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Excavations in the City of David have revealed a pyramid-shaped staircase believed to belong to a first-century podium. The discovery was made along the street that runs from the Pool of Siloam up to the Temple Mount.

From the Israel Antiquities Authority:

According to archaeologists Nahshon Szanton and Dr. Joe Uziel, who direct of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “The structure exposed is unique. To date such a structure has yet to be found along the street in the numerous excavations that have taken place in Jerusalem and to the best of our knowledge outside of it. For this reason, its exact use remains enigmatic. The structure is built along the street in a place that is clearly visible from afar by passers-by making their way to the Temple. We believe the structure was a kind of monumental podium that attracted the public’s attention when walking on the city’s main street. It would be very interesting to know what was said there 2,000 years ago. Were messages announced here on behalf of the government? Perhaps news or gossip, or admonitions and street preaching – unfortunately we do not know. Bliss and Dickie, two British archaeologists who discovered a small portion of this structure about 100 years ago, mistakenly thought these were steps that led into a house that was destroyed. They would certainly be excited if they could come back today and see it completely revealed”.
We know from rabbinic sources there were “stones” that were used for public purposes during the Second Temple period. For example, one source cites the “auction block” in connection with the street: “[a master] will not set up a market stand and put them (slaves) on the auction block” (Sifra, BeHar 6). In the Mishnah and Talmud the “Stone of Claims” is mentioned as a place that existed in Jerusalem during the Second Temple period: “Our Rabbis taught: There was a Stone of Claims in Jerusalem: whoever lost an article repaired thither, and whoever found an article did likewise. The latter stood and proclaimed, and the former submitted his identification marks and received it back. And in reference to this we learnt: Go forth and see whether the Stone of Claims is covered” (Bava Metzia 28:B).
On Thursday (3.9), at the City of David Studies of Ancient Jerusalem’s 16th Annual Conference that will be open to the public, Nahshon Szanton and Dr. Joe Uziel will present their findings from the excavation and the different interpretations regarding the nature of the podium. According to them, “Given the lack of a clear archaeological parallel to the stepped-structure, the purpose of the staircase remains a mystery. It is certainly possible the rabbinical sources provide valuable information about structures, such as this, although for the time being there is no definitive proof.”
Information about the conference can be found on the City of David website: www.cityofdavid.org.il.

The story can also be read at the Jerusalem Post and Haaretz, and the Times of Israel.

HT: Joseph Lauer

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Photo by Gil Mezuman, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority
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Archaeologists working at Laodicea have uncovered an inscription with the “water law” of the city from AD 114.

The mummy of King Tut will remain on display in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

A girl shattered a Roman vase in a display case at the Israel Museum. Or did she?

The Pope’s visit has inspired a new exhibit at the Penn Museum: “Sacred Writings: Extraordinary Texts of the Biblical World.”

Popular Archaeology runs a story on the latest discoveries on the Mount Zion dig.

Carl Rasmussen posts photos of two wall paintings from the Herodium now on display at the Israel Museum.

“The first Protecting the Past conference will be held in Amman (Jordan) between 28-30 September 2015 at The Jordan Museum.”

LiveScience has the latest on the “Gospel of Jesus’s Wife.”

The Biblical Archaeology Society’s Blowout Sale ends on Monday. Many items are marked down 50% or more.

The NIV Zondervan Study Bible has dropped in price to $26.18.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Paleojudaica

We’ve been posting a photo each day this year on Facebook and Twitter. Our most popular photo this week was this image of the City of David from the 1890s.

Jerusalem City of David and Mt of Olives, pcm02712
The City of David, Temple Mount, and the Mount of Olives
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(Post by A.D. Riddle)
Here are some upcoming lectures in the Chicago area. All lectures are free and open to the public.
Wednesday, September 2, 7:00 pm
Josef Wegner (University of Pennsylvania), “The Pharaohs of Anubis-Mountain: Archaeological Investigations of a Royal Necropolis at Abydos.” The lecture will be given at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Before the lecture, you can take a docent-led tour of the Oriental Institute Museum. Free registration (recommended) and additional information can be found here.

Recent excavations at Abydos in Upper Egypt have revealed an extensive royal necropolis beside a sacred peak: Anubis-Mountain. Here a series of tombs spanning Egypt’s late Middle Kingdom (ca. 1850-1650 BCE) and Second Intermediate Period (ca. 1650-1550 BCE) are helping to illuminate one of the most shadowy eras of Egyptian history. The lecture discusses the twelve royal tombs currently known at Anubis-Mountain, and the most recent results– the excavation in June this year of a tomb likely belonging to king Sobekhotep IV, as well as the discovery of the previously unknown pharaoh Senebkay.

Wednesday, September 9, 7:00 pm
John Walton (Wheaton College), “Cognitive-Environment Criticism and the Tower of Babel.” This is the opening lecture for this year’s “Archaeology Lecture Series” at Wheaton College. The lecture will be given in room BGC 534. Information can be found at the webpage here.
Wednesday, September 16, 7:00 pm
Aaron Burke (UCLA), “Egyptian Imperialism in Canaan: The Case of Jaffa.” This is the second lecture in Wheaton’s 2015-2016 “Archaeology Lecture Series.” The lecture will be given in room BGC 534.
Thursday, September 17, 7:00 pm
Aaron Burke (UCLA), “The Amorites and Abraham’s World.” The lecture will be given as part of the Trinity Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology Lecture Series, at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. It will be given in Hinkson Hall, Rodine Building. No registration required.

Well known in the Old Testament, recent historical, archaeological, and scientific studies have shed new light on the events and processes behind the formation of Amorite identity, providing a new understanding of Amorites during the transition between the third and second millennia B.C. This lecture will bring together these findings and suggest how these might inform our understandings of the biblical patriarchal narratives.

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From The Telegraph:

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) have destroyed one of Palmyra’s most well-known ancient temples, according to Syria’s antiquities chief. Carefully stage-managed photographs by Isil show the moment the terrorist group destroyed the Temple of Baalshamin at the country’s ancient city. The images, released by Isil’s media wing in the central province of Homs, revealed the temple was littered with explosives before it exploded into a mushroom cloud on Sunday.

The full story is here.

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The NIV Zondervan Study Bible is being released today. The successor to the best-selling study Bible will likely quickly become a best-seller itself, especially since it was written under the direction of D. A. Carson, one of the most well-known and well-liked evangelical scholars today.9780310438335

I’m excited about it for all of the reasons you’ll read on other sites and reviews, but it was also a privilege to have been invited to contribute. I wrote the notes on 2 Kings, a book I have studied in great depth for the last 25 years. The editors also selected 50 of our favorite images from the BiblePlaces.com collection.

My parents gave me the first NIV Study Bible when I was a teenager and I carried and read it through high school and college. I use it today when teaching in the classroom (preferring a smaller Bible when teaching on the field). This all-new edition is now even more personal.

Here are a few of the books and contributors I expect to be extremely valuable:

  • Genesis 12–50: T. D. Alexander
  • Judges: K. Lawson Younger
  • Psalms: David M. Howard Jr.
  • Proverbs: Bruce K. Waltke
  • Isaiah: John N. Oswalt
  • John: D. A. Carson
  • Romans: Douglas J. Moo
  • Galatians: Stephen Westerholm
  • Philippians: Simon J. Gathercole
  • Hebrews: Buist M. Fanning

And there are many inviting articles, including these:

  • The Story of the Bible: How the Good News About Jesus is Central, by Timothy Keller
  • A Biblical-Theological Overview of the Bible, by D. A. Carson
  • The Glory of God, by James M. Hamilton Jr.
  • Sin, by Kevin DeYoung
  • Sonship, by D. A. Carson
  • Holiness, by Andrew David Naselli
  • The Gospel, by Greg D. Gilbert

I haven’t held the Bible in my hands yet, but to judge from the editors, the editorial process, the contributors, and the goal, I expect this to be an outstanding work that will benefit many for decades to come.

What distinguishes this study Bible from the many others? Carson notes five characteristics in the preface. Here’s a portion of the first and last.

So what characterizes this NIV Zondervan Study Bible? First, in common with the best study Bibles, all our contributors revere Scripture as the Word of God and joyfully bow to its authority. Our desire is not so much to be masters of the Word, as to be mastered by it. That shapes how we approach the text and how we write about it. Our aim is to bring glory to God by helping people think his thoughts after him, and to bring understanding and edification to his people as they do so.
[…]
Finally, this study Bible emphasizes biblical theology. By this we mean that instead of focusing primary attention on how the Bible as a whole addresses many questions (which is what many people mean by “systematic theology”), we have tried to highlight the way various themes develop within the Bible across time.

This emphasis upon biblical theology was the part I enjoyed the most as I wrote the notes on 2 Kings.

Providing the dates of each king is important, but I relished showing how the Bible fits together through God’s faithfulness to his promises as all things move toward the glorious consummation.

The Bible is available in print, personal, Kindle, and Logos formats. The print version comes with a free digital version as well. You can see a video preview as well as a 180-page sample at the official website.

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Visitors to Samaria are few since the Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority closed down daily operations. It is truly sad that most Israelis and foreign tourists can’t (or won’t) visit the ancient capital of the northern kingdom, home to Jehu and Jeroboam, Ahab and Jezebel. The history is of great significance and the views are terrific.

From The Times of Israel, by Ilan Ben Zion:

The manager of the Palestinian Authority’s Interpretation Center at the Sebastia archaeological site handed over a brochure; his colleague, roused from slumber, hastily pulled his pants on. Pointing to a small screening room where visitors would see a movie about the site, he contradicted himself with absolute confidence: “There’s a film — but there’s no film.”
The PA built the facility two years ago to inform visitors about the ancient city of Sebastia after Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority closed down its day-to-day operations at the site. But besides a pamphlet and some hard candies, the Interpretation Center has little to offer. The brand-new plush chairs in the 40-seat theater meant to show were still in their plastic covers. (The PA didn’t respond to inquiries about the cost of the center; the United Nations Millennium Development Fund, a co-funder, donated $132,000.)
“You can learn the history of the whole region (by) staying here because all the powers that crossed the region since the time of the Egyptians were passing through,” Carla Benelli, an art historian working in Sebastia, told AP a few years ago. Sebastia’s tel features remains from 10 different periods, from the Iron Age to modern times. “From this point of view, it’s really very important,”
The entire saga of preserving and showcasing ancient Sebastia unfolds like a comedy of errors which could only occur in the Wild West Bank. Israel controls the park containing the ancient finds, which is in Area C, but does nothing with it. The Palestinians say they want to control it, but lack the resources to develop it. And while both sides lay claim to the site as their exclusive cultural heritage, it lies neglected, underdeveloped, unexcavated.

The full story is here. We have more photos and descriptions here.

Samaria from west, tb050106488
Samaria from the west
Photo from Samaria and the Center
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