Uncategorized Archives - Page 424 of 558

Thursday Roundup

I continue to catch up on stories from earlier this month.

A building from the Neolithic period has been discovered in Tel Aviv.

Scholars in the British Museum discovered a couple of fragments similar to the Cyrus Cylinder in their collection. Iran is upset that this will delay the promised loan of the artifact.

Abu Gosh decided it wanted to take the world record for the largest hummus dish ever made. I drove by the restaurant a day after the big event and thus missed the opportunity to sample part of the 8,000 pounds of hummus, but I did see the satellite receiver in which the dish was served.

If you’re looking for a more academic trip of Turkey, I’d recommend this BAS tour led by Mark Wilson.

The sad state of the “Sanhedrin Tombs” in Jerusalem is reported in an article in Haaretz.

Two-Columned Tomb in Sanhedria neighborhood of Jerusalem

HT: Joe Lauer

Tagged Weekend Roundup

Jaffa Gate Excavations

One of the items on my list for this blog was some new photos of the renovations at Jaffa Gate. Tom Powers has beat me to it, however, and done a much better job. He has a number of high-resolution photographs, along with explanations of what you’re seeing (as best as can be determined by an outsider). I have heard through the grapevine that the archaeologists uncovered both ancient and modern aqueducts as well. This makes sense given the location of Jaffa Gate and the nearby presence of the Towers/Hezekiah’s Pool.

Read the post on his Tom’s new blog and subscribe to future posts using the RSS feed.

Jaffa Gate area with excavations underway
Photo taken January 3, 2010

Tagged Jerusalem

360 Degree Views in Jerusalem

360 degree views in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher – if you didn’t want to stand in the long line to enter the tomb, this gives you a perfect view without the crowds, noise, or fragrances.

360 degree views in the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque – if you’re not Muslim, you can’t stand in a line long enough. One other 360 degree view is the Western Wall, but these photos are less unique. The entry point to all three sites is here.

Line to enter tomb at Church of Holy Sepulcher, earlier this month. One tour guide estimated the wait time to be two hours.

Tagged Jerusalem, Tourism

Tuesday Roundup

Ynetnews has a story on renovations of David’s Tomb on Mount Zion.

Leen Ritmeyer’s recent lecture on how he identified the location of Solomon’s Temple is recounted in a story in the Baptist Press.

A sarcophagus cover with a Medusa decoration is the now on display at Caesarea. The IAA press release (temporary link) also has some high-resolution images (direct link).

A hoard of 1,300 silver coins apparently from the Hellenistic period have been discovered in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, announced the Hamas-run “ministry of tourism and antiquities.”

The Museum of Tolerance to be built in the Mamilla neighborhood of Jerusalem will be half the size of the original plan because of reduced sources of funding. Plaintiffs who filed suit against the
construction have lost their case and been fined by the court.

I’ve had little time this month for noting the latest stories. As time permits, I’ll continue to try to catch up.

HT: Joe Lauer and Paleojudaica

Tagged Jerusalem, Weekend Roundup

Glo for $40

I’ve recommended Glo before, and I see that it’s available for a few days (until 1/28) for only $40 from Rejoice Software (click “buy now” to see lower price). That’s quite a bit cheaper than I’ve seen it before. The email announcement I received claims that Zondervan has raised the retail price to $90.

You can learn more about this multimedia Bible program here.

(Disclosure: about half of the photographs in the product are mine, but I don’t benefit from the sales.)

Tagged Resources

Fishing Banned on Sea of Galilee

From Arutz-7:

Minister of Agriculture Shalom Simchon has announced a ban on all fishing in the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) for two years. The ban also extends to the part of the Jordan River that empties into the Sea of Galilee, and to all the other rivers that empty into the famous lake.
The authority to ban fishing is within the Minister of Agriculture’s authority according to the official Fishing Order, and the ban is set to take effect on March 1, 2010, extending until February 28, 2012. Minister Simchon has asked the Finance Ministry to allot NIS 15 million for enforcing the ban and compensating the fishermen who will be hurt by it.
Simchon explained that according to Agriculture Ministry statistics, the quantity of fish in the Sea of Galilee has plummeted in the past decade, and especially in the last two years, by tens of percentage points annually. It has now reached a critical level, he said, and these statistics mean that the sea may be facing an ecological disaster in which all its fish would die out.

The full story is here.

Fishing boats on Sea of Galilee, early 1900s

This photo is from the Traditional Life and Customs volume of The American Colony and Eric Matson Collection (Library of Congress, LC-matpc-07411).

Tagged American Colony Photos, Galilee