Antiquities Trade Archives - BiblePlaces.com

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“A team led by Israeli researcher Yoav Vaknin has developed a method to distinguish genuine clay artifacts from modern fakes by reading faint magnetic signals locked into the objects when they were fired thousands of years ago.”

A new study by UCLA professor Catherine Bonesho concludes that a copper ring once identified as Pontius Pilate’s—and then not—likely belonged to a slave involved in administrative work in Judea.

Aren Maeir visited the new excavations at Tel Qana, on the northern bank of the Yarkon River, and the Jerusalem Post published a video.

The latest Jerusalem Tracker lists “every new academic publication” that Chandler Collins “can find that is relevant for the study of historical Jerusalem,” including new books, excavation reports, articles, and book chapters.

Elon Gilad writes about another Jewish revolt, one between the Great Revolt and the Bar Kokhba Revolt, about which little is known.

Shmuel Browns, a tour guide in Israel, has begun a Substack that features his areas of interest: History & Archaeology, Hiking & Nature, Photography, and a Field Report.

Libby Backfish and Cynthia Shafer-Elliott are on the Biblical World podcast to discuss their recent book, Grounded Theology in the Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Cultural Context that Formed Ancient Israel.

The Badè Museum’s 2026–2027 online lecture series is entitled “Affordability in the Iron Age: Household, Regional, and Interregional Economies in the Levant.” The first lecture, on September 24, is by Erin Hall on “The Economy of the Northern Israelite Kingdom in the Iron Age II.”

Eric Cline asks (and answers) the questions of who the Sea Peoples were (there is no simple answer) and whether they caused the end of the Bronze Age (they have been set up as a scapegoat).

Bryan Windle reports on the top three archaeological reports for the month of August.

The latest issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes articles on a harbor town in the days of Israel’s judges, monumental tombs in the Kidron Valley, tombs in the Negev, gaps within the text of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and an advertisement for a new book (p. 65).

HT: Agade, Explorator, Paleojudaica

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Jerusalem, Judea, Lectures, Museums, Resources, Technology, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

The Temple Mount Sifting Project writes about the research into the reconstruction of the temple courts’ colorful geometric floor patterns, including the release of a couple of new digital reconstructions of the Temple Mount.

The rabbi of the Western Wall is demanding the Israel Museum return the Temple Mount stone inscribed “to the place of trumpeting.”

An archaeological project to cultivate ancient varieties of grapes at Avdat has begun to bear fruit.

“Hidden beneath a thick canopy in the western Galilee, Khirbet Tzonam, once a Byzantine town, has amazing stone arches, courtyards and ruins – and still feels like a discovery.” (Haaretz subscription)

“The Byzantine-era church in Nahariya that had been hit by a Hezbollah rocket in April has reopened to the public.”

A couple of antiquities thieves have been indicted after they were caught collecting artifacts at Horvat Hadarim near Tel Dor.

Bible Mapper Atlas has created a new poster map of the land of Israel during the New Testament. It is available in high-resolution for free.

Titus Kennedy is on Digging for Truth to discuss archaeology and the people of the Bible.

On the Biblical World podcast, Paul Anderson discusses the extensive archaeological evidence that supports the historicity of the Gospel of John.

The latest video from Expedition Bible looks at five of the most significant evidences for the enduring name of God.

Marek Dospěl provides an overview of the Gezer Calendar.

New release: Judeans in the Land of the Nile. Papers on Achaemenid Egypt, Elephantine, and the Hebrew Bible Presented in Copenhagen, August 19–20, 2024, edited by Kacper Ziemba and Frederik Poulsen (Münster, 75 EUR)

Available for pre-order on Logos: Jerusalem: The Temple Mount, by Leen and Kathleen Ritmeyer (Carta, $13)

Yuval Goren, archaeology professor at Ben Gurion University in the Negev, died recently.

Keith Schoville, longtime professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, died at the age of 98. Gordon Govier writes about their partnership on The Book & The Spade.

Daniel Sivan, longtime professor at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, died last week.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Explorator, Paleojudaica

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Galilee, Jerusalem, Negev, Resources, Sad News, Technology, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

One thousand female figurines have been found in Jerusalem, but until now no such mold has been discovered in the city. Archaeologists found one when sifting soil from the Kishle excavation south of the Tower of David Museum. Lauren K. McCormick gives more background on Judean Pillar Figurines, including some explanations for why so few molds have been found in Israel.

“A municipal employee searching for lost jewelry on the beach in Ashdod instead uncovered a rare 2,500-year-old coin from ancient Cyprus, which archaeologists say is the first of its kind ever found in Israel.”

A raid of a home of an antiquities thief in the Jordan Valley recovered “approximately 400 ancient coins, pottery fragments, several arrowheads, an antique dagger, and multiple seals and rings, all dating to the Persian, Hellenistic, Hasmonean, and Byzantine eras.”

Aren Maeir visited the excavations at Tel Shadud and Hazor.

“The top three reports in biblical archaeology in July 2026 featured evidence of Judahite idolatry, remains from the Babylonian destruction in Jerusalem, and the discovery of three, previously unknown Assyrian kings.”

Online lecture on Oct 6: “When Worlds Collide: Mediterranean Mercenaries and Israel’s Genesis,” by Aaron Burke (BAS Scholars Series, $10)

New release: Jewish Quarter Excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem Conducted by Nahman Avigad, 1969-1982, Volume X: Area M (The Peristyle House), by Ronny Reich (Israel Exploration Society, $111)

First time for sale on Kindle: Pax: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age, by Tom Holland (Basic Books, 2023; $1.99)

SBL Press is running a $5 flash sale through August 2 on three ebooks related to Phoenicia when you use code PHOENICIA:

The History and Archaeology of Phoenicia, by Hélène Sader (2019, $50)
Phoenician Aniconism in Its Mediterranean and Ancient Near Eastern Contexts, by Brian R. Doak (2015, $30)
Phoenician Inscriptions, by Robert D. Holmstedt, Aaron Schade, Philip C. Schmitz (2026; $70)

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Jezreel Valley, Jordan Rift, Lebanon, Lectures, Resources, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

The first season of excavations have begun at Ashdod. Aren Maeir visited and notes that the focus is on understanding the gate’s function, dating, and plan. Abigail Van Huss reports on her experiences as a volunteer in week 1 and week 2.

“The ‘Secrets of Huqoq’ exhibition is now featured at the Yigal Allon Center Museum at Kibbutz Ginosar. The Samson mosaic is on display along with photographs of other mosaics.

Aren Maeir gives an update on two controversial matters related to archaeological authority in Israel.

Rafi Glick proposes that two tunnels in the Judean wilderness were designed to manage flash floods and recharge local groundwater reserves.

Jo Elizabeth tells the story of how the Great Isaiah Scroll (and three others) traveled 12,000 miles on its way from a Qumran cave to a Jerusalem museum.

Homeland Security agents in Tampa seized 12,000 ancient artifacts that came from the eastern Mediterranean.

Open-access: Ancient Technologies, Methods of Production and Installations in Israel—Essays in Honor of Rafael Frankel, edited by M. Eisenberg, U. ‘Ad, and E. Ayalon (Zinman Institute of Archaeology, 2025)

New release: Researching a Rigged Game: Digital Approaches to Tracing the Illicit Trade in Cultural Objects, edited by Emiline Smith and Summer Austin (Springer Nature, open-access)

New release: Thinking, Speaking and Representing Animals in Western Asia, edited by Laura Battini (Archaeopress, £16-55)

The latest issue of Tel Aviv includes a few open-access articles.

The schedule is online for this past week’s “Bringing Ancient Greek and Hebrew Literature into Conversation: An International Conference.”

Kiersten Neumann, ISAC Museum Curator, ISAC Research Associate, and Lecturer in Department of Art History, delivered this year’s commencement address for her alma mater, the Department of Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures at the University of California, Berkeley.

HT: Agade, Wayne Stiles, Explorator, Paleojudaica

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Dead Sea Scrolls, Excavations, Israel's Coast, Judah, Lectures, Museums, Resources, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

Archaeologists found two well-preserved marble busts from the Roman era in a Byzantine winepress near the coastal town of Binyamina.

Ariel David writes about the recently published mother-of-pearl seal found at Tel Hadid. Zev Stub reports on the artifact for The Times of Israel.

Avraham Faust has proposed that a massive cultic stone (massebah) at Tel ‘Eton was toppled as part of Hezekiah’s reforms.

Abigail Van Huss reports on the final week of excavations this year at Shiloh.

Lauren K. McCormick writes about the 1st-century synagogue at Tel Rekhesh in Galilee.

This week’s Jerusalem Tracker identifies the latest blog posts, digital resources, developments, and upcoming events.

David Begoun describes his first visit to see the Madaba Map.

Clinton Moyer gives an overview of Lawrence H. Schiffman’s BAR article on the temple in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The second international “Archaeology and Site Conservation in Judea and Samaria” conference was more controversial than the first one.

Conference at the Albright on July 7-9: “The Eleventh Century CE: Archaeology and History: An International Conference.” Register here.

On the Biblical World podcast, Jason Borges talks with Chris McKinny about his book, Christian Life in the Greco-Roman City.

On Digging for Truth, Ted Wright discusses ancient creation myths.

Following the death of a US citizen, his family returned to Egypt “a granite sphinx head, a bronze hippopotamus figurine, a double bronze statue of a king, and a bronze statue of the Egyptian deity Sobek.”

“The Israeli government on Tuesday approved designating Route 60 — the highway stretching from Nazareth in the north to Beersheba in the south and passing through some of the most significant sites in history—as the ‘Biblical Highway.’” This includes the ridge route known to students as the “Road of the Patriarchs.” When looking for more information, I found a 2023 movie entitled “Route 60: The Biblical Highway.” It’s curious to me that the trailer never once shows any part of the ancient route.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Dead Sea Scrolls, Discoveries, Egypt, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Jordan, Judah, Lectures, Samaria, Shephelah, Turkey, 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