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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A newly discovered burial site in the Negev Highlands is shedding light on trade networks in Arabia, Egypt, and beyond circa 500 BC. There are more photos here.

A cache of 26 bronze coins discovered at a Hellenistic site west of Arbel in 2016 provides insights into the Galilean military campaign of Jonathan Maccabee.

Archaeologists have deciphered a Phoenician inscription from an amphora sunk in a shipwreck off the coast of Tel Achziv around 400 BC. The inscription mentions the Sidonians. The underlying journal article is here.

According to a new study, the inability of the southern Levant to support sheep herding in the Early Bronze Age slowed the area’s advancement in agriculture and herding. The underlying journal article is here.

Excavations at Motza uncovered the Neolithic tomb of a woman with six fingers on her left hand.

The Temple Mount Sifting Project has received financial support, so they are reducing availability and increasing participation fees. They have made some new discoveries, including a Second Temple period seal and a rare Late Bronze pottery sherd.

Nathan Steinmeyer provides a brief introduction to the Negev of Israel.

A new exhibit in the departure hall of Ben Gurion airport entitled “Eternity of Israel” will include archaeological finds, some of which have never been publicly displayed before.

Bible Passages has recently begun a new blog as well as a podcast. Recent episodes have highlighted Rhodes, Cyprus, and Ephesus.

Available for pre-order: The Bible’s First Kings: Uncovering the Story of Saul, David, and Solomon, by Abraham Faust and Zeev I. Farber (Cambridge University Press, $50; Amazon). Use code TBFK2024 for a discount at the publisher’s website.

Now online: The Samaritan Pentateuch: An English Translation with a Parallel Annotated Hebrew Text, by Moshe Florentin and Abraham Tal (Open Book Publishers; free download)

Haaretz (premium) has a story about the 70-year-old Israeli reserve officer and antiquities dealer who was killed in Lebanon.

Bible Mapper Atlas has created a poster map of the tribe of Benjamin circa 1200 BC.

Kenneth Kitchen, renowned Egyptologist, died this week. Peter J. Williams’s reflections reveal what an extraordinary man he was.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, A.D. Riddle

This is how the excavations at the Pool of Siloam looked yesterday. Photo by Bethany Bolen.

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

The longest Greek papyrus ever found in the Judean wilderness has been published. “The document is identified as prosecutors’ notes for a trial before Roman officials on the eve of the Bar-Kochba Revolt.” The underlying journal article is here.

“Researchers have deciphered a 2,000-year-old Aramaic inscription on a pottery shard discovered at the Alexandrium Fortress (Sartaba) in the Jordan Valley.”

A rare silver ring discovered at Huqoq in Galilee may depict the temple in Jerusalem. It possibly was one of a group that was a precursor to late-medieval Jewish wedding bands.

The forthcoming “House of David” series on Prime Video takes some liberties.

Steven Notley and Moti Aviam’s lecture about the latest from the Bethsaida/el-Araj excavation is now online. This 87-minute presentation was given at the Museum of the Bible.

Virtual panel discussion on Feb 26: “Debates in the Dust: Seventy Years After the First Dig at Hazor and the Shaping of Biblical Archaeology,” with Igor Kreimerman

Now in Logos Pre-Pub: The Essential Atlas of the Bible: A Visual Experience of the Biblical World (NIV Application Commentary Resources), by Carl G. Rasmussen (HarperCollins, $20)

Nathan Steinmeyer gives a primer on the Shephelah of Judah.

Wayne Stiles has three tours planned, with signups now open:

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“A magnificent assortment of 364 gold and silver coins dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries CE has been unearthed” at Huqoq in Galilee.

The “Faithful Farmer” is the subject of the latest episode in the “Biblical Images of God” series.

On a recent episode of Digging for Truth, Bryan Windle surveys the top 10 biblical archaeology discoveries in 2024.

A new series of 9 videos entitled “Unveiling Megiddo-Armageddon: The Mother of All Tells” features conversations between archaeologists Israel Finkelstein and Matthew J. Adams. It was filmed during the 2022 excavation season.

On the Biblical World podcast, John Monson discusses the historical geography of the Bible.

Leon Mauldin has posted some photos from the Philistine city of Ekron, Moresheth Gath, Sardis, and Pergamum.

Jerusalem Seminary has just announced a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies.

The Israel Antiquities Authority Publication Portal is a new resource hosting more than 10,000 “open access excavation reports and studies published in journals, books, conference proceedings and monographs.” That includes ‘Atiqot, Qadum, and IAA Reports. The site includes lists of the most popular papers and the latest additions.

Available for pre-order for Logos: Jesus and Archaeology, edited by James H. Charlesworth

Westminster Bookstore has a number of archaeological, geographical, and historical books on sale through Monday. One of the best deals is the three volumes (released to date) of the Lexham Geographic Commentary series (for $100).

Several excavation reports published by the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology, Hebrew Union College, are now available as open access pdf files:

  • Excavations at Maresha Subterranean Complex 169, Final Report, Seasons 2000-2016, by Ian Stern (2019)
  • The Excavation of the Templar Fortress at Jacob’s Ford, Seasons 1993-2009, by Kate Raphael (2023)
  • The Golan in the Mamluk and Ottoman Periods: An Archaeological and Historical Study, Excavations at Naʿarān and Farj, by Kate Raphael and Mustafa Abbasi (2024)
  • Dan IV: The Iron Age I Settlement, by David Ilan (2019)

Edward “Ted” Campbell, biblical scholar and field director of the excavations at Shechem in the 1960s, died earlier this month.

In celebration of 200 maps and 20 years, Bible Mapper Atlas is offering registration keys for Bible Mapper 5.1 for only $20.

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

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

The big story in biblical archaeology this week was the announcement of the excavation of a series of rooms in 2010-2011 of a cultic site on the eastern side of the City of David, put out of use in the 8th century, possibly during the reign of Hezekiah. The story is covered by the regular outlets (TOI, Haaretz, JP, JNS, Arkeonews), and the underlying journal ‘Atiqot article is here. I confess that I’m a bit skeptical about some of the interpretations, and that’s not only because you should always be skeptical when an archaeologist claims to have found a cultic site. I’m also curious as to what Ronny Reich thinks, as he is not credited as an author of the report.

Archaeologists working at Abel Beth Maacah in northern Galilee discovered a Late Roman period boundary stone with a Greek inscription that “provides critical information about land ownership, taxation, and rural administration during this period.” The underlying PEQ journal article is here.

Ruth Schuster: “Israel’s southern deserts feature sites that whisper of a ‘mountain cult’ that appeared in the Neolithic period.”

The Duke University Galilee Database (DUG) has just been released, featuring four Synagogues of Upper Galilee: Meiron, Gush Halav, Khirbet Shema, and Nabratein, all excavated under the direction of Eric Meyers.

New release: Judea under Greek and Roman Rule, by David A. deSilva ( Essentials of Biblical Studies; Oxford University Press, $25)

New release: Ritual and Power in Northern Israel. The Late Bronze and Iron Ages, by Erin Hall (Zaphon, €68)

Michael V. Fox, a well-known biblical scholar, died earlier this week.

Roy Brown has written a post about the Megiddo Mosaic with a number of really good photos.

Gesher Media is running a sale on its beautiful “Land of the Messiah Map.” Use coupon 50OFF through the end of the month to receive a 50% discount. Purchase includes five video lessons from Chris McKinny that provide insights into the map and the life of Christ.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Andy Cook, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken

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Weekend Roundup

“A rare, nearly intact 1,500-year-old ceramic lantern was recently uncovered during conservation work” at Sepphoris in Galilee.

Solomon’s copper mines in the Timna Valley did not cause negative environmental and health impacts on the workers.

The Udhruh Archaeological Research Project has been studying a vast and intricate water harvesting system in use during the Roman period.

“A group of four suspected antiquities looters were ‘caught red-handed’ over the weekend attempting to break into an underground area at a Galilee archaeological site associated with olive oil production during the Hasmonian period.”

Turkey’s first underwater museum opened in Side. “It is a museum where 117 sculptures, determined as 5 different themes in the depths of the sea and made by Turkish sculptors, can be seen by diving into the sea.”

Work is underway to create an “Alexander the Great Cultural Route” in northwestern Turkey.

The latest issue of the Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies (subscription required) includes an article about radiocarbon dates at Gezer with many responses from everyone from Dever to Garfinkel to Levy, Maeir, Mazar, and Ortiz.

New on This Week in the Ancient Near East podcast: “Between Death and Taxes in the 8th Century BCE, or Hezekiah’s Beltway Politics.”

New on Thin End of the Wed podcast: “Christopher Jones: Court Politics in the Neo-Assyrian Empire”

Online seminar on Jan 11, hosted by Jerusalem University College: “War & Peace in the Holy Land: Biblical and Modern Perspectives,” with presentations by Elaine Phillips, Charlie Trimm, Matt Lynch, and Jon Kaplan. A recording will be made available to all registrants.

Aaron Reich looks at three places in Jerusalem proposed to be the site of Jesus’s tomb: Talpiyot, Holy Sepulcher, and Garden Tomb.

The James Ossuary is now on display at Pullman Yards in Atlanta.

I will be posting a “top 10” list on Monday, but there will be no roundup next weekend.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Archaeologists working at Tel Shimron have found a cache of rare cultic objects from a Middle Bronze monumental structure. The collection includes two bull statuettes.

The Temple Mount Sifting Project has conducted a quantitative analysis of pottery from the Iron Age IIB-C, finding that the characteristics are similar to that of the Ophel excavation.

After Christopher Rollston’s dismissal of interpretations of recently discovered inscriptions, Pieter Gert van der Veen pushes back.

Titus Kennedy summarizes archaeological and historical evidence for the Israelite exodus and settlement in Canaan.

Scott Stripling is on Digging for Truth discussing the location where Jesus cast the demons into the herd of pigs. He seems to be unaware of the data I presented in an article in the Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Gospels.

The Jerusalem Post shares a story about the history of Jericho written with the help of AI. And here’s another one about King Tut’s tomb.

Online discussion on Nov 14: “Standing Firm on Mount Zion Amid Conflict,” with Oliver Hersey, Jon Kaplan, and Bernard Sabella. Registration is free, and the event will be recorded.

Aren Maeir’s new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on ancient Jerusalem will be online soon. A trailer has just been released.

Preserving Bible Times has released “The Real Birth of Jesus,” a session with Doug Greenwold “with added imagery that conveys the real cultural and historic context of this world-changing event.”

Walking The Text has launched a merch shop with a variety of outerwear and tees, with designs intended to promote conversations about God’s Word and its context. Brad Gray introduces the shop in a short video.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle

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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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