“For the first time in centuries, scientists have exposed the original surface of what Christians traditionally believe to be Jesus’s tomb in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, as part of a restoration project.” National Geographic has a video and photos. Justin Taylor interviews Leen Ritmeyer about the specifics of Jesus’s tomb as known from the biblical record and archaeology. The first-ever artifacts discovered in situ from the time of the First Temple have been unveiled in Jerusalem. Haaretz’s story includes a photo of a structure that was revealed. The protective cover of an enormous mosaic in Hisham’s palace in Jericho was removed for a day in advance of the construction of a protective roof. Excavations have begun in the Umayyad palace at Khirbat Al-Minya on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Ancient tombs were discovered north of the Old City of Jerusalem during recent road maintenance. Aren Maeir suspects that the Jerusalem Papyrus may be fake. An ancient Muslim inscription indicates that the original name of the Dome of the Rock was the “House of the Temple.” The TMSP blog comments on some of the reports at this week’s conference on the Archaeology of Jerusalem, including notice of a new study that the spring house over the Gihon in the City of David dates not to the Middle Bronze Age but to the 9th century BC. The Mount of Olives cemetery was ranked #8 on Bloomberg’s list of most beautiful burial sites in the world. HT: Joseph Lauer, Steven Anderson, Agade, Charles Savelle, Ted Weis, Paleojudaica
Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of the Roman breach of Jerusalem’s “Third Wall” in AD 70.
Some high-res images are available here.
Excavations around the “Ramesses Gate” in Jaffa have revealed a massive destruction layer that attests to a battle between Egyptians and Canaanites.
Researchers have discovered two secret chambers in the Great Pyramid of Giza.
The Temple Mount Sifting Project shares some finds related to the feast of Sukkot.
Scientists have recently discovered the two components that gives frankincense its distinctive odor.
An archaeologist has created a 3-D model of the Heraion at ancient Olympia using photogrammetry.
An AP article describes the work and accomplishments of Robert Bewley and David Kennedy in documenting archaeological sites in Jordan from the air.
The New York Times profiles the early farming village of Ain Ghazal in central Jordan.
A new pleasure cruise line is carrying travelers between Haifa and Acco.
The National Museum of Beirut has opened its basement to the public for the first time in 40 years.
Touch Point Israel has compiled a list of 13 “must-see museums” in Israel.
This week in New York City a new photo exhibition opened: “The Day Memory Dissolved: an artistic perspective on endangered archaeological sites in the Middle East.”
Progress is being made on the National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel. The Jewish Press article includes photos and a 2-minute video.
According to UNESCO, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem has nothing to do with Judaism.
Carl Rasmussen shares several photos from one of the least visited places in Jerusalem, the Tomb of the Royal Steward.
Wayne Stiles looks at the ancient and modern significance of Gideon’s battle in the Harod Valley.
The Associates for Biblical Research are having a big sale on the complete archive of Bible and Spade.
New book: The Five-Minute Archaeologist in the Southern Levant. (Out of stock at Amazon)
The schedule for next month’s Bible and Archaeology Fest XVIII is now online.
HT: Charles Savelle, Joseph Lauer, Agade, Steven Anderson
- Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Greece, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Jordan, Lebanon, Lectures, Museums, Resources, Technology, Temple Mount, Tourism, Weekend Roundup
Digital imaging technology has virtually opened an ancient scroll from En Gedi to reveal the first two chapters of Leviticus. The publication in Science Advances includes a number of photos. Another article published in Textus is also online. The portions deciphered so far exactly match the Masoretic Text, but the radiocarbon date of 3rd-4th centuries AD differs from the paleographer’s date to the 1st or 2nd centuries.
The discovery of a menorah at Abila provides the first evidence of Jewish presence at this city of the Decapolis.
2,000-year-old human skeleton remains have been found buried at sea near a shipwreck at Antikythera, Greece.
A fisherman’s house from the Ottoman period was discovered along the beach in Ashkelon.
Bedouin youths have helped to excavate Byzantine-era farm buildings in the Negev.
A new virtual reality tour in Jerusalem takes “visitors” inside the Temple. There’s a short video clip here.
Archaeologists plan to finish reconstruction work on Laodicea’s Hellenistic theater within three years.
The Malawi Archaeological Museum in Minya was reopened this week after three years of renovation.
Omar Ghul, an epigrapher at Yarmouk University, discusses important inscriptions discovered in Jordan.
Laïla Nehmé is interviewed by Ancient History Etc. about the history of the Nabateans.
Ferrell Jenkins concludes his series on Iznik (Nicea) with a post on the modern city and its vicinity.
Wayne Stiles considers the history and the lessons from Hezekiah’s Tunnel.
Chris McKinny will be lecturing at Texas A&M Corpus Christi on October 3 on the Late Bronze finds from Tel Burna.
On sale for Kindle for $2.99: Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith?, edited by James K. Hoffmeier and Dennis R. Magary. I require several of the chapters for at least one course I teach.
Mordechai Gichon died this week.
Ferrell Jenkins remembers Erle Verdun Leichty on the announcement of his passing.
HT: Joseph Lauer, Agade, Ted Weis, Charles Savelle
- Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Greece, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Jordan, Lectures, Negev, Sad News, Technology, Temple Mount, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup
A stone weight from the first century with the name of the high priest has been discovered in Jerusalem. Ynet has more photos and a video in Hebrew.
Israel’s largest archaeological garden was opened this week on a military base in Tel Aviv.
Archaeologists working at Petra have discovered two statues of Aphrodite.
“Excavations in the volcanic desert of Jordan have uncovered three surprisingly advanced fortified settlements with artificially irrigated terraced gardens, dating to 6,000 years ago.”
Someone is claiming to have discovered one of the stones from the high priest’s breastplate.
“Excavations at Tatarlı Mound in the southern province of Adana’s Ceyhan district have unearthed an impression seal from a monumental Hittite-era structure.”
Aviv and Shmuel Bar-Am provide a virtual tour of the excavations of Ramat Rahel.
Israel’s Good Name describes a recent visit to Chorazin (Korazim) and the first century Galilee boat.
Wayne Stiles suggests that the Transjordanian tribes settled for “second best” and he applies that principle for us today.
Leen Ritmeyer analyzes the paving stone tiles released by the Temple Mount Sifting Project and
suggests they came from “the interior of some of the many buildings that surrounded the Temple and/or from under the colonnades around the smaller courts.”
The Hebrew Music Museum opened earlier this year in Jerusalem and features 260 instruments.
This week Southern Adventist University opened a new exhibit entitled “A World in Miniature:
Creation, Cosmos, and Ecology on Seals from Biblical Times.” The museum’s website does not appear to have information yet on this new display.
The ASOR Blog identifies their five most popular posts of the summer.
The British Institute at Ankara has published nine volumes in the series Roman Roads and Milestones of Asia Minor, all available without charge in pdf format.
HT: Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis, Charles Savelle, Agade
- Tagged Discoveries, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Jordan, Museums, New Exhibits, Resources, Temple Mount, Turkey, Weekend Roundup
A stone seal discovered this summer at Abel Beth Maacah suggests Israelite presence at the site in the 9th century.
Luke Chandler has collected a number of photos of floor tiles from Herod’s Temple Mount that have been restored by the Temple Mounting Sifting Project. The Jerusalem Post has more details. There are more photos here. A 20-minute video of the press conference is online, with English starting at about 3 minutes.
Archaeologists have uncovered a Byzantine-era stable at Avdat in southern Israel. High school students joined in the sifting of hundreds of buckets of organic material left behind by donkeys, sheep, and goats. Five high-resolution photos are available.
There’s now an island in the Sea of Galilee. It’s near the southern shore and is the result of the low water level. Artillery shells from WWI have also been discovered nearby.
A mosaic from the Huqoq synagogue may depict Alexander the Great meeting the high priest of Jerusalem. Another interpretation is that it shows the battle between Antiochus VII and John Hyrcanus I. The National Geographic article has photos.
Israel’s ancient capital of Samaria has been vandalized. A video in Hebrew shows some of the damage.
Exploring Bible Lands continues its series on “Walking like Jesus” with a photo of a Roman road in Galilee.
Wayne Stiles explores why Kiriath Jearim is ignored, and why it shouldn’t be.
Thursday’s Archaeological Conference in the City of David entitled “Digging for Truth — Jerusalem,
Archaeology & UNESCO” may be watched online. Parts are in Hebrew and other parts in English, with the whole lasting 4.5 hours. The program may be viewed here. The Jerusalem Post reports on the talk by Dore Gold.
Olive pits discovered at Khirbet Qeiyafa receive special attention at a new exhibit at the Bible Lands
Museum Jerusalem.
HT: Joseph Lauer, Charles Savelle, Agade, Ted Weis
- Tagged Discoveries, Galilee, Jerusalem, Judah, Negev, New Exhibits, Samaria, Temple Mount
In work to construct a mikveh in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, archaeologists discovered a Roman bathhouse and below that a cistern connected to the aqueduct from Bethlehem.
Hundreds of Roman fresco fragments from a large building, dating to the 2nd century, have been excavated in Zippori National Park (Sepphoris).
A journalist gets a rare chance to visit Mount Ebal and its “altar.”
A site proposed as one of the Gilgals of the Bible is in danger because of the establishment of a new garbage dump.
Nadav Shragai asks why the media ignores illegal Muslim activity on the Temple Mount.
A new music video by Michael W. Smith was filmed entirely in Israel and includes some beautiful drone footage.
The Baptist News interviews a zooarchaeologist who excavated in the Philistine cemetery of Ashkelon.
A collection of Dead Sea Scroll fragments owned by the Museum of the Bible have been published in a book edited by Emanuel Tov, Kipp Davis, and Robert Duke.
It’s not just the words, but where they were spoken, argues Wayne Stiles.
Dan Warner is on the Book and the Spade this week talking about his excavation of the Canaanite water system at Gezer.
Seth Rodriquez appreciates the support he received for his trip to teach biblical backgrounds at the
Baptist Theological Seminary of Zimbabwe and he reports on his time there.
HT: Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis, Agade, Charles Savelle
Photo by Bill Schlegel
