Museums Archives - Page 15 of 95

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

New research confirms that a lost branch of the Nile River played a significant role in the construction of Giza’s pyramids.

“Egypt is celebrating the bicentenary of the decipherment of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and the creation of Egyptology with a batch of new events and a social media campaign.”

The exhibition “Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs” is now on display at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

An Italian team is set to return to excavations at Ebla, 12 years after war in Syria halted 47 years of uninterrupted digging. Though the archaeological site was not bombed, the ruins were seriously damaged by tunnels, trenches, and pillboxes. The Syrians for Heritage, however, are opposed to the University of Rome La Sapienza’s resumption of excavations at Ebla and Tell Ferzat. Ferrell Jenkins posts a couple photos from his visit to Ebla 20 years ago.

Archaeologists have identified more than 350 “kites” in northern Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq.

The scholars who deciphered Linear Elamite explain how they did it.

A new archaeological museum has opened in Isfahan, Iran.

New release: Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East, by Amanda H. Podany (Oxford, 2022; $35)

The Bible Mapper Blog continues to create and share free maps each week:

I’ll have more stories in part three of this weekend’s roundup tomorrow.

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

Tagged Arabia, Egypt, Museums, Persia, Resources, Syria, 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 5

Recent excavations are revealing details of the lives of middle-class inhabitants of Pompeii.

“Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of a Roman bridge from the Imperial era during an excavation alongside the Via Tiburtina in north-east Rome.”

The Getty Villa is returning one of its signature pieces, “Orpheus and the Sirens,” after it was determined that they were illegally excavated in Italy.

Deloitte estimates the value of Rome’s Colosseum to be $79 billion.

Carl Rasmussen shares photos he took of the recently renovated Mausoleum of Caesar Augustus (part 1, part 2).

The Brandeis magazine tells the story of recently retired classical archaeologist Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow, at one time known as the “Queen of Latrines.”

There are some impressive Roman mosaics that few tourists visit in western Switzerland.

“Works being carried out in the town of Tomares in Spain have brought to light 19 Roman amphorae containing 600 kilos (1322.77 lbs.) of bronze coins from the 4th century.”

New exhibition in Trier, Germany: “The Fall of the Roman Empire” (until Nov 27).

The Museum of the Bible is hosting a new exhibit, “Samaritans: A Biblical People” from September 16 to January 1. The exhibition was created under the direction of Steven Fine and a panel discussion and documentary are part of the opening events.

The Center for Near Eastern Archaeology (CNEA) at La Sierra University is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The annual Archaeology Discover Weekend will be held on November 12 and 13.

New from Christopher D. Stanley: Paul and Asklepios: The Greco-Roman Quest for Healing and the Apostolic Mission (The Library of New Testament Studies)

New exhibition publication: David Roberts: Artist and Traveler, by John Olbrantz (Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, 2022). Hardcover, 152 pages, 96 color illustrations, $45.

A complete list of speakers and topics for the 25th Annual Bible and Archaeology Fest (virtual, Oct 8-9) is now online and includes:

James Charlesworth, “Discovering the Tombs of David and Solomon After 50 Years of Searching”
Ralph Hawkins, “The Promise of the Conquest of Canaan in the Book of Exodus”
Thomas Levy, “Archaeological Science and Biblical Edom”
R. Steven Notley, “Byzantine Bethsaida and the House of St. Peter”
Shelley Wachsmann, “‘Some Went Down to the Sea in Ships…’: Ships, Boats, and Seafaring in Biblical Times”

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

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Italy, Lectures, Museums, Resources, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 4

“A statue head dated to the 2nd century AD was unearthed during the excavations at the Ancient Smyrna Theater.”

Archaeologists found the VIP seats of the ancient amphitheater of Pergamum.

Archaeologists have discovered a gladiator burial ground in near Adana in Turkey.

Restoration has begun on the floor mosaics of the ancient synagogue of Sardis.

The main building and exhibition halls of the Istanbul Archaeology Museums were opened last month after extensive renovations. Renovations continue on the Museum of the Ancient Orient, the Tiled Kiosk Museum and the northern wing of the Classical Building.

This article has some nice photos of the world’s largest mosaic, now part of the Antakya Museum Hotel in the ancient Antioch on the Orontes.

BBC: “More than 85m beneath the famous fairy chimneys of Cappadocia lies a massive subterranean city [Derinkuyu] that was in near-constant use for thousands of years.”

The Turkish Archaeological News surveys the top stories for the month of July.

New release: Excavations at Karkemish II. The Inner West Gate in Area N, by S. Mantellini and S. Pizzimenti (Ante Quem 2021). Free pdf downloads of entire series here.

“Greek archaeologists have discovered a virtually intact grave of an ancient noblewoman buried with her golden jewellery at a Roman burial monument in the island of Sikinos.”

“The majestic ancient Greek monument unearthed in Northern Greece in 2012 and known as the Amphipolis Tomb could open for visitors by the end of 2022.”

Ancient Athens 3D has created a video with a beautiful virtual model of the Parthenon.

Giovanna Dell’ortho describes some of the sites in Thessaloniki.

“Ancient Greeks had a great love and respect for their dogs, cherishing them as companions, protectors, and hunters, as evidenced by several dog tombstones discovered over the centuries.”

Archaeologists believe they have found a mega-monument at the ancient burial mound of Laona in Cyprus.

National Geographic takes a road trip through western Cyprus (requires registration).

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

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Greece, Mediterranean Islands, Museums, Resources, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup