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Two statues believed to be dating back to 2,000 years were unearthed during excavation works in the ancient Roman city of Blaundus in western Turkey.”

Five marble statue heads from the Hellenistic and Roman periods were discovered in excavations at Cnidus (Knidos).

A 4,000-year-old mound and an architectural structure inside it have been unearthed after the water level of Atatürk Dam receded 15 meters in the southeastern province of Adıyaman.”

“The Temple of Venus and Roma, located in the Roman Forum opposite the Colosseum, has undergone a €2.5 million restoration sponsored by the luxury fashion house Fendi.”

Biblical Archaeology Review has posted its annual list of dig opportunities for 2022. The Biblical Archaeology Society is offering dig scholarships of $2,000.

The first-ever Spring Bible and Archaeology Fest will be held on April 2 and 3.

“Left in ruins by jihadists, Iraq’s once-celebrated Mosul museum and its 2,500-year-old treasures are being given a second life.”

Austen Henry Layard, renowned as the excavator of Nimrud, used his archaeological fame to catapult him into a career of politics and diplomacy.

The National Library of Israel has a new section on its website to share manuscripts from St. Catherine’s Monastery and related materials.

The final reports for the Tall Zirā‘a / Gadara Region Project have now been published. The volumes are also available in pdf format for free.

New exhibition at New York University: Pompeii in Color: The Life of Roman Painting (Jan 26 to May 29).

BBC Radio episode on the Hittites: “Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the empire based in the Land of Hatti during the Late Bronze Age, in modern Turkey, and the discoveries there over the last century.”

Carl Rasmussen begins a series on anchor stocks discovered at Malta and their possible relationship to Paul’s shipwreck.

Lectures from La Sierra University’s recent Archaeology Discovery Weekend are now online, including these two by Mark Wilson:

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick, Charles Savelle, Explorator

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A cache of 13,000 inscribed potsherds from the Roman and Byzantine eras have been discovered in Sohag, Egypt.

New discoveries have come to light at Pompeii in the House of the Library.

An article in Haaretz contrasts an ancient Roman doll with the modern Barbie.

A team of scientists believe they have a new understanding of the Antikythera mechanism.

The US has returned 200 antiquities stolen from Italy, including items seized from the Fordham Museum and the Getty Museum.

A new museum of Roman antiquities opened in Narbonne, France last week.

Lonely Planet names their 10 ten museums in Istanbul.

Online exhibit: Mesopotamia: An Intimate Look at Some Extraordinary Objects from an Exhibition at the Getty Villa

Clay tablets from the library of Ashurbanipal reveal an ancient Assyrian remedy for hair loss (subscription req’d).

The recorded presentations are now online for the conference on “Perspectives on the Ramesside Military System.”

Dirk Obbink owes Hobby Lobby a full refund for the $7 million of ancient papyri that he sold them.

Nearly a million tourists have visited the ancient city of Dara in southeastern Turkey this year.

New release: Edgar J. Goodspeed, America’s First Papyrologist, by Todd M. Hickey and James G. Keenan

Glenn Corbett is leading a Jordan Seminar at the Dead Sea in April.

Carl Rasmussen has begun a series on the shipwreck of Paul on Malta. He is also leading a trip to Malta, Sicily, and Italy in the spring.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick, Keith Keyser, Explorator

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A new study suggests that Sennacherib’s army collected three million stones in order to construct the massive siege ramp at Lachish in about 25 days.

Researchers studying dolmen fields in southern Jordan discovered several unfinished dolmens, providing insights into how these megalithic tombs were constructed.

Authorities have recovered more than 6,000 ancient coins from the owner of a jewelry store in Ashkelon.

“Why is a citrus fruit – also known in Hebrew as etrog – featured in the magnificent mosaic paving the main hall of a caliphate castle in Jericho?”

La Sierra University’s Archaeology Discovery Weekend is being held today and tomorrow with the theme, “Southwest Turkey: Famous Cities, Churches, and Synagogues.”

In the latest episode of the Biblical World podcast, “Kyle and Chris interview Erez Ben-Yosef (Tel Aviv University) concerning his work on the 11th through 9th century BC copper industry in the Arabah of Israel and Jordan.”

Jordan is eager to end its tourism slump, and the recent filming of movies including Dune, Aladdin, and Star Wars: Rogue One may help to attract visitors.

Zoom lecture on Nov 15: “Coin Deposits: From Ancient Synagogues in Late Antique Palestine,” by Tine Rassalle

Zoom lecture on Dec 2: “Synagogues as Jesus Knew Them,” by James R. Strange

New release: Excavations in the City of David, Jerusalem (1995-2010), by Ronny Reich and Eli Shukron

New release: To Explore the Land of Canaan: Studies in Biblical Archaeology in Honor of Jeffrey R. Chadwick, edited by Aren M. Maeir and George A. Pierce (DeGruyter, $100)

Registration has opened for the 2022 season at Tel Burna.

The Institute of Biblical Culture is now taking registrations for a beginning course in Biblical Hebrew starting in January.

The Top Ten Discoveries Related to Joshua and the Conquest includes some familiar finds and some new ones. With 53 footnotes, this is a well-researched summary that will very useful for many.

The video downloads and conference notebook for the Infusion Bible Conference on Paul and His Roman World are now available for purchase. This is a valuable resource.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Keith Keyser, Explorator

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“Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered 400 rock-cut chamber tombs that date to 1,800 years ago and make up part of one of the largest rock-cut chamber tomb necropolises in the world.”

There is controversy over a renovation plan for the Bodrum Museum which would relocate the famous shipwrecks of the Museum of Underwater Archaeology in order to convert the space into a mosque.

The ancient city of Dolichiste was a thriving Lycian trading hub until it was partially submerged in the Byzantine period.

The tombs of gladiators in Ephesus shed light on our knowledge of the ancient warriors.

An Italian archaeologist who has been excavating in Turkey for 30 years is ready to retire.

“During the excavation of the now-famous northwest corner of Rameses III’s fortress from the first half of the 12th century BCE, archaeologists unexpectedly came across two more fortress walls covering each other.”

New exhibit at the Art Museum of the University of Memphis: “Writing in Three Dimensions: Myth and Metaphor in Ancient Egypt,” through November 29.

Personal letters provide insight into the lives of ancient Egyptians.

Archaeologists have made what they are calling a “sensational” new find with the discovery of a skeleton a step away from the sea at Herculaneum.

A Lebanese official has been caught with antiquities looted from Syrian museums in his office.

“Escape to the past and explore true crime in antiquity during a free week-long online experience of the Getty Villa Museum’s annual College Night.”

Leon Mauldin has recently returned from a tour of Greece and Turkey, and he shares photos of Assos and Corinth.

Thomas Parker, director of several archaeological projects in Jordan, passed away suddenly last month.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, A.D. Riddle, Paleojudaica, Explorator, BibleX

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The location of the biblical Red Sea is the subject of a recent book by Barry Beitzel, and he provides a sample of the evidence in a new post for the Ancient Near East Today.

The City of David YouTube channel has a new 5-minute video about the excavation of the “Pilgrimage Road” leading from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount.

Related: Helene Machline recounts some exciting moments in recent excavations in the City of David (1.5 min video in Hebrew with subtitles).

Susan de la Fuente writes about water sources of Jerusalem over the millennia.

Sergio and Rhoda give a 15-minute video overview of the discoveries at Tel Burna, including the recently revealed 10th century BC destruction layer.

On the Biblical World podcast, Mary Buck and Chris McKinny begin a new series on “Texts from the Ancient Near East” with an introduction to languages and writing in the ancient world.

The top 3 reports in biblical archaeology in September include “the building of a city, the destruction of a city, and everyday life in a city.”

Oct 4: Webinar on Orientalist photography, in celebration of the opening of the “Between Science and Art: Early Photography in the Middle East” exhibition at the Heritage Library.

Oct 12: Online lecture: “Excavating Abila: Past, Present, and Future,” by David Vila

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle, A.D. Riddle

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Notice to email subscribers: our previous service (feedburner) is shutting down, and we have migrated all existing subscribers to the follow.it service. You do not need to do anything to continue your subscription, but if you wish to modify it or take advantage of some new features, you now have more options.

Archaeologists have uncovered evidence for the earthquake from the time of King Uzziah at a site in the Jezreel Valley.

The six-chambered Solomonic gate at Megiddo has been restored, including its second half. If you have good eyes, you can see a small photo on the cover of a special issue of Eretz.

The BBC has created an 8-minute video on Methuselah, the date palm tree grown from an ancient seed.

Bryan Windle rounds up the top three reports in biblical archaeology in the month of June.

Available next month: The Road Taken: An Archaeologist’s Journey to the Land of the Bible, by Seymour (Sy) Gitin.

Jerusalem University has announced its online offerings for the fall semester, including courses on Jerusalem, the geographical contexts of the prophets, and the literature of Israel’s neighbors (with professors Chandler Collins, Cyndi Parker, and Bryan Beyer).

Iron Age female figurines are the topic of discussion on the latest podcast on This Week in the Ancient Near East.

The site onomasticon.net has been updated to include newly published personal names from the Iron Age II southern Levant.

Pnina Arad believes that the Medeba Map was designed to emphasize the fulfillment of the Old Testament in Christ (Haaretz premium or the author’s Academia page).

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Ferrell Jenkins, Gordon Franz, Charles Savelle, Alexander Schick, Explorator, Paleojudaica, Chris McKinny

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