwater excavation since then. It is thought to have been sunk by an Earthquake.

80 Awesome Ancient Artifacts - Pi Queen

Love archaeology but hate dust, dirt and human remains? You're in luck. The following list of amazing archaeological finds will take you on a trip through time and across the globe, but without all the mess (or the jetlag).

Exploring The Vatican Museum In Search Of Out Of Place Ancient Artifacts - Hidden Inca Tours

Above is a sarcophagus from Egypt, likely made of limestone on display in a courtyard of the Vatican Museum. Likely taken by Emperor Caligula when the Romans took over Egypt. Above is an exceptionally well carved Sphinx, likely a Roman work of course heavily influenced by the earlier dynastic Egyptians, carved out of granite most...

Astrolabe

@Museum of the History of Science, Oxford

Ancient DNA Sheds New Light on the Biblical Philistines

A team of scientists sequenced genomes from people who lived in a port city on the Mediterranean coast of Israel between the 12th and 8th centuries B.C.

- Sponsored Links - 1HeracleionHeracleion, an ancient Egyptian city that was swallowed by the Mediterranean Sea 1,200 years ago, was discovered in 2000 and has been the site of an underwater excavation since then. It is thought to have been sunk by an Earthquake.Source & More2. In the ancient Indian Kingdom of Golconda, the king Ibrahim Wali designed and built a fortress city so acoustically perfect that a hand clap at the fortress gates could be heard at the top of the citadel itself, located on the summit of a 300 foot hill.Source & More3. In Portugal, there is an ancient city named Vilarinho Da Furna that is submerged in water, but during dry spells, the water levels go down enough that you can see it. This 2000-year-old town was destroyed by an electric company when it constructed a dam in 1967.Source & More4. In the ancient Greek city of Sybaris, the citizens, derided by famous writers of the time for their extremely luxurious lifestyles, had canals built that transported wine directly from the countryside into their personal cellars. The cavalry from the ancient city of Sybaris trained their horses to dance to pipe music and then were defeated by an army attacking them with music.Source & More5. The Ancient Egyptians had a city called Crocodilopolis. It contained a sacred lake where crocodiles were worshipped, fed and adorned with jewelry.Source & MoreLatest FactRepublic Video:15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History6JerichoThe ancient city of Jericho (currently in Palestine) is the world’s oldest walled city, with evidence of stone fortifications dating back nearly 9,000 years. Archaeological digs have turned up traces of habitation that are even older up to 11,000 years ago.Source & More7. A huge ancient Mayan city named El Mirador has been discovered in Guatemala and it holds one of the world's largest pyramids. The La Danta temple measures approximately 72 meters (236 feet) tall from the forest floor.Source & More8. In the ancient city of Timbuktu in Mali there are an estimated 300,000 or more precolonial African literary manuscripts tucked away in various libraries and private collections, mostly written in Arabic and some in native languages. Topics include herbal medicine, mathematics, astronomy, poetry, law, history, faith, politics, and philosophy.Source & More9. The ancient of city Caral in Peru features Pyramids which were built around the same time period that the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built. The city also shows no traces of warfare, indicating that the site was built as a place for “Commerce and Pleasure.”Source & More10. The ancient city Catal Huyuk (in the present day Turkey) was one of the first recorded cities in history, but it didn't have any streets. The dwellings were clustered like a honeycomb-maze. Most of the houses were accessed by holes in the ceiling and doors on the side of the houses, with doors reached by ladders and stairs.Source & More - Sponsored Links - 11SeuthopolisAn Ancient city named “Seuthopolis” was discovered in the bottom of a lake in Bulgaria. It was founded in 323 B.C. The city was discovered and researched between 1948 and 1954. Unfortunately, this discovery came too late, because the reservoir dam being constructed nearby soon flood the valley and drowned this city. Right now there is a project underway to restore the city.Source & More12. In the ancient city of Memphis, Egypt, so many people worshiped Anubis, the jackal-headed God of death, that the catacombs next to this sacred temple once held nearly 8 million mummified puppies and grown dogs.Source & More13. Nan Madol is the only ancient city ever built upon a coral reef. It is a marvel of ancient engineering. The city, constructed in a lagoon, consists of a series of small artificial islands linked by a network of canals.Source & More14. Hatra, the capital of the "first Arab Empire" known as the Kingdom of Araba (in modern day Iraq) was one of the most diverse cities in the ancient world. It had temples (pantheons) to 5 major religions: Greek, Mesopotamian, Canaanite, Aramean, and Arabian.Source & More15. Two ancient Chinese cities were drowned when the valley was flooded for a new hydroelectric power station. He Cheng and Shi Cheng remained forgotten for 40 years until 2001. Shi Cheng was built more than 1300 years ago in 621 AD. It was once the center of politics, economics and culture. He Cheng is even older: established in 208 AD as a business hub.Source & More - Sponsored Links - 16Lost City of ZakynthosWhen snorkelers discovered what appeared to be ancient stonework off the coast of the Greek island of Zakynthos in 2013, archaeologists sent to the site thought the odd rocks might be the ruins of an ancient city. Turns out, the so-called Lost City of Zakynthos was not built by humans, but by methane-eating microbes.Source & More17. In 1963, a man tore down a wall in his house and noticed an enormous and complex tunnel system behind it. He had rediscovered the ancient underground city Derinkuyu in Turkey. The city had 9 levels, used to house 20,000 people and had amenities such as stables, wineries, schools, and chapels. It was built between 1200 and 800 B.C.Source & More18. The ancient city of Gobekli Tepe in Turkey built in 10,000 B.C., is twice as old as Stonehenge, and completely disrupts our ideas of human development and agriculture. Carvings on a stone located at the site depict a comet strike that researchers have theorized caused a worldwide cataclysmic event, which in turn brought on a 1000 year ice age known as the Younger Dryas. It predates the invention of known tools, cities/communities, and the written word. The oldest known sphinx was found in Gobekli Tepe, Turkey and it was dated to 9,500 BC.Source & More19. The Aztec capital Tenochtitlán was the largest city in the Americas with over 200,000 people. It was built on a man-made island in the middle of a lake - connected to the shore by 3 causeways. It contained huge pyramids, floating gardens, aqueducts, and canals. It was destroyed by the Spanish in 1521.Source & More20. The Greek city of Helike sank in an earthquake in 373 B.C., and all of the inhabitants died. Over time, it was silted over and was thought to be legendary until it was rediscovered in 2001.Source & More21UrukThe Ancient city of Uruk at 2900 B.C. had 50,000 - 80,000 residents living in its 6 square km of walled area, making it the largest city in the world at the time.Source & More22. Almost every home in the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro from over 4000 years ago was equipped with a private bathing area with drains to take the dirty water out into a larger drain that emptied into a sewage drain.Source & More23. The city-states of the ancient Maya were dominated by two cities, Tikal and Calakmul, who fought a series of conflicts through proxy states. Some experts have compared these conflicts to US-Soviet fighting by proxy during the Cold War.Source & More24. The largest brick arch in the world, the 121-foot (37 m) tall Taq-i Kisra, is nearly 1,500 years old and it is the only surviving structure from the ancient city of Ctesiphon.Source & More25. There is a ruined and uninhabited medieval Armenian city-site named Ani in Turkey that has lay empty for over 3 centuries. Even as a ruin it is still disputed.Source & More Sign up to our Newsletter & get FREE!! 1000 Facts E-BOOK Email Address * - Sponsored Links -

[blogynewsz]

Unveiling Ancient Secrets: UN Committee Approves Historic Status for Jericho's Ruins in Palestine

The United Nations conference held on Sunday made the decision to designate the ancient ruins of Jericho in the West Bank as a World Heritage Site. This decision is likely to provoke Israel, as it controls the territory and does not recognize a Palestinian state. Jericho is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, situated in an area of the Israeli-occupied West Bank…

[poptod]

The Old Gods

Description: Jack has to get close to a powerful suspect. Jack also ponders upon his humanity.

Notes: genuinely didnt meant for this to get so long, my apologies, i just like writing conversations bc i never get to have them.  also! I hate myself so much for writing supernatural fanfiction in the good year of our lord 2021. its not my fault, it was the only show i could watch with my cousin that we both liked. anyway! lmk if you like it i could do a part two WC: 11k

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The nearest library could hardly be called a library. A more accurate description would be a collection of books––a small collection––that could be read freely but never taken from the library itself. There was little need within the Winchesters to visit the library, considering they had one in their home filled with mythical lore, but the records of Kansas and neighboring cities and states were detailed thoroughly in the nearest library.

Jack knew a great many things; inherent natures and laws of the universe, the experience of power and of fear, both before him and within him. Many things he'd seen deserved to be feared, exposing him to dangers often unheard of amongst regular children.

Three months into existence, however, Jack liked to think he knew more than he did when he was born. This was because he'd spoken to more people, experienced more things, and learned select things about his mother, his father, his family, and strangers. Still, there were things that puzzled him––the age of the world was clear in his mind (4.543 billion years, four months, 22 days, 6 hours, and 52 seconds) but how humanity progressed into what they now were astounded him.

"Humans started as... these creatures with unending curiosity," Castiel explained to him, his hands folded neat in his lap but hidden by his too-long trenchcoat sleeves. "Ceaseless innovation. They started without language but they always had kindness. I think.. that's why God favored them, at least at first."

"So... kindness is a form of.. intelligence?" Jack asked slowly, his brow furrowed tight as he stared past his father.

"I believe so," he said, shifting in his seat. "Kindness drove these animals to building homes, to conversing with one another, to creating a better world for descendants they would never know. It's quite beautiful, actually."

"Am I a part of that story?"

Only half-human, only half-alive, only half the story, belonging to nothing concrete. Jack wasn't really human, leaving him alone in his species.

"Yes," Castiel said without hesitation.

Civilization first started off in a number of areas. The first book Jack found dealt with the fertile crescent northeast of Africa, where Mesopotamia brought forth a number of societies, of cultures, meshed together over the course of thousands of years. Sumerians were one of the first to build their cities, creating writing, the wheel, and the plow in their haven apart from the unpredictable and often violent wild.

But no––the next book Jack found stated that Jericho was the oldest city, west to the fertile crescent near the shore of the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. The citystate was independent from any other power, often becoming abandoned from raids only to return to high populations, as humans flocked back to the spring water that still poured from inside the earth to this day.

Over the rest of the day spent in the nearest library, Jack learned there was no single spot in which civilization was created and then spread from. The Nile in Africa brought forth Egypt, the Indus river in Pakistan birthed the Harappan civilization, and the two rivers Yellow and Yangtze in China created the first asian cities. From there villages, towns, and cities spread like mold across the earth's surface, eventually bringing humans to inhabit every continent and nearly every environment known on earth.

There were far too many things to know, and the strain of reading on his eyes eventually forced him to retire for the day. He hardly understood anything yet, but the librarian was understanding as to his prolonged stay, and wished him a good evening when he left. He beamed a bright smile despite the strange pain growing behind his eyes, and waved good-bye.

Dean gave him painkillers when he got back to the bunker after Jack thoroughly (and unnecessarily) described his headache.

"Humans are... strange," Jack said, his brow furrowed in deep thought. He rested his elbows on the table, leaning over an empty bowl of cereal.

"Not wrong, but, care to elaborate?" asked Sam, who was sitting across from him at the kitchen table, a newspaper and pen in his hand.

"Castiel said you created the first cities out of a desire to.. to protect each other, and to keep yourselves safe. And then the first thing you do when you meet other cities is to go to war with them."

Sam sucked in a sharp breath, leaning back as he set the newspaper aside. This would take a little more concentration than a passing ear.

"People are scared by things they don't know," Sam began only to be cut off.

"Why?"

"They don't know if it's dangerous. You didn't trust us, at first, either. We didn't know whether to trust you. Remember?"

"Oh," Jack said softly.

"Yeah. But you're right," he said with a long sigh. "It's strange. We're... strange."

"Are humans inherently good?"

"I don't think anyone is inherently good," Sam said, and Jack straightened his posture, suddenly confused by his claim. "Every person – every thing, every living thing has – has the capacity for good and evil. It's really just up to the individual to decide which side they want to give into."

"Am I a good person?"

"First off, you're not really a person," said another voice from the doorway.

Sam and Jack both turned at the same time, meeting the eye of Dean, who had yet to change out of his bathrobe despite it being 2PM.

"Second off, you haven't been alive long enough to be a good person," he continued as he entered, an empty coffee cup in hand.

"Dean –" Sam began, only to be cut off.

"What? It's the truth."

The coffee machine buzzed loudly once Dean pushed a few of the buttons, setting his cup beneath the nozzle. He muttered something to himself before turning back to the kitchen table.

"Anything strange in the paper?" He asked, leaning against the counter.

"Maybe," said Sam.

He grabbed the paper again, delving into the details of a nearby missing persons case that soon faded out of Jack's state of mind. His thoughts were still absorbed in his existence, in his beginnings, and how they compared to the beginnings of humans. At least with angels he knew everything; that was how angels were born. Knowing everything.

Jack remained seated at the table when Sam and Dean left, still stewing in his thoughts that he imagined would never go away. It was half an hour later when the two brothers returned, this time fully dressed, and packed up on their way to the car.

"We've gotta go find some local records," Dean said.

"So we're headed to the library," Sam finished, and the two gave each other odd glances at the coincidental synchronicity.

"I was there a couple days ago," Jack said, suddenly perking up. "Can I come with you?"

"Sure, just don't get in the way," Dean said with a dismissive hand, already leaving the doorway.

Sam pursed his lips, letting out a bitter, almost apologetic chuckle before he followed.

He liked the middle seat. It didn't have a seatbelt, but he wasn't sure what seatbelts were for anyways, and the middle seat allowed him easy access to see both of the Winchesters. Dean never spared a glance in his direction while he drove, but Sam offered awkward, curt smiles.

Technically Jack could just fly to the library in an instant, but the drive into town was pretty, lined with the colors of autumn. Recently winds had taken up a more brisk edge, marking the absence of birds that flew in packs overhead. He scooted to one of the window seats, craning his neck awkwardly to look up and out of the glass, grinning at the ravens flying through the orange and gold trees.

The librarian showed the three men where the records were kept, directing them towards missing persons cases when they requested it. While Sam and Dean thumbed through the records, Jack returned to ancient history books, studying art and images from Vedic India.

There, amongst the carvings printed on soft paper, he found something rather odd. He stood from his position on the floor, still staring intensely at the print as he walked over to the table Sam and Dean sat at.

"Hey Jack," Sam said as he sat down, gently placing the book on the table. He scanned Jack's hunched posture before he asked, "something up?"

"I found something... strange," he said, his brow still knotted neatly above curious eyes.

"Yeah well, join the club, kid," Dean said with a groan, wiping his face with his hand.

Jack opened his mouth to ask what they'd seen, but Sam answered before he could speak.

"There's been repeated attacks, kind of," he said, waving his hand vaguely. "Once every ten years a couple of kids go missing. Always two kids, always on the same day of the year."

"And another anomaly," Dean said, reaching over to a stack of papers and slapping them on the table in front of Jack.

Big, black words displayed the newspaper title, and below it, the date of publishing. January 4th, 1967. The main article dealt with a concert happening in a nearby city, and the image printed with it displayed a number of concert-goers, most of them in their teens or early adulthood. Hidden behind several other people, a familiar face appeared––the librarian. Unhindered by time.

"Is that..."

"Big boots over there?" Dean asked, pointing with his thumb in your general direction.

You were sorting through a stack of books, but as Jack looked down, he found you were wearing rather large boots. The ends of your pants drowned in them.

"Do you think they're related?" Jack asked as he turned back to the Winchesters.

"Possibly," Sam said with a nod. "Bit early to tell. But, uh..."

Sam trailed off as his eyes focused on something past Jack's shoulder. He, as well as Dean, turned to meet your eyes that quickly darted away once all three of them were looking at you.

"I think I have an idea," Sam said.

Dean and Jack curiously tilted their heads to the side at the same time, though when Dean noticed that, he fixed himself immediately.

"I think they have a thing for you," he said in a much quieter voice.

"Me?" Jack asked, pushing his finger into his chest.

"Yeah. You could get a little closer and see if something's up."

"Are you seriously setting up Jack with a fuckin' demon, for all we know?" Dean asked flatly, earning an odd look from Sam, who had never heard Dean protest putting Jack in danger.

"Dean, Jack's dad is a demon-angel thing. I don't think it's a big deal," he said.

That seemed to shut the older Winchester up.

"Hm," Jack hummed as he debated the idea. "I also found something strange."

"Oh, right," Sam said, clearing his head with a shake. "What was it?"

"It was also... the librarian," he said with a deep frown. "In one of the books."

He pushed forward the textbook, opening it to reveal the page in which he'd found your face. The stone expression was remarkably similar to your traits, from the curve of your nose to the positioning of your eyes, and the small, polite smile on your lips.

"I found it in the history section," Jack explained. "It says it's from Vedic India."

A quick Google-search later, Sam was reading out the age of Vedic India.

"According to this it says the Vedic age was approximately around 1500 to 800 B.C., so... about 2,500 years ago."

"Wow, this fucker's old," Dean snorted.

Sam shot him a look over the top of his computer screen.

Having found the information they were looking for, the Winchesters began to pack up their belongings and their scribbled notes, shoving them into their bags or into their many-pocketed coats. Jack, on the other hand, prepared himself for talking to you, hoping his ineptness towards social situations with humans wouldn't be too obvious. He swallowed through the knot in his throat, taking a shaking breath in an attempt to steady himself.

It didn't work.

"Dean, what am I supposed to say to them?" He whispered when they were already approaching the front desk, his palms growing sweaty.

"I don't know, their job or something? Something normal," he very unhelpfully advised.

"Thanks for letting us stay for the day," Sam said with a polite smile, handing back one of the printed out records you'd fetched for them from beneath your desk.

"Not a problem. You keep quiet. I like that in a reader," you said, smiling back as you glanced between the three of them.

None of them moved, and your expression turned to mild confusion. Dean had to jab Jack in the side to get him to speak. He opened his mouth to protest, but Dean motioned something to Sam, and the two of them quickly left for the car, leaving Jack alone while they 'situated' themselves.

"I, um..." Jack started before he was ready.

The silence felt wrong, but the silence after saying something was much, much worse. Whatever came into his mind first would have to be what he said.

"I like your job," he said, keenly scanning your expression for any hint of your thoughts.

You paused, clearly taken back for a moment, before you broke out into a chuckle, looking down to your hands as your face flushed.

"I like it quite a lot, too," you said with a grin, looking back up at him. "I've always been interested in becoming a librarian. Granted, I didn't quite imagine it in Kansas, but it is pretty here."

"Where did you imagine it?"

"Greece, actually," you chuckled, and he smiled as well, his heart thumping with a sudden haste. "I was heartbroken to hear the Library of Alexandria was burned down."

"The Library of Alexandria?" He repeated, tilting his head to the side again.

"Haven't heard of it?" You asked.

He shook his head gingerly. Was he supposed to?

No matter––you explained in full what the Library of Alexandria was, when it was created, when it was burnt, and the loss it caused amongst human society. He listened intently, frequently asking questions you were happy to answer. When Jack glanced out the library window, he found the impala gone, and realized Sam's plan had, in a way, worked.

"Are there.. any books about the library?" He asked once you completed your short story.

"Yes, but I don't want to hold you folks up –"

It was then you looked out the window as well, finding the two large men had abandoned the smaller.

"Oh where'd they go?" You said in a curious, high voice.

"Don't worry about that, I... have a bus," he said, earning a strange look. "I am... I ride buses."

A beat of silence passed.

"So the Library was in Greece?" He asked, and your earlier mood returned.

You brought him––with much excitement––to one of the rows in the library filled with simple textbooks for primary school kids. Other rows of your well-tended library were occupied by old books, their bindings worn and frayed at the edges from continuous use. Pages were turned yellow and were soft beneath his fingers, but despite their age they were rather hard for Jack to read and understand, meaning his discovery of children's comprehensible textbooks was a giddy one.

Jack wasn't entirely sure what he was supposed to be looking for when it came to you. What counted as suspicious? You continued to speak with him even after the sun set behind mountains, that could be a sign you were trying to gather information on him, as well. That could also mean you liked him. Was your friendliness suspect?

"- and the Phoenicians were really only called that by the Grecians. The name came from the purple dye that they're famous for, some root word for 'purple people' in Greek is Phoenicia," you explained, moving your hands expressively despite the fact that Jack's eyes were set dead on the textbook on the floor in front of you. Paragraphs of words surrounded modern depictions of ancient people and their art.

"So what was their actual name?" He asked as he looked up to you.

"Canaanites. From the land of Canaan."

"... you know a lot," he said, looking back to the page as you chuckled.

"It's just memory," you said with a shrug.

"Can I... can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Do you know anything about mythical creatures?"

Surely this would reveal something, Jack thought––you might react poorly, in which case you could be the monster, or you might react in complete knowledge, which... could also mean you were the monster.

"A little," you said slowly. "Why do you ask?"

"I have an interest, in myths and monsters," he said, almost smiling again.

"Oh man, I have a show you're going to love."

Far in the back of the library, a hollow, steel door led to a small break room, the carpet inside being a dark, scratchy grey against his palms when he sat down. There were no chairs in the room, but an old TV sat on a cheap cart plugged into the nearest, bare wall. On the opposite side of the TV was a dull blue counter that stretched from the door to a window covered by plastic shingle curtains.

You snatched the remote off the counter, pressing a large, red button that had the television buzzing to life loudly. The screen sparked, static radiating around it as a thin line of white brought life to a Netflix loading screen.

After several minutes of waiting for Netflix to load and then typing a title into the search bar, a show called Myths and Monsters was before him. He let out a laugh as he realized what had sparked the connection––he'd literally spoken the title.

Would an ancient being or monster know how to work a TV?

Castiel could work a TV.

Kind of.

The first episode began to play and you took a seat beside Jack, crossing your legs neatly beneath you. A few minutes in, rain pattered lightly on the roof, followed by sudden winds that battered the now pouring rain against the window. Jack watched through the side of his eye as you smiled at the change in weather.

That was suspicious.

Late in the evening, when night darkened the land and heavy thunderclouds darkened the sky, he left the library. He stood in the threshold between the warm light on your desk in the otherwise dark room, and the falling rain outside. Yellow-orange streetlamps illuminated the sheets of rain and the nearby bus stop, but you still stopped him, holding the door open as you both stood motionless in front of one another.

"I have a car, I can drive you home," you offered, gesturing over your shoulder to a door in the back that led to a private parking lot behind the library. "I'm not sure if the bus runs this late."

Extended time with you would be good, and he imagined your face illuminated by dim dashboard car lights would be better than good––great. Beautiful. You had wonderfully warm features. But you couldn't know where he lived for a number of reasons; if you were the monster, that was giving away a hiding place, and if you weren't, you would wonder why he lived in such a strange place.

"Thank you, but it's alright," he said. "I like the rain."

A small smile stretched across your plush lips.

"So do I," you said, and the two of you bid good-bye, retreating into your respective dark.

He gave a thorough rundown of the events proceeding after Sam and Dean left, and the three of them––Sam, Dean, and Castiel––listened closely. Dean already filled Castiel in on the rest of the case, and the two brothers were eating at the long table in the bunker's library.

They stared at him in silence when he finished.

"Sounds like a regular kid," Sam finally said.

"Ah don't be so sure about that," Dean said, raising a single brow. "What did you say the monster probably was?"

"A – a fae, or something," he said.

"Fae's good at lying," Dean pointed out, earning a reluctant nod from Castiel.

"He's right. Fairies are remarkably good at acting," he said in his low, grating voice.

"So... what next?" Jack asked.

"We'll keep looking into the case more, and you can probably ask the librarian out on a date," Sam suggested, earning an agreeing remark from Dean. "You can keep them distracted while we search their house."

"Do we know where they live yet?" asked Dean.

"No, but it shouldn't be too hard to find out," Sam said.

Jack watched the brothers for a moment, his mind emptying of answers as to what a 'date' was.

"What's a date?"

"Oh Christ," Dean muttered, moving immediately to his feet and leaving the room.

Sam let out an exasperated sigh at his brother, turning to Jack to explain what a date was, what were appropriate date activities, and how he should act when asking you out and when being out with you.

"Okay," Jack said with a nod despite not really understanding. "What are dates for?"

"They're between people who are interested in.. getting to know each other," Castiel said as he took a seat beside Sam across from Jack.

"So... like when Dean and I went driving."

"No. Not like that," Sam quickly said. "Not like that at all. If – if a guy is interested in a girl, like interested in having her be his girlfriend, then he might ask her out on a date. It's a romantic thing."

"The librarian does seem to be interested in you, from what I’ve heard," Castiel said with a pointed look in Jack's direction.

"I think you've got a shot," Sam agreed, nodding.

Jack thought for a moment before he said, "okay."

A few days later––Dean insisted he only try a few days later, saying anything less was damaging his honor––Jack returned to the library, lighting up when he found you were still working at the small front desk, your nose buried in a large box full of papers. Large, round glasses were hanging off the tip of your nose, and you pushed them up to your eyes when they slipped further off.

The door clicked softly shut behind him when he entered, scanning the room as if there was another reason he was there. You watched him the whole time, continuing to when he approached you, something obviously on his mind.

"I was wondering..." he trailed off, losing himself in your bright, expectant eyes. When he realized he'd fallen silent, he added the first thing that came to mind––a lie. "... if you could show me where the... books are."

You chuckled before you said, "which ones?"

"Maps," he said, smiling as he came up with something actually substantial.

Of course, it wasn't asking you out, but at least it was talking to you. He would have to do that later, though he supposed he'd have to do it that day or he would be disappointing the Winchesters and Castiel when he came back to the bunker without even trying to complete their orders.

"We don't really have a maps section, but I might be able to help you if you tell me the time and place you're looking for," you suggested for him, and he nodded slowly.

"Yes. Please."

"So what are you looking for?"

"Oh. Right, uh.. Greece and Mediterranean," he said, repeating subjects from the last time you'd spoken.

"Mediterranean sea?"

He nodded.

"What year?" You asked.

"Uh..." he drew another blank, "two... hundred."

You seemed reluctant to ask the next question, but it was necessary; "before christ or after?"

"... before."

"Alright," you said with a soft snicker, moving around your crowded desk area and towards the bookcases.

Your stride slowed as you approached a certain shelf, shifting up onto the tips of your toes to reach the highest books. Jack thought of offering his help, but he wasn't much taller than you––if at all––and he didn't know which books to get down.

Four thick books ended up in your arms, and you heaved them over to the nearest table, letting them thump down heavily. You spread them out, flipping rapidly through the pages till you found the proper maps you seemed to have memorized within each of the books.

"This one's about 900 BC to 200 AD, so it's got a bit wider of a range. Includes the bigger cities. This one is.. 1500 BC to 300 BC, so a little bit within range, has a lot more cities," you said, moving from one textbook to the next while Jack stared at you, enamored by your plush lips.

He barely even noticed that you finished your explanations, nor your quick words mentioning you should probably return to your studies and leave him to it. But he reached out on instinct, grabbing your wrist and tugging gently, convincing you to turn back to him. Your eyes, still bright, retained that same patient expectancy as his previous evening with you.

"I... could you talk to me?" He asked, oblivious to the implications read clearly by you.

"About what?" You asked in return as you stepped subtly closer.

"About fairies."

You paused, your eyes widening slightly.

"The ones from Celtic folklore or... like modern media fairies?" You asked slowly, slinking down into a seat you situated to face him.

He did the same, his feet planted firmly on the floor as he watched you, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Just... the oldest versions of fairies."

You nodded, again slowly as you pursed your lips.

"Well the oldest mentions of them in literature actually comes from ancient Greece, from the Iliad, by Homer," you began, immediately using your hands expressively as you spoke. "Those weren't Celtic fairies, though. Greeks considered creatures like satyrs and such to be fairies, as well, so... generally fairies and the fae as we think of them now came from Ireland and Scotland."

"Where are they?" He asked with a head tilt.

You stuttered for a second, your eyes flying across the room until you stood, returning to the shelves. He watched with much humor as you read the book titles at a frightening pace, fingers flipping over the bindings till you pulled one down.

"Here, world map," you said, and though he didn't notice, you didn't comment on the oddity of not knowing where Scotland and Ireland were. Almost everyone knew where those two countries were; or, at least, the general area.

"In Ireland fairies are seen as simply... mythical people. Great warriors and poets, or witches, they're all considered part of the fae in Celtic culture. In Scotland, though, fairies are more dangerous, essentially being creatures that feed off humans in one way or another," you continued. "Like... banshees, those are Scottish, and jack o' lanterns."

"Jack o' lanterns?"

He'd heard of banshees before; they were mentioned a few times by the Winchester brothers.

"Not like the Halloween pumpkins," you said, but when you were met with further confusion, you slowly said, "...and you don't know what those are either, do you?"

He shook his head reluctantly.

You spent the next two, whole hours talking to him, going over any question he had no matter how much you thought he should've known the answer to begin with. Jack relaxed into that feeling, into that ease, while suspicion grew in your own mind. There was no one of his age and stature that didn't know the questions he posed. Still, you found yourself unable to pin any such wariness of manipulation onto such a polite boy.

Engrossed fully in whatever you had to say and rarely speaking himself, Jack absorbed a number of facts about the fae. About their trickery and mischief, about their magic, how different species had different thoughts on humanity. Considering the lengths you knew about other subjects, none of what you told him occurred to him as suspicious. You seemed, again, to be a dedicated––but human––scholar.

When at last he exhausted his questions, both on and off topic, he began a build-up of courage. Asking someone out for a case should've been much easier than this, or at least that's what he thought. Dean mentioned he'd done similar things for other such cases.

Jack's face scrunched up in deep thought despite the silence between you.

"Are you alright, Jack?" You asked.

"Oh. I'm... fine," he said, nodding his head in a way that didn't convince you all that well. "I – I wanted to ask you something."

You nodded, gently helping him along.

"I know we don't know each other that well, but... you.. interest me, and.." he trailed off once more. It was difficult to tell a lie that was technically the truth. "I was wondering if you wanted to go with me. On a date."

He expected a number of things from you––perhaps anger, perhaps embarrassment, perhaps shock, but you just chuckled, leaning back in your chair. His brow furrowed at your odd reaction. Were you laughing at him?

"Was that what you wanted to ask me when you first came in?" You said through your giggles, your soft skin glowing in the warm, early evening light.

"... yes," he said, huffing out his own chuckle as his eyes fell to the floor. "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize," you said with a grin. “You’re the one who had to listen to me ramble.”

"So.. will you..?"

"Yeah," you chuckled, nodding. "I enjoy your company as well."

A smile made a permanent home on Jack's face as he returned to the bunker, his official mission having been successfully completed, and his hands still burning with the touch you left as he walked out the door. While most of the town smelled like baking pies and cinnamon cider, the bunker carried no such warmth, and smelled more like rotting leaves than anything else, though Sam lit a couple apple candles in his room. The scent filled part of a long hallway.

He found his fathers all sitting on a single couch, facing a television that had some sort of film playing on it through the static. Jack silently stepped round the nearest chair, taking a seat beside them, and watching on intently. A soft, high note hummed from the speakers.

Red, ratted curtains pulled way for sunlight streaming through dust-filled air. The wooden windowsill had a vase in which a single, molted flower sat, most of its petals having fallen off long ago. But that wasn't where the camera stopped; it halted above the image of two women tangled in sheets similarly worn down as the curtains were, requiring many patches over large holes. One had their face pressed to the other's neck, her nose nudging a sharp jawline owned by still sleeping eyes. Their limbs were knotted tight together, chest to chest, and a quiet, sleepy melody humming out of the smaller's pale lips.

Jack frowned. He'd never seen two people so physically close together. The nearest thing he'd seen was Dean and Castiel hugging, and even that was reserved in a way. This was pure trust––pure peace, and he found himself wondering if it was entirely fictional, or if such happiness could really exist in the world that at times felt poisoned.

Maybe it did exist if you found a way to smile that brightly.

He earned a whole other course of schooling once he announced their plan was successful. Dean clapped him proudly on the back, shooting a dirty grin that Sam countered with clean praise. Even Castiel seemed to be proud. Jack beamed at that, his heartbeat now pounding at the thought of three days from now; when he had planned the date.

In the meantime, the brothers stayed up for most of the night, though they looked much worse for wear that morning than Jack after he stayed up with them. Researching faes was actually a little easier than a lot of other monsters––there were many articles about them, and a deeply-engrained fear of changeling children had led to thorough documentation on the fae realm and its inhabitants. Jack was still a little slow at typing, so Sam captained the computer research, while Jack sped through the books in the bunker's library. Dean looked through articles and stories in newspapers searching for any hint of where they children might be kept if they weren't immediately killed.

The more he read about fairies, about their habits, their composure, and their lies, the less he could picture you as one. Originally a fairy brought to mind someone beautiful and fair, or someone like you, with dazzling eyes that could stop an archangel in their step. But the sharp teeth and wicked, wirey hair didn't sound at all like you. He'd felt your hands––once brushing over his––and there were no claws or stinging sensations that lingered in your touch. Still, the Winchesters probably knew better than him, and he pushed the feeling aside.

In the next evening, after Dean took a long day nap, Sam and Dean set to packing up their tools and tricks once more, tossing them into the back of the impala with the rest of the permanent fixtures. Jack watched as they did this, his hair still neat and clean despite not sleeping or washing up for two days.

"Can I come with?" He asked in the politest voice he could manage.

They were headed off to the library under the cover of night. After hearing about several back rooms Jack noticed during his time there, a reasonable question was posed––was there more information you could be hiding?

"Uh –" Sam began, only to be cut off by Dean saying –

"No. If we get found, that's fine, but if you're with us, we lose your relationship with her."

Before Jack could reply Dean climbed into the drivers seat, followed by Sam clambering in beside him. He had issues getting into the car at times. The engine stuttered to life, and Sam waved good-bye through the windshield as they pulled and drove the car away.

Jack frowned, his brow knitted together again.

"Bye," he said, but he was the only one to hear it.

Castiel would be back soon. He decided waiting in the library would guarantee he'd see Castiel as soon as possible, something he desired, as there were a number of new questions he wanted to pose to the elder angel. Thousands of years his senior, Castiel must've had answers––some sort of insight to some strange impulses, or simply comfort against 'wrong' thoughts.

Technically your library was private, meaning others weren't allowed to take your books away from the building, but you allowed him to take something home under the assurance of a guarantee. He would return it next time he saw you, a promise that clearly meant a lot to you going by the ease that overtook you when he said 'okay' with a signature, sweet smile. The only reason you leant the book to him was because it contained information you considered thought-provoking, thoughts about how humanity evolves, and how technological advances could change the actual anatomy of the human mind. Some of the claims seemed to him to be a bit of a reach, but others brought him interesting points.

The metal latch on the door let out a resounding click as the door swung open, Castiel standing behind with wild hair and a stunned look about him. He flung the door shut before running down the stairs towards Jack.

"Have they gotten back from the library yet?" He asked as he approached.

"No, they left..." he glanced at the clock, "a couple hours ago."

"Hmm," Castiel grumbled. "That's a long time for them."

"Should we go help them?" Jack suggested, setting your book aside as he stood straighter in his chair.

"No, we'll give them some more time. See what happens," he said before he set off, jogging into the hall.

Jack sighed as he slumped back into his seat, almost mourning the death of an easy excuse to go see your library. And Castiel left before he could ask him anything. Dean had a point, though––if they were caught and he was with them, that would ruin your relationship entirely, and that was something he, for some reason, despised.

It took another hour and a half before Sam and Dean were waltzing back in from the garage, tossing their duffel bags aside and shucking off warm, autumn jackets to side chairs. Something must've given away their presence, as Castiel was quick to reenter the main room.

"How did it go?" He asked.

"Like shit," Dean said, not even bothering to stop as he passed Castiel.

"We didn't find anything," Sam clarified. "Whole place was clean."

"Well.. maybe it's at their house," Castiel said almost gingerly, turning to keep his ever-vigilant eyes on the elder Winchester. "All the tools and... stuff."

"Yeah, that's what we're hoping," Dean said as he disappeared into the hallway.

"When did you say your date was again?" Sam asked, turning to Jack, who blanked for a moment before he answered.

"Two days from now," he said.

"Alright, well... we'll see what happens," he said with a nod, setting his hands on his hips. "Hopefully find where they might be hiding the kids."

Dean reentered with a bottle in hand, taking a quick swig as he settled down into one of the cushier chairs.

Jack's heart sped when his fingers began to fidget together, squirming restlessly in front of him. Questions still lingered on the edge of his mind, and answers from anyone would do him well, though he was well aware Dean would probably be reluctant to offer any advice to him.

"Could I ask you some questions?" He asked in the general direction of Cas, who happened to be standing right beside Dean. Castiel opened his mouth to answer.

"Sure," Dean said before he could speak. Castiel promptly shut his mouth after that.

"I know this shouldn't get in the way of the case, and it won't," Jack said as he took a seat opposite Dean. He and his brother shot each other glances. "I just have strange... thoughts, when I am around the librarian. Impulses, kind of."

Dean, who had raised the bottle to his lips, paused at those words and set it down instead, a decision that shocked both Sam and Castiel.

"What kind of impulses?" He asked in a flat voice.

"I want to... eat them," Jack said slowly, his brow furrowed deeply as he looked at the ground. When he looked back up, all three men were staring at him.

"You want to what??" Castiel asked.

"Like.. put my mouth on them...?" He tried.

"Wait – you mean kissing?" Sam asked as he shifted his weight between his feet.

"N... no, I don't think it's that," Jack said, though he was growing even less sure of himself with how they continued to gawk at him.

"You want to make out with the fairy?" Dean asked with a look that screamed 'unbelievable'.

"Maybe?" was the best answer Jack could offer.

Dean sighed, rubbing his face tiredly with his free hand.

"I don't want to.. encourage these thoughts," Castiel said, "but they might help on your date."

"So I should kiss them?"

"Maybe at the end of it," Sam suggested.

"And... how do I kiss?"

"Fuckin' –" Dean muttered under his breath as he stood, leaving the room with annoyance in his scowl.

The three of them––Jack, Sam, and Castiel––watched Dean round the corner and disappear.

"Ignore him," Sam said.

Sam, with some help from Castiel, patiently re-explained the happenings and ongoings of dates, from conversation topics to activities often done on dates. Sam assured Jack that he needn't do anything dramatic, over the top, or especially original, since Jack 'wasn't actually going on a date,' a phrase that made him a little sad for a reason he couldn't identify.

A bouquet of chocolate roses lay in his hands, the neon and florescent lights of the convenience store flickering and buzzing above him. Sam insisted a good way to start a date was with a gift––conventionally flowers, but the second Jack saw the chocolate roses he was entranced. He'd never seen candy in the shape of something real. Surely you would be delighted by the art, as well. Sam was less sure than he was, but allowed him to buy it with a chuckle, muttering something about how he wouldn't need to get chocolates anymore.

"Now remember," Sam began as he adjusted Jack's collar, "blood-soaked iron is what kills them, but since we don't have that right now, I think iron should hurt them."

"Forks, fire pokers, metal pipes... those usually have iron in them," said Dean.

"And if you get into a fight, just get out of there," Sam finished.

"No hanky-panky, either," Dean said.

"Dean," he hissed, slapping his brother's arm.

"What's hanky-panky?" Jack asked, furrowing his brow.

"Nevermind, just––be safe, have fun," Sam said with a smile, patting his shoulder.

The brothers dropped him off at your house before circling the block in search of a good vantage point. He took a shaky breath as he climbed your steps, soon rapping his knuckles on the plain, wooden door. It was a bit of a task trying to swallow, but he managed to push past his tight throat and put a smile on his face.

Footsteps sounded, growing closer until the door opened, revealing your wide eyes and the olive green silk you wore, draping elegantly from your chest down to your feet. A heavyweight scarf rested upon your shoulders. The warm light of the hallway behind you illuminated the loose strands of your always messy hair, but the sight still had his lips parting as he gasped softly. He felt suddenly out of place in his simple button-down, pants, and everyday jacket, shifting his weight almost uncomfortably as he found himself at a loss for words.

"You look... really nice," he said rather awkwardly, gesturing vaguely to your outfit with a dopey smile.

"Thanks," you said, chuckling. "You look nice too."

He stared for another moment before he suddenly remembered the chocolate and foil roses in his hands.

"I got these for you," he said as he handed them to you, scanning every inch of your reaction. "Sam told me to get flowers, but I think this is better, ‘cause then you get to eat them."

"You actually can eat roses! They just don't taste very good," you giggled, fixing your hair as you took them, a blushing smile still on your face. "I do like chocolate more, though."

"Oh, good," he said, his shoulders finally falling from their tense position. "I hope you don't mind walking. I don't know how to drive."

"I like walking, actually," you said as you walked past him, trotting down the front steps of your house. He followed along, his soft brown hair flopping like a puppy's ears over innocent eyes. "I like taking walks at night, but I don't take them a lot. It's kind of dangerous."

"Why?"

"A lot of people aren't very nice, or they're down on their luck and make poor decisions. I don't want to get hurt or mugged just because I like wandering around."

"Why would someone hurt you? You're such a nice person," he said with a frown.

"That doesn't mean anything," you laughed softly.

Food wasn't a particular attraction of Kansas, but few things were. The amount of restaurants in town was high, most of them serving a very similar menu containing lots of meat, barbecue, pie, and sometimes funnel cake. None were all that classy, so Jack took you to a place that Sam recommended––a nearly 24 hours open cafe whose kitchen was always open, and who hosted quiet, live jazz on select evenings.

You and Jack spoke of a number of things while you walked, none more interesting than any of your previous conversation topics, as you seemed to want to stay on the topic of him as a person rather than the history you usually rambled about. You asked who Sam was, which he explained as one of his fathers, at which point you asked who the second was. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should tell the truth or formulate a more normal-person lie.

"I... my mother died in childbirth," he said, his voice uncharacteristically low and quiet, murmuring with the sureness of his trust in you. "My father, Castiel, takes care of me, with his brothers, Sam and Dean."

"Oh. I'm sorry," you murmured, and he opened his mouth to give the usual speech––it's alright, I've gotten used to it––but you continued with, "it's an honorable way to die."

He paused to absorb your words. No one had ever said that before.

"Yeah," he finally said. "I guess you're right."

"So what's your father like?"

He sucked in a breath, forced to once again decide between a truth, a half-truth, and a lie. Like with most things, he took the middle road.

"My genetic father isn't... I don't talk to him," he said.

"Oh."

"But Castiel is good. He always tries to do what's right. I'm still trying to learn about this whole.. being-alive thing, from him."

"I think we all are," you chuckled.

You ended up ordering for him when you finally got to the cafe, standing in line for only a few minutes before you were looking for a table. He had trouble understanding the menu, often asking you what things were, and eventually you had to gently push him on to let the next people in line have a turn. If this bothered you, it didn't show.

Piano and saxophone played in time with one another, their rhythms and melodies dancing around the beat of the drummer. Scant, warm light shone from above, illuminating the haze of clouds drifting from smokers, most of whom stood in the corner, nursing the embers as they watched the musicians play. Jack tapped his foot to the beat against the dark oak floor.

You joined him a moment later, two coffees in hand and your coat draped over your arm.

"Have you ever been here before?" You asked as you took a seat, casting your jacket over the back of the chair after you set the coffee down.

"No, I don't really get out much," he admitted.

"How come?"

"I don't.. really have friends," he admitted, again, though this time much more reluctantly. He'd heard that generally people respected you more if you had friends.

"That's alright," you said, leaning back with a soft smile made only more alluring by the dim, red and orange light. "I've found it's more fun to stay in than to go out sometimes. Everything becomes the same after a while. You can drink at home, you can dance at home, sing, host parties..." you sipped from your steaming cup, ".. so, obviously, I don't go out much either."

"You have friends, though?"

"Not really," you chuckled, glancing down. "Books last longer than conversation, generally."

"Then... why talk to me?" He asked, attempting to meet your eye with that knot still tucked into his brow.

"Because you came to me."

Soon your conversation was halted by a server bringing out your food. You made sure to thank him as he left, before hungry eyes settled eagerly upon your funnel cake. Unwrapping the napkin, you set the orange cloth on your lap, revealing your silverware. Jack followed your lead, copying your motions near exactly down to you rubbing your hands together excitedly.

He'd never tried funnel cake before, leaving him to melt as he took his first bite.

"Good, isn't it?" You chuckled through a full mouth.

He nodded ardently.

The crowd began to thin halfway through your meal, turning thick conversation to quiet murmurs confined to singular tables in corners and shadowed areas. Jack still had yet to find anything incriminating about you, an answer that led only to other questions, ones that flew wildly around his head.

You didn't seem human––at least, not entirely. There were things you said that hinted to something else, a knowledge within that was a little too wide for the lengths of a human mind. That and your soul; what he could see of your soul was strangely colored, florescent holographic, and warped far more than normal people's usually were––almost as warped as Sam and Dean's souls now were. Bright, yes, but warped. Something had happened to you.

But there was nothing bad within you. Darkness tinted the edges, the edges so often scraped by the world around you––the world around both of you––but the center within, where your heart emanated, was clear. It was actually rather beautiful; you were rather beautiful.

He wished he could tell you without seeming strange.

"What do you think about most, Jack?" You asked, pulling him away from his thoughts.

He instantly stuttered, as what he'd been thinking about was you, but he couldn't say that.

"Just.. uh, my, uh.. my place in the world," he said, tapping the end of his fork on the old wood table.

"Like your job, or your purpose as a human?" You asked as you sipped from your third refill of coffee.

"My purpose, sort of," he said, his eyes flickering to the ground. "I have a lot of responsibility. My father thinks I'm very powerful."

Was that giving too much away?

"What does he want you to do?"

"He wants me... to stay alive," he said, earning a soft chuckle from you that had a smile spreading across his own face. "I think he wants me to be safe and happy."

"That's a wonderful goal," you said with a grin. "And there are so many ways to achieve that."

So far he'd only found ways to achieve the opposite––how to antagonize the world by existing, how his grandfather wanted him dead, how his genetic father would use him for any power grab he posed. If you wanted to feel at risk of dying at any moment, he knew a thousand ways to do it.

"I haven't really found any," he said quietly.

You paused before you asked, "do you want my advice?"

He nodded, hesitantly at first, but sure of himself when you smiled softly.

"Always be kind to others. Mind your own business unless someone is getting hurt, and if you have to get your hands dirty, do it for only a second. Then get the hell out of there and wash yourself clean for the next hundred couple years," you said.

There it was again. A hint of something more. In passing conversations Jack heard from strangers, no one spoke like they lived history. Not like you did. And he'd wager no historian spoke with the sense of memory that you did.

"Anything specific make you realize that?" He asked, unable to stop himself from chuckling.

You looked his age––sometime in your 20's––but you spoke like an 80 year old. Something about that facade appeared humorous to him. He also looked your age––sometime in his 20′s––but he spoke like a 10 year old far more than he liked to admit.

"Family drama," you said dismissively. "I've been steering clear for a while now."

Did fairies have families?

Well, if you were a fairy, you could just be lying then.

Jack frowned. If Dean or Castiel were here, they would know what to say and think.

"I understand," was what he said instead.

The impala was still parked near the house by the time Jack was walking you home, a sight that nearly sent him panicking. Sam and Dean wouldn't want him to do that. So he clenched his fists in his pockets, his shoulders tightening ever so slightly as he tried to slow his pace in a way you wouldn't notice.

But you did. Of course you did.

"You alright, Jack?" You asked, matching his pace.

"Yeah, I just..." what was something normal to say? Something he could back up – "I meant to ask you something, but I didn't ever... find the time to."

"What was it you wanted to ask?"

He shivered as a brisk wind picked up, the dry, orange leaves on the edges of the sidewalk passing quick by his feet in the breeze.

"Do you think everyone feels this lost in life?" He asked, barely audible above the wind.

"There's a little bit of you in everybody, just like how there's a little bit of everybody in you. You're capable of the same things that a murderer is just as you are a... a hero, or a martyr," you said, taking time to think before you spoke. "Humans are remarkably similar, you come to see after a while. And even Gods face these questions, these wonderings of their origins and their purpose, if their creations are everything they're meant for or – or if they're doing something wrong, and they should be doing something else instead."

He continued to stare at the ground as you walked slowly side by side, brought out of his intense expression by something soft flopping over the back of his neck. His heart thrummed as you stopped him there, turning him to face you, and looking him in the eye as you fixed your scarf on his shoulders. The effect was instantaneous––his shoulders relaxed and the stress fell from his brow, absorbed in the warmth of your gesture.

"Whatever you're going through," you gave him a pointed look, telling him silently to not deny this truth, "is worse and better than what other people go through. It may not be the best but it's probably not the worst."

Your advice, though insightful, didn't mean much considering his problems had to do with the continued life or prompt execution of the entire universe by a bitter, old man. But the main point remained; there were more painful deaths than his, just as there were better ways to die than he would or will. He may not be facing the best circumstances, but they could be much worse, and the fact that normal humans often asked the same questions he did was more of a comfort than he thought it would be. Perhaps he really was connected to his mother in that way.

The steps creaked beneath your shared weight as you both approached the front door of your house. You opened the door, stepping partway through the threshold before you turned to him, hesitation lacing your open mouth.

Behind you, Jack managed to spot two shadowed figures running across the hallway towards what he presumed to be a back door. His eyes widened imperceptibly and he pursed his lips, quick averting his gaze back to you.

"You're special, Jack," you said quietly, scanning him with a careful look. "Don't let bad circumstances own you. You only get so much time in this world."

"You're very kind," was all he could managed to respond with. "Thanks for... going out with me tonight."

"Of course. I like talking to you."

"I'm glad you do," he said with a sheepish chuckle, one you mimicked as you fixed your hair.

"I'll see you again soon?"

"Yes, I – oh," he interrupted himself, remembering your scarf still enveloping him, "this belongs to you."

"Don't worry about it," you said, taking his arms and settling them back down to his sides. "It's kind of cold out tonight, and I'm assuming you're walking home... aren't you?"

"... yeah," he lied, blood rushing to his face at the thought of taking a piece of you home.

"Then I'll get it back another time," you said, smiling.

You hesitated to close the door again, and instead you gingerly moved forward, raising yourself to press a single, soft kiss to his cheek, the edge of it just barely touching his lips. His mouth parted in surprise, but before he could say anything you shut the door.

He walked back to the impala completely starstruck.

"I don't think they're dangerous," Jack said, restating what he'd said earlier to Sam and Dean on the drive home––he just couldn't see you as suspicious. Strange, yes, but not murderous.

"If what you say is true, though, then this is quite likely a fae," said Castiel as his eyes flickered from Jack to Sam and Dean.

"See? Facts are facts, kid," Dean said, pointing to Castiel with a smile.

"Hexbags, crystals, actual photos with them from, like, 1890? And the amount of plants," Sam continued with a slight shudder.

"How many plants were there?" Castiel asked, frowning sternly.

"Too damn many," Dean answered for him. "The point is, we gotta interrogate that thing."

"They didn't do anything wrong!" Jack said, his voice tripling without his knowledge.

Everyone in the room reacted accordingly––stiff postures and sharp breaths as the golden light faded in his eyes.

"Jack..." Castiel began hesitantly, his voice quiet and low.

He barely uttered out an 'I'm sorry,' before he turned and left, disappearing down the hallway and into his room.

It took him nearly a whole day to leave his room, having spent most of the time alone to brood and ponder over his actions, and whether or not he was being manipulated by a fairy creature. He couldn't deny the fact that there was a chance he was wrong and he was under your control, thus landing him with the only sane decision, somehow; trust Sam and Dean.

Silence surrounded him as he padded through the bunker, headed towards the kitchens after not eating for nearly 24 hours. Technically he could live without food for much, much longer than that, even without sleep, but it wasn't a particularly pleasant experience.

When he reached the kitchen he also found it empty. In fact, the whole bunker sounded empty, leaving all the cereal for him. He smiled.

Sam and Dean returned before Castiel did, though after their return they hid away doing 'private business' in the basement area. Jack tried to ask what it was they were doing, but Dean curtly brushed him off, sending him back upstairs to go clean up the mess they left in the kitchen after a quick, midnight dinner.

As he was scrubbing the dishes, a door lock clattered in the distance, marking Castiel's return. Now that the fort was manned again, he could sneak off to see you in the morning. Castiel informed him that showing up at people's houses at midnight could be seen in a very bad way. He knew you wouldn't judge him, but he still didn't want to embarrass himself, and it was only a few more hours to wait till dawn.

He could fly. He could also ask Sam or Dean to drive him (while he could also ask to drive Baby, he knew the answer would be an ardent no), but the grey clouds promised rain, and the smell of rain hitting the leaf-covered earth pleasured his mind. With your scarf wrapped around him, he could avoid the cold as well.

His feet were a little tired by the time your library came into view, though still warm in the crisp air from fuzzy, woolen socks. The frayed edges of your scarf fluttered about chaotically in the wind as he noticed something rather odd––the library wasn't open. None of the lights were turned on, the chairs were still atop the tables, and you were nowhere to be seen. He had left the bunker a little early, but you always opened by 5AM at the latest, and it was 8 now.

For several minutes he hadn't a clue as to what to do, meaning he stood motionless in silence in front of the glass door, his head tilting slowly to the side in confusion. Maybe you woke up late––that would explain it. You were perfectly safe in your bed, dozing after a good night's sleep, completely unharmed.

But things rarely worked out so easily for Jack. Your home was empty, no sign of your disappearance left as your shoes, jacket, keys, and wallet were still left by the front door. In a sudden panic at the thought of your absence, the world around him flickered for a split second before he appeared in the bunker's war room. Knowing the usual fate of the people he cared about, you were probably being hurt, perhaps kidnapped by the actual fae who'd been killing the children, or lost of your own volition in a forest you wandered too far into.

"Castiel." Jack grabbed the angel's coat sleeve, stopping him on the way to the stairs. "I went looking for the librarian and they're missing."

"Missing?" Castiel repeated with a grimace. "Did you check the library and the house?"

"Yes, I couldn't find them."

"They might be headed for the children," he said, sending a pang through Jack's heart that he ignored.

"Is... is there a way to track a fae?"

"There's no spell I know of," Castiel said, his gaze falling to the floor as he scanned his mind. "But if it's a magical creature, it may carry a sort of... a sort of scent."

"A scent?" Jack furrowed his brow, wondering if something could carry your scent.

Something you'd been around a while. Something like your books, or your bed, or –

Jack jumped after he realized he was still wearing your scarf which, despite its' time with Jack in his room, still smelled of you. He shoved it into Castiel's arms, but he only gave him a confused look.

"It's their scarf," he explained.

Castiel spared him from the embarrassment of explaining how he'd gotten it.

He held the crumpled scarf in his hand up to his nose, intaking a deep breath with closed eyes. Jack hadn't ever heard of this kind of tracking, which was odd since he inherently knew most things about angels, but he would never distrust his father. What he did distrust was the churning feeling in his chest, as though a curved knife had impaled itself in him and twisted slowly through his skin.

Doubts pervaded both angels almost immediately as Castiel followed the trail. It led near to the stairs, but took a harsh turn and went into the hallway, leading them further into the bunker.

"Are you sure this is theirs?" Castiel asked as they hurried down the hall.

"Positive," he said, earning a sigh and a nod from Castiel.

They continued, this time less sure of themselves, as the scarf continued to lead them through the bunker, trotting down stairs till they landed in the base floor. Here the walls, ceiling, and floor were made of thick cement, allowing their footsteps to echo around the empty halls.

Jack picked up the pace and Castiel followed, running after the trail that ended right in front of the dungeon door. The torture room door, where monsters were locked up, and sometimes friends as well. A sort of fury was boiling in his blood despite his earlier acceptance of the Winchester's plan. Keeping you here in secret was never something he agreed to.

Without even fully realizing it, Jack was wrenching open the handle, the door whizzing open and slamming against the wall with a resounding crack. There, in the center of a pentagram, you were bound to a chair with thick, iron chains, your molted form flanked by Sam and Dean. The latter carried a knife in his hand, one covered in dripping blood. Sam whirled around at the sound of the door opening, meaning he was the first to see Jack's glowing eyes, and the suddenly panicked expression on Castiel's face.

"What are you doing to them?" Castiel growled with wide eyes, taking long, quick steps over in front of you. Without hesitation he undid the restraints, letting you fall down to the floor.

"Cas, they're a fae," Dean said, his tone stern and curt.

"No, they're not," Castiel replied, his own voice equally as sure. "I can't.. blame you, for not knowing this. You're only human. But it's obvious to me."

Sam opened his crossed arms, waiting for the angel to explain himself. Meanwhile, Jack regained his composure after being shocked by Castiel's actions, and made his way over to you, kneeling at your side. You'd been cut in a few different places––nothing too grievous, at least not by Winchester standards––and drops of your blood painted streaks down your sweaty skin.

"They're an Old God," Castiel finally said, but the words were followed by silence.

"We're just supposed to know what that is?" Dean asked gruffly.

"I thought your brother might," he said in a quiet voice.

Dean unfolded his arms, shifting his weight as he cast a glance to his brother.

"Old Gods are... ancient deities created by wandering bands of hunter-gatherers in your past. They got their power from their worshippers, not from Chuck, which... made them very different, to say the least," Castiel continued, still keeping his voice soft as he raised his hand above several of your wounds, stitching the skin back together with his grace.

"I've heard of hunter and gatherers," Jack said as he recalled some of the books in your library. "They wandered in bands of around 50 to 100 people."

He earned several unimpressed stares.

"Well – if they got their power from worshippers, how's this one still alive?" Sam asked after a moment of silence.

"I don't know," Castiel admitted. "I've never met this one before."

"Okay, just because they're not a fae doesn't mean they aren't the one that killed those kids," Dean said, interrupting their short conversation.

The iron knife still twirled in his hands; the only weapon against fairies. Jack kept a close eye on it as they spoke.

"An Old God would never hurt a human," Castiel said with such an intensity that no one had any choice but to believe him. “And besides,” he turned back to you, “they would’ve lost their powers long ago when humans stopped believing in them.”

Your eyes listed open while you lay in Jack's hold, the swirling image of your friend coming lazily into view.

"... Jack?" You mumbled, struggling to keep your eyelids up.

His gaze shot down to you, eyes widening at the sight of your movement.

"Hey," he said softly, hushing you when you tried to speak. "Are you okay?"

You mustered your strength to nod.

"I'm assuming you're an agricultural God," Castiel said after a moment of watching the two of you interact. "You look to be around 12,000 years old." He looked up to Dean and Sam. "That's how old agriculture is."

"Yeah, I know," Sam scoffed, but Dean remained silent.

"Do I really look that old?" You asked, laughing through your slurred words.

"Your soul does," Castiel answered.

You hummed weakly in response, drifting back into unconsciousness, your body going limp in Jack's arms.

Jack healed what remaining injuries you had, using it partway as an excuse to touch you. His palms set flat on the cuts, and with you far off in your dreams, you didn't feel the burn or the relief of his healing. He thought first to bring to his room to lay you on his bed, but Sam gently suggested that you should be put in one of their many spare bedrooms.

Castiel and the Winchesters attempted to take his mind off of you, but it wasn't long before he was back at your side, waiting for you to wake up again. He scanned your body constantly with his mind, searching for any hidden injuries he might've missed the first time around. The case remained unsolved, the children still missing and the culprit unknown. Your disqualifying left the Winchesters with no more suspects, but Jack couldn’t bring himself to worry about a creature that wouldn’t strike again for another ten years when you wouldn’t wake up to his voice calling your name.

It took hours until you stirred again, eyes fluttering into a half-open state as they fell to Jack. He had his head hung low, his elbows leant on his knees, and his hair drooping in front of his face.

"I was created in Turkey," you rasped out through a dry throat.

At the slightest sound his head shot up, eyes widening with a spark upon seeing your soft smile.

"It's a country, by the way," you mumbled, correctly assuming Jack didn't know the country, and only knew the bird. "At a place they call Gobekli Tepe, now. The people of the land would... would gather there, and share their cultured seeds, and the magic needed to make them grow."

"Magic?"

"Simple water and sunlight," you said with a weak chuckle. "It was magic to them. Everything was."

You fell silent before you said, "I miss them."

"Were they different? From people now?" Jack asked.

"Very," you nodded assuredly. "But there are some people, nowadays, that remind me of them."

He chuckled quietly. Warmth spread from your touch when you reached forward, just barely gracing his hand with yours. He took the initiative, entangling your fingers together, and watching intently as your thumb ran over the back of his hand.

"You are a new God, aren't you?" You asked, narrowing your eyes curiously, with no sense of hostility.

"I'm... I'm a nephilim. Lucifer's son, actually, but I promise I'm not like him," he said, gripping you tighter.

"A nephilim?" You asked with a frown.

"The son of an angel," he clarified.

It was the first time he was able to tell you something you didn't know instead of the other way around.

"I've never heard of angels."

His brows raised in surprise.

"Really?" He asked.

"I haven't really kept up with the world as of recent. When did angels first appear?"

"I... don't know," he said after wracking his brain and finding no answer. "Castiel might know."

"Castiel.. Castiel, that was your father, right?"

"Yeah. The good one," he said, earning a chuckle from you that brought a blush to his face.

"He is another God?"

"Another angel, yes," he nodded. "(Y/N), I... I have so many questions for you."

"About what?" You asked skeptically, giving him a playful glare.

"About humans, mostly," he said. "I mean, I've already been asking you questions, but now I know you have a lot more answers than I thought."

"Yes, well, I do keep my memory stored in a mushroom," you muttered beneath your breath.

Jack frowned. Was that normal?

"Can you tell me about them?" He asked, just barely masking his eagerness.

"My people?"

He nodded, and you smiled softly, your eyes glazing over as you recalled thousands of years past.

[wickedsrest-rp-archive]

Name: Matías Belmonte Species: Human (Exorcist) Occupation: Guide at Museum of Monstrosities Age: 28 Years Old Played By: Lora Face Claim: Sean Teale

“Dead is dead. That’s it. The quicker you understand that, the better.”

TW: Parental Death

Originally from northern Wisconsin, Matías’s parents relocated to White Crest in the mid-eighties after recommendations from fellow exorcists. Not long after, the family opened a timepiece store and welcomed two sons: Donato and a few years later, Matías. The son of a watchmaker and an exorcist, Matías understood impermanence from a young age. That time passed and some things were better off passing with it. The Belmonte name, capable of being traced back to some of the oldest cities across the world, was a common one among those that knew what the world really was. What it was capable of and that spirits were more than just a speck of dust.

His father kept up the storefront while his mother traveled from state to state, country to country, to perform exorcisms. She was good at it and notoriety, in certain circles, followed. When they were old enough, Donato and Matías began to join their mother on her trips. She kept them safe while teaching them the importance of the duty they would one day inherit. Not many were capable of what they could do or what they could see and she instilled the importance of that in them at a young age. The brothers learned to work together in their exorcisms, a strange but very Belmonte way to brotherly bond.

It was clear from the early years that Donato took to it quicker, with more sincerity, than Matías. The youngest was content to be a child and spend time with friends, not spend his time studying spirits and death. He neglected his studies and put off tending to the protections his mother set up around their home. Donato, with a shake of his head, picked up his brother’s slack. Although his mother didn’t discourage Matías, she worried that he didn’t take the danger of spirits seriously. He would learn one day. His mother and brother were away one weekend when Matías’s noncommittal approach to exorcism came back to haunt him at the age of fifteen.

If he hadn’t insisted that his father go with him to Jericho Hill to humor his mother, the spirit wouldn’t have latched onto the kindest man he ever knew. If he had been quicker, he would have stopped his father before he cut the throat of poor Miss Carmody. If he had studied what his mother gave him, he would have known it was a hungry ghost. If he had been better. If he had been more observant. If he had been his brother. After he fumbled his way through a binding circle, Matías could only watch as the spirit malformed his father into something destructive and hateful. Someone unrecognizable as it broke apart his father’s life and his livelihood. Alone, he wasn’t strong enough to finish it.

His mother and brother returned to a nearly destroyed home and two nearly dead men. They set to work. His father didn’t survive the exorcism and only by his mother’s almost inhuman ability to know when something was wrong, did Matías. Battered and nearly broken, the three survivors pulled themselves out of the wreckage of their home. His mother spoke with the police and shortly after, the three of them were gone from White Crest without a word. His mother assured him that it wasn’t his fault, that his father knew the risks. Donato tried to follow her example but he wasn’t as forgiving as their mother. As it turned out, neither was Matías. To prove himself worthy of the Belmonte name, he would carry it and make amends. There was no other option.

He threw himself into his studies with a newfound intensity. Or borderline obsession, depending on who you asked. In a few years, he surpassed what his brother was capable of at a rate that both alarmed and made his mother proud. He couldn’t rely on his mother and brother to save him. He studied on his own, performed exorcisms on his own, and returned from them, weary and battered, on his own. Against the insistence of his mother and after more than a few close calls. If he worked or studied with other exorcists, it was out of necessity. No matter what, the result was the same. A spirit or two gone. It was satisfactory but it wasn’t enough.

At twenty, he left the states behind to exorcise the places his ancestors had dwelled. What he didn’t take seriously before, he took as seriously as death the older he got. Because, to him, that’s what spirits were. They were death standing, memories that did more harm than good, and time had left them behind. The thirteenth hour had struck when he returned. His work was not yet done and he didn’t know if it ever would be but what he did know, above all else, was that home called.

Character Facts:

Personality: Reliable, sincere, sympathetic, driven, intense, one-track minded, judgmental, hot-headed

Matías is agnostic and his exorcisms can be considered a practice, or ritual, of chaos magic. His focal item is his father’s pocket watch.

Due to the notoriety of his family as practicing exorcists in some circles, he was once asked personally by Zak Bagans to be on Ghost Adventures. Prior to the episode’s filming, he exorcised both spirits in the house out of spite. He continues to hold a grudge against Zak Bagans.

Like other exorcists, he is fluent in many languages both alive and dead. He possesses only a very mild mediumship in that he can only see outlines of spirits but it’s enough for him to get by with.

While his exorcisms are successes in his eyes, he often gets overzealous and his intent to destroy the spirit wholly can and likely will damage the surroundings.

Matías’s family holds a belief that animals, particularly dogs, are gifted at sensing spirits. His mom also just wanted him to have a friend. Although he doesn’t bring her along on exorcisms, he has a young doberman named Bianca.

[dailyaudiobible]

02/22/2020 DAB Transcript

Leviticus 13:1-59, Mark 6:1-29, Psalms 39:1-13, Proverbs 10:10

Today is the 22nd day of February, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian it's great to be here with you today. And I love this day, it comes once a year for me and I get to say from the Sea of Galilee, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. We get to spend several days here but this is like the first day. And, so, this is like the first morning that we get to wake up and see it and just marvel that we’re here. And it's so different from the wilderness that it seems as if we might have traveled to a completely different part of the world. And in truth, I think we’re just 2 or 300 miles away from the furthest Southpoint in Israel. This land is incredibly diverse and incredibly enchanting. It's…and now that we’re here in the Galilee, it's just…I love this. So, welcome from the Sea of Galilee. And I'm excited to tell you about the adventures that we had yesterday. And we’re like super excited about what we’re gonna experience today. But the thing that we need to experience, the thing that we've come for, the thing that we need is to open our hearts and allow God's word to speak. So, we’ve been reading from the New International Version this week. Today Leviticus chapter 13.

Commentary:

Okay. So, how about that riveting reading in the book of Leviticus today where we discussed skin diseases and mold? Man…that was so rich I almost want to read it again. How about we just read it again right now? You’re probably like, “No! No! Why?!? We’re already read it. Let's not do that again.” And we can go okay, “what's…what's mold got to do with anything? What’s skin disease…like…what's happening here?” And a number of things are happening here. One of them is incredibly practical. You got a million people out in the wilderness and a plague of skin disease starts to spread you got a problem. If you got mold spreading throughout the community, you got a problem. So, the letter of the law makes perfect sense. This…this God is giving these rules about skin and about mold to protect the people on their journey. But what's underneath all of this? I mean, our physical bodies, we’re aware of our physicality. We understand we have a physical body but we also understand that we have a spirit or  like a spiritual body and we become more and more aware of that as we become more and more aware of our interior lives, which is what the Bible is pointed at. So, let’s just suppose something is really bugging you. There’s just this one thing, this one little area in your life that’s really, really bothering, it feels almost like our ash inside. That one area, this situation, this relationship, this set of circumstances, it’s just…it's bothering you. So, the first thing to do then is to think about how deep this goes. Is this on the surface? Is this something that's passing? This is just a temporary kind of thing that’s kind of bugging you right now but it…it…it doesn’t go deeper or is it more than skin deep? Is it defiling you? Is it getting roots and going to spread and go deeper and sink deeper into you? Then that's a problem. If you’ve got mold growing in your house and it…and it doesn’t matter if its thousands of years ago in the wilderness or if it’s today in whatever city you live in. If you’ve got mold in your house that’s a problem. And once you discover it you need to do everything possible to get rid of it. And sometimes that can be really, really tricky, but it's a health hazard. And it will only get worse. And at some point, if it's left to run rampant it will condemn the structure. We know that. What if there's some mold growing on the wall of your heart? What if you're aware of it but you leave it alone, you don't take it to your great high priest to have it examined? You keep it in the dark and you let it grow in the dark until it spiders its way up to your ceiling, then you got a problem. So, let's…let's use that today as a launching pad for what we meditate, just allowing that to sink in, to think about what's chafing us. Is it skin deep or is it below the surface? Is it on my walls and I'm keeping it hidden and it's only going to get worse or do I need to get rid of it by taking it to my high priest and having it examined? There's probably something in there for every single one of us today straight out of the book of Leviticus

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for that. We welcome You into that. We invite Your Holy Spirit into that. We open our hearts to You. We need You to examine our interior lives. We’re coming to You. Are these things skin deep? Are they on the surface? Have they grown? Do they need to be cut out? What about this mold? Is it deep into the walls? Is it growing? Will it spread? These things, we’re kind of aware but we’re not intentional and we’re being intentional now. Show us the places within us that need attention and we ask this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

Okay. So, as I mentioned at the beginning, we’re in…we’re in…we’re in the Galilee. We’re right along the Sea of Galilee and it’s so good to be…so good to be back here and pick up the story of Jesus here and start walking in His footsteps around this area. And, so, we’re excited to see the places that we visited in the Bible like within just the last couple of days we’ll be able to see the day. So, looking forward to that.

Yesterday, so we like finished our…our wilderness portion of this pilgrimage. We moved out of the wilderness. Like we began at the lowest point on earth, that's the Dead Sea and moved our way to the Galilee. That…it was a busy day. So, we went to the oasis Engedi and Engedi, this is a place spoken of in the Psalms, in the song of Solomon. A great staging for a battle was…was at Engedi. It’s an oasis so it's in the middle of the wilderness, but it's freshwater in the wilderness. And there…it's dotted with caves all around this entire area. So, early desert fathers and monks would live lives in these caves. And also , David hid in these caves. That's spoken about in the Scriptures. In…in one of these caves…there's no way to know, but in  one of these caves Saul, king Saul who we haven't met yet in the Scriptures, is pursuing David and he goes into one of these caves to use the bathroom and David’s hiding in there and cuts off some of his robe. So, like it’s very rooted in the Scriptures. So, we spent some time there and China shared with us there. She…she had us close our eyes and hear the waterfall and fresh water in the desert and shared with us about promise and is a beautiful moment, just absolutely beautiful moment before continuing moving a little north to another site called Qumran. And it's in the same general area. Lots of caves. Lots of barren wilderness. But Qumran is…is…is the site of probably the greatest biblical archaeological find ever and that would be the Dead Sea Scroll. Some of the manuscripts found in the Dead Sea Scrolls are the earliest documents in the Bible. So, like the Bibles been passed down for all of these centuries but we don't have any original, like any of the original manuscripts, like when it was very first written down. But some of the earliest, like the oldest biblical texts that…that exist, that have ever been found were found in Qumran. So, we visited there and there's one cave in particular, it's got a great overlook but it's, you know, it’s the one see…if you hear about Qumran this is the picture that you see. And, so, we got to see that and take some pictures and just appreciate what we’re looking at. So, then we went into Jericho for lunch and a little shopping and to see some of the ruins of most ancient Jericho. And, I mean, there's…there's a lot of archaeology that's been done there, and some really, really interesting things that have been done there. But you think of Jericho and you think of fallen down walls and you want all that kind of thing and it…it’s just a little different than that but very very very…it's like one of the most ancient cities in the entire world. And that also gave us the chance to kind of move more into it like the Arab culture. Jericho is an Arab city and so we were able to experience that. And also, to just consider this the story…well there’s just a number of biblical stories that kind of converge. Jesus temptation in the wilderness after his baptism would've been in the wilderness nearby, right there. And the Kedron Valley, which is famous because it's in Jerusalem, that Valley actually winds its way all the way down to Jericho. So, like 20 miles and it's been a notoriously dangerous road to go on. So, the story that the Jesus told about the good Samaritan, the backdrop for that story would've been this valley down to Jericho. And even David's writing, “Yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” This is what he's referring to. So…so, once we…we finished up it was time to get moving north. Several…well a couple hours heading north to get up into the Galilee area and get checked in and get situated and we’ll be camping out here. Like now our wilderness wanderings have come to a close. And, yeah, we…we've had like…we’ve had to pack up and leave and move to another place and then pack up and leave move to another place every day and it's been super easy for us, even though it's easy for us to complain, it's…it's been easy. We’ve been driven to where we need to go, we’ve had porters to take our luggage to our rooms and we’ve you know…but it’s just been the jostling around. But it helps to understand what that would’ve been like if we had walk, if we had to pack up our tent, if we had to get all our stuff together, pack it up and start walking to keep moving to be nomads. And, so, that experience, we’ve had it and it's over and we’re gonna camp out here in the Galilee and just immerse ourselves in the stories that happened here in the North, especially surrounding Jesus life but not exclusively surrounding Jesus life. And, so, that's what we’ll be doing these next few days.

So, again, thank you for your continued prayers. We’re posting pictures and videos and stuff all along the way on our social media channels at Instagram and on Facebook. So, if you haven't tuned in you can go back and kind of look at the different things that we’re seeing and doing and just be…just be a part of what's going on even virtually because we’re a community and we’re moving through the Scriptures every day here. Like this never stops. And, so, we’re in community. We just…some of us happen to be here on a pilgrimage in the land of the Bible, but because we do this and post all this and talk about it just brings the biblical lands closer as we read through the Scriptures. So, make sure to watch that or check…check those channels out and see what we’re posting.

Today is the Sabbath. So, Shabbat Shalom, happy Sabbath to you. And, so, we’ll be traveling around today. But tonight, this evening we will be broadcasting live from here at the Sea of Galilee. And, so, you can kinda tune in and see everybody and hear from…like you’ve been hearing me describe everything but you kinda hear it from other people and have the opportunity to send in questions. And, so, we’ll spend about an hour doing that and it will be at 7:30 PM local, that's Israel time. So, that is 12:30 PM in Nashville, like just after lunch and it's 5:30 PM in London. All you have to do is Google where you are and the time difference between Tel Aviv and you can kinda sort that out. And, so we’ll be going live tonight. Looking forward to that very much. It's always a blast. So, hope you can…hope you can tune in. That’ll be a Facebook.com/dailyaudiobible. And we’ll see you there.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that dailyaudiobible.com. There's a link on the homepage. I thank you for your partnership. If you're using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment 877-942-4253 is the number to dial or just hit the Hotline button in the app, the little red button at the top and you can share from there.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi Daily Audio Bible family this is Preston from Sunnyvale California today is February 19th time is 11:21 AM. I have two prayer requests. I want to lift up, first of all, as a call out to all Californians. If you’ve noticed, we haven’t had much rain this year and I just would like to lift up the state of California for that we have some rain for the…the rest of this winter that we have. They from the West Coast, we all know how much the winter rains are…impact the rest of the year. And, so, I just lift up the state of California that we get the rain that we need to prevent the drought this summer. My second prayer request is that…is for work. I’m in the process of finding a new job after getting fired from my sales job and I just ask that…ask for God’s blessings on that, that I find a job that leads me to be able to support my wife and support us so that we can…we can start a family. I was fired for doing the right thing, for refusing to lie to a customer about parts orders and it’s a long story. But thank you for your prayers. I love you guys. Just…Brian just thank you so much for this wonderful podcast. And, yeah, have a great day. Okay. Bye.

Hello beloved child of God I feel your pain, your brokenness, your sadness. I sit with you in Shiva. I sit just to be with you with a desire to help lift the pain you are feeling. I know you feel as though there’s new hope. I know you feel alone and you feel as though God is not working in your life but I am here as your sister, your godly sister and as I sit with you the rest of our family, our godly family comes and joins me in this moment to be with you and we bring the love of Christ to surround you with that. But there’s more, there is hope and the fact is the Lord is within you. We are only a representation of the love we have felt from him, that we have known of Him and we are here…sorry…to give you hope to be with you. If your faith is not strong right now, lean on ours. The Lord will rescue. The Lord will help. And, so, I put my arms around you as do my brothers and sisters here as does the Lord.

Hi DAB family it’s Carla Jean from Las Vegas I’m calling today to tell you that I still don’t have a job, still don’t have a home, but I’m trusting 100% that God’s got a plan in all of this and I started to see a little bit of that this week. I have had to move in with my ex-husband and our 14-year-old son because I had nowhere else to live. And we were married for 25 years and divorced in January 2019. The last five years our marriage was non-existent marriage basically. And there’s a lot of hurt and anger and fear. He’s been sick for most of our marriage and it was consuming me to try to keep him alive and try to get him to be motivated to stay alive. Anyway, long story short, this past weekend we went out on a date together and our hearts are opening to one another again. So, those of you that are struggling in marriages, my marriage was dead DEAD dead but God. And now I expect that I’m gonna get a job very soon because I truly feel that this was God’s plan all along. How about if I have you guys live together because you have nowhere else to live and then you’ll see each other again and fall in love again and then you can get a job? So, my dear friends and family I love you. Thank you for your continued prayers. I still need a job, but I’m seen God working. I’m praying for all of our pilgrims and know that I travel with you and the prayers of all of our family travel with you. Love you guys. Have a great day. Bye.

Hi DAB family it’s Jennifer from Ohio and this is my second time calling now. I haven’t called since back in December when I asked you guys to pray for my mom who was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiform back in late October early November. She is doing well. So, thank you for your prayers but please continue to keep her lifted. However, that’s not the reason for my call today. The reason for my call today is because today I believe it’s the February the 19th, I heard Harold call in and say that he prayed the prayer of salvation. And Harold let me just tell you, you sent me into a worship and praise frenzy. That just made my heart rejoice. I have been praying for you and along with the other DABbers for you to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and when I heard your call today it just lifted my spirit so high and I’m still on a high and that was probably about four or five hours ago when I listened to it. So, I just wanted to tell you thank you so much for joining our family. Thank you so much for calling in to let us know where you are. We are still here pushing you and we are here to encourage you and support you in both your attorneys, your journey here now as a member of the family and then also your journey to run your marathon. So, thank you so much for sharing that with us and we are still praying for you and I’m just…I’m just so happy, I’m so grateful. And it reminded me, your call today reminded me of Jesus when he talked about going after the one. I feel like he came for you and I’m so glad you’re here. Okay. Love you family. Bye-bye.

Hi, DABbers this is Dolly from Michigan and this prayer is for Arielle. Arielle I just want to let you know that your name means lion of God Arielle and I want to pray this prayer from Ephesians 3:16 over you and…and it’s the passion translation. And I pray that he would unveil within you Arielle the unlimited riches of His glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with His divine might and explosive. Then by constantly using your faith the life of Christ will be released deep inside you and the resting place of His love will become the very source of your life. Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences, the great magnitude of the astonished love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is His love. How enduring and inclusive it is, endless love beyond measurement that transcends all our understanding. This extravagant love pours into you and you Arielle until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God. I just send blessing over you Arielle. And it’s not by…its by our faith that brings us to God, it’s not our works. Jesus completed those works for us on the cross and that’s how much God loves us. For God so loved the world that He sent His son Jesus to die for us for our sins. So, Sister Arielle…

Hi this is Cherry from Oklahoma and this call is for Arielle who called in on February the 18th. And Arielle you mentioned you’re new Christian and you just want to be loved and approved of and for God to like and be proud of you. And you weren’t really sure, you know, what to expect. And I just want to tell you, He says love God and obey His commandments and seek Him with your whole heart. And that’s what you’re doing. I mean, look at you. You’re going to Bible studies, you’re…you’re reading His word, you’re calling into the DAB. So, hey, you’re…you’re doing great. I know your thrilling God ecstatically. You’re just thrilling His heart. So, these feelings are part of the journey. I mean we all struggle with them to one degree or another. So, just, welcome aboard. And we love you and we are so excited to pull another person aboard this journey ship here in the word of God. And you just keep calling in. And also regarding you’re not feeling welcomed in that Bible study. I would just like to share with you, it may be the…the maturity level that group is in Christ…is that they are all new in this journey, in this walk and their failing insecurities and uncertainties about the other people in the group and just how they fit in. So, don’t let Satan lie to you and try to get you not to go and steal something that you need to be there for because you’re not really understanding and able to see the whole, you know, picture. And also, I will pray though that if this isn’t the right group that God will bring you to the right place. But until then, I think it’s more that you need to be there, and Satan just knows how much your thrilling God and he doesn’t like him to be happy. So, you…you keep going girl until something...

Hi this is in response to Arielle’s prayer who was recently…she said she was recently saved and she doesn’t know what to do and my advice to her is please give going to those Bible studies, keep going to church and listen to God’s word and rest in Him. And at the Bible studies and church, that’s where you need to fellowship, and you can…where others can encourage you and you can encourage others. And I’ll continue to pray for you. And, you know, that you are good enough and, you know, it’s not about, you know, doing, you know, being good enough for God, it’s He’ll meet you where you’re at. And there’s only one of you and He has a special plan for your life. And…and just be obedient and read His word and let it wash over you and let it transform your mind. I will continue to pray for you as every…lots of other people will do. And I hope to hear back from you with a good report. Thanks. Bye.

[riszellira]

Reflection: HIGH WALLS? NO PROBLEM!

Jericho—reputedly one of the oldest inhabited towns in the whole world—must have been a bustling commercial city during the time of  the Lord. There were busybodies everywhere, business people, traipsing tourists, peddlers and peons, sellers and buyers. It was a perfect place for a man named Zacchaeus as business was good. And where money flowed, tax collectors followed.

Zacchaeus, needless to say, was a wealthy man. But he was faced with what could have been a problem taller and higher than the famous walls of Jericho. He was short in stature. But money was not in short supply for him. He probably paid a few broad-shouldered men to hoist him up the sycamore tree. (If you have seen one such tree, tell me if a short man like Zacchaeus could do the trick!) He clambered up. He needed to take a good look at the man about whom everybody was curious. He was a man literally in search, and the best place to do a quick search in the midst of surging crowds is to take a drone and fly up higher.

He had no choice. The taller men in front of him might as well have been the walls of Jericho. High walls, you say? No problem! For a man in search— really out in search—and for one who had money, it is not a problem.

Except that Zacchaeus was not the original one in search. Neither was it the blind man of yesterday’s story. Somebody else was doing that job (mission) and was doing it well. Jesus found the blind man despite the high walls of curious crowds. Jesus saw Zacchaeus up his perch of power. The lofty perch, the high walls of prestige, were no match for the towering figure of One who has come as the promised Son of David, out in search for the lame, the crippled, the blind, the poor, the orphans, and sinners like you and me. And Zacchaeus was one prominent representative, never mind his puny little stature.

I may be a nobody. I may have no money like Zacchaeus did, and I may have good eyes, but my sins tower high before me. Pas un  probleme! (Not a problem!) Jesus is passing by!

~Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

What hinders you from reaching out to Jesus?

Help me to always remember that You are passing by, Lord. You are near—I only have to reach out to You. Amen.

Prayer

… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.

… for the strength and healing of the sick.

... for the healing and peace of all families.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

GOD BLESS

[cortezjez-blog]

BLOGPOST 1

              Hi Everyone! My name is Jezza B. Cortez but you can call me “jez” for short,and I`am a Grade 11 student at St. Paul University Philippines. I am 17 years old.My birthday is august 21, 2002 and I`m from the most beautiful and also the Corn Capital of the Philippines, the one and only City Of Ilagan,Isabela. The things that I love about Isabela especially City Of Ilagan are the people and also the tourists spots. People of City Of Ilagan was known for being competitive,creative and productive. About the tourists spots, We have japanese tunnel, Ilagan sanctuary and Ilagan-Divilacan road. Also, I have two siblings, two brothers to be exact. Joven Cortez, is the oldest, he is 26 years old and Jericho Cortez,he is 23 years old. I am proud to say that I have the best mom in the world she always supports me in everything I do that`s why she became my best friend. My mothers name is Leonora B. Cortez and My fathers name Is Franklin G. Cortez. My dad is the most serious person I have ever met. Whenever we do something or we joke around he always takes it seriously. My hobbies are talking to my friends,watching korean dramas and also swimming but I`m not saying that I`m a good swimmer. My favorite subject is Science, I am very interested in biology since elementary and I attended science fairs. My goal is to be a pediatrician. My grades in science are okay but I want to improve it more so I can prove to my family that I can do more than they know. My mom always reminds me to take my dreams seriously, she said that if I really want to achieve my dreams I should do everything and I just need to believe in myself because I can`t trust anyone but I can trust myself. I also have my favorite movie it is called Forever my girl, I have learned a lesson from this movie and that is to learn that we should think first before we decide because sometimes we are making decisions that we might regret it someday. Sometimes when I feel pressure and stress because of my studies I always find ways to unwind my mind and relax my body just like doing some physical activities. one of the things that I`am doing is jogging, this helps me not only for my health but every time I run I feel like I`m exhaling all the negatives vibes in my body and inhaling all the positive vibes. My friends might tell you that I am a very easy going kind of person and kind. I agree. I am not a fashionable kind of person and I usually wear casual outfits. I believe in the saying that great things never came from comfort zones and don`t give up just because of what someone said use that as a motivation to push harder. Once again my name is jezza cortez, Thank you=].

  1. Where do I see myself 10 years from now? Is my learning in SPUP vital to where I’m leading to?

>  Thinking of the future and where do I see myself is hard. Honestly, when it comes on talking about the future I really don`t know what to say.I hope 10 years from now I see myself as a student learning to be a Professional Doctor here at St. Paul University Philippines.I know being a Doctor is a hard work because I know that I need to put a lot of effort on making someone`s life much better. I want to see myself with a well-established career. I want to see myself caring for my parents and also I want to see myself having my own family living in my dream house. I know my dream is hard to achieve but I know that someday my dreams will come true if I have faith in God and also in myself. I know that SPUP is the one of the best universities here in philippines and I know that my learning here will help me in the future.

 2. Was STEM the best choice after all? 

>Yes because the difference of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering ,and Mathematics) curriculum to other strand and tracks is the focus on advanced concepts and topics. This strand will develop the student`s ability to evaluate simple to complex societal problems and be responsive and active in the formulation of its solution through the application and integration of scientific, technological, engineering,and mathematical concepts as it prepares us to pursue college degrees.I really want to be a doctor that`s why I chose this strand.

3. What course will you take in college and why?

> I want Medical Technology because medical technologies can save lives, improve health and contribute to sustainable health care. Through innovative devices and diagnostics, the industry delivers value to patients, health care professionals, and health care systems and society.medical technologists perform and analyze the results of complex scientific test on blood and bodily fluids.medical technology innovations help to deliver efficiency and enhance the sustainability of health care.

 4. What topic would you like to learn more in this subject?

>I want to learn more on how can I secure my accounts and also on what should I need to do so that no one can invade my privacy.I want also to learn more about how can I edit my photos or videos so that I can use it in academic purposes just like doing my projects and etc.

Are you enjoying teaching here at St. Paul University Philippines?

[resident-artoast]

Week 4 Blog Post

This weeks chapter is all about the Ancient Near East. This area housed many accomplishments in human history. It also brought about many ancient art forms. The Neolithic settlement of Jericho is one of the worlds oldest fortified sites. The protective walls surrounded the city's people, and their dead. The people of Jericho buried their ancestors in their homes. The Jericho skulls were sculptures of the deceased faces. It is believed the skulls were meant to preserve the memory of the dead. When looking at the skull pictured in our book, all I can think about is how we now keep photos of our loved ones. I think the skulls were similar to our use of photographs now.

The Uruk Period followed the Neolithic period and is sometimes referred to as protoliturate because this is when the earliest known writing was developed. An interesting vase found at Uruk, the city, is made of alabaster and is believed to depict the goddess Inanna. The vase depicts a goddess, men, rams and ewes, and barley stalks and date palms. It is believed the vase was associated with agricultural festivals of renewal and rebirth. This time period was interesting because you start to see a worshiping of gods and goddesses. Besides the vase found in Uruk, there were also Ziggurats built to honor the gods. A ziggurat is a man made mountain like structure meant to be a platform for the gods. This period also saw the use of cylinder seals as a way to mark an object as your own. These seals helped in the development of writing.

The early Dynastic Period saw the creation of cult figures like the ones found in Tell Asmar. These figures are believed to represent worshipers of different status. They are all different sizes but all are holding a cup. Another prominent find from this Era was discovered in Ur. Chris Woolley found the "royal cemetery". In the cemetery archaeologists found an array of gold products. The most notable was a Lyre sound box. The lyre is crafted to look like a bull with what is thought to be a human beard. The mixing of two animals was common in this era. The lyre showed that the people of this era enjoyed music. I think it just goes to show you how important music is to humans, even in ancient times.

Each dynasty and era brought their own rulers and art works. Many times, the significant art from the era was in the likeness of or created because of the king or gods of the time. Steles are upright stone markers that were made to memorialize important events. Many kings had statues and sculptures made of them to preserve their likeness. The Babylon dynasty was long and had a wide range of people within it. It started with the old Babylonian period with Hammurabi and his law codes that he inscribed on steles. Next was the Hittites who kept records on clay tablets that they stored similarly to a library. They also constructed huge walls that they decorated with lion sculptures. I believe this was likely to protect them symbolically. The lower sections of wall was also decorated with smaller sculptures which I believe shows the significance of art in the Hittites life. Each period in the Babylon dynasty showed a different, intricately designed art work, Many of these art works depicted animals in some way.

The last periods in the Ancient Near East discussed in this chapter were the Scythians and the Achaemenid Persia. The Scythians were influenced by early Iranian art. The Scythians created art that was mobile because they were nomadic. The Achaemenid created elaborate palaces. They also were wonderful metalworks and made a beautiful golden vessel with an intricate lion on it.

Every Era in the Ancient Near East was unique in its own way. They continuously developed their art forms to fit their lives. Each era I spoke about highlighted an important part of human history and how we have grown to become the civilization that we are today. Whether it was the creation of the first written language or the significance of record keeping and architecture, humans have come a long way for the cave dwelling people we once were.

Adams, L. S. (2011). A history of western art (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

[historicity-was-already-taken]

You've probably answered this b4, but who was the Pharaoh of and what date do you think was the Exodus? I like the Amarna period and the one God people all got exiled to Canaan ... but so many theories.

Note Before I Answer: This is not a political response, nor is it a religious one. Keep all that hell discourse out of my notes, please. Love you!

Short Answer: According to my readings of the Hebrew Bible, Ancient Near Eastern mythos, contemporary archaeological works, Biblical scholarly literature, and the history of the Levant in the Late Bronze/Early Iron Age, I am of the opinion that the story conveyed in Exodus–>Joshua never happened. I also might be wrong.

Long Answer: 

There’s this thing called the Documentary Hypothesis, founded by Julius Wellhausen, and recently expanded upon by Richard Elliott Friedman. There is no scholarly consensus on the veracity of the Hypothesis, but it makes the most sense to me when placed alongside the archaeological records, the known historical record, and Sumerian (etc) myth cycles. The very short and sweet explanation of the Documentary Hypothesis is that there are four main narrative strands within the Hebrew Bible: the J Source, E source, D Source, and P Source. Plus the Redactor. The J (“Yahwist”) and E (Elohist) sources are the oldest. J represents the oral history, mythos, etc of what would become the southern Kingdom of Judah, and E represents the same for the northern Kingdom of Israel. The two sources were combined by the D Source, the “Deuteronomist” sometimes after the fall of Israel to the Neo-Assyrain Empire in 721 BCE. The P Source is the “Priestly” source and it’s not really relevant to this particular conversation

The D Source’s combining of J and E wasn’t just about creating a compendium of myth, or folk religion, or oral history, it was about asserting the political and spiritual dominance of the Kingdom of Judah over the Kingdom of Israel, and hegemonizing Israelite worship practices from polytheistic to hardcore monotheistic. So, in Genesis we see a lot of cosmological and general mythological archetypes which, if you knew where to look, reflect aspects of God/Goddess cycles from all across Asia Minor, Egypt, and the Ancient Near East. (Check out my posts from 2011 and 2012 to learn more about how Genesis is secretly about a life goddess murdering some guy who kept stealing shit from her garden and banging his granddaughters)(that’s a hyperbolic assessment)

So Genesis happens blah blah blah, and then Joseph heads down to Egypt, his fam follows, time flies, and then came a Pharaoh who knew not Joseph etc the Israelites left Egypt, wandered the desert for 40 years, then blew down the walls of Jericho under Joshua, slaughtered all the Canaanites and took back the Promised Land. A grand, epic ending to a super-long Israelite cosmology.  

Except, according to Joshua, the Israelites were supposed to have destroyed a large number of Canaanite cities within a fairly small period of time. But the archaeological record of those cities show destruction layers hundreds of years apart, even within the larger 1100-1300 BCE timeframe typically used to look for a historical Exodus situation. And to make things even more awkward, the Book of Judges is supposed to happen after the Book of Joshua. Except, in the Book of Judges, the various Israelite clans very obviously live alongside Canaanites and Philistines. And they don’t even have hegemony over Canaan, like, most of the Book of Judges is about Israelite groups getting into border skirmishes with Canaanites. Who, according to Joshua, were supposed to be dead.

Awkward, but there’s an explanation.

There’s an archaeological theory called the Israelites as Canaanites theory, and it’s the one that makes the most sense to me. According to this theory, there was no Exodus, and the proto-Israelites never left the Levant; the Israelites WERE Canaanites. During the Bronze Age, the Levant was pretty evenly split between Egypt and the Hittite Empire, possibly leading to a memory of life under Egyptian rule which the D Source used as inspiration for the Exodus. The Bronze Age Collapse left the Levant in a bit of a power vacuum. That power vacuum opened the door for new groups and peoples to form identities, and claim territories, and have border disputes and form like, little backwater kingdoms for the Neo-Assyrians to laugh at.*

According to archaeologist William Dever, sometime around 1200 BCE, evidence starts to show up in the archaeological record of something new happening in the central Judean hill country: semi-permanent circular settlements, removed from other Canaanite sites of the period, with no evidence of pork consumption. The archaeological record does not show evidence of a new group entering Canaan, but it does show evidence of a new material culture growing in the highlands. 

If we are to understand Judges as a compendium of oral history, verse, myth, legend, and regional adapted archetypes from the pre-monarchical Israelite past, then that past is one of slow emergence and separation, not of dramatic racial and territorial conquest. And honestly, how do you go from winning a glorious genocidal campaign under one ruler to fighting a vague series of clan and border disputes within a loosely organized tribal society ruled by a warrior/mystic figure? Well, you kind of don’t. At least, not within a year.

So, that’s how Biblical textual analysis, ancient near eastern history and mythology, and the archaeological record come together for me to lead me to view that Exodus, the grand Israelite cosmology as conveyed in the Genesis-Joshua, didn’t happen. At least, not the way it is described, and not the way we think about it.

Now, further reading because you know I don’t pull this out of my ass ok: 

Old Testament Parallels (New Revised and Expanded Third Edition): Laws and Stories from the Ancient Near East by Victor H. Matthews and Don C. Benjamin

1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed (Turning Points in Ancient History) by Eric Cline

From Eden to Exile: Unraveling Mysteries of the Bible by Eric Cline

Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From? by William Dever

Did God Have a Wife?: Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel by William Dever

The End of the Bronze Age by Robert Drews

The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts by Neil Silberman and Israel Finkelstein

Who Wrote the Bible? by Richard Eliot Friedman

A History of Ancient Israel and Judah, Second Edition by J. Maxwell Miller and John Haralson Hayes

A Brief History of Ancient Israel by Victor H. Matthews

The Social History of Ancient Israel: An Introduction by Rainer Kessler

A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000 - 323 BC [Blackwell History of the Ancient World Ser.] by Marc Van De Mieroop

The Philistines and Aegean Migration at the End of the Late Bronze Age by Assaf Yasur-Landau

*I’m going to Jew hell for that one.

[prolestari]

WIP Week: Day 1

Hi everyone! I’ve decided to take part in this event this week. Instead of posting my usual six sentences, I’m bringing to you a whole week of works-in-progress!

Today’s theme is “Oldest WIP��, and I’m a bit embarrassed to say this is two years old. It’s the first chapter to the sequel of What Ought to Be, a fanfic I published in March 2016 (and only the second I wrote for NNT). I had ended that fic with the full intention of writing the sequel immediately. Then, after writing this first chapter, I was hit with a major block on this story and haven’t done another word. Hopefully one day I will write it!

So here is the beginning chapter that I put together. Please enjoy.

For the longest time it was one.

Before humanity could count or plan or keep track, thousand of years ago, a creature of dark curiosity crawled into this realm. It tore and is wrought and it plundered, feasting on chaos and confusion until its power grew so great, it was able to master dark magic. It used this magic to sow more discord in Britannia; in the air and the soil, burning water and scorching ice. Sometimes, it would cause lovers to quarrel, or friendships to fail; other times, entire empires were brought down through war and strife and poisoned sickness.

The creature grew lonely.

The creature grew bored.

Through a great strength of will and magic tore itself in two, creating a companion for itself. Its two halves took one look at the other, the other who was its own self, and agreed this would make the game more fun. They would work together in its goals. How delightful, to have a partner now! To share in the destruction, to have a companion to rejoice in their work.

The creature was content in its place in the world. Chaos, discord, mayhem.

All the way to the Holy War, where it had been of bloodshed and insanity and loss that was so very interesting, but ended so suddenly when the clans united to seal away the demons.

Because of the nature of its magic, the creature was caught up in the seal; not banished to the demon realm, but not free to wander Britannia, either. Together, the halves thrashed in their misery, thrashed at the injustice, thrashed at the cruelty brought against it, waiting for a moment to come when they could slip back through the fabric of the seal and into Britannia.

How dare they? How dare these things so small and young and so easily breakable touch them. And the creature could only watch, caught somewhere between reality and a dream.

That moment came as a dot of light, shining brilliant in the void appeared, and each part of one screamed and laughed as it latched onto it, using it to pull themselves back into Britannia. Immediately realizing it needed an anchor in this physical realm now, they reached out for a something to hook onto to secure its place.

When they realized the something was a king, the brothers smiled.

.o0o.

Elizabeth opened her eyes to the early morning light, smiling as she stretched. She was finally back in the Boar Hat, back in her bed with her pillow and the familiar presence of a sleeping Meliodas next to her. For a moment she simply breathed in and out, shivering a little at the nervous excitement inside of her. She was leaving today for their newest journey, after spending many long weeks in the capital assisting her older sister, Margaret, with running the kingdom’s affairs.

All that had come to a crashing halt when they discovered that the king had been an imposter. Two imposters, actually—one was killed in a battle at the city’s walls, but the other had escaped. Today they would be setting out to try to find the remaining creature and stop him from causing any more chaos.

Suddenly a hand moved along her backside, and she jumped as it squeezed a generous helping of her body. “Good morning, Elizabeth!” Meliodas’ voice was cheery above her, but it only made her acutely aware of how close they were snuggled, and how their arms were still around each other.

Elizabeth moved quickly to sit up, even as Meliodas kept his hands on her, sliding down lazily along her sides. “Good morning,” she answered, blushing a bit. He gave her a final caress before putting his arms behind his head and stretching back across the pillows. “I slept like a rock! How are you?”

“Very well,” she answered with a smile, enjoying the simple familiarity of waking up with Meliodas, finally feeling that she was where she belonged.

“I suppose we should get moving. The others will be here soon in order to pack and move out.” Elizabeth nodded, but before she could go, a firm hand on her arm stopped her. “I have a favor to ask you first, before any of this starts.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Of course, anything,” she replied.

“I want you to stay with me,” he said, his voice and expression suddenly deadly serious. “I don’t want to lose track of you again. Will you promise me not to go off on your own, or leave without me?”

Frowning, Elizabeth nodded. She could not imagine any reason for her to leave the Boar Hat again, or Meliodas’ side. Now that her father was going to be all right, she was free to return to her life with him. Not to mention, he had Margaret to help him during his recovery.

Meliodas grinned and hopped out of the bed. As he walked around the room getting ready, Elizabeth sat for a moment as she thought of her sister. She had not spoken to Margaret since the discovery had been made, because Margaret had sent Holy Knights to arrest her and Meliodas in some extremely misguided attempt to… well, Elizabeth didn’t know what, exactly. She suspected it had more to do with proving herself right than actually trying to be helpful. After all, Meliodas and the Seven Deadly Sins had done so much for Liones. Suspecting them of any wrongdoing was just, well, wrong.

Once Meliodas was finished getting ready and headed downstairs, Elizabeth slipped out of bed to wash and dress herself. The question of what to do about her sister hung heavily on her shoulders; but just as Meliodas had predicted, within the hour the rest of the group arrived, and suddenly the Boar Hat was in a frenzy of activity. Diane shouted through the window, directing King as he gathered supplies for their trip to Camelot. Howzer sat near her, still recovering from his wound from fighting the imposter king, and King grumbled at them both as he worked.

King also had to deal with Ban, who walked around their shared room shoving his belongings into a travel pack, not paying any attention to what was what, or how he did it. When King saw his things being treated in such a manner, they began a furious argument that only ended when Elizabeth intervened.

She could hear their shouting as she climbed the stairs to put away the extra linens that had arrived from the castle, and quickly the princess hurried up to the third floor. The two Sins were scrabbling around the room with raised voices and half-hearted threats, pushing and shoving and pulling things out of each other’s hands. She coaxed Ban to release the stranglehold he had on King, and for King to stop attacking him with Chastiefol, and then personally sorted their items, making sure that they both had plenty of everything ready.

It was nearly an hour later that she was able to return to the main room downstairs. Merlin, Meliodas, and Gilthunder stood around a map spread over one of the large wooden tables. Gilthunder was making marks on the map, and she peered around them, following his finger as he reviewed the routes each were taking. Merlin was to use Teleportation to take Diane, King, and Howzer south to Camelot. Her plan was to do some research on Howzer’s wound, to try to pinpoint what kind of power the imposter had used on him in an attempt to figure out how to stop him.

Meanwhile, Gilthunder was escorting Prince Lucius back to his kingdom in the northeast, now that he had no guard. He felt that it was the least he could do as the interim Grand Master, since Liones had betrayed the treaty Elizabeth had arranged. The false king had led an army of Holy Knights to wipe out his guard, and Lucius would otherwise have to travel alone back to his kingdom. It would be a sign of good faith for Liones, and Gilthunder would stay to work out a new agreement between the two nations.

Finally, Meliodas, Elizabeth, Ban, and Gowther would be using the Boar Hat go west and try to hunt down this creature. Elizabeth was surprised to hear that Jericho would be joining them as well. “Jericho wants to come with us?” she asked.

Gilthunder nodded. “She’s upset that the training for the apprentices is on hold, with both me and Howzer gone, and the city once again in need of repairs. Meliodas has agreed to continue her training with her.” He turned and looked at the Dragon Sin with a half-smile. “You will be understanding with her? She’s not as agreeable as I was when you taught me.”

Meliodas grinned. “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Jericho.”

“Ho ho, you got Jellyroll?” Ban joked as he joined the group looking over the map. “Hey,” he said, tracing his finger along Gilthunder’s route, “is this the way you are going?”

“Yes,” the Holy Knight replied. “It’s the easiest way—”

“Okay, then I’ll come with you.” They all looked at him in surprise, and he shrugged with a smile. “What, I can’t do something for the kingdom? I’ll help you protect what’s-his-name, no problem.”

“Prince Lucius,” Gilthunder said with a frown. “Are you sure you really want to come on this mission?” “Yeah,” said Meliodas. “I could really use your help tracking down this imposter.”

“Nah,” Ban answered. “I’d much rather head out with them.”

Meliodas grinned. “Then that’s decided! Let’s all get going then, before something else happens.”

As she listened to them plan, the bell above the door chimed, and Elizabeth turned to see who it could be. She was shocked to see her sister Margaret walk through the door.

“We’re nearly ready to go,” Margaret announced as she walked over to stand next to Gilthunder.

It caught Elizabeth so off-guard, she exclaimed, “What do you mean, ‘we’?” before she had even realized it. They had all turned and looked at her, and then Sir Meliodas said, “Isn’t it great, Elizabeth? Your sister is joining Gil in taking Prince Lucius back to Marakia.”

Margaret gave her a sheepish grin, but Elizabeth scowled. She grabbed her sister and pulled her aside. “What are you thinking?” she hissed, feeling the eyes of the others on them. “Why are you doing this? This isn’t a leisurely trip. You’re heading right into a country that nearly declared war on us!”

“Which is why I need to be the one to go,” said Margaret, heat rising to her cheeks. “We need a show of trust and good faith to Marakia.”

“What about Father?” Elizabeth asked. “I was counting on someone looking after him while I’m gone.”

“Veronica will be here day after tomorrow,” Margaret assured her.

Elizabeth folded her arms and huffed, “Margaret, you have no idea what you are doing. Liones is dangerous enough, and now you are going to be leaving and going halfway across Britannia?”

Margaret made a face and put her hands on her hips. “Do you think you’re the only one who is capable of going on an adventure? Don’t forget, I’m older than you!” She sucked in a sudden breath, looking almost surprised at her own little outburst; but then she tentatively placed a hand on Elizabeth’s arm. “Please, Elizabeth, I don’t want to leave and—and have this between us—“ She searched the younger girl’s face, but Elizabeth did not relent. With a scowl she turned and hurried back upstairs, not even saying goodbye.

Elizabeth felt a twinge of regret at not forgiving her sister right away. But Margaret had made this choice! She had decided to have her arrested of all things. She had not believed her when she needed her the most. Now she was heading out on a journey to… what? Prove that she could? Elizabeth ignored the nagging feeling that she was being unreasonable. Margaret was the one in the wrong here, and she would not be forced into forgiving her before she was ready.

.o0o.

Elizabeth stood on the third-floor balcony of the Boar Hat, watching the buildings of the capital grow smaller and smaller. It was just after noon, and the tavern was travelling at the leisurely pace that Mama Hawk set. Her stomach was filled with excited butterflies at finally being on her way, again.

“Hey, Princess?” a voice called from behind. Elizabeth turned around and saw Jericho leaning out the third-floor window. “I’m confused, is this room yours?”

“No,” Elizabeth replied back with a smile. “I was just enjoying the balcony. This room is yours.” She climbed back inside and looked around the small but tidy room. King and Ban had shared it up until now, and the normally cluttered room looked so strange without all of their things. “Is everything all right?”

“Yeah, thanks, I just wanted to check.” Jericho went to open the closet, then paused. “Wait, why am I getting this room? Wouldn’t you prefer it? With everyone gone, you don’t have to double up with him.”

Elizabeth smiled, a slight blush rising on her cheeks. “Oh, I don’t mind. I guess I’m used to it by now.” Wanting to avoid any more discussion on her sleeping arrangement, she made a quick excuse and an even quicker retreat. She heard Jericho behind her say, “Oooookaaaay,” as she hurried down the steps.

The main room seemed especially empty without the rest of the Sins. They weren’t opening for any customers for a while, so Meliodas was still behind the bar, packing up glasses into boxes. “Let me help you,” she said, and he waved her over gratefully.

Elizabeth stood on a small stool and began moving mugs down from an upper shelf, handing them to Meliodas below, who in turn arranged them in boxes. “Are you sad to be shutting down for a while, Sir Meliodas?” she asked, reaching up to feel to the back of the shelf, checking to make sure she did not miss anything.

“Nah,” he said. “We’ve got plenty of everything, so it’ll be nice to take it easy for a bit.”

Elizabeth chuckled. “We’re searching for a being that can look like anyone. I don’t know if I would call that taking it easy.” “Well,” he answered, “we’ll find some way to pass the time, I suppose.”

She was about to turn around when she felt a familiar hand reach under her skirt. “Sir Meliodas!” Elizabeth exclaimed, losing her footing when the hand unexpectedly snapped the edge of her panties. Meliodas reached out both hands and steadied her, his palms sliding up her slim thighs. “There we go,” he said with a hooded smile.

Before Elizabeth could react, Jericho interrupted, “Again? Do you do this all the time?”

Meliodas turned. “Do what?” One of his hands snaked upwards under her skirt to cup her backside, and Elizabeth jumped again.

“This,” Jericho said as she sat on a stool at the bar, gesturing towards them. “I mean, if I’m going to have to watch this all the time—”

“I’m really not sure what you are referring to,” Meliodas said. He removed his hand from under Elizabeth’s skirt and picked up a box. “This one’s full, I’ll be right back.” Whistling, he carried it to the storage room.

Elizabeth jumped off of the stool and prepared another box. “Why do you let him do that anyway?” Jericho asked, leaning her elbows on the bar.

The princess felt her cheeks flare with heat. “Uh—Sir Meliodas doesn’t mean any harm…” She trailed off, having no idea how to answer the question.

“I mean, it’s pretty odd,” Jericho said.

“Odd?” Elizabeth frowned. She knew that Sir Meliodas’ attentions were a bit forward, but she did not mind. Besides, it was in good fun, and she was used to it. At least, she always assumed it was in fun.

“Yeah. He’s odd. That one’s even odder.” She gestured towards Gowther, who was silently reading in a corner of the room. “This whole place is odd.”

Elizabeth cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Well, I’m not sure that odd is the right word for this—”

“Princess, we’re riding on the back of a giant pig with two former criminals and their talking pet.” Jericho laughed. “If that’s not odd, then I don’t know what is.”

“I’m not their pet!” came a squeal from behind the kitchen door. “I’m the Knight of Scraps Removal!” Jericho looked at Elizabeth pointedly, as if to say, see what I mean?

“Well,” said Elizabeth slowly, “it may be a bit unusual, but it is home.” She suddenly brightened, making a huge smile. “And regardless, I’m so glad you are here with us now! I hope that we can become good friends. It will be so nice to have a girl around for a while. I mean, Lady Merlin pretty much kept to herself, and Lady Diane… well…” Elizabeth paused, trying to think of how to finish her thought.

She did not need to worry, however, because Jericho interrupted her with another laugh. “That’s nice and all, Princess, but I’m really not here to sit around and braid hair. I’m here to continue my training. Meliodas said he’d help me out, and that’s what I’m solely focused on.”

Elizabeth bit her lip, unsure of what to say, but Meliodas interrupted as he returned to the main room. “What are we talking about?” he said cheerily, coming around the bar.

“My training,” Jericho answered. “You agreed to help me continue now that Howzer has been hurt. When are we starting?”

“Hmmm.” Meliodas thought for a moment and then smiled. “How about right now?”

Jericho nodded. “Excellent. I am ready.”

“Good.” Meliodas looked around. “You can start by packing up the rest of these glasses.”

“What?” she cried. “I’m not here to do your busy work. I want—“

“Now, now,” he said, putting his hands on his hips. “It’s been a long time since I was a Holy Knight, but I do remember that apprentices must listen to orders. Besides, this will be good for you.” He looked up at the top shelves. “You can’t use magic, and climbing up to get the glasses will be good for your flexibility.”

Before she can answer, he walked around the bar with his hands behind his head. “I’m heading upstairs for a nap. I’ll check on you in a bit.”

Jericho fumed as he climbed the steps, and Elizabeth could only hide a giggle behind her hand. She watched as Jericho clenched her hands for several moments. Then she growled and jumped up, stomping behind the bar. “Excuse me, Princess,” she muttered angrily, and Elizabeth scooted out of her way as Jericho began yanking glasses from the shelf.

Not wanting to be a nuisance, Elizabeth decided to sit at the window and watch the land go by. They were far enough now from the capital that the landscape was mostly forest, and she sighed as she wondered how the others were faring.

[sciencespies]

Giant space rock blast wiped out ancient city with 1,000 times Hiroshima's ferocity

https://sciencespies.com/space/giant-space-rock-blast-wiped-out-ancient-city-with-1000-times-hiroshimas-ferocity/

Giant space rock blast wiped out ancient city with 1,000 times Hiroshima's ferocity

As the inhabitants of an ancient Middle Eastern city now called Tall el-Hammam went about their daily business one day about 3,600 years ago, they had no idea an unseen icy space rock was speeding toward them at about 38,000 mph (61,000 kph).

Flashing through the atmosphere, the rock exploded in a massive fireball about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) above the ground. The blast was around 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

The shocked city-dwellers who stared at it were blinded instantly. Air temperatures rapidly rose above 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit (2,000 degrees Celsius). Clothing and wood immediately burst into flames. Swords, spears, mudbricks and pottery began to melt. Almost immediately, the entire city was on fire.

Some seconds later, a massive shockwave smashed into the city. Moving at about 740 mph (1,200 kph), it was more powerful than the worst tornado ever recorded. The deadly winds ripped through the city, demolishing every building.

They sheared off the top 40 feet (12 m) of the 4-story palace and blew the jumbled debris into the next valley. None of the 8,000 people or any animals within the city survived – their bodies were torn apart and their bones blasted into small fragments.

About a minute later, 14 miles (22 km) to the west of Tall el-Hammam, winds from the blast hit the biblical city of Jericho. Jericho’s walls came tumbling down and the city burned to the ground.

It all sounds like the climax of an edge-of-your-seat Hollywood disaster movie. How do we know that all of this actually happened near the Dead Sea in Jordan millennia ago?

 (NASA/CC BY-ND)

Above: Now called Tall el-Hammam, the city is about 7 miles northeast of the Dead Sea in what’s now Jordan.

Getting answers required nearly 15 years of painstaking excavations by hundreds of people. It also involved detailed analyses of excavated material by more than two dozen scientists in 10 states in the US, as well as Canada and the Czech Republic.

When our group finally published the evidence recently in the journal Scientific Reports, the 21 co-authors included archaeologists, geologists, geochemists, geomorphologists, mineralogists, paleobotanists, sedimentologists, cosmic-impact experts, and medical doctors.

Here’s how we built up this picture of devastation in the past.

Firestorm throughout the city

Years ago, when archaeologists looked out over excavations of the ruined city, they could see a dark, roughly 5-foot-thick (1.5 m) jumbled layer of charcoal, ash, melted mudbricks, and melted pottery.

It was obvious that an intense firestorm had destroyed this city long ago. This dark band came to be called the destruction layer.

(Phil Silvia, CC BY-ND)

Above: Researchers near the ruins, with the destruction layer about midway down each exposed wall.

No one was exactly sure what had happened, but that layer wasn’t caused by a volcano, earthquake, or warfare. None of them are capable of melting metal, mudbricks, and pottery.

To figure out what could, our group used the Online Impact Calculator to model scenarios that fit the evidence. Built by impact experts, this calculator allows researchers to estimate the many details of a cosmic impact event, based on known impact events and nuclear detonations.

It appears that the culprit at Tall el-Hammam was a small asteroid similar to the one that knocked down 80 million trees in Tunguska, Russia in 1908. It would have been a much smaller version of the giant miles-wide rock that pushed the dinosaurs into extinction 65 million ago.

We had a likely culprit. Now we needed proof of what happened that day at Tall el-Hammam.

Finding ‘diamonds’ in the dirt

Our research revealed a remarkably broad array of evidence.

(Allen West, CC BY-ND)

Above: Electron microscope images of numerous small cracks in shocked quartz grains.

At the site, there are finely fractured sand grains called shocked quartz that only form at 725,000 pounds per square inch of pressure (5 gigapascals) – imagine six 68-ton Abrams military tanks stacked on your thumb.

The destruction layer also contains tiny diamonoids that, as the name indicates, are as hard as diamonds. Each one is smaller than a flu virus. It appears that wood and plants in the area were instantly turned into this diamond-like material by the fireball’s high pressures and temperatures.

(Malcolm LeCompte, CC BY-ND)

Above: Diamonoids (center) inside a crater, formed by the fireball’s high temperatures and pressures on plants.

Experiments with laboratory furnaces showed that the bubbled pottery and mudbricks at Tall el-Hammam liquefied at temperatures above 2,700 F (1,500 C). That’s hot enough to melt an automobile within minutes.

(Malcolm LeCompte, CC BY-ND)

Above: Spherules made of melted sand (upper left), palace plaster (upper right) and melted metal (bottom two).

The destruction layer also contains tiny balls of melted material smaller than airborne dust particles. Called spherules, they are made of vaporized iron and sand that melted at about 2,900 F (1,590 C).

In addition, the surfaces of the pottery and meltglass are speckled with tiny melted metallic grains, including iridium with a melting point of 4,435 F (2,466 C), platinum that melts at 3,215 F (1,768 C) and zirconium silicate at 2,800 F (1,540 C).

Together, all this evidence shows that temperatures in the city rose higher than those of volcanoes, warfare, and normal city fires. The only natural process left is a cosmic impact.

The same evidence is found at known impact sites, such as Tunguska and the Chicxulub crater, created by the asteroid that triggered the dinosaur extinction.

One remaining puzzle is why the city and over 100 other area settlements were abandoned for several centuries after this devastation. It may be that high levels of salt deposited during the impact event made it impossible to grow crops.

We’re not certain yet, but we think the explosion may have vaporized or splashed toxic levels of Dead Sea salt water across the valley. Without crops, no one could live in the valley for up to 600 years, until the minimal rainfall in this desert-like climate washed the salt out of the fields.

Was there a surviving eyewitness to the blast?

It’s possible that an oral description of the city’s destruction may have been handed down for generations until it was recorded as the story of Biblical Sodom. The Bible describes the devastation of an urban center near the Dead Sea – stones and fire fell from the sky, more than one city was destroyed, thick smoke rose from the fires and city inhabitants were killed.

Could this be an ancient eyewitness account? If so, the destruction of Tall el-Hammam may be the second-oldest destruction of a human settlement by a cosmic impact event, after the village of Abu Hureyra in Syria about 12,800 years ago. Importantly, it may the first written record of such a catastrophic event.

The scary thing is, it almost certainly won’t be the last time a human city meets this fate.

Tunguska-sized airbursts, such as the one that occurred at Tall el-Hammam, can devastate entire cities and regions, and they pose a severe modern-day hazard.

As of September 2021, there are more than 26,000 known near-Earth asteroids and a hundred short-period near-Earth comets. One will inevitably crash into the Earth. Millions more remain undetected, and some may be headed toward the Earth now.

Unless orbiting or ground-based telescopes detect these rogue objects, the world may have no warning, just like the people of Tall el-Hammam.

This article was co-authored by research collaborators archaeologist Phil Silvia, geophysicist Allen West, geologist Ted Bunch, and space physicist Malcolm LeCompte.

Christopher R. Moore, Archaeologist and Special Projects Director at the Savannah River Archaeological Research Program and South Carolina Institute for Archaeology and Anthropology, University of South Carolina.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

#Space

[walkthroughtheword]

Reading for August 7th         Judges 3

Let’s look closely at the first six verses: V. 1 The unconquered nations were God’s test to the new generation of Israel The Hebrew construction for what is translated “new generation” does not just mean next generation but a generation different in values, substance and character.  This new generation had not experienced God’s miraculous deliverance from captivity in Egypt nor did they remember the initial conquest of Joshua.  They had forgotten the promise made to their ancestor Abraham, forgotten that they were set apart and were now just like everyone else; another group of “ites” in a sea of “ites” all getting less distinct each day.  In the water of the Old Testament, holiness means set apart for a special purpose and the opposite of holiness is not profane but ordinary.  The Hebrew word nasah used here is better translated test than tempt.  To tempt is to entice toward evil, “deliver us from temptation,” but to test is to make something stronger and of better quality through rigor.  These pagan and evil nations would serve to teach Israel what happens when you forget God and what happens when you repent and turn back to God. V. 2 God used them to teach this generation how to fight God’s plan was that Israel destroy an evil Canaanite culture, take the whole of the land and become a holy people.  The muddy water in which they found themselves was necessitated by the utter failure of Israel to totally engage the clear mission of God to “drive out the inhabitants.”  Since Israel was unfaithful to God, they would now live in the presence of many enemies.  If they were going to maintain a distinct identity as God’s chosen people, they had to learn to fight. V. 5-6 Israel lived among these nations, intermarried and worshipped their Gods Due to a lack of obedience to Yahweh, Israel is surrounded by enemies.  Their choice at this point is to do the really hard thing and maintain their unique identity in God or to do the easy thing and assimilate with the culture and gods of their neighbors.  They are charged with unholy assimilation.  Here are three witnesses to this charge. 1) You live among the Canaanites.  This is an indictment of the failure of the conquest.  The Canaanites should not still be here.  “You could have won.  You rejected God.  You lost.” 2) You intermarried with the Canaanites.  This blending of cultures may seem to those of us in our water as a paragon of tolerance but it is cultural death for Israel and spiritual death for you and me.  The second they become just like their neighbors, salvation history is off-line. 3) You served their gods.  The primary gods of Canaan are Baal and Ashtoreth.  Like most pagan gods they are a sexually charged couple who are responsible for all various and sundry aspects of fertility.  Worship of these gods was essentially sacred prostitution so temple attendance in this ancient culture was both good and enthusiastic.  In fact, almost all the great pagan temples of the ancients were supported by sacred prostitution, which the Jews shifted to tithes and offerings and later American Protestants shifted to bake sales.  Contrast the Baal and Ashtoreth to Yahweh.  Yahweh stands alone over heaven and earth, has no female consort and introduces to the earth what we would call morality, ethics and law. Israel has not just sinned upon the death of Joshua, Israel keeps on sinning.  If this wanton propensity for sin goes unchecked, this unique set of “ites” God was raising up to save the world will be lost in a melting pot of bronze.  Something has to give.  Something has to keep salvation history alive.  Enter the judges. This format does not allow the time to explore each judge in depth, so we will take a single judge as a case-in-point.  Let’s meet Ehud, the second judge of Israel.   Judges 3: 12-15, 21-23, 27-30 V. 12 Once again Israel did evil in the Lord’s sight so they fell to King Eglon of Moab I think we are somewhere around 1300 B.C. and there is no record of Eglon other than Judges.  As will happen so many times, Israel has forgotten God and have been turned over to foreign oppressors.  The oppressor de jour is Eglon. V. 13-14 Eglon formed an alliance with the Ammonites and Amalekites, took Jericho and oppressed Israel for eighteen years. Jericho, taken by Joshua in the famous march around the walls had been lost.  It was three “ites” against one and the Israelites in southern Israel along the east shores of the Dead Sea had been paying annual tribute to Eglon for eighteen years.  Jericho, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, controlled the region and Eglon controlled Jericho. V. 15 When Israel cried out to the Lord, God raised up Ehud from the tribe of Benjamin who was left handed There is no sign of repentance here, but plenty of signs of desperation.  In response, God “raises up” Ehud from among the people.  The tribe of Benjamin were known for their ambidextrous warriors and Ehud was a part of the Special Forces with a unique skill set.  It appears that boys literally were forced to learn to fight with their right hands tied behind them to give them advantage and surprise in battle.  Of special note was that Ehud was a natural lefty.  It is particularly advantageous.  The Hebrew clearly implies that he was of an elite class, with unique training that produced in him unique skills.  Not only that, he is the leader. Israel sent Ehud to deliver the tribute money to Eglon who was very fat In antiquity to be fat was to enjoy a life of leisure, rich foods and decadence.  You couldn’t come up fat in a survival of the fittest culture but you could grow fat once you had power.  Eglon was growing fat off of Israel’s tributes.  They were working, planting, building and harvesting in bondage and Eglon was living off the fat of the land, not even raising a hand to do it.  Ehud was there in an official capacity on behalf of Israel to deliver the annual taxes of the oppressed to the king. V. 16-17 So Ehud made a short, straight blade, double edged dagger and strapped it to his right thigh underneath his clothing.  In the late Bronze Age, it seemed like Israel was always outgunned but this story is a bit of an exception.  The warriors of the Tribe of Benjamin not only could fight but handcrafting their weapons by metallurgy was a part of their culture.  Only a warrior who was equally skilled fighting with either hand would craft a bronze dagger sharpened on both sides.  Concealing a dagger upon the thigh was a common practice as you must remember that men normally wore cloaks, not pants and normally wore their daggers on the left side and not the right. V. 18-19 When the delegation left and passed the idols at Gilgal, Ehud turned back alone and requested a private audience with Eglon to deliver a special message As the delegation left Eglon and Moab, they passed through Gilgal and witnessed a pagan shrine to the Baal and Ashtoreth.  It was the precise kind of shrine that God had commanded to be torn down but there it stood as a symbol of Israel’s failure in both conquest and covenant.  It is here that Ehud determined to start something only God could finish.   When he returns, Eglon suspects nothing unusual since Ehud was a designated ambassador of Israel and had just been to the palace to deliver tribute without incident. V. 20-22 Ehud approached Eglon who was sitting in an upper room and said, “I have a message from God.”  When Eglon approached, Ehud plunged the dagger into Eglon’s belly so deeply the dagger disappeared in the fat and the king’s bowels emptied.  This is where the story gets interesting.  Eglon was apparently in a room at the top of the palace that offered a chance to catch a breeze here and there in the desert heat.  When Ehud entered, the obese Eglon reached out a hand to get some help off his chair and as Ehud pulled him up with the left hand, he inserted his dagger with his right and it went in with a mighty slurp.  The Hebrew word taqA means to drive something with force, so this was a violent stab not a tentative one. V. 23 Ehud locked the door, climbed down the toilet shoot and left through the front door.  Ancient toilets were large holes covered by seats with smaller holes that emptied into an open septic area at ground level.  Ehud locks the door, removes the toilet cover, lowers himself through the sewer system to the first floor and coolly walks out of the palace. V. 24-25 The kings servants waited for Eglon thinking he was using the restroom but finally burst through the door to find him dead on the floor In antiquity, you walked in on a king uninvited at the risk of your life.  The servants were getting concerned but they did not break through the door until their concern for the welfare of their king outweighed their concern for the welfare of themselves. V. 26-28 Ehud escaped passing the idols at Seiah, arrived in the hill country of Ephraim and called for an army.  Follow me! For the Lord has given us a victory over Moab!  So they followed him and took control of the Jordan.  Ehud has assassinated the King of Moab as an official emissary of Israel.  He now travels about thirteen miles navigating an elevation change of about 4,000 feet to raise an army.  Whether Israel raised an army or not, the Moabites were coming in vengeance and wrath and Ehud informed them that the people could either fight for their freedom or die certain deaths in bondage.  When explained that way, the army formed quickly and enthusiastically and formed a line on the west side of the Jordan River at the mouth of the Dead Sea.  With both skilled warriors, good weapons and good ground, Ehud proclaimed, “God has given us victory over Moab!”  God would either give them victory or they would all die. V. 29-30 They killed ten thousand of the best soldiers of Moab and no one escaped and the land had peace for eighty years This is a big win against a good army and the text adds, “And not one of them escaped.” This puts Israel back on line with God’s original command to drive the Canaanites from the land and offered this new generation both a win and an opportunity to see God’s hand at work!  And as a result, the land was at peace for eighty years.  In Judges, peace is always something for which you must fight.  

[depitydoda]

Keepers of the Crypt pt 3

“So, tell me why we’re at an abandoned warehouse again.”

Jericho leaned against the most stable wall he could find as he watched Marcus etch a double layered circle in middle of the room with a piece of chalk. As he worked Jericho took his time to inspect his surroundings. He had always seen the whole he was on the outskirts of town, it was a ways off, in middle of a golden field of tall grass. Unfinished rails were littered outside, rusting over the year of being ignored. But despite the outwardly appearance of being run down and ruined, inside was a different story. It was surprisingly clean and well kept. Most of the equipment was removed, which left the large warehouse eerily empty. Only the catwalks really remained from it’s previous life.

“We’re getting someone’s attention.” He finished the circle, adding runes in between the circles, when the last one was drawn, the circle started to pulsate a dark violet color. Jericho wished he could record what was happening but he learned the hard way that magic tends to mess with technology. That was the main reason why he tended to capture recordings of monsters and cryptids. Besides, he was pretty sure his phone was still in that alleyway.

“You still haven’t explained who. And what your plan is.”

Marcus went over to Jericho and took a seat beside him and etched more runes into the ground. “We are contacting an organization called Keepers. They handle magical situations and keep the human populous from learning too much about the magical world.”

Jericho let that sink in as he stared at Marcus, “So... they practically work against what I’m trying to do... Revealing to the world what’s actually out there.” Not only did people not actually believe in him but now he realized that there’s a magical men in black who are to make sure they don’t. “That’s... unsettling, have they been working against me this entire time?”

“No, though I was fully prepared for them to do so. It’s rare for someone to have so many encounters with the supernatural like you and still be alive. They either die or the Keepers get to them, which isn’t any better.”

A cold wave washed through Jericho’s body, “So, what is the circle for?”

Finishing the runes with the last of his chalk Marcus stood beside Jericho, “The Keepers have a giant network of magical landlines that reach throughout the world, this circle just plucks a few.”

Jericho didn’t like this. He felt like a fly trapped in a spiderweb. He had the urge to bolt, he didn’t want to learn what they did to those who know the truth.

“You have the cloak on right?”

“Uhh, yea..” He almost forgot that Marcus had given him new gear, he remembered Marcus saying that he’ll need better equipment than a home made flame thrower to take her out of this situation in one piece. The cloak was scarlet red and had emerald ovals on both sides of the hood, which made the cloak look as if it had eyes.

“As I said before, the cloak would Keepers you from dieing, but don’t do anything stupid.” Marcus emphasized the last part due to the other’s reckless behavior and Jericho couldn’t blame him.

“As for the daggers... don’t use them unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

Marcus had both sheathed behind him, though he could barely call them daggers. They were naked blades that resembled kitchen knives, but it was curved at the bottom to make a hook. The most spectacular part of them was that it was it damascened. He couldn’t help but stare as he first saw them. The liquid like texture of the metal made them beautiful to a point where he hoped he wouldn’t have to dirty them by stabbing something.

The morning glow soon turned to afternoon light, and the time relaxed Jericho’s nerves. Marcus explained that the runes at their feet was a ward of sorts. It kept those who had ill intent away. Basic but effective. Kept away muggers, rowdy teenagers, wendigos, etcetera and etcetera. He couldn’t help but wonder where Marcus learned this stuff from.

He knew he wasn’t human but that didn’t mean he knew what he was, not only that but he had a rather large arsenal of magical equipment, he was pretty sure he owned an entire storage warehouse full of that kind of stuff. He remembered asking him where he got this stuff from but Marcus just said that, ‘They are just a couple of trinkets he collected over the years.’ Which made him believe Marcus was older than he looked.

He flinched as he felt a gentle tap on his side. It was Marcus, pointing towards the pulsating circle, in middle of the room. It started to flash faster with each pulse. Something was happening, and It didn’t take a genius to know that. Soon, the circle stopped, all life that was in it gone, and after a blinding white flash. A door stood where the circle once was.

The door was wooden, solid and looked as if it belonged in a german castle, while the doorknob was completely silver. It looked almost ordinary if it wasn’t standing in middle of an abandoned warehouse.

If what was on the other side what Jericho expected, then things might get messy.

~~~~~~

Instinctively, Jericho stood in front of Marcus blades drawn and ready for anything to jump out and attack them.

“Dude, I’m not a damsel in distress. I can take care of myself.”

Looking down at him, Jericho knew he was probably right, but he refused to let anything happen to him. He was terrified at what was behind that door, but he couldn’t let his fears overcome him now. Especially if Marcus was involved.

Rolling his eyes, Marcus walked past Jericho and put his hand on the silver knob of the door. “I know you must be scared, but we need their-“

Marcus was cut off as the door burst open, smacking him aside by the force of it. And out of the door rushed a blur heading towards Jericho.

He barely had time to react. Lifting the daggers up he blocked the oncoming attack, he heard the sound of blades crashing against each, thinking quickly, he rolled backwards, locking his blades with the figures he took the other with him and once the other was above him, he kicked the figure away.

Once recovering he saw his opponent. There standing in front of him was a guy, no older than himself. He looked almost human, red hair, blue eyes, light brown complexion, but there was one extraordinary feature. His ears were those of a fox.

“Kitsune.” He mumbled.

Almost surprised by the encounter. The fox person glared at Jericho, as he raised his cutlasses. Jericho didn’t like the match up of weapons, the swords had more reach than his own blades. Seeing the man about to swipe at him, he ducked down and slashed the kitsune. Much to his surprise the blades went through and the image of the man faded, before he could question what was going on he felt a blunt object ram into his solar plexus. He fell to his knees, clutching his stomach and ribs. Feeling the warm touch of his blood, he knew his stitches were now open. The man now stood above him, his swords were set to deliver the killing blow. Wincing, he readied for the blade. A second passed and nothing happened. Then another. Opening his eyes he looked up and was dumbfounded to see the kitsunes arms tied together by the cloak. He struggled to move them but the cloak didn’t budge, instead it lifted him off the ground and tossed him across the room. Completely surprised and in pain he slowly rose off his knees, clutching his now open wound. He readied himself for another pounce when he heard a booming voice echoed through the room, “Zoran Chavez!”

Both Jericho and the kitsune flinched and watched as two more figures exited out of the doorway. They wore red leather armor, over their cotton shirts and jeans. One was as young as the other, she had olive colored skin and wore a hair band too keep her black curly hair down. Her warm almond eyes looked between us and the woman standing beside her.

The oldest one looked like the young girls older sister. But her hair was straightened out and fell to her shoulders. She glared at us then glanced at Marcus, holding his bloodied nose.

Then she did something I didn’t expect. She sighed and relaxed, rubbing the bridge of her nose, she stated, “Stand down Zoran, it isn’t an ambush. It really was a distress signal.”

“No shit Diana.” Marcus groaned.

Diana avoided looking towards Marcus, “I’m sorry... it’s, been a while.”

Zoran looked between Marcus and Diana, with an idiotic expression. “You know that nobody?”

“Watch who you call a nobody ya damn furry.” Jericho snapped. It did bother him that Marcus knew a Keeper. Has Marcus been telling them about him? Was he working against him?

Zoran growled again, he lunged once again only to hit an invisible wall.

“That’s enough Zoran!” Diana barked. She went over to Marcus and helped him off the floor, “I’m sorry, but we’ve been getting ambushes disguised as distress calls as of late. Lost two teams.”

“My condolences.” Marcus groaned.

“Yeah, bleeding out here, but no worries, take you time.” Jericho let out.

Marcus dropped his hand and rushed to Jericho with Diana and her sister. Zoran stood a distance away, clearly annoyed. Jericho instinctively inched back once Marcus approached.

Marcus stood still as he noticed Jericho inch away. Jericho wasn’t sure if he was surprised or hurt with the reaction, but he asked, “Your stitches?”

“Yea..”

“What happened?” Diana demanded. Jericho couldn’t help but flinch. She was very intimidating.

“Wendigo marked him.” Marcus replied immediately. Looking around he cursed, “I left my supplies outside. I’ll be right back.”

After he left, Diana’s sister spoke up, “That... doesn’t make sense. A wendigo in a city? You sure it wasn’t something else that attacked you?”

“Angela is right, wendigos may be territorial but they stay in the areas where they are turned, open forests, mountain ranges, canyons. Not in overpopulated cities.” Zoran spoke up.

Jericho gritted his teeth, “I know what attacked me. Yellow sunken eyes, starved frame, unhinged jaw, turned into a pile of ash after I killed it.”

“What?”

“You killed it!?”

“Dumbass.”

Jericho made a mental note to kick the foxes ass once he was better. “Yes, I know, Marcus already explained how vindictive they are.”

Angela and Diana exchanged worries glances with Zoran, who didn’t really care.

“If I may ask, aren’t you guys supposed to keep this from happening.”

“Yeah, along with making sure nosey humans mind their own business Jericho Jameson.” Zoran retorted.

“Of course the jackass had to bring it up.”

Angela elbowed Zoran while he earned a glare from Diana, “It’s true. We have been keeping tabs on you, but not through Marcus. He’s just a friend of mine. I didn’t even know he moved to the city.” She looked towards the exit where Marcus left and stated, “I’m going to check on him. Make sure he has everything.”

Jericho isn’t dumb, she could be lying, and Marcus could be feeding Keepers information on him. But it was Marcus, he’s done too much for him to be an enemy. He finally decided to just talk to Marcus about it.

He was fine waiting in silence for them, it left him in to his thoughts, but like everything else, Zoran had to ruin it. “Aren’t you a little young to be looking for monsters. Why are you doing this?”

“I’m nineteen. I can do what I want.”

“We know, but why is what I asked. You spent four years of your life looking for what others call a myth.”

“They still wouldn’t be calling it a myth if it wasn’t for you mind you.”

“That’s right. Now you know you have an entire organization of people working against you. Making sure no one believes you. What will you do now?”

“That’s enough.”

[flyingcarpettours]

Egypt Holidays and Jordan Tours

Enjoy Egypt Holidays and Jordan Tours, Flying Carpet Tours takes you to the wonderful sightseeing in Egypt and Jordan so don't miss the chance to enjoy one of unforgettable Egypt Holidays and Jordan Tours. Visit the various tourist spots in Egypt and Jordan like Umm Qais, Jerash, Ajloun, explore Mount Nebo, Madaba, Dead Sea, Giza Pyramids, Egyptian Museum, Old Cairo, the sphinx, Karnak Temple and more. Explore Egypt Holidays and Jordan Tours and discover the best time and places to visit. Discover the history and architecture of these ruins and many others alongside knowledgeable guides. On Egypt Holidays and Jordan Tours, Jordan is the perfect destination to embark on a private luxury tailor-made holiday, from the historic site of Petra to the wild desert of Wadi Rum. Enjoy visit Abu Serga Church. The Church of Saints Sergius (Abu Serga) considered to be the oldest of Cairo's Christian churches, which built in 4th century, It is consecrate to two early martyrs who served as soldiers in the Roman Army. Jordan, an Arab nation on the east bank of the Jordan River, is defined by ancient monuments, nature reserves and seaside resorts. It’s home to the famed archaeological site of Petra, the Nabatean capital dating to around 300 B.C. Set in a narrow valley with tombs, temples and monuments carved into the surrounding pink sandstone cliffs, Petra earns its nickname, the "Rose City." The Dead Sea is a salt lake whose banks are more than 400m below sea level, the lowest point on dry land. Its famously hyper saline water makes floating easy, and its mineral-rich black mud is used for therapeutic and cosmetic treatments at area resorts. The surrounding desert offers many oases and historic sites. Try Egypt Holidays and Jordan Tours Day 01: Arrive Cairo At the time your flight touching Cairo Land, one delegate from Flying Carpet Tours will be holding a sign with your name, transfer to hotel, relax from the inconvenience of your travel, be ready for your Cairo and Nile Cruise Package tomorrow, overnight in Cairo.

Day 02: Pyramids, Egyptian Museum, Old Cairo Taste the flavor of your breakfast at hotel, then Flying Carpet Tours guide will lead you to a ravishing tour to Pyramids of Giza, feast your eyes by visiting Pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mykerinus, then your guide will take you to panoramic view of the pyramids, memorable photos available to the three pyramids together, next move to the Sphinx, scout the valley temple, relax by having lunch at local restaurant, after Lunch your tour guide will escort you to the Egyptian Museum which contains amazing treasures of King Tut Ankh Amun, your last visit will be to Old Cairo, visit the hanging church, Abu Serga Church, and Ben Ezra synagogue, finally back to hotel, night at leisure, or choose from variety of optional tours, Either to try Dinner Cruise on the Nile River with Folklore show, Belly Dancer, surprises are waiting for you, or try optional to the sound & light show at the pyramids, overnight in Cairo.

Day 03: Cairo to Luxor - Nile Cruise Taste the flavor of your breakfast at hotel, then one delegate from Flying Carpet Tours will escort you to Cairo domestic airport, fly to Luxor, arrive Luxor, transfer to your Nile Cruise, start your Cruise Package, embrace the Culture of Luxor, visit the flourishing Karnak Temple, watch the glory of the huge Pillars hall, move to scout Luxor temple, at the end of your tour back to your Cruise, Lunch included on board, Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 04: Nile Cruise Package Taste the flavor of your breakfast on board, feast your eyes between Valley of the Kings ( visit 03 Tombs Only ), Next visit to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, known now with the name of El-Deir El-Bahary, your last visit will be to Colossi of Memnon, Watch the glory of the two huge statues, finally your tour guide will escort you back to your Cruise, Sail to Edfu, Lunch included on board, Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 05: Nile Cruise Package Taste the flavor of your breakfast on board, then Flying Carpet Tours Guide will escort you to visit Edfu Temple (Horus Temple), feast your eyes once your Cruise sailing from Edfu to Kom Ombo, arrive Kom Ombo, unleash your soul while exploring the glory of Kom Ombo Temple, sail towards Aswan, Lunch included on board, Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 06: Nile Cruise Package Taste the flavor of your breakfast on board, embrace Aswan Culture by visiting the High Dam, next tour to the Unfinished Obelisk, feast your eyes and visit the ravishing Philae Temple, Lunch included on board, Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 07: Aswan / Cairo Today is your flight back to Cairo, taste the flavor of your breakfast on board, then one of Flying Carpet Tours delegates will lead you to Aswan Airport, fly back to Cairo, once your flight touching Cairo Land, transfer to hotel, array of optional tours you can choose if you prefer, either to try sound and light show at the Pyramids, or to try Dinner Cruise with Belly Dancer, overnight in Cairo.

Day 08: Cairo to Amman Taste the flavor of your breakfast at hotel, then Flying Carpet Tours delegate will transfer you to Cairo Airport, move to Amman, at the time you arrive Amman, transfer to hotel, relax from the inconvenience of Travel, overnight in Amman.

Day 09: Umm Qais, Jerash, Ajloun Taste the flavor of your breakfast at hotel, then drive by air-conditioned vehicle to Umm Qais which known as Gadara, it is ten cities considered as a union, enjoy the wonderful view in Jordan Valley, Galilee Sea, and the heights of Golan, then move to scout Jerash, which back to the Roman Empire, located in Gilead Mountain, it is considered one of the largest sites of the Roman Architecture, watch the glory of the colonnaded street, Artemis Temple and the Nymphaeum, then move to the castle of Ajloun, which is an Islamic castle, built by Salah Eldin at the 12th Century, at the end of the day transfer back to the Hotel in Amman, Overnight in Amman.

Day 10: Mount Nebo, Madaba, Dead Sea Taste the flavor of your breakfast at hotel, then drive by air-conditioned vehicle to The Mountain of Nebo, and visit the tomb of Moses the profit, then explore the old Monastery overlooking the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea, as well as Jericho, then move to visit Madaba, akso visit St. George’s Church, then visit the mosaic map of Palestine, then drive to the famous dead sea, which is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west, It was one of the world's first health resorts, it is your chance to enjoy natural health and the beauty at the same time, the dead sea considered the saltiest and most mineral-laden body of water in the world. Get relax, and enjoy, at the end of the day transfer back to the Hotel in Amman, Overnight in Amman.

Day 11: Petra Tours Taste the flavor of your breakfast at hotel, then drive by air-conditioned vehicle to The Rose Red City of Petra, know the legends of Petra, carved directly into vibrant red, white, pink, and sandstone cliff faces, the prehistoric Jordanian city of Petra was "lost" to the Western world for hundreds of years, Petra is without a doubt Jordan's most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction, enter this hidden city through a long narrow Siq, Explore the amazing carved buildings made by Human hands, get the chance to try horseback riding to the entrance of the canyon, Camels are available to hire inside Petra, finally at the end of your tour drive back to Amman, overnight in Amman.

Day 12: Final departure Today is the valediction day, taste the flavor of your breakfast at hotel, then one of Flying Carpet Tours delegates will lead you to Amman airport, for the final departure. More info about: Egypt Holidays and Jordan Tours Tel.: +201099906242 Email: sales@flyingcarpettours.com Website: www.flyingcarpettours.com