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If you are around and about Jerusalem and want to be immortalized in Google Street View, you might spend more time walking on the sidewalk in the coming days. From Janglo:

If you spend your days in Jerusalem, you might want to try spending as much of them outdoors as possible. That is, if you want to have a chance at ending up in Google Street View maps of Jerusalem. Google recently received permission to start imaging cities in Israel and including them in the street view maps. This afternoon they are firing their opening shots, having decided to begin their imaging in Jerusalem. They will be holding a ceremony in Jerusalem with Mayor Nir Barkat to kick off the process.. So, if you hang out in the great outdoors of Jerusalem enough in the immediately near future, you might just end up as a pedestrian in Google Street View maps.

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The following notice was sent out to the Archeologylist at Southern University.

The exciting new archaeology series “Astonishing Discoveries” with Dr. Michael G. Hasel and Dr. Ron Clouzet will be downlinked live to hundreds of churches across the United States this coming week, September 14-18, at 7:30 p.m. EDT. It can also be seen on Hope Church Channel (http://www.hopetv.org/watch-now/watch-live-online/hope-church-channel/). See the attached schedule for programing. Invite your friends and participate for this major event!

The schedule, available in pdf here, lists the following shows:

Wed., Sept 14, 7:30 pm: Egyptian Wonders That Stunned the World

Thurs., Sept 15, 7:30 pm: Babylon, Sumer, and the Quest for Power

Fri., Sept 16, 7:30 pm: The Greatest Discoveries in the Land of Israel

Sat., Sept 17, 7:30 pm: The Spade and the Historical Jesus

Sun., Sept 18, 7:30 pm: Living Rocks from the Apocalypse

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The Jordan Lead Codices are fake, fake, fake. This video by Tom Verenna explains why.
JPost’s weekly column “Off the Beaten Track” is inaptly titled this week, but you still may enjoy the tour of Jaffa Gate and the Old City wall running south to Mount Zion.
Less satisfying is Yoni Cohen’s story describing the trails at Ramat Hanadiv (but little about the site!).

In “Archaeology in Israel Update—August 2011,” Stephen Gabriel Rosenberg writes about the “Boundary stone found in Lower Galilee, “Ancient Shechem to be opened to the Public,” “Jerusalem sewage ditch yields up more treasures,” “Phaesalis [sic] City Unvovered” [sic], and “Bathhouse Hercules in the Jezre’el Valley.”

“Seventy-five archaeological missions will resume excavation projects in Egypt as of Monday.”

It is being reported that Egypt will require visitors to acquire a visa before arriving. If it happens, it will no doubt reduce the number of tourists.

Gertrude Bell is remembered in the Jerusalem Post 85 years after her death.

USA Today has named the Glo Bible the #1 coolest book app for the fall. They are impressed with the “700 images of religious art, 2,300 full-color photos and 500 virtual tours of Biblical sites, 140 interactive maps and study tools.” An Android version is coming for all of those with iPhobia.

HT: Joseph Lauer, Jack Sasson

Old City western wall, tb122006005

Western Wall of the Old City of Jerusalem
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Last week I lamented that Joe Yudin’s tour of Jerusalem tombs would have benefited from some photos. Shmuel Browns has fulfilled that need with pictures and a map.

In the heart of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem, the Ultra-Orthodox have held the first conference on “Torah archaeology.” This is a welcome change for a group known for its vocal, and sometimes violent, opposition to archaeology.

The editors at Bible and Interpretation reflect on how they have scooped Biblical Archaeology Review multiple times this year.

A couple of stories about the 12th Annual City of David Archaeology Conference were widely circulated this week. I held off posting, preferring a story that described what happened rather than predicted what might happen. What “newest research and discoveries” was revealed? Did the conference “overturn popular theories”? So far I have seen no reports.

Seth Rodriquez has written and illustrated a simple way to teach people how to “draw the map” of Israel with its major geographic features.

Illustration from Seth Rodriquez’s “Biblical Geography: Drawing the Map
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A blogger’s report on Stephen Cross’s presentation at the Ancient World Tours Conference last week suggests that a buried tomb may have been identified in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. KV62 is the tomb of King Tutankhamen and KV63 is the most recently identified tomb.

At the end of his talk he turned to the possibility of a tomb KV64.  He listed some facts about KV62:

  • it is at an elevation of 170m above mean sea level; 
  • it is sited below an overhang in the rock;
  • there is a leveled area just outside the entrance.

After the 2008/9 excavations, he identified one location in the central area which matches these same facts.  The levelled area was confirmed by ground penetrating radar.  It is about 3 feet from the edge of the excavated area.  The radar also suggested what may be a tunnel filled with limestone chipping stretching from somewhere near that possible entrance location beneath the Rest House, although I don’t think it was shown as reaching the theorised tomb entrance.
There is no proof, but it could turn out that KV64 has been identified, although there have been many false dawns on this story over the past 5 or 6 years.  (He says that the Reeves radar anomalies were mostly checked and were surface features such as minor fissures or even modern conduits.)

The full report is here.

HT: Jack Sasson

Valley of the Kings, tbs59329012

Entrance to the Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt
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The theme of the 2012 Holy Land Calendar produced by Lamb & Lion Ministries is “The Galilee of Jesus” and it includes twelve of my favorite photos related to Jesus’ ministry. At the very affordable price of $5, the calendar would make a great gift for family, friends, pastors, and teachers. You might even want to pick up an extra for a church or school classroom.

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The featured sites include the Arbel cliffs, Caesarea Philippi, Capernaum, Chorazin, the Jordan River, the Mount of Beatitudes, Mount Tabor, Nazareth, and the Sea of Galilee. The cover photo shows the traditional location where Jesus was on shore cooking breakfast when he told the disciples to throw their nets on the other side (John 21).

You may purchase the calendar online here or by calling 972-736-3567 between 8am and 5pm Central time, Monday through Friday. For orders of 10 or more, the phone price is $4 each, plus the cost of shipping.

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