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A statue of Ramesses II has been placed in the Grand Hall of the Great Egyptian Museum so that the rays of the sun will illuminate it on February 22 and October 22 each year.

Closing on March 14: “Queen Nefertari’s Egypt,” at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

Carole Raddato provides a list of the top 5 archaeological sites in Lebanon.

The British Museum identifies the top 10 historical board games, beginning with the Royal Game of Ur.

Duncan Howitt-Marshall explains how the ancient Greeks set us on the path to Mars.

Police recovered a rare bronze plate with a decree from Emperor Tiberius.

The renovated mausoleum of Emperor Augustus in Rome has reopened after being closed for many years.

Tyler Rossi writes about portraiture on ancient Roman coinage, noting that Julius Caesar was the first living person depicted on a Roman coin. Was this why he was assassinated?

in AramcoWorld’s well-illustrated article “The Quest for Blue,” Tom Verde explains that the color blue, while pervasive in nature, is much harder to reproduce and required considerable ingenuity in the ancient world.

Now in paperback from Oxford University Press: Archaeology and the Letters of Paul, by Laura Sarah Nasrallah.

HT: Agade, Explorator, Ted Weis, Paleojudaica

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Archaeologists working near the Western Wall of the Temple Mount have discovered the largest collection of ancient dice ever found.

The seventh issue of the newsletter of the Department and Institute of Archeology at Tel Aviv University includes reports on fieldwork at Azekah, Masada, and Jerusalem, along with other articles on research and laboratory work.

I don’t know that the claim of it being the oldest water tunnel is true, but the Balama tunnel near Jenin is certainly interesting and little-known.

A rare sighting of a sperm whale off Israel’s coast was made several weeks ago near Nahariya.

I am happy to see my old friend Jeroboam II getting some attention this week, as he is featured in the latest archaeological biography by Bryan Windle.

Three upcoming meetings of The Minerva Center for the Relations between Israel and Aram in Biblical Times:

The Clinton Bailey Archive of Bedouin Culture is coming to the National Library of Israel. The collection includes a wealth of information about ancient Bedouin tribal cultures, including audio recordings, videos, and photos.

Joel Kramer joins Sean McDowell for a Q&A on the Bible and Archaeology.

New release: The Moses Scroll: Reopening the Most Controversial Case in the History of Biblical Scholarship, by Ross K. Nichols, illustrated by Daniel M. Wright

HT: Agade, Steven Anderson, Explorator, Ted Weis, Paleojudaica, Arne Halbakken

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A nearly intact 4-wheel ceremonial carriage has been found near Pompeii. Here’s a 3-D view and here’s a short video.

“Pompeii has completed a major restoration on a large fresco in the garden of the House of the Ceii, bringing back to life its intense colours, with the help of laser technology.”

A cemetery recently iscovered in Larnaca, Cyprus, was in use from the 12th century BC to the Roman period.

David Hendin provides a primer on silver shekels and half-shekels from Tyre, including addressing the difficult question of why these coins were chosen for use in the Jerusalem temple.

Discoveries in a tomb at Achziv may reflect the ancient “victory song” tradition evidenced in the accounts of Miriam, Deborah, Jephthah, David.

Drones equipped with multispectral cameras are providing clues of the path followed by water canals dug 2,000 years ago in Spain to support Roman-era gold mining operations.”

Pope Francis will be leading a prayer service at the ancient site of Ur. Iraqis hope the visit will help to bring back tourists.

The IAA website reviews the exhibition, “Owning the Past: From Mesopotamia to Iraq at the Ashmolean Museum.

David Moster explains what is the Bible’s most mispronounced letter, and how that plays out in the names of Jerusalem, Jericho, and other names.

The spring issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes articles on the Holy Sepulcher, the “face of God,” and Auja el-Foqa.

Pinar Durgun provides tips for searching online museum collections.

Al Hoerth died in October. The Book and the Spade brings back an interview with him from 2006.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Chris McKinny, Ted Weis, Alexander Schick

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On their first day back to sifting, the Temple Mount Sifting Project discovered their first pur, just in time for Purim.

This Times of Israel article has some drone footage that clearly shows the damage to the Mount Ebal altar site. The article details the firestorm that erupted. The Jerusalem Post argues for protection for the site.

Conservators are injecting the stones of the Western Wall with grout to help them withstand the effects of weathering.

Erez Ben-Yosef and Elisabetta Boaretto are interviewed on the weekly podcast from The Times of Israel about Solomonic copper mines and radiocarbon dating.

Aren Maeir’s MOOC on “Biblical Archaeology: The Archaeology of Ancient Israel and Judah” returns on March 8. This will be the fourth run, and the course is free.

Online on March 6: A Virtual Tour of Israel: Haifa, a Shared City. Free registration is required.

Chris McKinny continues his discussion of historical geography and archaeology at sites in central Israel including Gezer, Masada, Qumran, Jericho, Shiloh, and Caesarea.

Dumbest tradition ever: After conquering the Promised Land, Joshua asked God if he could go to Mesopotamia to die.

Bible Archaeology Report’s top three for February: “something deciphered, something discovered and something damaged.”

In light of the oil disaster on Israel’s shore, Shmuel Browns shares a series of Coastline photos.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Chris McKinny

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Archaeologists discovered a massive gateway near Persepolis that was built by Cyrus in honor of the conquest of Babylon.

A large-scale production brewery was found in Abydos, Egypt.

“The discovery of a rare ‘mud mummy’ from ancient Egypt has surprised archaeologists, who weren’t expecting to find the deceased encased in a hardened mud shell.

A CT study indicates that Pharaoh Seqenenre Taa II (558-1553 BC) died on the battlefield.

A researcher studied tomb reliefs and conducted dozens of experiments in order to discover how the ancient Egyptians baked bread.

A UNESCO jobs program is helping to restore Byzantine sites in Jordan.

Carl Rasmussen shares photos of Aizanoi in Turkey, where one of the best-preserved temples of the ancient world is located.

Greece Is lists the top 10 archaeological finds in Greece in 2020.

The Paphos Archaeological Museum in Cyprus has reopened after four years of renovations and delays.

Smithsonian Magazine: Iraq’s Cultural Museum in Mosul is on the road to recovery.

“The Encyclopædia Iranica Online is now freely accessible at Brill’s Reference Works Platform.”

5,000 photographs of Arabia taken by Sir Wilfred Thesiger between 1945 and 1950 have been digitized by the Pitt Rivers Museum.

“Excavating the History of the Bible: What Archeology Can Teach us About the Biblical World”—hosted by Dr. Andrew Mark Henry has launched on YouTube. The first episode provides an intro to biblical archaeology. The second is on the Canaanites.

A rare snowstorm covered Athens and its acropolis with several inches of snow.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Keith Keyser, Explorator

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The enclosure wall around the Mount Ebal altar has been restored. And Israel’s defense minister is not allowing a visit by the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Two stone sarcophagi from the 2nd or 3rd centuries AD were discovered at the Ramat Gan Safari Park.

I share a bit about my work with photo collections, both past and future, in the latest Scholar’s Chair interview at Bible Archaeology Report.

Chris McKinny talks about learning historical geography and archaeology in Israel on a new video produced by John DeLancey.

Erez Ben Yosef is interviewed by the Jerusalem Post about his years of excavating at Timna.

Zoom lecture tomorrow: “Archaeology and the Hidden Religious Culture of Israelite Women,” by Carol Meyers.

The NY Times has posted an obituary for Norman Golb, the unorthodox Dead Sea Scrolls scholar who died last month.

Assyrians used the policy of deportation in the Levant not to bolster its labor supply but in order to intimidate the population and put down revolts.

The Hazor team is accepting applications for its 31st season of excavations at this important Canaanite and Israelite site.

The Times of Israel reports on the 2018 re-discovery in Cairo of a Hebrew Bible written in the year 1028.

Snow fell in Jerusalem this week for the first time in six years, and some photos are posted by The Jerusalem Post, Al Jazeera, Haaretz, and The Times of Israel. Shmuel Browns took some beautiful photos of the snow in the Judean hills. Daily Sabah has photos from around the Middle East.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Keith Keyser, Explorator

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