fbpx

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“The Legio camp [at Megiddo] is the only full-scale imperial Roman legionary base found so far in the eastern empire” and to date they’ve unearthed a monumental gate, a dedicatory inscription, and the cremated remains of a Roman soldier.

The first royal winery of King Herod was discovered at the Herodium. The story does not seem to be in the English press yet, but you can read a Google-translated version of the Israel Nature and Parks

Authority story here. UPDATE: I’ve posted Joseph Lauer’s improved translation here.

Some Israelis are accusing authorities of not protecting Herod’s palace at Jericho from destruction caused by the nearby building of homes.

A new exhibit at the Haifa Hostel tells the story of ancient Castra on the slopes of Mount Carmel.

A new exhibit at the Hecht Museum at the University of Haifa documents the transition of the city of Sussita (Hippos) from pagan to Christian.

The ASOR Blog has a well-illustrated piece on the Ottoman and Turkish history of Majdal Yābā (aka Migdal Aphek, Mirabel).

Leen Ritmeyer explains how Jerusalem’s garbage dump refutes the theory that the temple was built over the Gihon Spring.

New from Wayne Stiles: How to follow God by pondering amazing bird migrations in Israel.

Now published: The Elephant Mosaic Panel in the Synagogue at Huqoq, by Karen Britt and Ra’anan
Boustan. Authorized photos are available at National Geographic. Dr. Britt will lecture on the subject on Feb. 21 at UNC Asheville.

At The Book and the Spade, John DeLancey talks with Gordon Govier about Excavation Plans for 2018.

Israel’s Good Name describes his experience in an archaeological survey of Tel Goded (Moresheth-Gath?) in part 1 and part 2.

With 3.6 million tourists in 2017, Israel hit a new record. This was a 25% increase over 2016. For some trends in tourism between 1990 and 2011, see this booklet.

Israel saw lots of rain yesterday, but probably not the “100 inches” claimed in this article’s subhead.

Lawrence Stager died at the age of 74 after a fall at his home. He directed the excavations at Ashkelon for 30 years.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Keith Keyser, Charles Savelle

Share:
Leave a comment

“Governor of the City” Seal Impression Discovered in Jerusalem

At the top of candidates for “best discoveries of 2018,” a seal impression reading “belonging to the governor of the city” was announced today by the Israel Antiquities Authority. The find was made by conservationists in the wall of an Israelite four-room house built on the slope of the Western Hill opposite the Western Wall. The seal impression features two figures and what may be the moon above them.

1 (1)
Photo by Clara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority

The “governor of the city” was not the king of Judah, but was the equivalent of the mayor of Jerusalem. This position may be mentioned in two passages in the Bible.

  • 2 Kings 23:8 “Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the shrines at the gates—at the entrance to the Gate of Joshua, the city governor [sar], which is on the left of the city gate.”
  • 2 Chronicles 34:8 “In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, to purify the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the ruler [sar] of the city, with Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the Lord his God.”

The house in which the impression was made dates to the 7th century BC, which is the time referenced in these two passages. The archaeologist believes that this part of the city was inhabited by high-ranking city officials.

Scholars who studied the seal impression described in this way:

Above a double line are two standing men, facing each other in a mirror-like manner. Their heads are depicted as large dots, lacking any details. The hands facing outward are dropped down, and the hands facing inward are raised. Each of the figures is wearing a striped, knee-length garment.
The story is reported by many sources, including The Times of Israel. The press release is posted on Facebook. Leen Ritmeyer has a brief post, including a diagram of how Jerusalem looked at this time. 
A 2-minute video is posted here.
Western Wall prayer plaza excavations, tb010312518
Excavation area where seal impression was discovered
Share:
Leave a comment

More Top Stories of 2017

There were a number of interesting and significant stories this year that didn’t make it into the “top ten” list we posted yesterday.


Old Testament Period

Excavations in the City of David revealed evidence of Jerusalem’s fall in 586 BC.

The massive “Spring Tower” built over Jerusalem’s Gihon Spring may date to the 9th century BC, instead of to the Middle Bronze Age.

Ten jugs from the time of Eli and Samuel have been discovered in excavations at Shiloh.

Archaeologists working near biblical Aphek have discovered a large water reservoir dating to about the time of King Hezekiah.

The team working at Tel Burna has uncovered more evidence attesting to Canaanite ritual activity.

Scholars at Tel Aviv University have used multispectral imaging to reveal text on ancient “blank” potsherds from the First Temple period.

A study of LMLK seal impressions reveals that there was a massive spike in the earth’s magnetic field in the time of King Hezekiah.

Early excavation work at Kiriath Jearim revealed a 9-foot-wall.

Archaeologists excavated a dolmen on the Golan Heights with a 50-ton capstone and unique artistic decorations.

Archaeologists excavating in the Timna Valley near Eilat discovered fabric dyed red and blue.



New Testament/Second Temple Period

Archaeologists excavated an Edomite/Idumean temple in a live-fire zone near Lachish.

Archaeologists have reported the discovery of a large ritual bath(mikveh) at Macherus.

Archaeologists have discovered a cave on the cliffs above Qumran that held Dead Sea Scrolls until it was looted in the mid-1900s. Eleven caves have previously been identified containing ancient scrolls, but no new ones have been discovered since Cave 11 was found in 1956.

Fragments of a second “arch of Titus” were discovered in Rome.


Roman and Byzantine Periods

A mosaic from a Georgian church or monastery has been excavated in Ashdod-Yam, leading archaeologists to believe they may have finally discovered the Roman-Byzantine city of Ashdod-
Yam.

A large 4th-century AD winepress was excavated in the Ramat Negev region.

Archaeologists discovered a well-preserved Roman-period road in the Shephelah of Judah.

A 6th-century mosaic discovered near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem has a Greek inscription mentioning Emperor Justinian.


Other Stories

The Museum of the Bible opened in Washington DC.

Hershel Shanks retired from Biblical Archaeology Review, a magazine he founded in 1975. 
  
Tomorrow

Various plans were announced this year. Check in tomorrow for our “hopes and dreams of 2017” edition.

Share:
Leave a comment

Top 10 Discoveries in Biblical Archaeology from 2017

What are the top discoveries of the year? Here is my list, based on a review of the stories and roundups posted on the BiblePlaces Blog throughout 2017.

1. Dozens of seal impressions naming officials of the First Temple Period were found in the City of David.

2. A capital from Solomon’s Colonnade was discovered in Temple Mount Sifting Project.

3. A Timna copper mining camp was dated to time of David and Solomon through the analysis of donkey dung.

4. New excavations at el-Araj challenge the identification of et-Tell with Bethsaida.

5. A small Roman theater was found next to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount.

6. Evidence of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem was discovered along the road from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount.

7. Merneptah’s destruction of Gezer was found, corresponding to its mention in the Merneptah Stele.

8. The Augustus Temple Altar foundation was unearthed at Caesarea.

9. Analysis of the traditional tomb of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher supports a 4th-century date, as long believed.

10. Seven inscriptions were discovered in three Byzantine churches excavated in Galilee this summer.

All ten of these come from Israel, and five come from Jerusalem. Three are related to the Old Testament, and six are from the world of the New Testament.

You can revisit the top stories of previous years at the links below:

Tomorrow I’ll post a list of other significant stories and discoveries from the year.

Share:
Leave a comment

Weekend Roundup, Part 3

The first-ever issue of Biblical Archaeology Review without Hershel Shanks at the helm has been published. This annual excavation issue also includes articles on an ancient Jerusalem trash dump, Canaanite art at Hazor, and the Ketef Hinnom silver amulets.

Carl Rasmussen explains Paul’s walk from Troas to Assos with photos and a map.

A writer for The New York Times describes his visit to Alexandria.

A study shows that black ink from Egyptian papyri contains copper.

The Egyptian government is working on a bill to increase the penalty for smuggling antiquities to life imprisonment.

Police in Turkey have recovered over 26,000 artifacts from a smuggling ring in Istanbul.

The German Protestant Institute of Archaeology in the Holy Land (GPIA) has launched a new website for its project DOJAM – Documentation of Objects in Jordanian Archaeological Museums.   

The winter issue of the Oriental Institute’s News & Notes is online.

The ancients used meteoritic material in the forging of daggers, axes, and jewelry.

Rome will begin charging tourists to visit the Pantheon.

The New York Metropolitan Museum purchased a 14th-century illuminated Hebrew Bible before it was to be auctioned by Sotheby’s.

How did the 1917 Jerusalem surrender flag end up in Ohio?

William Dever, Carol Meyers, and Israel Finkelstein were among those receiving awards at the 2017 ASOR Annual Meeting.

LiveScience suggests some major finds in biblical archaeology in 2017.

Merry Christmas!


HT: Ted Weis, Joseph Lauer, Agade

Share:
Leave a comment

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Underwater excavations of Corinth’s harbor at the port of Lechaion have exposed five-ton stone blocks and a perfectly preserved wooden post. This article has lots of illustrations. A 2-minute video takes you there.


The New York Times reports on the numerous ancient finds from Rome’s ongoing subway project.

Archaeologists have been excavating a large Byzantine church complex near Beth Shemesh.

Excavations have revealed that the population of Shiloh switched from Gentile to Jewish following the Maccabean Revolt.

New excavations have revealed a Hasmonean-era settlement at Susiya near Hebron.

Israel’s Culture Minister is initiating a $70 million plan to uncover, preserve, and develop historical sites in Jerusalem and vicinity.

The Israeli government has approved funding for a hiking trail through the West Bank and Golan Heights.

“The ancient city of Hazor in the Galilee seems to have muscled its way to fame and fortune partly by developing a unique business in farming sheep, instead of goats like everyone else in Canaan 3,700 years ago.”

Recent excavations at Jericho show a close relationship between the city and Egypt.

Archaeologists have traced the history of a menorah relief in various buildings in Tiberias.

A young girl discovered a Hasmonean-period oil lamp in a porcupines’ den near Beth Shean.

Elsewhere antiquities thieves denied their activities by claiming that they were “just hunting porcupines.”

New book, with free ebook download: Finding Jerusalem: Archaeology between Science and Ideology, by Katharina Galor.

Cuneiform cookies are all the rage this Christmas. This video will teach you how to bake Ugaritic
Tablet Biscuits.

HT: Ted Weis, Joseph Lauer, Agade, Mark Hoffman, Charles Savelle, Explorator, Chris McKinny,
Mike Harney

Share:
Leave a comment
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.

Links
Notice

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. In any case, we will provide honest advice.