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A Roman ship has been discovered off the coast of Croatia.

Unique olive oil is being produced from an ancient grove at Hadrian’s Villa.

Peter Lacovara disputes the claim that the treasures of King Tut’s tomb would have been dwarfed by those of greater pharaohs. I hope that someone writes a response.

The Bible Archaeology Report has a new well-researched top ten list: Top Ten Historical References to Jesus Outside of the Bible.

New release: The Connected Iron Age: Interregional Networks in the Eastern Mediterranean, 900-600 BCE, edited by Jonathan M. Hall and James F. Osborne (University of Chicago; $45).

New release: From the Passion to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre Memories of Jesus in Place, Pilgrimage, and Early Holy Sites Over the First Three Centuries, by Jordan J. Ryan (T&T Clark; $36; Amazon).

You can compete in BAR’s winter caption contest by submitting a proposal online.

Free download: L’Orient des Bonfils (1867-1918) – a new volume that tells the story of the most active photographic studio in the Middle East. The text is in French, and the majority of the 850-page book are photographs. Click the red button to download the pdf.

The Hellenic Education Research Center offers a number of summer programs. Mark V. Hoffman highly recommends the course on Jews and Early Christians.

With so many free maps now available from Bible Mapper, the new PassageBrowser and MapFinder are welcome tools to quickly find the map you need.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken

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The University of Pennsylvania, in partnership with an Iraqi team, has announced the discovery of seven very fine wall reliefs from the time of King Sennacherib in Nineveh. The team is also actively reconstructing the ancient city’s Mashki Gate, which was destroyed by militants a few years ago.

“An ancient Christian monastery possibly dating as far back as the years before Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula has been discovered on an island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.”

Archaeological work is underway near the Church of St. Peter in Antioch on the Orontes.

The fourth of five excavation seasons at Amphipolis has concluded, and this story summarizes the latest discoveries.

“An intact skeleton of a woman lying next to a stunning necklace and other important artifacts from the Early Minoan era (circa 2,600 BC), were unearthed recently at the archaeological site of Sisi on Crete.”

“Archivists have uncovered a long-lost historical relic hidden underneath a Christian manuscript: the earliest known map of the stars.”

“We, a group of Egyptologists, IT scholars and enthusiasts, have started an initiative to promote the digitization of Egyptian texts as open, re-usable data. Inspired by the great ORACC, we call ourselves ORAEC, Open Richly Annotated Egyptian Corpus.”

Brent Nongbri reviews the new exhibition at the Cheater Beatty Library called “First Fragments: Biblical Papyrus from Roman Egypt.” It looks worth adding Ireland to your travel list for 2023.

John DeLancey has posted a 360 Interactive Video in the Colosseum in Rome. It provides a great perspective of this ancient slaughterhouse.

The Greek Reporter lists the top 20 archaeological sites in the country. It is a good list.

Ferrell Jenkins posts a photo of the Appian Way south of Rome.

Robert Miller died last month.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Joseph Lauer, Wayne Stiles, Explorator

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A virtual tour has been posted of the Assyrian canal and rock-reliefs at the Faida Archaeological Park in northern Iraq.

Teach Ancient Egypt is a library of free teaching resources for learners of all kinds. Browse videos, lesson plans, coloring pages, slides, language-learning materials, and more—created and vetted by Egyptologists and other experts.”

“A new exhibition at the British Library explores the diverse and remarkably enduring legends that have sprung up about Alexander [the Great], and the ways successive cultures have shaped stories of him to their own ends.”

A one-minute video gives a preview of the 1st-century Jerusalem model coming to the Ark Encounter.

Classical artworks were originally full of color, and this 6-minute BBC video questions whether that reality has been intentionally suppressed in modern times.

Art & Object lists ten of the most significant underwater finds made in recent decades.

Ferrell Jenkins shares photos of Corinth, Cenchrea, and Isthmia.

John P. Meier, a theologian and biblical commentator who wrote the multi-volume ‘A Marginal Jew,’ died Oct. 18, 2022.”

Burton MacDonald, best known for his survey work in Jordan, died on October 20.

The Bible Society of Taiwan has published a Chinese (Traditional Script) edition of the Satellite Bible Atlas. Also, the English edition is available once again after a delay caused by printer supply chain issues.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick

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A team excavating in Luxor has uncovered a mummy in a wooden sarcophagus that dates to 1600 BC.

“Archaeologists have discovered a shrine in a temple in Egypt that describes a ritual never seen before.”

Six thousand artifacts taken from the Kerak Castle will be displayed in the city museum.

Syria announced the uncovering of a large, remarkable 1,600-year-old mosaic depicting scenes of the Trojan War.

New mosaics with various figures were unearthed during the ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis, which is called the ‘Zeugma of Black Sea.’”

“Archaeologists may have found the sanctuary of the Samian Poseidon while they were conducting excavations at the Samicum Acropolis in Greece.”

The British Institute for the Study of Iraq is hosting an online international conference to mark the 100th anniversary of Sir Leonard Wooley’s first season of excavations at Ur.

Shai Gordin and Avital Romach explain the benefits of using computers to study ancient cuneiform texts.

New release: A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East, edited by Ted Kaizer (Wiley, £159; Amazon).

International Archaeology Day on October 22 will be celebrated at the Nashville Parthenon with a number of activities.

“An American tourist knocked over two ancient Roman busts in the Vatican Museums after he was told he couldn’t meet with Pope Francis.”

Our team has been working on a special little project, and we look forward to sharing that this week. By way of preview, I will say that it is a powerfully beautiful celebration of one of the most loved passages in all the Bible.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Explorator

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Egyptian archaeologists do not often find a complete sarcophagus in its original tomb, but they did recently while National Geographic cameras were rolling. The tomb of Ramses II’s treasurer was discovered at Saqqara at the bottom of a 25-foot shaft that was filled with sand.

“Hieroglyphics: Unlocking Ancient Egypt” is a new exhibition at the British Museum.

“The mode of writing used in Ancient South Arabia, the legendary realm of the Queen of Sheba, was especially unique. The Sabaeans and their neighbours did not write on common materials such as leather or papyrus but rather on something surprisingly simple: branches of fresh wood just cut off the tree.”

Zoom lecture on Oct 11: “The Jordan Museum: More Than 10,000 Years of Human Resilience and Innovation,” by Ihab Amarin.

Excavation work on the Sardis synagogue is complete after 60 years, and all major finds will be displayed in the Manisa Museum.

Archaeologists discovered a Roman-era gymnasium north of Konya (biblical Iconium). The Laodicea mentioned in the article is not the same one mentioned in the New Testament.

Turkish Archaeological News has a roundup of stories for September.

A statue of Hercules from the 2nd century AD has been discovered in excavations at Philippi.

Mercenaries were an important part of Greek armies in the 5th century BC, a fact ancient Greek historians fail to mention.

Archaeologists are using Apple’s iPad Pro to gather data, analyze objects, create a database and come to conclusions about the ancient site of Pompeii.”

“Entertainment among the Romans” is a new exhibition at the Lugdunum Museum in Lyon, France.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick, Ted Weis, Explorator, Paleojudaica

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The University of the Holy Land has announced trips for next summer, including Historical Geography of the Bible: Jordan, with Dr. Ginger Caessens. This is a unique trip that covers the “other side” of the biblical lands in more depth than you’ll find anywhere else. I’ve participated myself and have recommended this study program many times in the past.

“A new exhibition titled ‘The Journey of the Holy Family’ – covering the voyage through Egypt taken by Jesus, Mary and Joseph as they sought refuge from King Herod – has been unveiled at Tell Basta Museum in the governorate of Sharqia[in Egypt].”

A study of King Tut’s sandals has revealed special foot straps to aid in walking, possibly related to foot deformities.

U.S. Customs seized the lid of an ancient Egyptian canopic jar when it arrived by post in Memphis, Tennessee.

“Greece has struck a complex deal for the eventual return from a US billionaire’s private collection of 161 top quality ancient Greek artifacts dating from more than 4,000 years ago.”

“Greek archaeologists are calling on Unesco to protect the Hagia Sophia, the religious and cultural site in Istanbul, Turkey.”

“The drop of the water levels in recent years has uncovered many archaeological and ancient sites that were submerged beneath the two historic rivers in Syria, Iraq and Turkey.”

“Dropping water levels revealed a massive complex of Roman ruins in Spain as Europe continues to struggle under a record-breaking drought.”

“An international research team led by Lund University in Sweden has developed a method that can accurately date human remains that are up to 10,000 years old by analyzing DNA with the help of AI.”

Leon Mauldin shares a couple of beautiful photos of Colossae.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Wayne Stiles

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