Weekend Roundup

Archaeologists have unearthed a Byzantine church with colorful mosaic floors at Nitzana (Nessana) in the Negev.

A lead sling bullet with the Greek word for “learn” was discovered in excavations at Hippos (Susita). The inscription “represents local sarcastic humor on the part of the city’s defenders, who wished to teach their enemies a lesson with a wink – ‘Learn your lesson!’” The underlying journal article is here.

Lauren K. McCormick writes about Byzantine baptismal halls at Hippos.

Rujm el-Hiri, the structure in the Golan Heights with concentric rings, is not unique, as scientists have identified 28 large circular structures within a 16-mile radius of the site.

“Archaeologists working off the coast of Libya have identified an underwater ‘ship graveyard’ near the ancient Greek city of Ptolemais.”

“Researchers are painstakingly reconstructing the oldest-known map of the night sky – previously thought lost forever – by X-raying parchment that contains the star catalog hidden beneath other text.”

“Amid rocket sirens and interceptions, two antiquities thieves were apprehended at the Horvat Hermesh site, which houses the remains of an ancient settlement from the Roman and Byzantine periods.”

“U.S. border officials in Philadelphia have seized a cache of 4,000-year-old Bronze Age swords and arrowheads, believed to be looted antiquities from Iran.”

The British Museum has released a video in the Curators’ Corner series about a monumental structure in Girsu that turned out to be the oldest bridge in the world.

The Greek City Times makes an argument for calling them the “Parthenon Sculptures,” not the “Parthenon Marbles.”

Military strikes have caused damage to historic sites in Isfahan, Iran.

“Lebanon has placed blue shields on 34 archaeological sites across the country to protect them during the ongoing war.”

ASOR webinar on March 25: “Lions, Rams, and Kings: Interpreting Animals at Persepolis,” by Neville McFerrin

BAS online course in August: “Historically Confirmed Figures in the Hebrew Bible,” by Lawrence Mykytiuk ($189)

BAS online class in October: “Ancient Texts and Scribes,” taught by Alice Mandell

The latest volume of Israel Museum Studies in Archaeology is now online.

On Digging for Truth, Bryan Windle discusses the “problems with using archaeological discoveries to interpret Scripture, instead of the other way around.”

HT: Agade, Explorator

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Weekend Roundup

A new study reveals that the earliest bathhouses in Pompeii were not very hygienic.

“A gang of four antiquities robbers was caught red-handed on Sunday afternoon while digging inside an ancient Roman-period burial cave near Hittin, on the edge of the Arbel Valley.”

The latest video from Expedition Bible traces the route of Abraham from Iraq through Syria, Turkey, Jordan, and Israel.

Elizabeth Shenk reports on the use of AI in dating the Dead Sea Scrolls, and she includes a number of quotations from scholars about the dating of Daniel.

Marek Dospěl provides an introduction to the Nimrud Letters.

Marta Lorenzon writes about the social meaning and functionality of mudbrick architecture. “By tracing the full chaîne opératoire — from soil selection to mixing, molding, drying, and construction — we can approach mudbrick not only as a building technology but also as a reflection of cultural practice, community identity, and human engagement with the environment.”

The NY Times posted an obituary for Gabriel Barkay (gift link).

The first guest on The Book and the Spade radio program was Gabriel Barkay, and that recording from 1984 is now online.

Israel’s Good Name writes about his travels on the outskirts of Elkana.

Chris McKinny and Amy Balogh discuss the Flood Tablet from the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on Feb 4: “Unearthing an Imperially Glorious Byzantine Church near Bet Shemesh: From Fieldwork to Virtual Reality,” by Benyamin Storchan

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on Feb 25: “Willibald Goes to Jerusalem: A Trip Through the City Then and Now,” by Christie Pavey

Releasing soon: Archaeology and the People of the Bible: Exploring the Evidence for the Historical Existence of Bible Characters, by Titus Kennedy

The Sacred Thread and the BibleProject have released the 8-day Lord’s Prayer Reading Plan on YouVersion.

Friends of ASOR Tours are giving two days of insider tours in Philadelphia in April.

“Bible Mapper is pleased to announce the launch of Bible Mapper, Jr.! The new site hosts a growing collection of resources specifically designed to help kids understand where the stories of the Bible happened and why it matters. Each map lesson includes a kid-friendly map, a Bible reading, a Life Lesson, and an article that unpacks what happened in the story and how it can help us follow God more closely.”

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Explorator

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Archaeologists working at the site of Abusir, one of the main burial grounds of the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, have uncovered an extensive temple complex dedicated to the solar deity.”

A large, well-preserved mosaic from the 4th-6th centuries AD was discovered in Antakya (biblical Antioch) during rebuilding work following the 2023 earthquake.

Workers in Rome are using lasers and spending $1 million to clean the 154-foot-tall Column of Marcus Aurelius.

Hurriyet Daily News surveys Turkey’s top 10 archaeological discoveries of 2025. Daily Sabah gives a month-by-month review of top finds.

Turkish Archaeological News surveys the major stories in the month of December, including a new maritime exhibition area opening at the Troy Museum and some rare evidence of Phoenicians in ancient Anatolia.

National Geographic writes about 2025 archaeological discoveries related to the Bible (subscription required)

PaleoJudaica has posted its top ten list for 2025.

Bryan Windle identifies the top three reports in biblical archaeology for the month of December.

Daniel Justel writes about children in the ancient (and present-day) Near East. “He recently edited a special edition volume for the journal Childhood in the Past, entitled Children in the Ancient Near East.”

“Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has made public a rare historical intelligence document concerning Thomas Edward Lawrence, widely known in the West as ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ shedding light on how British intelligence activities were perceived and monitored in the late Ottoman and early Republican periods.”

Friends of ASOR webinar on Jan 21: “Experiencing Khirbet et-Tannur: The Story of a Nabatean Temple from the Second through 21st Century,” by Sarah Wenner

Owen Jarus identifies six ancient cities archaeologists have never found, including Akkad and Al-Yahudu.

Citizens and tourists are invited to visit the Jerash Archaeological Museum, the oldest in the country of Jordan.

The palace of Pella, where Alexander the Great was born and grew up, is now open to visitors.

Tehran Times has a short illustrated article on the ancient city of Susa.

“Archaeological artifacts should not be for sale in thrift shops. But putting them in a museum is harder than it sounds.”

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

The NY Times has a well-illustrated story about the exhibits in the Egypt’s newly opened Grand Museum (gift link). The AP reports on the grand opening event.

There is no evidence that the short-lived capital of Akhetaten was abandoned because of a catastrophic plague.

A new study indicates that ancient Egypt’s gold production was much higher than previously believed.

Did the Egyptians built the Great Pyramid with a hidden pulley system?

“Egyptian authorities opened a criminal investigation after a 4,000-year-old limestone relief vanished from the Sixth-Dynasty mastaba of Khentika in the Saqqara necropolis.”

The Netherlands will return a statue of Thutmose III that was apparently stolen from Egypt during the 2011 Arab Spring.

“A tablet made in ancient Babylon around 1500 B.C.E. may be the earliest known depiction of a ghost.”

A large and intricate Roman-era mosaic has been discovered in Iznik, Turkey.

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

“The top three reports in biblical archaeology in October 2025 featured a tomb in Egypt, a necropolis in Turkey, and an inscription in Israel.”

BibleStock has released a new coaching video for Thanksgiving based on Psalm 100.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis, Explorator

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

The cargoes of three superimposed shipwrecks dating to the 11th, 9th, and 7th/6th centuries BC have been retrieved from the ancient harbor of Dor.

“Researchers excavating Yehudiya Nature Reserve in the central Golan Heights uncovered an ancient synagogue whose location had remained unknown for decades.”

Joshua N. Tilton has released a new ebook on Jaffa Gate and its Place in the History of Jerusalem ($10).

Jim Parker is interviewed about a new book to which he contributed, “The Canaanite Water System at Gezer.”

Aren Maeir tells a story about a dead cow and the cost of obeying Exodus 21:33-34.

The Jerusalem Post has a story on various archaeological finds made in Israel over the years.

NY Times: “There are good reasons to be drawn to antiquities, but also many reasons to hesitate before buying, starting with concerns about illicit trade” (gift link).

Erin Hill asks, “Are the religious practices of the northern Kingdom of Israel adopted from Phoenician elements or reflected of a broader Canaanite continuity?”

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Explorator, Ted Weis

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Iraq has uncovered the largest winged bull in Assyrian history, measuring about 6 meters tall” in the royal hall of Ashurbanipal’s palace.

After fear that the world’s oldest synagogue paintings may have been destroyed in Syria’s civil war, scholar Jill Joshowitz was thrilled to see the 3rd-century Dura-Europos paintings well-preserved in the National Museum of Damascus.

Archaeologists have discovered a “waiting bench” outside the entrance to the Villa of the Mysteries at Pompeii.

“Egyptians reacted with outrage this week after officials said that a 3,000-year-old bracelet that had belonged to an ancient pharaoh [Amenemope] was stolen from Cairo’s famed Egyptian Museum and then melted down for gold.”

“The ancient theater in Myra, one of the six most important cities of the Lycian League, is set to regain its original appearance through the reconstruction of its stage building with original stones.”

The ancient Egyptians did not use booby traps in the Giza pyramids.

Jason Borges has published an article on “The City of Philomelium and the Occasion of the Martyrdom of Polycarp.”

Registration is now open for the “Year in Review in 2025 in Biblical Archaeology” with Glenn Corbett and Chris McKinny, on December 2 ($10).

The Tel Dan Inscription is on display at the Museum of the Bible until November 3. No entrance fee is required to see this exhibit or the Megiddo Mosaic. In November, a Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit will open (for a double charge).

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Joseph Lauer, Explorator

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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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