BiblePlaces Blog

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Egyptian authorities have unveiled a plaster blocking wall from King Tutankhamun’s tomb in Luxor, an artefact described as unparalleled due to its survival from ancient looters.”

Tombs belonging to Amenhotep and his son Samut have been opened following extensive restoration.

Gary Urie explains the significance of Egyptian scarabs on Digging for Truth.

“Iraq is restoring the Ziggurat of Ur, one of the world’s oldest surviving temple structures, using locally made bricks and traditional building methods.”

Pigeons have been domesticated since at least 1400 BC, according to a new study (gift link).

“The new AI tool ‘Palaeographicum’ is revolutionizing research into the cultures of the Ancient Near East: It identifies individual variations of cuneiform signs—a huge step forward for academia.”

The Epigraphic Institute is offering online courses in Safaitic and Ancient South Arabian next month.

New release: The 2008 Season at Tall al-’Umayri and Subsequent Studies, edited by Larry G. Herr, Douglas R. Clark, Lawrence T. Geraty, and Monique Roddy (Eisenbrauns, $140; save 30% with code NR26; Amazon)

HT: Agade, Explorator

Tagged Egypt, Jordan, Mesopotamia, Resources, Technology, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Radiocarbon dating of seeds from the Ein Hatzeva granary dates the fortress to the early 8th century BC, proving that it was built not by Assyria. The study’s authors, however, assign the site not to Uzziah of Judah but to Jeroboam II of Israel based on their assumptions of regional power at the time.

Ynet News reports on the excavations underneath the Western Wall plaza that began when Covid restrictions closed the area to the public. The article includes many photos.

The Israeli government has approved $86 million to develop archaeological sites in the West Bank, including the establishment of heritage centers and tourism infrastructure.

Bible History Daily summarizes a BAR article that argues that the Siloam Inscription was carved to commemorate workers who died during construction of Hezekiah’s Tunnel.

Moshe Gilad writes about ancient Yavneh, the place “where Philistines and Crusaders cross paths.”

Abigail the Archaeologist writes about her week excavating Khirbet er-Rafid, a site near Shiloh.

The Annual of the Japanese Biblical Institute (2025) is online, including articles on temples in the southern Levant, the synagogue at Tel Rekhesh, and the disappearance of the biblical Philistines.

New release: Religion in Ancient Israel: Essays in Honour of John Day, edited by Katherine Southwood, Stuart Weeks, and H.G.M. Williamson (T&T Clark, $84; Amazon)

New release: Faith-Affirming Findings: 50 Archaeological Discoveries that Validate the Historicity and Reliability of Scripture, by Paul D. Weaver (Kregel Academic, $41). Phillip J. Long reviews it here.

HT: Agade

Tagged Jerusalem, Negev, Philistines, Resources, Samaria, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Archaeologists working in Egypt have discovered a remarkable combination of Homeric epic and Egyptian ritual: a 2,000-year-old mummy with a papyrus fragment of the “Iliad” sealed in a clay packet outside its wrappings.” (gift link)

“An Alexandria archaeological discovery in the Muharram Bek district has uncovered a rare circular public bath from the late Ptolemaic period and a Roman villa decorated with mosaic floors.”

“A collection of artifacts dating from the Ptolemic to the Byzantine period were discovered during excavations in the Muharram Bek neighborhood of Alexandria.”

“A sixth century mass grave located in the Jordanian city of Jerash has been identified as the oldest genetically confirmed plague-related burial and the first of its kind in the Eastern Mediterranean.”

Jason Borges writes about the tombstone of Abercius, the “longest and most explicit early Christian inscription.” The 22-line autobiographical text was written in AD 190.

ManuscriptShop sells museum-grade replicas of the earliest surviving biblical manuscripts, including 𝒫46, 𝒫52, and 𝒫66.

The Atlantic: “How did $65 million of allegedly stolen antiquities wind up in two of the world’s greatest museums?” (subscription)

HT: Agade, Alexander Schick

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Egypt, Jordan, Museums, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

An impressive 50-meter long tunnel, of unknown date and purpose, was discovered near Ramat Rahel south of Jerusalem. The tunnel is well-built with a staircase and entrance, and it probably dates to the Roman period or earlier.

An 8-year-old boy found a Roman-era statuette fragment while on a family hike in Makhtesh Ramon.

The Great Isaiah Scroll exhibition re-opened to the public yesterday and will be on display for the next four months.

Two rare and ancient coins allegedly smuggled out of Israel were returned by the US this week. The Persian-era tetradrachm is only the second known of its kind.

Adele Berlin writes about Psalm 122’s perspective of ancient Jerusalem.

Danny Jones discusses new research on the origins of the Philistines on Digging for Truth.

New release: The Names of Jerusalem: Jewish, Christian and Islamic Traditions, by Aaron Demsky, Christophe Rico, Iraj Sheidaee (Polis Institute, $32)

Westminster Books is running a sale on the five available volumes of the Lexham Geographic Commentary. (One volume is yet to come.) They are excellent.

First time on sale for Kindle: The Realia Jesus: An Archaeological Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, by David A. Fiensy ($2.99; paperback $34; Logos $22)

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Dead Sea Scrolls, Discoveries, Jerusalem, Museums, Negev, Philistines, Resources, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Excavations of the Shamash Gate at Nineveh shows evidence of the city’s fall in 612 BC. The work being done is part of a project to conserve and restore the gate.

Turkish Archaeological News rounds up the top stories for the month of April, including:

Excavations are revealing more of the city of Aspendos
Urartian water engineering may have been superior to early Roman systems
A Roman coin dating to AD 192–253 may depict Noah’s ark, making it the earliest depiction of a biblical scene on currency.
The third season of excavations at Lystra has begun, with new work in the necropolis.

Recent claims of the discovery of Noah’s Ark are refuted in this 1992 article by Andrew Snelling.

Archaeologists have used AI to reconstruct the face of one of the victims of Pompeii.

Fifty US students will be volunteering in the first year of the Kenchreai Coastal and Marine Survey, studying the area of New Testament Cenchreae.

New release: On the Face of the Deep: The Sea in Scripture, by Linford Stutzman (Baker Academic)

The Classical Association of Scotland is offering online classes in the month of June in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Egyptian, Hurrian, Sumerian, Ugaritic, and Latin.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Tagged Excavations, Italy, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Resources, Technology, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A new study will examine seal impressions discovered in Jerusalem to understand the city’s administrative systems in the Old and New Testament eras.

Ruth Schuster provides a good survey of the enigmatic Copper Scroll and then describes Shimon Gibson’s new theory that the scroll was a list of donations made to Bar Kochba in the early years of his rebellion. Joan Taylor agrees with the dating, but she believes the scroll gives a list of tithes given to the Temple cult after the Temple’s destruction.

A study of two of the Arad Ostraca suggests that the fortress’s administrators operated on a six-day week.

“A 2000-year-old stone weighing around five tons that had fallen off the Western Wall in Jerusalem and had been on permanent display at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv was returned to the Western Wall site.”

According to a new study, Pilate served as a prefect and also held procuratorial powers.

Two online lectures will be hosted by the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society:

May 14: “The Wadi Murabba’at Ptolemaic Coin Hoard and the Troubles in Jerusalem in 169 BCE,” by Catharine Lorber
June 18: “For the Freedom of Zion: The Great Revolt of Jews against Romans, 66-74 CE,” by Guy Rogers

BibleStock has just released two new videos on their Coaching for Bible Teachers page. One is on the Gospels and connected to the 50-day reading plan on YouVersion and the other focuses on the seven churches of Revelation.

New release: Do You Like to Dig? A Children’s Introduction to Biblical Archaeology, by Beth Brewer (hardcover, Kindle)

On sale on Kindle: The People in Paul’s Letters: A Compendium of Characters, by Guy Manuell ($2.99)

Now available as an ebook, and discounted to $19.95 for a short time (reg. $52.95): Matthew’s Messiah: His Jewish Life and Ministry, by William Varner and David Hegg. I contributed more than sixty photographs.

HT: Agade

Tagged Jerusalem, Lectures, Negev, Resources, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup