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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Hundreds of hieroglyphics have been discovered in a tunnel in Hattusa. There are more photos in these articles in the Turkish press.

“Zahi Hawass recently said that he is certain that a mummy he is currently studying will turn out to be that of Queen Nefertiti.”

The arrest of three antiquities thieves near ancient Memphis resulted in the discovery of ancient tunnels leading to two New Kingdom rooms engraved with hieroglyphics.

Egyptian archaeologists are seeking to have the role of Egyptians recognized in the discovery of King Tut’s tomb and the deciphering of the Rosetta Stone.

All of the artifacts from King Tut’s tomb will be displayed in the Grand Egyptian Museum, expected to open in November.

“Discovering King Tut’s Tomb” opened a few weeks ago in Las Vegas, and the exhibit includes animations, virtual reality pods, and more than 300 replicas of artifacts. Elsewhere in town the National History Museum houses the King Tut exhibit formerly displayed at the Luxor Hotel & Casino.

Leon Mauldin notes the 200th anniversary of the decipherment of the Rosetta Stone that occurred a few days ago.

Egypt has passed a new law imposing penalties on those entering archaeological sites or climbing antiquities without a permit.

Djémila in Algeria has some of the best preserved ruins from the Roman empire.

Sites in Iraq are opening to tourists after destruction by IS forces.

Discover Magazine reviews our lack of knowledge about the hanging gardens of Babylon.

Tom Metcalfe asks, “What’s the world’s oldest civilization?”

Opinion piece: “Some US museums will overlook the dubious origins of acquisitions if it suits their purposes.” The focus is on a group of statuary discovered in southwestern Turkey in 1967.

Five ancient sundials have been discovered in Jordan, and a professor is seeking to raise awareness of their use in antiquity. The professor who authored a study on it believes that the situation would be improved with the establishment of a dedicated astronomy museum.

Bryan Murawski offers four tips for preaching geography-heavy texts. (Anybody else suspect that he has never heard of the Photo Companion to the Bible?)

The Babylon Bee reports that archaeologists have found the red pens used to write the words of Christ in the New Testament.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle, Explorator, George Grena

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Egypt, Jordan, Mesopotamia, Museums, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

What scholars once believed was an ancient synagogue near Khirbet Midras is actually a Roman temple. Haaretz has the story for subscribers.

A silver quarter-shekel from Year 4 of the First Jewish Revolt that was looted from the Elah Valley has now been returned to Israel. The coin is so rare that there are none in any of Israel’s museums.

With the announcement pending of the most beautiful mosaic floor ever discovered in the Gaza Strip, scholars are calling for greater protection of the area’s antiquities.

Bible History Daily’s latest OnSite video is of the Herodium. Nathan Steinmeyer has packed a lot of information and images into just over two minutes.

Chandler Collins has posted the first “Jerusalem Tracker,” with links to recent articles, books, lectures, and developments related to Jerusalem. This is like a roundup on steroids, all focused on one important city. (You can support his work here.)

The Museum of the Bible and DIVE (Digital Interactive Virtual Experiences) are hosting a virtual tour of Masada on October 19. Registration costs $20.

A new exhibition entitled “Arteology: The Power of the Ancients in Contemporary Forms” has opened near the Davidson Center in Jerusalem.

New release: The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Codices: Selected Papers from the Conference “The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Codices” in Berlin, 20–22 July 2018 (hardback $167; pdf free).

Martin Heide and Joris Peters write about “Camels in the Biblical World of the Ancient Near East.” Their evidence for their use over the millennia observes the use of domesticated camels in the time of Abraham.

In the latest episode of BiblicalWorld, “Chris McKinny and Mark Janzen discuss the early vs. late date for the date of the exodus, date of the conquest, the emergence of Israel in the land of Canaan, settlement patterns in Canaan, and biblical chronology.”

“The Kerem Tunnel, the first bicycle tunnel in Israel, has been inaugurated as part of the Jerusalem Ring Path, a 42-kilometer cycling route that surrounds the capital city.”

We have a good deal right now for the brand-new Photo Companion to Hebrews (only $39 for 1,950 photos). Or you can pick up all of the General Epistles for only $49 (4,800 photos).

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle, Explorator

Tagged Exodus-Conquest, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Judah, New Exhibits, Resources, Shephelah, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Hebrews, James, Peter, John, and Jude

If you do not receive our newsletter—or if yours landed somewhere other than your inbox—this is a quick note that our new photo collections are available for Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John, and Jude.

Hebrews – 1,950 photos; reg. $59; on sale: $39
James – 950 photos; reg. $49; on sale: $39
1 & 2 Peter, Jude – 1,400 photos; reg. $59; on sale: $39
1, 2, & 3 John – 650 photos; reg. $49; on sale: $29

These four volumes are available this week for only $49 (all together, including immediate download and free shipping).

Check out the newsletter for more details and the order links. If you know someone—pastor, Bible teacher, Christian school leader, etc.—who spends time studying or teaching these books, please share this with them. Thank you.

Tagged Photo Resources

Weekend Roundup, Part 3

Major progress has been made in the project to recreate a harbor for ancient Ephesus.

Turkish Archaeological News reports on the top stories for the month of August. One discovery noted is the excavation of a Roman fountain at Assos.

“An ongoing excavation in the ancient Greek city of Metropolis has led to the discovery of 150 amphorae and water jugs found in a well believed to be from approximately 1,800 years ago.”

New excavations have begun at Ostia, the ancient port city of Rome.

A large Roman mosaic of Medusa that had been kept in a basement in Los Angeles was recovered by the FBI and returned to Italy.

“Researchers found that upper-class people in the Roman Empire did not always follow the law regarding funeral parties, often opting for everyday foods rather than expensive specialties, according to a new study.”

Mark Wilson discusses the concept of “treasure in jars of clay” in light of the discovery of coin hoards discovered in the ancient world. (I usually don’t link to Bible History Daily reposts, but this one is interesting and I don’t remember it from before.)

Online lecture on Sept 27, 2 pm Eastern Time: “Christian Faith Tourism in Anatolia: Seven Churches and Paul’s Journeys,” by Mark Wilson

Ferrell Jenkins shares some photos related to sheepshearing.

Some recent episodes on Digging for Truth TV:

King Sennacherib of Assyria, with Bryan Windle
Judges-The Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries, with Bryan Windle
Excavating the Evidence for Jesus, Part One and Part Two, with Titus Kennedy
Altars of Sacrifice, with Mark Hassler
Egyptian Tombs and the Bible, Part One and Part Two, with Gary Byers

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Joseph Lauer, Charles Savelle, Alexander Schick, Explorator

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Excavations, Italy, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

New research confirms that a lost branch of the Nile River played a significant role in the construction of Giza’s pyramids.

“Egypt is celebrating the bicentenary of the decipherment of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and the creation of Egyptology with a batch of new events and a social media campaign.”

The exhibition “Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs” is now on display at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

An Italian team is set to return to excavations at Ebla, 12 years after war in Syria halted 47 years of uninterrupted digging. Though the archaeological site was not bombed, the ruins were seriously damaged by tunnels, trenches, and pillboxes. The Syrians for Heritage, however, are opposed to the University of Rome La Sapienza’s resumption of excavations at Ebla and Tell Ferzat. Ferrell Jenkins posts a couple photos from his visit to Ebla 20 years ago.

Archaeologists have identified more than 350 “kites” in northern Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq.

The scholars who deciphered Linear Elamite explain how they did it.

A new archaeological museum has opened in Isfahan, Iran.

New release: Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East, by Amanda H. Podany (Oxford, 2022; $35)

The Bible Mapper Blog continues to create and share free maps each week:

I’ll have more stories in part three of this weekend’s roundup tomorrow.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Joseph Lauer, Charles Savelle, Alexander Schick, Explorator

Tagged Arabia, Egypt, Museums, Persia, Resources, Syria, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Christopher Rollston urges caution regarding the authenticity of the Ishmael papyrus. James Davila doubts that a forger could have gotten ahold of blank papyrus from the Iron Age.

Nathan Steinmeyer has an exclusive interview with Joe Uziel about the recently discovered papyrus.

The journal article for the “Jerusalem Ivories” announced earlier this week is available in the latest issue of ‘Atiqot (direct link to article pdf).

Shimon Gibson’s recent article in PEQ on Montagu Parker’s “throne of Solomon” identifies 13 stone toilets from the Iron Age II discovered in the kingdom of Judah, including 7 excavated in Jerusalem (subscription). Haaretz has a paywalled story on the article.

Cynthia Shafer-Elliott’s second post on ancient Israel’s geographical context focuses on the topography of the land.

Sabine Kleiman argues that archaeological evidence alleged to support Hezekiah’s cultic reform does not in fact do so.

The NYTimes reports on vineyards in Israel’s Negev.

Wayne Stiles has announced tours for 2023, including two to Israel and Jordan and one to Greece and Turkey.

New release: In the Shadow of His Hand, by Donald Brake and Shelly Beach. This is a work of historical fiction, and the Kindle edition will be on sale for $1.99 on Wednesday only.

Biblical Israel Ministries and Tours has released supplemental Bible study material for their 27 video lessons.

Walking The Text’s recommended resource of the month is biblicalelearning.org.

New Bible Land Passage videos have been released: “The data and information gleaned from the disciplines of archaeology, geology, history, hydrology, climatology, epigraphy, horticulture, agriculture, and many others, offer numerous opportunities to demonstrate a connection between the facts deduced from these disciplines and the text of the Bible. The Connections series of Bible Land Passages is dedicated to researching and revealing the compelling connections between faith and fact inferred from the data and information discovered in the land of the Bible. Seven new, brief videos have been released on the Balustrade Inscriptions, Megiddo, City of David Underground, Chorazin, Mount Carmel, and more. Additional Connection videos will be released in the near future.”

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Joseph Lauer, Charles Savelle, Alexander Schick, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem, Negev, Resources, Tourism, Weekend Roundup