“After centuries beneath the waves, 22 massive stone blocks from the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria have been recovered from the seafloor, marking a major step in efforts to digitally reconstruct one of the Seven Wonders of the World.”

Excavations in Egypt’s Nile Delta have revealed ancient Egyptian multistory ‘tower’ houses, a ceremonial building dedicated to the goddess Wadjet, a granary and several stunning artifacts.”

A researcher believes he has discovered two ancient inscriptions reading “this is from Moses” carved into the rock walls of Serabit el-Khadim, a mining site in the Sinai Peninsula. The underlying article is here.

“The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has strongly reaffirmed a strict ban on the export of archaeological objects.”

In the aftermath of the recent struggle with the Egyptian government over the status of St. Catherine’s Monastery, a group of monks have reportedly voted to remove the 90-year-old archbishop.

The National Museums Scotland website has a profile of Alexander Henry Rhind, the first experienced archaeologist to excavate in Egypt.

Max Miller recreated mersu from a 4,000-year-old receipt (24 min).

Bryan Windle is beginning a new series on “Letters from the Biblical World,” beginning with a primer on the Amarna Letters and how they relate to the Bible.

Zoom lecture on Aug 5: “Egypt and the Bible: The Outstretched Arm of the LORD,” by Oliver Hersey. (Registration required)

New release: The Animal Mummies of the Museo Egizio, Turin, by Salima Ikram, Sara Aicardi, and Federica Facchetti (open access)

New release: Visualizing Egypt: European Travel, Book Publishing, and the Commercialization of the Middle East in the Nineteenth Century, by Paulina Banas (AUC Press, $70; Amazon)

Now online: Ancient Egyptian Art at the Art Institute of Chicago, by Emily Teeter and Ashley F. Arico

Several years after its secretive restoration, the traditional tomb of the prophet Nahum in northern Iraq is attracting Jewish pilgrimage.

New release: Assyria and the West: A Fresh Look at the Unshakeable Pillars of Late Bronze and Iron Age Chronology in the Eastern Mediterranean World, edited by Pieter van der Veen and Ronald Wallenfels (Archaeopress, £90; open access)

New release: Assur 2024: Continuing the excavations in the New Town and other research across the site = Exploring Assur — Volume 2, edited by Karen Radner and Andrea Squitieri (PeWe-Verlag, €59, open-access)

Schweich Lectures on Biblical Archaeology at The British Academy on Nov 4-6: “Assyria in the 7th Century BC,” by Karen Radner

HT: Agade, Explorator, Alexander Schick

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A new study attempts to understand why Canaanites buried lamps and bowls under their homes. It argues that the custom is related to the Egyptian presence in the land. The underlying journal article is here.

Yoav Vaknin explains how scholars date archaeological material from the Iron Age, including the use of pottery, radiocarbon dating, and archaeomagnetism.

“The Israel Antiquities Authority has announced the opening of its new exhibit detailing the October 7 massacre from the perspective of archeologists who assisted in bringing closure after the attack.”

Nathan Steinmeyer has written short pieces describing the geographical regions of the Arava and the Jezreel Valley.

James Riley Strange gives a tour of Jesus’s hometown of Nazareth.

Shmuel Munitz writes about the gymnasium and nude wrestling in Hellenistic Jerusalem.

The latest issue of ‘Atiqot is themed “The Archaeology of Death,” and includes articles related to Jerusalem, the cave of Salome, the Philistines, and much more.

The latest volume of the Israel Exploration Journal has been released, and title and abstracts can be read here.

Conference on Jerusalem on August 7: “Ancient Stone Quarries in the Southern Levant,” organized by the Israel Antiquities Authority, Tel Aviv University, the Geological Survey of Israel, Ben-Gurion University, and Ashkelon Academic College. Registration is here. (I haven’t found an English version of the conference program online yet.)

Jerusalem University College has a number of short-term programs in the coming year, including Pastor and Parishoner, Historical and Geographical Settings of the Bible, and Jesus and His Times. 

Andy Cook (Experience Israel Now) is leading a physically rigorous tour of Israel for those in full-time ministry in May.

Christianity Today has an article about how war interrupted many, but not all, of the summer excavations in Israel and Jordan. Gordon Govier has also recorded a program on the same subject with Jamie Fraser for The Book and the Spade.

“Located in south-western Jordan, Sela is also characterised by a hundred of cisterns, water reservoirs, both perforated or carved into the sandstone, presumably filled with rainwater through surface channels incised in the rock.”

Scientific Reports has retracted a 2021 article that argued that a cosmic airburst caused the destruction of Tall el-Hammam.

“Although the urbanization of Canaan in the Early Bronze Age (c. 3300–2000 BCE) has long been established in scholarship, recent excavations in Saudi Arabia have demonstrated that a similar process was occurring throughout northwestern Arabia.”

“The website onomasticon.net has been updated to include newly published personal names from the Iron Age II Southern Levant, bringing the total to 1,081 entries.”

New release: Fertile Crossroads: Elites and Exchange in the Southern Levant’s Early Iron Age, by Sarah Malena (Equinox, $115)

Yigal Bin-Nun raises questions about the authenticity of the Mesha Stele.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Joseph Lauer, Explorator, Gordon Dickson

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A clay seal impression inscribed with a name mentioned in the books of Kings and Chronicles was discovered by the Temple Mount Sifting Project. It is possible, but not certain, that this is the same individual who served in King Josiah’s administration.

“A bronze coin minted in the fourth year of the Jewish Great Revolt against the Romans has been uncovered near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.” The story explains the differences between Year Four coins and those of earlier years.

An exquisite golden ring and a pair of earrings dating to the Roman period (1st-3rd centuries CE) have recently been unearthed during archaeological excavations at the Sussita (Hippos) National Park.”

“A team of archaeologists has made a groundbreaking discovery in Israel, uncovering the remains of four donkeys that were ritually sacrificed over 4,500 years ago.” The underlying journal article is here.

The excavations of Shiloh believe they have found a multi-chambered gate complex where Eli died.

“Israeli researchers have harvested 1,500-year-old Byzantine-era grape varieties from a restored vineyard in the Negev Desert, part of an effort to recreate a renowned ancient wine that was once exported throughout Europe.” The underlying journal article is here.

“A rare manufacturing workshop for Canaanite blades — distinct flint tools primarily used for agricultural tasks — has been uncovered at Nahal Qomem, near the southern Israel city of Kiryat Gat.”

The archaeologist excavating Tel Azekah believes that Micah’s hometown of Moreshet Gat was Azekah and that we should understand the book of Micah very differently. The Haaretz article notes some of the problems with the proposal.

Israel’s Good Name reports on his outing to lookouts in western Samaria.

Craig Evans is on Digging for Truth to discuss Jesus and the 10th Roman Legion with relation to Mark 5.

Bryan Windle surveys the top three reports in biblical archaeology in the month of June.

Jerusalem Seminary has announced its full lineup of online courses for the fall and spring semesters.

Andy Cook has released a new BibleStock coaching video on the Jordan River. His goal is to help pastors and Bible teachers to use videos to help their audiences, and he explores how “place” and “story” are always connected.

BibleMapper has created an audio-visual reading of Joshua 18, visually walking the read through the tribal territory of Benjamin.

A Persian leopard at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo killed a zooworker yesterday.

Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the month of Av, begins tonight. This article explains the day’s significance.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Joseph Lauer, Explorator

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“Archaeologists have discovered ancient mosaics and detailed floor decorations during ongoing excavations in the ancient Greek city of Olympos (Greek: Ὄλυμπος) in modern-day Antalya, Turkey.”

“Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a rare Greco-Roman library in the ancient Greek city of Stratonikeia (Greek: Στρατoνικεια) in southwest Turkey, revealing new insights into the architectural and cultural legacy of one of antiquity’s largest marble cities.” By library, they mean the building, not the books/scrolls.

Jason Borges “describes the Roman road section from Antioch to Lystra, for people seeking to travel the route and explore extant remains along the Via Sebaste extension.” The article gives 11 features on the route and notes that excavations began at Lystra this year and the tell is fenced off.

Owen Jarus asks how Rameses II died and what happened when he did.

New release: The House of the Satrap: The Making of the Ancient Persian Empire, by Rhyne King (University of California Press, 334 pages, $95; Amazon)

To be released on July 8: Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-creating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations, by Sam Kean (Little, Brown and Company, 464 pages, $33)

Historie & Civilisations has produced a 50-minute documentary about “Gerasa: Rome’s Forgotten City in the Jordanian Hills.”

Bryan Windle has written and illustrated an archaeological biography for Darius the Persian (the one mentioned in Nehemiah 12:22).

There will be no roundups in the month of July.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Explorator

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Four rare bronze discs shaped like lion heads have been uncovered in a 1,900-year-old grave in central Israel.” The underlying journal article is here.

A nearly two-mile-long tunnel in the aqueduct system feeding Solomon’s Pools is longer than any other known in the Roman empire. The underlying journal article by David Deming provides much more information about the aqueducts and water supply of ancient Jerusalem.

Archaeologists working at Tel Dan have discovered evidence for ritual bathing in a temple reconstructed after the Seleucid conquest.

The Jerusalem Post has a story about Shiloh’s excavation team being evacuated when the war began. The Appalachian News-Express has a similar story about one of the participants.

Gordon Govier interviews Scott Stripling about the Shiloh excavations and the beginning of the war.

“Iranian cyber activists hacked the X/Twitter account of the Israel Antiquities Authority early on Sunday morning.”

Writing for The Times of Israel, archaeologist Aren Maeir considers the history of military confrontations between Persia and the West and suggests that “history has always been and will always be deceptive and fickle, and it is wise to exercise extreme caution before pretending to explain to the public what was and what will be.”

The Jerusalem Post runs a piece on the Cyrus Cylinder and its significance for Persian-Jewish relations.

Online lecture on July 17: “Reminiscences of the Masada Dig, 1963-5: Yigael Yadin and the British Connection,” by Tessa Rajak

New release: Bring Them into the Land: Studies in Honor of R. Steven Notley, edited by Jeffrey P. Arroyo Garcia, Daniel Machiela, Chad Pierce and Benjamin Wold (Wipf & Stock, 550 pages, $68; Kindle: $10)

One of the most potentially valuable tools I’ve used in AI recently is NotebookLM, and the NY Times explores how it can be used by historians.

There will be no roundups in the month of July.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Explorator

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The Israel Antiquities Authority: “To the best of our knowledge, no damage has been caused thus far to archaeological artifacts under the responsibility of the Israel Antiquities Authority, and no reports have been received regarding damage to exhibits in museums.” Some precautions have been taken.

The opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum will be delayed until later in the year due to the Israel-Iran war.

The Garden of Hercules in Pompeii has been restored and reopened to the public following “the planting of 800 ancient roses, 1,200 violets, 1,000 ruscus plants, cherry trees, vines, and quince trees.”

A team of researchers is working to recreate Egyptian blue, and they created 12 different recipes for the endeavor.

Officials in Rome have unveiled a new piazza around the Mausoleum of Augustus.

Looting and trafficking of ancient artifacts has increased in Syria since the fall of the government.

Bible History Daily asked a few scholars for their perspective on a new study dating the Dead Sea Scrolls earlier than previously believed. Rollston, for example, knows that the calibrated dates are in error since we know that Daniel 8-11 cannot be dated to earlier than the events occurred in 167 BC.

New website: Iron Age Hebrew Ostraca in the Silicon Age – Computerized Paleography – “our research in the last few years has focused on solving some problems, avoiding others and shedding new light on literacy in biblical Israel and Judah through statistical analysis.”

Conference on June 25-27: “Exodus in Transdisciplinary Perspective,” at UC San Diego, with a YouTube livestream.

New from Preserving Bible Times: Encounters with Jesus, by Doug Greenwold, in audiobook format

Preston Sprinkle invited me on to his Theology in the Raw podcast to talk about archaeology and the Bible, including Jericho, David, and Hezekiah’s Tunnel (YouTube, Apple, Spotify). He kicked it off by recalling comments I wrote on his archaeology paper 25 years ago.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Alexander Schick, Explorator

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