Jordan Rift Archives - Page 8 of 13

Weekend Roundup

Jodi Magness keeps digging up cool mosaics in the Late Roman synagogue at Huqoq. (Unfortunately, they seem to have released only two photos.)

A manuscript with a medical recipe from Hippocrates has been discovered in restoration works of the library of St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai.

The first week of excavations has concluded at Gath, and Aren Maeir has posted a daily summaries and photos from the week.

Chris McKinny has posted a summary of Week 1 at Tel Burna.

The first aquarium in Jerusalem will open later this month next to the Biblical Zoo.

A study of ancient sea walls has found that the Romans used a volcanic ash in construction because it was strengthened by its contact with sea water.

“Iraq’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has accelerated its efforts to finish by the end of 2018 the Virtual Museum of Iraq, which will create a comprehensive database of Iraqi archaeological heritage online.”

Hobby Lobby will pay a fine and return artifacts to settle a lawsuit brought by the US government.

The Federalist argues that the US government should allow Hobby Lobby to retain the artifacts because doing so will ensure their preservation and study.

John DeLancey has posted an 11-minute video showing a hike up Mount Arbel. He has several dozen teaching videos on his website here.

The Bible and Interpretation has posted a review article by Aren M. Wilson-Wright, “Hebrew or
Not?: Reviewing the Linguistic Claims of Douglas Petrovich’s The World’s Oldest Alphabet.”

Lawrence Schiffman writes about a recent conference of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars on the history and archaeology of the Temple Mount.

Wayne Stiles: “Have you noticed how often hymn writers use the Jordan River as a metaphor for transitions in the spiritual life? That may be because the Bible does the same.”

Ferrell Jenkins asks, “Did Philip baptize the Ethiopian at ’Ain ed-Dirweh?”

Scott Stripling is the guest this week on The Book and the Spade, discussing the first season of ABR excavations at Shiloh.

Tom Powers investigates celebrations of the 4th of July held by the American Colony in Jerusalem.

HT: Ted Weis, Charles Savelle, Agade, Joseph Lauer

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Jerusalem, Jordan Rift, Judah, Museums, Samaria, Shephelah, Temple Mount, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A new McDonalds in Italy incorporates a 150-foot section of Roman road that dates to the 1st or 2nd centuries BC.

Film footage from excavations of Nineveh in the late 1920s and early 1930s has been digitized by the Royal Asiatic Society.

Carl Rasmussen asks if the house of Jesus has been found in Nazareth.

Shmuel Browns provides the history of Naharayim and its short-lived hydroelectric plant. Naharayim gets its name from the junction of two rivers: the Jordan and the Yarmuk.

Israel’s Good Name took a walking tour of the abandoned village of Lifta and shares many photos.

John DeLancey, director of Biblical Israel Ministries & Tours, is now offering a “Physical Settings of the Bible” weekend seminar for local churches.

Aren Maeir has posted the schedule for this week’s conference at Tel Aviv University entitled, “From
Nomadism to Monarchy? ‘The Archaeology of the Settlement Period’—30 Years Later.”

The director of the Met has apparently been forced to resign.

ASOR’s March Fellowship Madness is underway and they are only $5,300 short of their $50,000
goal.

The Associates for Biblical Research have a $10,000 matching gift for the Shiloh Excavations for donations made this month.

We post a photo and verse/caption every weekday on Facebook, Twitter, and now Instagram. If you’re on any of those, we invite you to follow us.

HT: Explorator, Joseph Lauer, Agade

Tagged Galilee, Italy, Jerusalem, Jordan Rift, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Movies, Museums

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“For the first time in centuries, scientists have exposed the original surface of what Christians traditionally believe to be Jesus’s tomb in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, as part of a restoration project.” National Geographic has a video and photos. Justin Taylor interviews Leen Ritmeyer about the specifics of Jesus’s tomb as known from the biblical record and archaeology. The first-ever artifacts discovered in situ from the time of the First Temple have been unveiled in Jerusalem. Haaretz’s story includes a photo of a structure that was revealed. The protective cover of an enormous mosaic in Hisham’s palace in Jericho was removed for a day in advance of the construction of a protective roof. Excavations have begun in the Umayyad palace at Khirbat Al-Minya on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Ancient tombs were discovered north of the Old City of Jerusalem during recent road maintenance. Aren Maeir suspects that the Jerusalem Papyrus may be fake. An ancient Muslim inscription indicates that the original name of the Dome of the Rock was the “House of the Temple.” The TMSP blog comments on some of the reports at this week’s conference on the Archaeology of Jerusalem, including notice of a new study that the spring house over the Gihon in the City of David dates not to the Middle Bronze Age but to the 9th century BC. The Mount of Olives cemetery was ranked #8 on Bloomberg’s list of most beautiful burial sites in the world. HT: Joseph Lauer, Steven Anderson, Agade, Charles Savelle, Ted Weis, Paleojudaica

Tagged Discoveries, Galilee, Jerusalem, Jordan Rift, Temple Mount, Tomb of Jesus, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

The discovery of hundreds of olive pits in the Beth Shean Valley dated to 5000 BC are prompting a reevaluation of ancient irrigation practices.

Some antiquities have been discovered in the garden of the American Consulate in Alexandria.

The majority of smuggled artifacts seized in Syria and Lebanon are fakes.

Nir Hasson provides a fascinating review of the legal and cultural challenges of excavating bones, skeletons, and cemeteries in Israel (Haaretz premium).

The Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem is opening a new exhibit next week entitled “In the Valley of
David and Goliath.” The Haaretz (premium) article has more details.

Carl Rasmussen shares an interesting photo from Pompeii that sheds light on the Acts 19 riot in
Ephesus.

The W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research is accepting applications for a number of funded fellowships.

The Bornblum Eretz Israel Synagogues Website continues to be updated with descriptions, plans, photos, and bibliographic references.

Gordon Govier and Clyde Billington report on some of the latest discoveries in biblical archaeology on The Book and the Spade.

Aren Maeir notes a forthcoming volume on Iron Age archaeology in the Shephelah.

Ferrell Jenkins shares photos this week of the Pamphylian coast and the lilies of the field.

Logos and Accordance both have a 60%-off sale on Carl Rasmussen’s Zondervan Atlas of the Bible (revised edition), now for $12.99. (That’s a great deal on a great resource!)

HT: Charles Savelle, Joseph Lauer, Agade

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Italy, Jordan Rift, Museums, New Exhibits, Weekend Roundup

Seven Fascinating Facts about Crossing the Jordan River

I had the opportunity to read a pre-publication draft of an article that David Z. Moster has written on crossing the Jordan River in antiquity. I found it a fascinating study, and I asked him if I could share some of his excellent research with you, and he kindly agreed.

1. The annual flow of the Jordan River today is 2% of what it was 60 years ago, before a number of major dams were constructed.

2. In the biblical period, the Jordan River was shallow and easy to cross in the north, and deep and difficult to cross in the south.

Abel Meholah and Jordan River aerial from northwest, ws052916285

The Jordan River near Abel Meholah, just south of the Beth Shean area. Photo by Bill Schlegel.

3. When William F. Lynch sailed down the Jordan in 1847, the depth at the Sea of Galilee was 2.5
feet deep and 7 feet deep at the Jabbok River.

4. In 1854 an expert swimmer was unable to make it across the river near Jericho because the river was too wide and the current too strong.

5. The PEF identified 41 fords between the Sea of Galilee and the Jabbok River but only 5 fords between the Jabbok and the Dead Sea.

The greatest density of fords in the north was in the vicinity of Beth Shean where 15 were found in one 3-mile (5 km) stretch.
All five fords in the south were near Jericho.

Jordan River with Sheikh Hussein bridge near Beth Shean, mat15248

The Jordan River with the Sheikh Hussein bridge near Beth Shean. Photo from the American Colony and Eric Matson Collection.

6. Before the Roman period, the only way to cross the Jordan was by fording. In later periods, bridges and ferries were built.

7. The only tribe to span the Jordan River was Manasseh, and that was in the northern section, a fact which corresponds with the topography noted above.

The article will be published as “Crossing the Jordan River during the Biblical Period: North vs. South” in the upcoming ARAM Periodical 29 (2017) entitled “The Jordan River.” David Moster’s research is available on Academia and he blogs at The 929 Chapters. Thanks to David to sharing his work with us!

Jordan River, Allenby Bridge guard house in flood, mat04344

Allenby Bridge guard house during flood of Jordan River. Photo from the American Colony and Eric Matson Collection.

Tagged Jordan Rift

Weekend Roundup

Archaeologists working at Jerash (biblical Gerasa) have discovered part of a life-size statue of Aphrodite.

“American and Egyptian archaeologists have discovered a rare structure called a nilometer in the ruins of the ancient city of Thmuis in Egypt’s Delta region.” It was built in the 3rd century BC and used for 1,000 years.

British archaeologists have identified the remains of a 16- to 18-week-old mummified fetus that was found in Giza nearly 100 years ago.

The Antiquities Ministry of Egypt has completed a project to lower the groundwater at the Edfu Temple.

A plan has been approved that will remove all the mines around the traditional area of John’s baptisms on the Jordan River.

Haaretz (premium) visits the site of Tell el-Ajjul, once a prosperous Canaanite city south of Gaza but today at risk of complete destruction.

“Those who trust in the Lord are as Mount Zion which cannot be moved but abides forever” (Psalm 125:1). Wayne Stiles uses photos to explain what this means today.

Two archaeology students have crowdsourced images to create a VR reconstruction of the Mosul museum. The article includes a cool YouTube 360 video.

The Palestinian Museum opened this week in Bir Zeit, but it has no exhibits.

The enforcement of a new antiquities law is making it harder for black market antiquities to be sold in Israel.

Israel will be returning two Bronze Age wooden anthropoid sarcophagus lids found by IAA agents in an Old City dealer’s shop.

Of 28 Egyptian obelisks standing today, only 6 are in Egypt. That’s one of many interesting facts about obelisks in a WSJ article that is based on a book by Bob Brier entitled Cleopatra’s Needles.

Allison Meier reviews the new exhibition in NYC, “Gods and Mortals at Olympus: Ancient Dion, City of Zeus.” The article includes many photos.

Charles Jones has recently updated the list of titles in JSTOR which focus on Antiquity. It now includes 243 titles.

Dubgallu is a new forum for scholars of the ancient Near East. Registration is free, and open to anyone who academically studies the ancient Near East.

There’s a sale on for various electronic editions of the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Old and New Testaments – Logos, Accordance, and Olive Tree.

The Atlas of Palestinian Rural Heritage looks interesting. Some themes covered: Tilling – Harvesting – Moving the Harvest – Threshing – Sifting – Grinding – Making Dough – Baking Bread – Cooking – Making Grape Syrup – Sesame Oil – Olives and Olive Oil – Storage – Bard – Domestic Birds – Honeybee Farming – Milk – Shepherd – Washing – Water – Gathering Rainwater.

If you have a passion for biblical geography, perhaps you would consider supporting Seth Rodriquez to go to Zimbabwe to teach future pastors about the land of Israel. This is a great opportunity to help others learn about what we love.

I’ll be traveling for a few weeks and the regular roundups will resume when I return.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Steven Anderson

On this day 50 years ago, David Bivin took this photo while standing on the edge of no man’s land looking toward the Old City of Jerusalem, then occupied by Jordan. Photo from Views That Have Vanished.

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Jordan, Jordan Rift, Mesopotamia, Museums, New Exhibits, Resources