Mesopotamia Archives - Page 8 of 32

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“The discovery of hidden hieroglyphics within Tutankhamun’s tomb lends weight to a theory that the fabled Egyptian queen Nefertiti lies in a hidden chamber adjacent to her stepson’s burial chamber.”

“Silphion cured diseases and made food tasty, but Emperor Nero allegedly consumed the last stalk. Now, a Turkish researcher thinks he’s found a botanical survivor” (subscription).

Sam Mirelman describes the Babylonian Akītu Festival and the Ritual Humiliation of the King.

Owen Jarus gives a lengthy survey of the history of Babylon.

The Peabody Museum of Archaeology at Harvard University is hosting an event on International Archaeology Day on Oct 15.

Phillip J. Long has written a new book, The Book of Enoch for Beginners: A Guide to Expand Your Understanding of the Biblical World.

Dan Reynolds will be speaking at the PEF on Oct 13 on “The Inheritance of Christ: Christian Pilgrimage in the Holy Land Before the Crusades, c. 800 – c. 1099.”

“September 2022 proved to be a banner month for discoveries in the world of biblical archaeology.” Bryan Windle reviews the top three.

HT: Agade, Keith Keyser, Arne Halbakken

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Museums, Resources, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Hundreds of hieroglyphics have been discovered in a tunnel in Hattusa. There are more photos in these articles in the Turkish press.

“Zahi Hawass recently said that he is certain that a mummy he is currently studying will turn out to be that of Queen Nefertiti.”

The arrest of three antiquities thieves near ancient Memphis resulted in the discovery of ancient tunnels leading to two New Kingdom rooms engraved with hieroglyphics.

Egyptian archaeologists are seeking to have the role of Egyptians recognized in the discovery of King Tut’s tomb and the deciphering of the Rosetta Stone.

All of the artifacts from King Tut’s tomb will be displayed in the Grand Egyptian Museum, expected to open in November.

“Discovering King Tut’s Tomb” opened a few weeks ago in Las Vegas, and the exhibit includes animations, virtual reality pods, and more than 300 replicas of artifacts. Elsewhere in town the National History Museum houses the King Tut exhibit formerly displayed at the Luxor Hotel & Casino.

Leon Mauldin notes the 200th anniversary of the decipherment of the Rosetta Stone that occurred a few days ago.

Egypt has passed a new law imposing penalties on those entering archaeological sites or climbing antiquities without a permit.

Djémila in Algeria has some of the best preserved ruins from the Roman empire.

Sites in Iraq are opening to tourists after destruction by IS forces.

Discover Magazine reviews our lack of knowledge about the hanging gardens of Babylon.

Tom Metcalfe asks, “What’s the world’s oldest civilization?”

Opinion piece: “Some US museums will overlook the dubious origins of acquisitions if it suits their purposes.” The focus is on a group of statuary discovered in southwestern Turkey in 1967.

Five ancient sundials have been discovered in Jordan, and a professor is seeking to raise awareness of their use in antiquity. The professor who authored a study on it believes that the situation would be improved with the establishment of a dedicated astronomy museum.

Bryan Murawski offers four tips for preaching geography-heavy texts. (Anybody else suspect that he has never heard of the Photo Companion to the Bible?)

The Babylon Bee reports that archaeologists have found the red pens used to write the words of Christ in the New Testament.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle, Explorator, George Grena

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Egypt, Jordan, Mesopotamia, Museums, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

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

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Egypt, Greece, Jordan, Mesopotamia, Technology, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Marking the 100th anniversary of the discovery, the National Geographic Museum in Washington DC has an immersive exhibit, “Beyond King Tut.” The University of Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries is running an exhibit, “Tutankhamun: Excavating the Archives.” They have created a 1.5-minute fly-through video of a 3-D model. Some of the original photos of the tomb’s opening have been digitally colorized. You can view some very high-resolution photographs that were taken in the creation of a facsimile of the funerary chamber in order to reduce the number of tourists.

Zahi Hawass has written a history of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square in Cairo.

Zahi Hawass wants the Rosetta Stone to be donated to the Arab Republic of Egypt. (Is this news?)

Friends of ASOR webinar on Sept 15: “The Good Kings: The Modern Obsession with Ancient Egyptian Kingship,” featuring Prof. Kara Cooney and moderated by Prof. Sarah Parcak.

A new exhibition on “Byblos. The World’s Most Ancient Port” will be held at the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities from October 14 to March 12.

The British Museum Blog: “Discover how a collaborative international partnership helped restore eight ancient glass vessels after their destruction in the 2020 Beirut explosion.”

The BBC Travel series Ancient Engineering Marvels explores the Ziggurat of Ur, noting that tourism is slowly returning to Iraq.

“A marble statue of the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele created 2,350 years ago has been discovered in the ancient city of Antandrus.”

Ahmet Denker has spent 12 years working on a virtual reconstruction of the temple of Artemis in Ephesus.

“Algeria, Croatia, Egypt, France, Italy, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia are working together on an underwater archaeological expedition, researching the Skerki Bank region off the Sicily and Tunisian coasts.”

The BBC looks at the challenge of understanding what is (and what isn’t) ancient children’s toys.

A digital artist has created a photograph of what he thinks Alexander the Great looked like.

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

Tagged Egypt, Excavations, Lebanon, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Museums, New Exhibits, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 6

The ancient language of Linear Elamite has been almost completely deciphered, about a century after its discovery. The journal article’s authors are not happy with the way the breakthrough was reported by the Smithsonian Magazine.

The world’s oldest bar joke dates to about 2000 BC, but no one knows why it was funny.

The British geologist sentenced to 15 years in Iraqi prison has had his conviction overturned, and he has left the country.

Kyle Keimer has written the first of a three-part series exploring the connection between feasting and kingship from the time of Saul to Jesus.

An Israeli researcher used a series of voyages in a replica of an ancient merchant ship, along with wind measurements over a period of 15 years, to determine how mariners sailed against the westerly winds in the Mediterranean (Haaretz subscription).

Here is another impressive list from Bryan Windle: Top Ten Discoveries Related to the Book of Daniel.

New release: The Hunt for Ancient Israel: Essays in Honour of Diana V. Edelman, edited by Cynthia Shafer-Elliott, Kristin Joachimsen, Ehud Ben Zvi, and Pauline A. Viviano (Equinox, 2022; $55-$110; Amazon).

New release from The Oriental Institute: “Like ‘Ilu Are You Wise”: Studies in Northwest Semitic Languages and Literatures in Honor of Dennis G. Pardee, edited by H. H. Hardy II, Joseph Lam, and Eric D. Reymond (Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization 73). Free pdf download.

New release: The Ishtar Gate of Babylon: From Fragment to Monument, by Helen Gries (Schnell & Steiner, 2022), paperback, 80 pages, $15.

Norman Gottwald died earlier this year.

Aren Maeir explains why he has scaled down his excavations of Gath in the context of calling on all archaeologists to take seriously their responsibility to publish. He has written a longer article on the need for publishing for Palestine Exploration Quarterly.

Lois Tverberg shares some fascinating (and sobering) insights from her trip to Africa in “Learning to Read my Bible through Ancient Eyes – Rain and Sacrifice.” (See the post note at the bottom for a way you can help.)

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Joseph Lauer, Explorator, Paleojudaica

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Excavations, Mediterranean Islands, Mesopotamia, Persia, Resources, Sad News, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 3

Two ancient Egyptian sarcophagi were opened live at a press conference.

Restoration work has been completed on the gold shrine at the mortuary temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu.

Chelsey Cook discusses three mysteries about Egypt’s ancient pyramids (how were they built, what’s inside, and why they stopped).

A newly discovered letter by Alan Gardiner indicates that Howard Carter stole artifacts from King Tut’s tomb before it was officially opened.

Mattias Karlsson writes for the ASOR Blog about relations between the Neo-Assyrian empire and Egypt, especially in the 7th century BC.

Some researchers believe that typhoid fever and plague were contributing factors in the collapse of the Old Kingdom of Egypt and the Akkadian empire.

Zoom lecture on August 26: “Unpacking Tutankhamun’s Wardrobe,” by Rosalind Janssen

New release: Egypt and the Classical World: Cross-Cultural Encounters in Antiquity, edited by Jeffrey Spier and Sara E. Cole (Getty Publications, 2022). Free pdf download (open right sidebar for other options).

Brent Nongbri argues that Codex Sinaiticus dates not to AD 360 but to anytime between the early 4th and early 5th centuries AD, making it an ideal candidate for radiocarbon analysis.

Assaf Kleiman has written an extensive piece on Hazael’s oppression of Israel. (My take is a bit different—and longer.)

The Jordan Times provides a brief summary of papers presented at the 15th International Conference on the History and Archaeology of Jordan.

“Ancient Abila, located about 12km northeast of Irbid, [Jordan,] is a case study for scholars who want to track pilgrim itineraries in the Late Antiquity.”

John DeLancey has posted a 360-degree video of the walk up Macherus and a visit of the ruins.

Analysis of animal and plant remains is allowing archaeologists to identify the season in which a site was destroyed. The underlying journal article is here.

Accordance has many Carta works on sale through today, including The Sacred Bridge, The Raging Torrent, The Quest, Eusebius’s Onomasticon, and the “Understanding” Series.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Joseph Lauer, Explorator, Paleojudaica

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Egypt, Jordan, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Resources, Technology, Tourism, Weekend Roundup