A mikveh from the first century has been discovered in a southern Jerusalem neighborhood. This one was unusual because of the numerous wall paintings. Leen Ritmeyer comments here. You can access high-res photos here.

Excavations at Horvat Kur near the Sea of Galilee have exposed the mosaic floor of a Byzantine-era synagogue. For background and a map, see our previous post.

Nicholas Reeves believes that he has identified two unrecognized doorways in King Tut’s tomb, one of which leads to the undisturbed tomb of Nefertiti. The Economist gives a summary; Reeves’s published article may be read at academia.edu.

An exhibition with hundreds of Egyptian artifacts discovered underwater opens next month in Paris.

Lebanese authorities are working to halt the antiquities trade that passes through their country.

Babylon 3D has many beautiful reconstruction images of the ancient city.

The Museum of the Ara Pacis in Rome is hosting an exhibition on how the Roman Empire and its people ate.

Two suspects have been indicted on charges of setting fire to the Church of the Multiplication of
Loaves and Fish at Tabgha.

International Bible Study Week provided participants in Jerusalem with three days of lectures and one day of touring.

Thomas Levy announces the publication of papers from a 2013 symposium on the exodus. (ASOR Blog requires subscription.)

Karaites follow the Mosaic Law but not the rabbinic law expounded in the Mishnah and Torah. There are about 25,000 of them living in Israel today.

The threat of ISIS is pushing Iraq to digitize the Baghdad National Library.

The Megalithic Portal provides many articles on sites in Israel.

Where is the Land of Uz? Wayne Stiles considers the evidence and suggests some application.

HT: Joseph Lauer, Agade, Ted Weis, Ryan Jaroncyk, Mark Vitalis Hoffman

Share:

The Jerusalem Post carries a brief notice of the discovery of the Iron Age gate along with two photos.

Archeologists at Bar-Ilan University, headed by Professor Aren Maeir, have discovered the fortifications and entrance gate to the biblical city of Gath in the Philistines, which was once the home of the giant Goliath.
[…]
Professor Maeir said that the gate is among the largest ever found in Israel and provides substantial evidence that Gath was once one of the most influential cities in the region.

I think that everyone already agreed that Gath was one of the most influential cities in the region, but finding a gate doesn’t hurt.

Maeir links to several related stories on his blog.

Share:

Chris McKinny explains the fortifications of Tel Burna that were discovered this season.

The Charlotte Observer reports on Shimon Gibson’s excavations in Jerusalem.

Tracy Hoffman has a wrap-up on the 2015 season at Ashkelon.

James R. Strange is interviewed by the Ancient Jew Review about his excavations of Shikhin.

Excavations of the Red Sea harbor of Berenike have revealed many inscriptions and much more.

A scene discovered at Göbeklitepe in Turkey may be the world’s oldest pictograph.

Philip II of Macedonia may be buried in a different tomb in Vergina than originally thought.

Chickens were first raised for mass consumption at Maresha in the Hellenistic period, a new study claims.

Aleteia tells the story of how new life has come to Magdala.

Hershel Shanks is interviewed by Author Talk on the 40th anniversary of Biblical Archaeology Review.

In light of Tisha B’Av, Wayne Stiles looks to the Burnt House to help us examine our motives.

A copy of Lamentations from the Dead Sea Scrolls was on display for the first time at the Bible
Lands Museum.

HT: Joseph Lauer

Share:

The finds keep coming in the excavations of Gath.

A mosaic with a verse from Isaiah 65 has been discovered in Adana, Turkey.

A thief has returned two ballista balls he took from the excavations of Gamla twenty years ago.

The US has returned more than 400 ancient artifacts to Iraq seized from a leader of the Islamic State.

There are many photos here.

Researchers are working to restore Iraq’s destroyed monuments online.

Police have arrested suspects in the arson case of the Tabgha Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fish.

Simon Gathercole: 5 Reasons Why the Gospel of Jesus’s Wife is a Fake

The Temple Institute is raising a red heifer in Israel.

Ayelet Gilboa writes about the significance of Tel Dor in the Jerusalem Post.

Jennie Ebeling talks about the Jezreel excavations on the Book and the Spade.

You can get up to speed on the excavations at Tel ‘Eton (Eglon?) with this article by Avraham Faust and Hayah Katz at the ASOR Blog (registration required).

The Water Gate in Jerusalem gets Wayne Stiles to thinking about its past and present significance.

Are you a Mesopotamian know-it-all? The ASOR Blog has 14 questions to test your knowledge.

The PEF introduces a new series: Interviews from the Jerusalem Chamber.

The dates for the 2016 season at Tel Burna have been announced.

Exploring Jordan: The Other Biblical Land is a free e-book from the Biblical Archaeology Society that includes articles on Bethany, Rabbath of the Ammonites, Philadelphia, Moab, and Petra.

The Illustrated Life of Paul by Charles L. Quarles is $0.99 on Kindle today.

HT: Ted Weis, Charles Savelle, Agade, Paleojudaica

Share:

Short one billion dollars to complete the Grand Egyptian Museum, Egypt has pushed its opening back from this year to 2022. Zahi Hawass has ideas on how to raise the money.

A special edition of DigSight reports on the excavations of Lachish.

A special issue of World Heritage magazine is devoted to historical sites in Iraq.

The 18th Annual Bible and Archaeology Fest will be held this year in Atlanta.

The National Academy of Sciences has criticized the political use of archaeology in a recent report.

The Islamic State is selling looted art.

Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am give a history of the recent excavations at Magdala.

Carl Rasmussen notes that the rooftop of Nebi Samwil is now open and photos are allowed at Jacob’s Well.

The Dome of the Rock may re-open to non-Muslim visitors.

ASOR quiz: Can you identify these Near Eastern languages?
A clay image of a Canaanite fertility goddess was discovered in Luke Chandler’s square at Lachish this week.
The Action Bible is on sale for $4.99 for the Kindle.
Wayne Stiles: “I thought I understood the wilderness wanderings of Israel. Then I traveled through the wilderness.”

Some Israeli history buffs have re-enacted the Crusader battle at the Horns of Hattin. Check out the photos.

HT: Agade, Ted Weiss, Charles Savelle

Share:

The first permanent Roman legionary camp has been discovered near Megiddo. Scholars long knew of its existence because of the site’s preserved name of Legio, but only recently have they found remains. This year-old article at Bible History Daily has more of the background than the recent news reports.

Excavators working at the Jewish village of Shikhin near Sepphoris have discovered a pottery workshop.

A family in Ein Kerem near Jerusalem found an ancient mikveh (ritual bath) underneath their living room. High-res photos are available here.

Jodi Magness has discovered more mosaics in her excavation of the Jewish synagogue of Huqoq. For photos, see the links at the end of the article.

Here’s the latest on the gate discovered this week at Gath.

UNESCO has added the tombs of Beth Shearim, Jordan’s Baptism Site, and Susa to its World Heritage List.

CNN has put the Dome of the Rock in the number one spot of places to visit before they are destroyed. ISIS-controlled Palmyra is not on the list.

This looks interesting: Urban Legends of the New Testament: 40 Common Misconceptions. It quotes this blog and comes out on Monday.

Wayne Stiles is leading a tour focused on the life and land of Jesus in 2016, with a $550 reduction from this year’s tour price with the early bird rate.

A detailed report of the destruction to the archaeological site of Palmyra is available from the ASOR Syrian Heritage Initiative.

Ross Burns is keeping a tally of destruction to historic Syrian sites.

The Palestine Exploration Fund has been celebrating its 150th anniversary.

Here’s a unique aerial photo of Gibeah of Saul (Tell el-Ful), taken in 1931 before King Hussein’s construction destroyed Saul’s palace.

Shlomo Moussaieff died recently.

HT: Agade, Paul Mitchell, Joseph Lauer, Charles Savelle, Steven Anderson

Roman-camp-Megiddo
Location of Roman legionary camp at Megiddo
Share: