Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Egyptian archaeologists do not often find a complete sarcophagus in its original tomb, but they did recently while National Geographic cameras were rolling. The tomb of Ramses II’s treasurer was discovered at Saqqara at the bottom of a 25-foot shaft that was filled with sand.

“Hieroglyphics: Unlocking Ancient Egypt” is a new exhibition at the British Museum.

“The mode of writing used in Ancient South Arabia, the legendary realm of the Queen of Sheba, was especially unique. The Sabaeans and their neighbours did not write on common materials such as leather or papyrus but rather on something surprisingly simple: branches of fresh wood just cut off the tree.”

Zoom lecture on Oct 11: “The Jordan Museum: More Than 10,000 Years of Human Resilience and Innovation,” by Ihab Amarin.

Excavation work on the Sardis synagogue is complete after 60 years, and all major finds will be displayed in the Manisa Museum.

Archaeologists discovered a Roman-era gymnasium north of Konya (biblical Iconium). The Laodicea mentioned in the article is not the same one mentioned in the New Testament.

Turkish Archaeological News has a roundup of stories for September.

A statue of Hercules from the 2nd century AD has been discovered in excavations at Philippi.

Mercenaries were an important part of Greek armies in the 5th century BC, a fact ancient Greek historians fail to mention.

“Archaeologists are using Apple’s iPad Pro to gather data, analyze objects, create a database and come to conclusions about the ancient site of Pompeii.”

“Entertainment among the Romans” is a new exhibition at the Lugdunum Museum in Lyon, France.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick, Ted Weis, Explorator, Paleojudaica

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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

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Weekend Roundup, Part 3

Major progress has been made in the project to recreate a harbor for ancient Ephesus.

Turkish Archaeological News reports on the top stories for the month of August. One discovery noted is the excavation of a Roman fountain at Assos.

“An ongoing excavation in the ancient Greek city of Metropolis has led to the discovery of 150 amphorae and water jugs found in a well believed to be from approximately 1,800 years ago.”

New excavations have begun at Ostia, the ancient port city of Rome.

A large Roman mosaic of Medusa that had been kept in a basement in Los Angeles was recovered by the FBI and returned to Italy.

“Researchers found that upper-class people in the Roman Empire did not always follow the law regarding funeral parties, often opting for everyday foods rather than expensive specialties, according to a new study.”

Mark Wilson discusses the concept of “treasure in jars of clay” in light of the discovery of coin hoards discovered in the ancient world. (I usually don’t link to Bible History Daily reposts, but this one is interesting and I don’t remember it from before.)

Online lecture on Sept 27, 2 pm Eastern Time: “Christian Faith Tourism in Anatolia: Seven Churches and Paul’s Journeys,” by Mark Wilson

Ferrell Jenkins shares some photos related to sheepshearing.

Some recent episodes on Digging for Truth TV:

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

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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

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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

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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

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About the BiblePlaces Blog

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.

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