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“Archaeologists discovered private seating areas with names engraved on them during excavation at a 1,800-year-old amphitheater in the ancient city of Pergamon.”

Excavations of the ancient Greek city of Magnesia in western Turkey have revealed the entrance gate to the temple of Zeus.

“The discovery of a 3,500-year-old paving stone, described as the “ancestor” of Mediterranean mosaics, offers illuminating details into the daily lives of the mysterious Bronze Age Hittites.”

“An international research team conducting excavations in the city of Tyre has discovered a large Roman temple complex.”

“Freedivers off the coast of Spain have uncovered a treasure trove of 53 perfectly preserved gold coins from the Roman Empire, one of the largest collections ever found in Europe.”

A forensic artist has used genetic data to create 3D models of the faces of three men who lived in ancient Egypt more than 2,000 years ago.

In light of Hobby Lobby’s lawsuit against Dirk Obbink, The New York Times gives a summary of the story to date.

Now online: An exclusive sneak peek of ‘Times of Fire’ the first feature film in The 7 Churches of Revelation series.

Now on pre-pub for Logos: CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible Notes ($20)

Accordance has a number of graphics resources on sale.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle, A.D. Riddle

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Excavations at Itamar in the West Bank have uncovered a sealed cistern with tools and vessels from the Second Temple period, an olive press, a mikveh, and a coin with the image of Mount Gerizim.

A new study claims that Tall el-Hammam was destroyed by a cosmic airburst circa 1650 BC. Biblical archaeologists are not convinced that this proves the site is Sodom.

Rossella Tercatin interviews Yuval Gadot about recent archaeological discoveries in the Jerusalem area in a 25-minute Zoomcast.

Archaeology sheds light on how Jews celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles in the 1st century.

Mark Janzen and Kyle Keimer interview Eric Cline on the Biblical World podcast.

Isabel Cranz surveys royal illness in the Bible and the ancient Near Eastern texts.

ASOR members in the US can purchase several recent archaeological publications for $25 each through the end of the month.

The purpose of HIERAX software is “to enhance the legibility of papyri for text edition and publication. It consists of an image processing tool and an image viewer.”

I predict that Bryan Windle’s “Top Ten Discoveries Related to Moses and the Exodus” will become one of his blog’s most popular posts.

The early bird discount for the Infusion Bible Conference ends on Thursday.

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

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Excavations have resumed at the Tel Motza (Moza) temple on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

“A pool of water near the Dead Sea was recently found to have turned red.”

The Jerusalem Post surveys archaeological work and discoveries made during a year of Covid.

Bryant Wood gives an update on important biblical archaeological discoveries in 2021.

Newsweek’s list of 20 largest museums in the world includes the Israel Museum in spot #17.

Al Qarara Cultural Museum is the first private museum in the Gaza Strip.

Sergio & Rhoda go searching for Micah’s hometown in the Shephelah (30-min video).

On the Rejuvenation podcast, Shay Bar discusses his archaeological studies in tribal territory of Manasseh and the Jordan Valley.

ASOR webinar on October 7: “Digging the Divine?: Judahite Pillar Figurines and the Archaeology of Israelite Religion,” by Erin Denby

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

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Weekend Sale: Photo Companion to the Bible: 1 Samuel – only $49 with coupon SAMUEL.

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Archaeologists discovered a Second Temple period quarry in northwest Jerusalem.

Regarding the recent story about the ancient Jerusalem weight which was falsely labeled to facilitate cheating, some scholars have observed that it was actually labeled correctly as an 8-gerah weight.

A secret tunnel under the slope of Mount Zion that was used by Israelis after Jordan captured the Old City in 1948 has now been opened to the public.

Israel has an “ark museum” of sorts, and Israel’s Good Name describes his visit to the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History in Tel Aviv in a well-illustrated blog post.

Dozens of installations used for the large-scale production of salt have been identified along the northern coasts of Israel.

The Ketef Hinnom silver amulets are the subject of an article in the most recent issue of Ink magazine, published by Tyndale House (pages 12-14).

Egypt is preparing to open the world’s largest open-air museum in Luxor.

“Using a leaf uncovered from the archaeological site of an ancient Egyptian temple, researchers . . . have successfully determined the ancient hybrid origin of some date palms.” The underlying journal article is here.

The National Museum of Beirut has reopened after a $175,000 restoration.

Excavations in eastern Turkey have revealed an unusual tomb belonging to an Urartian ruler who was buried with his dog, horses, cattle, and sheep.

“Out of the ashes of Pompeii, archaeologists recently pulled up a time capsule, though only the bronze hinges remained of what is being described as a ‘sorceress’ toolkit.’”

On December 6 and 13, John J. Collins will be giving a virtual lecture on “The Dead Sea Scrolls: The Light They Shed on Judaism and Christianity.” Registration is required and free.

Coming soon: Excavations in the City of David, Jerusalem (1995-2010), by Ronny Reich and Eli Shukron (Penn State University Press, 712 pages, $99.95).

This Week in the Ancient Near East wraps up the summer with a round-up episode.

The indoor model of 1st-century Jerusalem that was located at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando will be part of a new exhibit at the Ark Encounter. There’s a nice photo of the model here. And some others here.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Andy Cook, Charles Savelle, Arne Halbakken, Keith Keyser, G. M. Grena

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An ancient stone weight dug up in Jerusalem has been found to be far heavier than the amount written on its surface, leading archaeologists to assume it was used to cheat in trading.” The discovery was presented at a conference in Jerusalem on Thursday (video in Hebrew here).

A report has recently been published on the overt and covert involvement of Israelis in archaeological research in the West Bank between 1948 and 1967.

Work has begun to renovate the bridge leading from the Western Wall plaza to the Temple Mount.

A new app allows visitors to explore the archaeological remains of the Church of the Glorious Martyr recently excavated near Beth Shemesh. The latest issue of BAR has more information about the church, and Owen Jarus provides a summary.

Archaeologists working in Saqqara used ancient Egyptian technology to raise a sarcophagus to the surface (3-min video).

Archaeologists announced the discovery of a settlement in Alexandria dating back to the 2nd century BC, including a sculpture of Alexander the Great.

“One of the most important religious centers of the ancient world, the city of Akhmim in southern Egypt is presented in the exhibit Akhmim: Egypt’s Forgotten City, currently on display in the James Simon Gallery of the Berlin State Museums.”

The “wine of Lebanon” mentioned by the prophet Hosea was famous in antiquity. An article in The Ancient Near East Today describes some new archaeological evidence for the production of Phoenician wine.

The skull of a woman who underwent the world’s first brain surgery will be reconstructed using a beeswax technique.

Norwegian authorities “confiscated approximately 100 antiquities from the extensive collection of Martin Schøyen which Iraqi authorities believe were illicitly removed from their country.”

On Sept. 19, Yosef Garfinkel will be speaking in the next Friends of ASOR webinar on the topic of “David, Solomon, and Rehoboam’s Kingdom—The Archaeological Evidence.”

On Dec 1, Andrea Berlin will be speaking in the BAS Scholars Series on “The Rise of the Maccabees:What Archaeology Reveals About Antiquity’s Last Independent Jewish Kingdom.”

This week’s program on The Book and the Spade: Ashkelon basilica, Sussita theater, missing walls, with Clyde Billington.

Lois Tverberg takes a Hebraic look at the gospel and its surprising bearers.

“For the Jewish New Year, Joan Nathan composes a dish that pays tribute to foods that the biblical Canaanites might have eaten.”

HT: Joseph Lauer, Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Alexander Schick

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The latest skeleton discovered at Pompeii sheds remarkable light on an individual named Marcus Venerius Secundio.

“A team of Polish researchers has discovered evidence of a well-planned Christian settlement dating to the sixth century in the ancient Egyptian port city of Marea.”

“Archeologists in northwestern Turkey discovered a relief on Monday depicting a war between the Greeks and Persians from the fifth century B.C.” (No photo)

A gouge in the eyes of a coin of Julian the Apostate may have been an intentional “act of erasure.”

Here are much better photos to go with the previously mentioned story abut Egyptians struggling to keep alive their craft of making papyrus.

The theater at Ephesus is reopening to visitors after being closed for the last three years.

Malta is planning to bury ancient cart ruts in order to build a new roundabout.

Jesse Millek asks, “Why did scholars choose 1200 BCE . . . as the year when civilization collapsed in the Eastern Mediterranean?”

The Getty Research Institute interviews Waleed Khaled al-As’ad, director emeritus of antiquities and museums at Palmyra and son of the site’s longtime director, Khaled al-As’ad. They also have a story about the history of Palmyra.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Andy Cook, Ted Weis, Explorator

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About the BiblePlaces Blog

The BiblePlaces Blog provides updates and analysis of the latest in biblical archaeology, history, and geography. Unless otherwise noted, the posts are written by Todd Bolen, PhD, Professor of Biblical Studies at The Master’s University.

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