Turkey Archives - Page 3 of 60

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“More than a dozen Egyptian mummies embellished with gold tongues and fingernails have been uncovered by archaeologists… in the Behnese area, an important archaeological site in Middle Egypt.”

The now-deciphered “Frankfurt silver inscription” provides the earliest evidence for Christianity north of the Alps, dating to about AD 250.

After 20 years of research, a professor has pinpointed the site of the Battle of the Granicus, where Alexander the Great had his first victory over the Persian empire.

An archaeologist searching for Cleopatra’s tomb believes she has found a statue that depicts the queen’s face.

The spice warehouses of the Roman emperors has been opened to the public.

Gavriel Fiske investigates why a 20-year-old claim about the oldest alphabetic inscription only now has attracted scholarly and media attention.

Ongoing restoration works at Knidos (Cnidus) include the reopening of the Great Church.

More than half of the tablets excavated at Nippur from 1948-1952 have been photographed and posted online at the electronic Babylonian Library.

The latest issue of Iraq has been published, and all articles are open-access.

In a five-minute video, Mark Janzen explains what happened to the short-lived site of Pi Raamses in the Nile Delta.

The final episode of Walking The Text’s “3 Gifts of Christmas” explores the significance of the Magi’s gift of myrrh.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis, Mark Hoffman, Arne Halbakken

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

A research team using magnetometry has identified five monumental buildings within the city walls of Dur-Sharrukin, the Assyrian capital of Sargon II. To avoid attracting unwanted attention, they chose not to use a drone and instead each team member walked 13 miles every day for seven days.

A Phoenician shipwreck dating to 600 BC has been discovered off the coast of Spain.

“Archaeologists in Turkey uncovered a limestone sarcophagus in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Demre, Antalya, which they believe could be linked to Saint Nicholas himself, known worldwide as Santa Claus.”

More than 100 ancient artifacts were discovered in a hidden basement area during eviction proceedings in Athens.

Michael Denis Higgins believes that the Colossus of Rhodes was ultimately destroyed not in 226 BC but in AD 142, after several reconstructions.

“The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at the Ohio State University and the Digital Lab for Ancient Textual Objects is excited to announce the launch of the Online Corpus of the Inscriptions of Ancient North Arabia 2.0.” They have also released a video tutorial.

“Plauen is commemorating the biblical scholar and theologian Konstantin von Tischendorf (1815-1874) with an exhibition to mark the 150th anniversary of his death.”

New release: Egyptian Things: Translating Egypt to Early Imperial Rome, by Edward William Kelting (University of California Press, open access)

ASOR has posted a recap of its annual meeting.

The collapse of the Syrian government has led to concerns about Jewish archaeological heritage in the country.

Rami Chris Robbins explains the Jewish connection to Rome’s Colosseum.

Carl Rasmussen reports on his recent visit to an impressive Roman thermal spa in northern Turkey.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Alexander Schick, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis

Tagged Discoveries, Italy, Mediterranean Islands, Resources, Syria, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A Roman water tunnel, nearly as long as Hezekiah’s Tunnel, has recently been restored at biblical Gadara.

The Jordan Times has published a story about Khirbat as-Sar, possibly biblical Jazer.

“A trove of ancient curse tablets was made recently in Athens‘ downtown neighborhood of Kerameikos.”

“Through a recent excavation at Kouklia-Martsello in Palaepaphos, Cyprus, scientists have unearthed an ancient inscription in the Cypriot syllabary.”

Archaeologists working in Georgia have found an inscription with strange symbols unlike any known language.

“In the second phase of the restoration works, the facades of Hagia Sophia Mosque, the upper covering, and the Second Bayezid Minaret are in the focus of attention.”

Turkish Archaeological News rounds up the most important stories for the month of November.

A lecture by Christian Leitz overviews the restoration of the temple of Esna, with its “magnificent astronomical ceiling, colorful columns, and close to two hundred ink inscriptions previously undescribed.”

A meeting between the British and Greek prime ministers is raising speculation that an agreement may be in the offing for a loan of the Elgin Marbles to Athens.

New release: The Iron Age Town of Mudayna Thamad, Jordan; Excavations of the Fortifications and Northern Sector (1995–2012), by Robert Chadwick, P. M. Michèle Daviau, Margreet L. Steiner and Margaret A. Judd (BAR Publishing, £88). This site is potentially biblical Jahaz.

New release: Burning Issues in Classics, by Rhiannon Evans and Nicole Gammie (La Trobe University, free download)

Carl Rasmussen reports on his visit to Carchemish, a site he has long wanted to see.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Roger Schmidgall, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Tagged Greece, Jordan, Mediterranean Islands, Museums, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“A new study of DNA extracted from the bones inside Pompeii’s famous plaster casts has largely debunked long-held assumptions based solely on the physical appearance and positioning of the casts.”

The Pompeii Archaeological Park is now limiting the number of daily visitors to 20,000 and using timed personalized tickets with the visitors’ full names.

In a new program sponsored by Airbnb, some tourists will be chosen to participate in a mock gladiatorial fight inside Rome’s Colosseum.

An amulet depicting the “prophet Solomon” was discovered in Karabük, Turkey.

The earring holes on King Tut’s famous golden mask indicate that it was originally created for a female or child.

“Scientists at Chicago’s Field Museum are studying Egyptian mummies using a mobile CT scanner.”

Ellie Bennett tells the story of one of the “Queen of the Arabs” mentioned in Assyrian inscriptions.

“On Sunday, November 17, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, followed by a keynote from 6:00-7:30 PM, the George Washington University Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations & the Capitol Archaeological Institute will co-host an international symposium focused on the Amarna Letters, a collection of 14th-century BCE diplomatic correspondence which offers a rare insight into the political dynamics of the ancient Near East.” Register here for the full day, or here for the keynote.

Virtual tour on Nov 20: “Rome’s Legendary Emperors: Nero, Hadrian, and Constantine”

Available for preorder on Logos: Archaeology and the Ministry of Paul: A Visual Guide, by David A. deSilva ($28). This is the first of three planned volumes.

New release: The Labors of Idrimi: Inscribing the Past, Shaping the Present at Late Bronze Age Alalah, by Jacob Lauinger (SBL Press, $58-$78; open-access ebook).

New release: The Archaeology of the ‘Margins’: Studies on Ancient West Asia in Honour of Peter M.M.G. Akkermans, edited by Bleda S. Düring and Jo-Hannah Plug (Sidestone, €15+; read online for free)

Barbara Aland, former director of the Institute for New Testament Textual Research, died earlier this week.

Dan Diffendale has posted many thousands of photos, organized by albums on Flickr. He has written a short guide to using them.

“Biblical Field Studies are funded study trips to biblical sites in Turkey for Bible scholars and teachers in the Majority World. The program is designed to equip Christian teachers and professors who work in the Majority World by introducing them to the geographical, historical, and social contexts of early Christianity. The 2025 trip (June 11–18, 2025) will visit the sites related to the Seven Churches of Revelation and the Seven Ecumenical Councils.”

There will be no roundup next weekend. If you will be attending ETS or SBL, stop by the BiblePlaces booth and say hi.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Mark Hoffman, Ted Weis, Wayne Stiles, Paleojudaica

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Italy, Lectures, Museums, Photo Resources, Resources, Sad News, Technology, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists have discovered the first Middle Kingdom tomb in the Asasif region of Egypt, with many undisturbed remains.

A scholar claims that the “Passover Letter” from Elephantine has little or nothing to do with Passover.

Israel has been criticized for targeting Hezbollah forces located near Roman sites in Baalbek and Tyre.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, is hosting an exhibition until February 2 entitled, “Kingdom of Gods and Demons. Mesopotamia 1000-500 BCE.”

The final episode in Walking The Text’s “Life in the Roman Empire” series is on “Walking the Roman Street,” with Randall Smith. The link includes a pdf with comprehensive notes. You can also download the full Roman Empire study guide here.

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on Dec 11, 10:00 EST: “Man-Hunting in the Desert: The Ill-Fated Palmer Sinai Expedition of 1882,” by James Fraser (Zoom). A list of future events at the Albright is posted here.

The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Archaeology is on sale for Logos ($18, reg. $75)

Everyone can take advantage of Wipf and Stock’s 50% off sale in conjunction with the AAR/SBL conference.

Ralph Jackson, long-time curator at the British Museum, died recently.

Carl Rasmussen shares a number of photos form the newly reopened The Museum Hotel in Antakya (biblical Antioch on the Orontes), which preserves the remains of extensive mosaics from the Hellenistic, Late Roman, and Byzantine periods.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken

Tagged Discoveries, Lebanon, Lectures, New Exhibits, Resources, Sad News, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Excavations in central Turkey have uncovered more than 50 Hittite seal impressions from royal family members.

The Times of Israel reports on the sword engraved with the name of Ramses II that was recently discovered in ancient military barracks in the Nile Delta.

An ancient papyrus fragment is the earliest petition from a Jew to an Egyptian king.

Restoration work at the Temple of Edfu has enabled researchers to identify “traces of gold leaf, colorful painting remnants and graffiti.”

Recent articles at Bible History Daily introduce the Amarna Letters and the Amarna Revolution.

“Ancient frescoes like that of the Greek monkeys on Santorini suggest Europe and south Asia had trade links as long as 3,600 years ago.”

The latest episode in Walking The Text’s current series is about brothels and pubs in the Roman world.

“The Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East now has a public searchable database for its collections. The museum cares for over 40,000 items, including pottery, cylinder seals, sculpture, coins, and cuneiform tablets.The database is a work in progress and will be augmented periodically.”

Hybrid lecture on Oct 16 at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston: “Rediscovering Sculptures of King Menkaure at the Giza Pyramids,” by Mark Lehner. Advance registration is recommended: online or in-person.

Now available: The Treasure of the Egyptian Queen Ahhotep and International Relations at the Turn of the Middle Bronze Age (1600- 1500 BCE), edited by Gianluca Miniaci and Peter Lacovara (Golden House, free pdf)

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken

Tagged Egypt, Italy, Lectures, Museums, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup