Mesopotamia Archives - Page 3 of 33

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Scientists believe they have found evidence of treatment for brain cancer in an skull found in Egypt.

A 14-minute video explains why the ancient Egyptians were obsessed with cats.

New release: Archaeology and Geology of Ancient Egyptian Stones, by James A. Harrell (Archaeopress, £16-125)

New release: Five New Kingdom Tombs at Saqqara, by Maarten J. Raven (442 pages, €20-150; free to read online)

The NY Times has posted an obituary for Egyptologist Barry Kemp.

Dura Europos and its sister city are the subject of the latest episode of This Week in the Ancient Near East podcast.

Ancient Anatolia Day will be celebrated online and in person at Wolfson College, Oxford, on June 17.

A temple of the emperors (Sebasteion) has been uncovered in the agora of Nicopolis.

Archaeologists working at Pompeii have found charcoal drawings of gladiators apparently made by children watching the contests in the city’s amphitheater.

New release: The Village in Antiquity and the Rise of Early Christianity, edited by Alan Cadwallader, James R. Harrison, Angela Standhartinger, L. L. Welborn (T & T Clark, $140). The book covers Israel, Galilee, Egypt, Galatia, Lycus Valley, Ephesus region, Corinth region, and more.

Peter Herdrich writes about the challenges, opportunities, and best practices of digitizing cultural heritage.

HT: Agade, Frank McCraw, Gordon Franz, Gordon Dickson, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Keith Keyser

Tagged Egypt, Greece, Italy, Mesopotamia, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A royal fort or palace from the reign of Thutmose III was discovered in northern Sinai.

An Assyrian scholar believes that he has interpreted five “mystery symbols” inscribed in various locations at Dūr-Šarrukīn, the capital of Sargon II. “He argues the Assyrian words for the five symbols (lion, eagle, bull, fig tree and plow) contain, in the right sequence, the sounds that spell out the Assyrian form of the name ‘Sargon’ (šargīnu).”

“Conservators Verena Kotonski and Barbara Wills took on the challenge of conserving a unique 2,300-year-old ancient Egyptian coffin.”

“An ancient Egyptian mummified head displayed in a school library in Australia now has a fresh face, thanks to a meticulous scientific reconstruction.”

“Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs” is a new exhibit opening in Cologne, Germany in July.

“Elephantine: Island of the Millennia” is now open at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, with a major focus on the writings discovered there. The museum has posted a related documentary on the Elephantine Project (50 minutes).

Marek Dospěl explains what Coptic is.

New release: Assur 2023: Excavations and Other Research in the New Town, edited by Karen Radner and Andrea Squitieri (PeWe-Verlag; print and open-access)

New release: The Greek and Latin Inscriptions in the Isparta Archaeological Museum, by Asuman Coşkun Abuagla (199 euros)

Arkeonews has a story about the Diolkos, with a photo of a well-preserved section on a Greek army base.

Titus Kennedy explains major archaeological discoveries in Anatolia, Greece, and Rome, in the latest episode of Digging for Truth.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick

Tagged Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, Museums, New Exhibits, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists believe they have found a villa belonging to Emperor Augustus near Mount Vesuvius.

The city of Anqa is said to be “a near mirror image of Dura-Europos, of the same size, comparable composition, and potentially equal value to scholars of the region.”

A new study suggests that “wine produced around the Mediterranean during the Roman era may have been just as complex and flavorful as wine produced today, in contrast to what is commonly assumed.”

“Egypt welcomed home a 3,400-year-old statue depicting the head of King Ramses II after it was stolen and smuggled out of the country more than three decades ago.”

We don’t know much about Shalmaneser V, but Bryan Windle still managed to create a pretty extensive illustrated archaeological biography.

Webinar on May 9: “Sensing the Past: Sensorial Experiences in Ancient Mesopotamia,” by Allison Thomason

The Albright Institute posts videos of their special lectures on their YouTube channel. Recent lectures include:

“The Iron Age II Tombs from Mamillah, Jerusalem,” by Ronny Reich
“Jews and Palestinians between Istanbul and Jerusalem,” by Louis Fishman
“The Archaeology of Olive Oil: Excavating a Bronze Age Olive Oil ‘Factory’ in Jordan,” by Jamie Fraser

Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer conclude their series of the best archaeological finds of 2023 on the Biblical World podcast.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Franz, Paleojudaica

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem, Jordan, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

Excavation results have been published for a salvage dig at Zanoah, a site located near Beth Shemesh and mentioned in Joshua 15:34 and Nehemiah 3:13 and 11:30.

Jerusalem Post: “A scroll unearthed in the Judean Desert is shedding light on the ancient practices of astrology and mysticism in a discovery that has intrigued historians and archaeologists alike.”

Haaretz: “Archaeologists have uncovered the ruins of a Canaanite temple built to greet the rising sun atop the mound of Azekah.”

“Archaeologists have discovered about 8,600-year-old bread at Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic settlement in central Turkey.”

“The Pompeii Archaeological Park is launching a 100-million-euro project aimed at regenerating the archaeological and urban landscape of the ancient Roman city. As well as reimagining the way visitors interact with the site, the project will carry out the largest archaeological campaign at Pompeii in more than 70 years.”

Jason Borges shares highlights from his recent trip through Caria, including stops at Magnesia, Bodrum (Halicarnassus), Tlos, and Oenoanda.

A professor at Columbia University is leading the Mapping Mesopotamian Monuments project.

Haaretz (subscription): Roman routes are an “unexploited tourist opportunity” in Israel.

In conjunction with the “Legion” exhibit now at the British Museum, Mary Beard writes about the role of women in Roman military life.

“The Louvre’s Department of Near Eastern Antiquities is hosting ten major works from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, whose Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art is currently closed for renovation.” Now through September 2025.

Webinar on April 18: “Amorites, Their Origins, and Their Legacy,” by Aaron Burke ($7-13)

Aren Maeir shares three of his more popular lectures now on YouTube.

New release: 1 & 2 Kings: A Visual Commentary, by Martin O’Kane (Sheffield Phoenix, $47.50 with code “scholar”). “With its over one hundred and seventy-five full-colour images, from Christian mediaeval manuscripts and Persian and Ottoman miniature paintings to contemporary Jewish art, the volume shows why stories from 1&2 Kings feature so prominently in the artistic and cultural worlds the three religions have helped to shape.”

The Lexham Geographic Commentary set is now on sale for Logos Bible Software at 55% off. For $108, you get three volumes that have already been released and three that are forthcoming.

Bible Mapper Atlas has posted a collection of map links for Holy Week, including two for Sun/Mon, two for Tues/Wed, and two for Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Keith Keyser

Tagged Excavations, Judah, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Museums, Resources, Shephelah, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists believe they have uncovered the 1st-century villa where Pliny the Elder watched Mount Vesuvius erupt.

“Archaeologists conducting extensive excavations in the ancient Sumerian city of Girsu, now known as Tello in southeastern Iraq, have unearthed twin temples built on top of each other.”

Egypt’s “project of the century”—a reinstallation of the granite cladding on one of the pyramids of Giza—has been cancelled.

Turkey will be expanding its “Night Museums” project with the goal of setting new records in tourism every year.

“Archaeologists working in Saqqara recently unearthed three funerary masks at least 1,800 years old.”

A new study claims that “ancient Romans used the poisonous nightshade Black henbane as a hallucinogenic drug.”

New release: Teaching Ancient Egypt in Museums: Pedagogies in Practice, edited by Jen Thum, Carl Walsh, Lissette M. Jiménez, Lisa Saladino Haney (Routledge, $40-$170)

Hybrid lecture on May 23: “From Ground to Page: Wrapping up the University of Michigan/University of Minnesota Excavations at Kedesh,” by Andrea M. Berlin

Revelation Media is creating an animated Bible project comprised of seven-minute episodes that will eventually cover the entire Bible.

Carmen Joy Imes writes about some connections to the Old Testament that she observed during a recent tour of Egypt with James Hoffmeier.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken

Tagged Egypt, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

Archaeologists discovered a rare silver coin from the Persian period during excavations as part of a highway-expansion project in the hills southwest of Jerusalem.

Ariel David, writing for Haaretz, reports that underground hiding places in Israel have “a more complex history than previously thought.”

A recent article by Nahshon Szanton in ‘Atiqot argues that the small pool at the outlet of Hezekiah’s Tunnel is the true Pool of Siloam and the more recently excavated large reservoir (Birkat el-Hamra) is what Josephus called “Solomon’s Pool.” Leen Ritmeyer (mostly) agrees, and he is not surprised that they have not discovered more steps in the recent excavations.

The National Library of Israel received the world’s largest collection of Yemenite Jewish manuscripts as a donation.

The latest issue of Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology focuses on “Spatial Digital Archaeology and History of Israel.”

Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer discuss the top 10 archaeological discoveries in 2023 in the first of a three-part series in the Biblical World podcast. Part 2 is here.

A man was arrested while carrying out an illegal excavation at the site of Philippi.

New release: An Ancient Mesopotamian Herbal, by Barbara Böck, Shahina A. Ghazanfar, Mark Nesbit (Surrey Kew, £30). “Combining methods from the humanities and science, the authors provide a concise overview of ancient Mesopotamian culture and herbal lore, along with new identifications of Assyrian and Babylonian herbal medicines, focusing on 25 case studies.”

Zoom event on Jan 31: “The Genizah Research Unit at Cambridge University Library would like to invite you to experience up close the more than 200,000 fragments of the Cairo Genizah Collection.”

On the latest episode of Digging for Truth, Bryan Windle explores the archaeological evidence for King Jehoiachin.

Bryan Windle has written an archaeological biography for King Belshazzar.

There are 42 things you are not allowed to do on the dig.

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

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Egypt, Greece, Jerusalem, Judah, Mesopotamia, Resources, Weekend Roundup