New Exhibits Archives - Page 2 of 28

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Temples for the Egyptian god Amun and the Greek goddess Aphrodite were found off of Egypt’s coast by a team of archaeologists.”

“A new Indo-European language was discovered during excavations in the Boğazkale district of Çorum, which is home to Hattusa, the capital of the Hittites.”

“A group of researchers has successfully extracted DNA from an ancient cuneiform brick for the first time, identifying over thirty species of plants present in the brick’s clay.”

“Back to School in Babylonia” is a new exhibition at the University of Chicago.

BAS Scholars Series online lecture on Sept 28: “Free Health Care Is a Miracle: Psalm 8, Jesus, and the Jerusalem Temple,” with Amy-Jill Levine ($10)

Hybrid lecture on Sept 29: “Babylon under the Achaemenids: The Greek Sources Re-considered,” by Johannes Haubold. Hosted by The Center for the Ancient Mediterranean (CAM) at Columbia University. Remote participants must register.

The Institute of Biblical Culture is launching a new Biblical Hebrew course. You can save $300 with the code BIBLEPLACES.

All of Doug Greenwold’s books from Preserving Bible Times are now available on Amazon Kindle.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, New Exhibits, Resources, Technology, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Excavations at Metropolis in western Turkey have uncovered a Greek inscription honoring Gaius Fabius, the governor in 57/56 BC.

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.”

Archaeologists working in Pompeii have found a servant’s quarters in the house of a rich person.

“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.”

“Rare photographs of the excavations at the Greek Island of Delos from the 19th Century have come to light in a book by French archaeologists.”

Seth Sanders explores the question of who invented the alphabet.

“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.

Zahi Hawass is imploring Arabs with British nationality to sign his petition to give the Rosetta Stone to Egypt.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Jason Borges, Ted Weis, Explorator

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Excavations, Italy, Museums, New Exhibits, Technology, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Ruins of Nero’s theater have been discovered in Rome.

“An iconic bronze statue of the Roman emperor Hadrian, which is one of three found worldwide and dates back some 2,000 years, was turned into an active honeycomb as 50,000 bees produced their wax onto 3D-printed grid replicas of the original.”

“Archaeologists have recovered thousands of pieces of glassware—many of them ‘perfectly preserved’—from a 2,000-year-old shipwreck in the waters between Italy and France.”

Impressed by costly Persian metal vessels, Athenian craftsmen created imitations in clay.

Local women are helping to renovate the mosaic floor of the ancient synagogue of Sardis.

Kim Lawton recently visited important, but less-visited, sites in Turkey related to Paul’s ministry, including Pisidian Antioch, Lystra, and Tarsus. The well-illustrated article includes a couple of quotes from an interview with me.

Leon McCarron spent ten weeks traveling the length of the Tigris, from its source in Turkey to its mouth at the Persian Gulf.

“Gems have unique elemental compositions that can be used to identify their location of origin.”

Mark Hoffman writes of his discovery of the Gardens of the Roman Empire website.

Steven Anderson’s book on Darius the Mede has been translated into Persian Farsi and published by Qoqnoos Press in Iran (ISBN: 9786220404651). It can be purchased from Agah Bookshop.

Howard Golden is donating his collection of hundreds of European maps dating to the 15th to 18th centuries to the National Library of Israel.

Don’t delay: “The permanent galleries in the Pergamon Museum will close on October 22, 2023 and will remain closed for renovations until 2037 (estimated).” Photos of many of their artifacts are available online.

The James Ossuary will go on display in Dallas beginning on August 25. This is the first time it has been displayed in the US. The price should keep the crowds down.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

The experience at Nazareth Village, with the increased number of exhibits and actors, has never been better. One caveat: it doesn’t work so well with large groups.

Tagged Discoveries, Italy, Mesopotamia, Museums, New Exhibits, Persia, Technology, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A new study claims that Tel Shikmona near Haifa was home to a large Israelite purple dye factory that supplied the prestigious color to Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem from about 850 to 750 BC.

Steve Notley has proposed an explanation for how the New Testament village of Bethsaida came to be known in Arabic as el-Araj, which means “the lame man.”

Abigail Leavitt reports on the final week of excavating at Shiloh, with mention of the discovery of a scarab and a bulla.

Ronit Vered reports on the new exhibition at the Israel Museum entitled “The Feast.”

Joel Kramer has just released a video about the Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone).

The latest episode of Digging for Truth focuses on King Hazael of Aram.

In the latest Biblical World podcast episode, Kyle Keimer discusses Hezekiah’s preparations for the Assyrian invasion, the subject of his dissertation.

The latest edition of Tel Aviv has been published, and a number of the articles are open-access.

Accordance Bible Software has a number of photo collections on sale as well as works from Carta.

Ferrell Jenkins posts some photos of the Dead Sea from his recent trip (also here).

Bryan Windle’s latest archaeological biography is on Aretas IV, the only Nabatean king mentioned in the Bible.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis

Soon visitors to Tel Lachish will have public restrooms to use. There may well also be some displays of artifacts, replicas, or reconstructions.

Tagged Dead Sea, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, New Exhibits, Photo Resources, Samaria, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Ariel University have developed an artificial intelligence model that can automatically translate Akkadian text written in cuneiform into English.”

A 2nd-century AD statue of Buddha discovered in the Egyptian port city of Berenike is helping scholars to understand ancient trade routes between India and Rome.

“Anemia was found to be common amongst children in ancient Egypt, following analyzation of child mummies found in different museums in Europe.”

The Greek Reporter has an update on excavations at Smyrna (Izmir).

Turkish Archaeological News has a roundup of stories for the month of April.

“Crete is showcasing its rich ancient history with three new archeological museums at Messara, Agios Nikolaos and Archanes.”

“An ancient Greek settlement dating back 2,500 years was discovered beneath Naples, Italy by using cosmic rays and lasers.”

“A meticulously reconstructed Pompeii bridal chariot that eluded the ancient city’s modern-day looters is a star of an ambitious new exhibition in Rome.”

“The Colosseum [in Rome] was built to commemorate the sacking and destruction of Jerusalem, and was funded by loot stolen from the ancient Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.”

Tourists will soon be able to travel to Pompeii via a high-speed train from Rome.

“In the Roman world, although the rule of the sea was a complicated matter, and the sea itself appeared as an uncivilised, untamed wilderness, Roman law was able to provide practical solutions to deal with real-life sea problems.”

In response to controversy over Netflix’s upcoming documentary series on Cleopatra, Egypt’s leading media production company is planning to create its own documentary.

New release: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Science, Engineering and Technology, by Michael Denis Higgins (Oxford Academic, 360 pages, $35; Amazon)

New release: Ancient Persia and the Book of Esther: Achaemenid Court Culture in the Hebrew Bible, by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Bloomsbury, 280 pages, $31; Amazon)

New exhibit at The British Museum: “Luxury and Power: Persia to Greece.” May 4 to August 13.

I’ll be traveling for the coming weeks, so there will not be another roundup until June. I hope to be able to post a book review or other update in the meantime.

HT: Ted Weis, Explorator, Arne Halbakken, Keith Keyser, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Italy, Mediterranean Islands, New Exhibits, Technology, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

[Due to some website issues, part 2 of the last Weekend Roundup was not sent out. You can read it here.]

A cave near ancient Shechem served refugees for at least eight different historical periods, from the Chalcolithic to the Mamluk periods.

El-Unuk, one of Adam Zertal’s six “Gilgal” sites, is under threat of destruction from construction work.

The Israeli government has approved an $8 million budget to restore and protect the ancient capital city of Samaria. The funding “will go toward establishing a tourism center at the site, building new access roads, mapping untouched areas, and increasing law enforcement to prevent illegal activity.”

Scott Stripling discusses the Mount Ebal Curse Tablet on the latest episode of Digging for Truth.

John DeLancey’s latest video was filmed in the 1st-century synagogue of Magdala.

What are the Lachish Letters and why are they of importance to the Bible? Nathan Steinmeyer explains.

JNS has a story on the Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine project being run by Brown University.

In connection with a new exhibit at the Corning Museum of Glass, Ruth Schuster investigates the history and method of Roman glassmaking in the land of Israel.

Hybrid lecture at the Albright Institute on May 11: “Before the Nabataeans: Arabian Traders in the Negev Highlands,” by Tali Erickson-Gini and Martin David Pasternak

Zoom lecture on May 11: “Jesus Reading Scripture: Exploring the Archaeology of Worship in First-Century Synagogues,” by Paul Flesher ($6/$12).

The online lecture with Ken Dark on “Exploring the Archaeology of Jesus’ Nazareth” has been rescheduled to Friday, 12 May 2023 at 11:00am-12:30 pm ET.

Preserving Bible Times has released Session 5 of The Bible: Its Land & Culture! This session explores Two Different Worlds: Jewish or Hebrew and Roman or Gentile; Peter vs Paul; Deciphering the Roman World; and Roman Exceptionalism. Individual sessions are available here, and all 5 sessions are now available for purchase as a set ($40).

Paleojudaica links to articles that explore connections of King Charles III’s coronation with the Bible and the ancient Near East.

HT: Ted Weis, Explorator

Tagged Galilee, Lectures, Museums, New Exhibits, Resources, Samaria, Shephelah, Tourism