Lidar Sapir-Hen and Deirdre N. Fulton explore “the role of dogs in the social fabric of the Iron Age through a comparative study of the evidence from settlements.” They conclude from archaeological evidence that dogs served villagers as herders, guards, and occasionally hunters. The underlying journal article is also available.
“This fall, the Penn Museum will begin construction of its new $54 million Ancient Egypt and Nubia galleries.” Work is slated to be completed by late 2028.
“Close to 1,000 Levites from around the world converged on Jerusalem’s southern wall near the Western Wall to partake in a momentous reenactment of the ancient Levitical choir of the Temple.” The story includes a couple of short videos.
“Some 10,000 people marched to Joshua’s Altar on Mt. Ebal on Monday to demand protection for archaeological sites in the West Bank and protest against declarations of sites in the West Bank as ‘Palestinian heritage sites.’”
An inscription discovered in Jerusalem suggests that there was a guild of artisans that called themselves the “sons of Daedalus.”
Olivier Poquillon is the new director of the École Biblique in Jerusalem.
Israel Museum Studies in Archaeology Occasional Publications 1 features an iconographic study of the fresco in the Abbey of the Tomb of Mary in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, within the socio-cultural context of Crusader Jerusalem.
In celebration of his 45th wedding anniversary, Leen Ritmeyer shares how he met Kathleen and their early work together in the Byzantine monasteries in the Judean wilderness. He includes many photos and drawings.
HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle, Explorator
Head of Athena from Tel Naharon, 2nd century AD; as displayed in the Israel Museum before this week’s vandalism
The Biblical Museum of Natural History in Beit Shemesh has a large collection of animal horns, but not all qualify to be used for the Feast of Trumpets.
In the latest episode of Walking The Text, Brad Nelson explains how “understanding how a fig tree produces fruit clarifies exactly what’s happening when Jesus curses the fig tree.” The website includes discussion questions as well as resources for further study.
HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Keith Keyser, Gordon Franz
Mark Hoffman explains how you can walk in Paul’s steps from Corinth to Cenchrea. His guide includes maps, photos, and detailed instructions for two routes, each about 7 miles one-way.
A forensic archaeologist says that the British Museum theft is the “worst in modern history.” The BBC story says that only 1% of the museum’s artifacts are on display, and not all of the rest is “properly catalogued and registered.”
More than 20,000 Achaemenid tablets from Persepolis will be returned to Iran from the Oriental Institute by the end of the year, according to an Iranian official.
NY Times: “The Egyptian government has demolished historic tombs, cultural centers, artisan workshops and gardens in pursuit of large-scale urban renewal.”
“Scientists have decoded an ancient aroma by identifying the ingredients used in Egyptian mummification balms — and resurrected the scent.”
Officials have recovered 550 high-quality ancient artifacts from the earthquake rubble in ancient Antioch on the Orontes (modern Antakya).
“Archaeologists have excavated subterranean rooms and a tunnel under an early church in Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.”
“A 30-day exhibition on agriculture – with fruits grown and tools used in cultivation – in ancient Egypt is on at the Luxor Museum to celebrate Inundation Day.” The article includes several photos.
“For the first time, a group of researchers have successfully extracted ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick.”
“A team of Swiss and Greek archaeologists recently successfully completed the third season of a research program (2021-2025) on the famous wreck of Antikythera, which dates back to the first half of the 1st century BC.”
“The electronic Babylonian Library (eBL) Project brings together ancient Near Eastern specialists and data scientists to revolutionize the way in which the literature of Iraq in the first millennium BCE is reconstructed and analyzed.”
An employee was fired and police are investigating after British Museum officials discovered that some of their artifacts were being sold on eBay. And now the director of the museum has resigned.
The BiblePlaces Blog provides updates and analysis of the latest in biblical archaeology, history, and geography. Unless otherwise noted, the posts are written by Todd Bolen, PhD, Professor of Biblical Studies at The Master’s University.
