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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

The oldest gold artifact discovered in Jerusalem attests to Phoenician presence in the city in the time of King Solomon. Writing for Haaretz, Ariel David disagrees.

“The discovery of numerous plants in two temples unearthed at [Gath] unraveled unprecedented insights into Philistine cultic rituals and beliefs – the food ingredients in their temple, the timing of ceremonies, and plants for temple decoration.”

A new multi-level sunken entrance pavilion opens this month for the Tower of David Museum.

Abigail Leavitt provides a report on the short excavation season at Fazael (Phasael) in the Jordan Valley.

Israel’s Good Name reports on his visit to the Lod Mosaic Center.

Shmuel Browns has posted a few drone photos taken around Israel.

Carl Rasmussen’s video series “Encountering the Holy Land” for Logos Bible Software is on sale ($18).

Course registration is now open for Spring online courses at the Jerusalem Seminary, including Biblical Feasts, Biblical Hebrew, Israel Matters, and Jewish Life: Then and Now. Scholarships and discounts are available.

I will be speaking next month in Jerusalem University College’s Culture Counts online series on “The Psalms of David and Solomon.” Registration is free and includes access to the recording.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Dickson, Gordon Franz, Steven Anderson

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“A rare and mysterious, multi-compartment stone container dating back to the days of the Second Temple that serves as evidence of the destruction of Jerusalem two millennia ago has been put on display for the first time at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.”

Aaron Goel-Angot writes about the ancient site of Wadi Hamam and its first-century synagogue, located below Mount Arbel.

Excavations at the foot of Mount Tabor “provide a rare glimpse into the merchant market that functioned for centuries in the area between an adjacent fort and the khan” during the Mamluk and Ottoman periods.

Bryant Wood explains how the discovery of donkey dung supports the historicity of the Bible.

What do archaeology specialists do? Bible History Daily asked that question of ceramicists, zooarchaeologists, spatial archaeologists, marine geoarchaeologists, conservators, and osteologists.

The Spring 2024 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes articles on the cave of Salome, an Iron Age building in the Givati parking lot excavations, the Jerusalem ivories, and Azekah’s Canaanite temple.

Stamp seals from the southern Levant are the focus of the latest issue of Near Eastern Archaeology.

John DeLancey and Gordon Govier discuss ten important recent archaeological discoveries related to the life of Christ, with lots of illustrations.

Oded Lipschits is telling “The Untold Story of the Kingdom of Judah” in a new series of podcasts produced by Tel Aviv University.

Paul Evans is a guest on the Biblical World podcast to discuss his new book, Sennacherib and the War of 1812: Disputed Victory in the Assyrian Campaign of 701 BCE in Light of Military History.

The latest Jerusalem Tracker rounds up the news, publications and media about the city. It is amazing how much has been produced in the last three months.

This summer’s excavation season at Tel Shimron has been cancelled.

A trailer has been released for “Following the Footsteps: Walking Where Jesus Walked.”

Bryan Windle reviews the top ten archaeological discoveries of 2023 on the latest episode of Digging for Truth.

In a piece related to his recent book on the subject, Yaron Z. Eliav explores how Jews could have participated in Roman bathhouses. The article begins with a beautiful reconstruction drawing of a large Roman bathhouse.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken

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Weekend Roundup

A group of students used “computer vision, machine learning, and hard work” to translate a portion of a scroll from Herculaneum and win a $700,000 prize. “This is a complete gamechanger,” said one scholar.

A reservist hiking in Galilee discovered a scarab made of carnelian and dating to about 800 BC, possibly related to the Assyrian conquest.

“Egypt’s antiquities ministry said Saturday it was setting up a committee to review the restoration of Giza’s Menkaure Pyramid after a public outcry over the project.”

“Excavations have given proof of a flourishing wine industry in the Byzantine and early Arab period, especially at sites like Shivta, Halutza, Nitzana, and Avdat.”

The latest episode of This Week in the Ancient Near East looks at the use of artificial intelligence to translate Mesopotamian texts.

Bryan Windle joins John DeLancey to talk about the top 10 archaeological discoveries related to Jesus.

Now online: Deborah Hurn’s dissertation, “Identifying and Delineating the Geographic Regions of the Israelite Migration from Egypt to Canaan Using a Hydrological Approach”

Hybrid lecture on Feb 29: “A Queen, her Son, and her Chamberlain. Seal Imagery and Socio-Administrative Hierarchies at Persepolis,” by Mark Garrison

Walking The Text’s recommended resource of the month is The Essential Archaeological Guide to Bible Lands, by Titus Kennedy.

Appian Media has released a trailer for “Out of Egypt.”

Abigail Leavitt shares some photos from her recent explorations in Jerusalem.

HT: Agade, Gordon Dickson, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis

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Weekend Roundup

The Temple Mount Sifting Project has discovered some very rare Byzantine coin weights, suggesting that there was more activity on the Temple Mount in the Byzantine period than usually assumed. Perhaps there was even a church located there.

“Almost a century after the British archaeologist Alan Rowe excavated Gezer, Dr. Samuel Wolff published a final report on the site, including on three vessels whose use defies interpretation.”

“The Forma Urbis Museum recently unveiled an exhibition featuring an ancient marble map of Rome dating back to 203-211 AD.”

Nathan Steinmeyer provides a 6-minute video tour of Beth Shean in the latest episode in BAS’s OnSite series.

Bible History Daily has a piece introducing an article in BAR about the Deborah and Jael mosaics discovered in the Huqoq synagogue.

A new study suggests that Roman wine tasted spicy.

“After years of criticism over its collecting practices, Emory University’s Michael C. Carlos Museum is repatriating to Greece three antiquities that are widely regarded to have been looted.” Reading the article requires a free account.

Hybrid lecture on Feb 22 at the Albright: “The Archaeology of Olive Oil: Excavating a Bronze Age Olive Oil ‘Factory’ in Jordan,” by Jamie Fraser

Biblical Israel Ministry and Tours has begun a new teaching series on the “Life of Christ in Context.” The first episode is an overview of the whole.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken

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Weekend Roundup

Israeli reserve soldiers discovered an ancient basalt mortar while on patrol near the Gaza Strip.

Marek Dospěl summarizes the argument for locating Peter’s house at Bethsaida (el-Araj) rather than Capernaum.

“The ancient remains of an unborn fetus found in the headless mummy of an Egyptian teenager shows she died while giving birth to twins.”

The latest issue of ‘Atiqot focuses on “The Archaeology of Purity,” and includes articles about the Pool of Siloam, ritual baths, and a chalk quarry on Mount Scopus.

New release: The Nubian Pharaohs of Egypt: Their Lives and Afterlives, by Aidan Dodson (AUC Press, $35)

The bi-weekly Research Seminar of the Archaeology department at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev will now be accessible to the public via Zoom. Lectures are given in English, and take place every other Tuesday, 9:15-10:45 am Eastern Time. The next lecture will be on January 23 entitled “Identities in the Making: Foodways and Table Manners in the City, Village, and Temple in Hellenistic Idumea,” by Débora Sandhaus.

Petra M. Creamer looks at what burial practices reveal about the power of an empire over its subjects, looking specifically at mortuary practices in couple of Assyrian cities.

The Biblical Archaeology Society is offering a free 2024 calendar (with email address and option to receive daily newsletter).

Steven Anderson who works with me on the Photo Companion to the Bible was interviewed for the Daily Dose of Aramaic (YouTube, Vimeo) to celebrate a special milestone for that ministry.

Carl Rasmussen has posted photos taken by David Padfield inside the Dome of the Rock.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A monumental tomb from the Roman era has been excavated at the Apollo Smintheus Sanctuary in western Turkey.

The head of Dionysus was discovered in Cyrene following a major storm.

Greece has reopened to tourists the palace where Alexander the Great was crowned.

Nathan Steinmeyer provides a list of the top ten biblical archaeology stories of 2023, in no particular order.

Jessica Nitschke lists ten exciting discoveries in Near Eastern archaeology last year.

Paleojudaica lists the top ten stories for 2023.

Hurriyet Daily News identifies the top 10 archaeological discoveries in Turkey in 2023.

The Greek Herald names the top four Greek archaeological discoveries of the year, one of which is in Jerusalem.

Gizmodo surveys the best archaeological discoveries from around the world.

“The Lexicon of Greek Personal Names (LGPN) traces every bearer of every name, drawing on a huge variety of evidence, from personal tombstones, dedications, works of art, to civic decrees, treaties, citizen-lists, artefacts, graffiti etc.: in other words, from all Greek literary sources, documentary sources (inscriptions and papyri), coins, and artefacts.”

“30 antiquities, with a collective value of $3.7 million, were returned to Greece” by the Manhattan District Attorney.

Jonathan Robie explains how artificial intelligence is beneficial in creating Bible translations.

Zoom lecture on Jan 23: “Scrolls and Scribes: How Well has the Bible Survived?,” by Hugh Williamson

Walking The Text has just released its “Proclamations of Christmas Study Guide.”

Leon Mauldin shares photos of the Arch of Constantine, with a close-up of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Gordon Dickson

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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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