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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Bible History Daily has posted a video of a recent presentation by Chris McKinny and Erika Brown of top finds in biblical archaeology in 2024.

Paul S. Evans uses the War of 1812 as an analogy to explain how neither the Assyrians nor the biblical writers were deceptive in claiming victory in Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah in 701 BC.

A new exhibit entitled “Treasures Saved from Gaza” will be going on display at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris on April 2 (subscription).

“Divine Warrior” is the latest episode in Walking The Text’s series on Biblical Images of God.

Zoom lecture on March 5: “Refugees in the Early Iron Southern Levant,” by David Brown

New release: Urbanism in the Iron Age Levant and Beyond: Research on Israel and Aram in Biblical Times VII, edited by Aren Maeir, Shira Albaz, and Angelika Berlejung (Mohr Siebeck, €170)

The latest issue of Buried History has been released (open-access).

A new group of Dead Sea Scrolls have been added to the exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Bezalel Porten, professor emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, died this week.

Jerusalem Seminary is hosting two free online lectures. Register here.

  • March 1: “The Shepherd-King, the Tribulation and the End of Exile,” by Dr. Noel Rabinowitz
  • March 8: “Engaging the Oral Torah with Yeshua/Jesus,” by Elazar Brandt

HT: Agade, Explorator, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis

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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

A 12-year-old girl found an Egyptian scarab while on a family hike near Hod HaSharon.

A 71-year-old Israeli researcher was killed when attempting to visit an archaeological site in southern Lebanon.

The stone inscription of the Ten Commandments that is up for auction must be put on public display, as a condition of its purchase. The current owner violated that requirement for the last eight years. Another website identifies the owner.

Aren Maeir’s new MOOC on ancient Jerusalem is now online, along with his previous MOOC on biblical archaeology. Both may be taken for free or for a small fee for certification. There’s also a one-minute “behind the scenes” video for the Jerusalem course.

The latest Jerusalem Tracker links to the newest books, book reviews, academic articles, news reports, podcasts, videos, and upcoming events related to Jerusalem.

On Digging for Truth, Scott Stripling reviews the 2024 excavation season at Shiloh. “Discoveries include a city gate, new technologies, sacrificial activity, and even gold.”

In the latest edition of “Discussions with the Diggers,” Bryan Windle interviews Abigail Van Huss (nee Leavitt), assistant dig director for the Shiloh excavations.

The new issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes articles on monumental churches built to commemorate Jesus’s life, Egyptian statues from Hazor, and the ten lost tribes.

Cambridge University Press has inaugurated a new series entitled Elements in The Archaeology of Ancient Israel. The first volume is Edom in Judah: Trade, Migration, and Kinship in the Late Iron Age Southern Levant, by Andrew J. Danielson. It is available online until December 18.

A new 5-minute video by the Orthodox Union explains why Hebron and the Machpelah is important to the Jewish people. The video includes a few photos from a surreptitious exploration of the underground caves in 1981. Elsewhere Avi Abrams tells the story.

Correction: The Galilee boat on display in the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Reagan Library is only a replica. There is more information about the exhibit in this JNS article.

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

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“At the [new National Campus for the Archeology of Israel], visitors are offered a look behind the scenes at archeological finds from the time of excavation and at the labs where they are cleaned, restored, preserved, conserved, documented and finally revealed to the public.” After 12 years of construction, the building has now (mostly) opened to the public.

“Newly unearthed stone tools reveal evidence of early axle-based rotation technology, predating the invention of carts by thousands of years and marking a significant milestone in the development of rotational tools like wheels.”

Gordon Govier writes about the use of subatomic muon detectors in the archaeology of Jerusalem for Christianity Today (account required).

Robert Duke is on The Book and the Spade to discuss the Megiddo Mosaic now on display at the Museum of the Bible.

The oldest known inscribed tablet with the Ten Commandments, dating to the Late Roman or Byzantine periods, will be auctioned by Sotheby’s.

The topic of the Archaeo-Informatics 2024 hybrid conference is “Use and Challenges of AI in Archaeology.” The program is here. Registration is open for in-person and online participation.

The Ancient World Online lists many festschriften and gedenkschriften published by the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures that are available for download.

An exhibition opening on Friday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in southern California will feature 8 Dead Sea Scrolls, the Magdala Stone, ossuaries, shekels, and more. The website claims that the Sea of Galilee Boat will be on display as well; I don’t remember that ever traveling outside of Israel before.

Walking The Text’s latest recommended resource is Rediscovering Christmas, by AJ Sherrill.

I join Henry Smith on the latest episode of Digging for Truth to discuss the death of Herod Agrippa and where in Caesarea I think it took place.

There will be no roundup next weekend. If you will be attending ETS or SBL, stop by the BiblePlaces booth and say hi.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Mark Hoffman, Ted Weis, Wayne Stiles

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Archaeologists working south of Jerusalem discovered a major royal administrative center from the time of Ahaz or Hezekiah. 180 inscribed jar handles provide insights into the organization of agricultural production.

Today is Yom Kippur, and Noga Ayali-Darshan explains “the scapegoat ritual and its ancient Near Eastern parallels.”

“A helmet found in the ruins of the famous Roman city wiped out by a volcano eruption a few years after the destruction of Jerusalem depicts a palm tree, a symbol of Judea.”

“An exhibition of archaeological finds from Gaza has gone on display in Geneva this week.”

Alex Winston writes about the importance of Mount Scopus throughout history.

Friends of ASOR Webinar on Oct 23: “‘And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam’ (I Sam 17:6-7): Weaponry, Weaving, and Broken Similes in the Duel between David and Goliath,” by Laura Mazow (registration is free but required)

New release: Community Archaeology in Israel/Palestine, edited by Raz Kletter, Liora Kolska Horwitz, and Emanuel Pfoh (Equinox, $55-$115)

Expedition Bible’s latest video is about Bethel. In this 25-minute video, Joel Kramer visits Burj Beitin, the location of a Byzantine church.

In the Biblical World podcast, “Chris and Kyle continue their series on the book of Judges, looking at the Ephraimite conquest of Bethel in Judges 1:22-26. They cover problems in the archaeology of Bethel, and they discuss the identity of the “Hittites” in this same passage.”

The feature-length documentary, “Following the Footsteps,” is now streaming on Amazon Prime and YouTube (free). Those who want to go deeper can take advantage of Bob Rognlien’s The Most Extraordinary Life and a video study guide (available here).

HT: Agade, Craig Dunning, Gordon Franz, Paleojudaica

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A seal discovered south of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount depicts a winged figure in Assyrian style and is inscribed “for Yeho’ezer son of Hosh’ayahu.”

“Last week, a five-year-old child accidentally broke a rare Bronze Age clay vessel on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa, but ended up being invited back, along with his family, for a special tour of the museum.”

“Wall paintings discovered in 1,700-year-old vaulted tombs situated in the vicinity of Ashkelon’s marina are currently being made accessible to the public.”

Aaron Goel-Angot writes about the historic importance of Tel Jezreel.

Uzi Leibner does a “show and tell” presentation on-site of a Herodian cornice discovered near the Temple Mount.

Orit Peleg-Barkat and Uzi Leibner review last year’s Ophel excavations and preview this year’s (25 min).

Bible History Daily introduces Christopher Rollston’s recent article on three sensational inscriptions that are not what they were claimed to bel.

Chandler Collins’s Jerusalem Tracker has links to the latest academic articles, books, popular media, podcasts, videos, 3D models, new developments, and upcoming events related to Jerusalem.

HT: Agade, Wayne Stiles, Gordon Dickson, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis

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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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