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Şanlıurfa Archeology and Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum complex, the largest museum in Turkey, has reopened after last year’s flood disaster.

A new study claims that the King Prism of Sennacherib was sold illegally to the British Museum.

A 12-year-old student build a small-scale version of Archimedes’s “death ray,” and he concluded that it would have worked.

The Greek Reporter explores the connection of the Greek alphabet to Egyptian hieroglyphs.

The “Digital Coin Cabinet of the University of Trier” includes 500 coins, mostly from the Roman era, available for free use in teaching and publications.

Oxford “is offering a free, online semi-intensive course in Phoenician, which will take place on 8-13 April 2024.”

The new electronic Babylonian Library is the topic of discussion in the latest episode of Thin End of the Wedge.

Sargon II is the subject of the latest archaeological biography by Bryan Windle.

New release: Was There a Cult of El in Ancient Canaan? Essays on Ugaritic Religion and Language, by David Toshio Tsumura (Mohr Siebeck, €129).

Now on Academia: Tom Lee’s PhD dissertation “Nabonidus: The King of Babylon (556-539),” completed in 1990 under W.G. Lambert

Open access: On the Way in Upper Mesopotamia. Travels, Routes and Environment as a Basis for the Reconstruction of Historical Geography, edited by Adelheid Otto and Nele Ziegler (Gladbeck, 2023)

Jan Assmann died this week.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken

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The Temple Mount Sifting Project has discovered some very rare Byzantine coin weights, suggesting that there was more activity on the Temple Mount in the Byzantine period than usually assumed. Perhaps there was even a church located there.

“Almost a century after the British archaeologist Alan Rowe excavated Gezer, Dr. Samuel Wolff published a final report on the site, including on three vessels whose use defies interpretation.”

“The Forma Urbis Museum recently unveiled an exhibition featuring an ancient marble map of Rome dating back to 203-211 AD.”

Nathan Steinmeyer provides a 6-minute video tour of Beth Shean in the latest episode in BAS’s OnSite series.

Bible History Daily has a piece introducing an article in BAR about the Deborah and Jael mosaics discovered in the Huqoq synagogue.

A new study suggests that Roman wine tasted spicy.

“After years of criticism over its collecting practices, Emory University’s Michael C. Carlos Museum is repatriating to Greece three antiquities that are widely regarded to have been looted.” Reading the article requires a free account.

Hybrid lecture on Feb 22 at the Albright: “The Archaeology of Olive Oil: Excavating a Bronze Age Olive Oil ‘Factory’ in Jordan,” by Jamie Fraser

Biblical Israel Ministry and Tours has begun a new teaching series on the “Life of Christ in Context.” The first episode is an overview of the whole.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken

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Archaeologists discovered a rare silver coin from the Persian period during excavations as part of a highway-expansion project in the hills southwest of Jerusalem.

Ariel David, writing for Haaretz, reports that underground hiding places in Israel have “a more complex history than previously thought.”

A recent article by Nahshon Szanton in ‘Atiqot argues that the small pool at the outlet of Hezekiah’s Tunnel is the true Pool of Siloam and the more recently excavated large reservoir (Birkat el-Hamra) is what Josephus called “Solomon’s Pool.” Leen Ritmeyer (mostly) agrees, and he is not surprised that they have not discovered more steps in the recent excavations.

The National Library of Israel received the world’s largest collection of Yemenite Jewish manuscripts as a donation.

The latest issue of Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology focuses on “Spatial Digital Archaeology and History of Israel.”

Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer discuss the top 10 archaeological discoveries in 2023 in the first of a three-part series in the Biblical World podcast. Part 2 is here.

A man was arrested while carrying out an illegal excavation at the site of Philippi.

New release: An Ancient Mesopotamian Herbal, by Barbara Böck, Shahina A. Ghazanfar, Mark Nesbit (Surrey Kew, £30). “Combining methods from the humanities and science, the authors provide a concise overview of ancient Mesopotamian culture and herbal lore, along with new identifications of Assyrian and Babylonian herbal medicines, focusing on 25 case studies.”

Zoom event on Jan 31: “The Genizah Research Unit at Cambridge University Library would like to invite you to experience up close the more than 200,000 fragments of the Cairo Genizah Collection.”

On the latest episode of Digging for Truth, Bryan Windle explores the archaeological evidence for King Jehoiachin.

Bryan Windle has written an archaeological biography for King Belshazzar.

There are 42 things you are not allowed to do on the dig.

HT: Agade, Andy Cook, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis

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A monumental tomb from the Roman era has been excavated at the Apollo Smintheus Sanctuary in western Turkey.

The head of Dionysus was discovered in Cyrene following a major storm.

Greece has reopened to tourists the palace where Alexander the Great was crowned.

Nathan Steinmeyer provides a list of the top ten biblical archaeology stories of 2023, in no particular order.

Jessica Nitschke lists ten exciting discoveries in Near Eastern archaeology last year.

Paleojudaica lists the top ten stories for 2023.

Hurriyet Daily News identifies the top 10 archaeological discoveries in Turkey in 2023.

The Greek Herald names the top four Greek archaeological discoveries of the year, one of which is in Jerusalem.

Gizmodo surveys the best archaeological discoveries from around the world.

“The Lexicon of Greek Personal Names (LGPN) traces every bearer of every name, drawing on a huge variety of evidence, from personal tombstones, dedications, works of art, to civic decrees, treaties, citizen-lists, artefacts, graffiti etc.: in other words, from all Greek literary sources, documentary sources (inscriptions and papyri), coins, and artefacts.”

“30 antiquities, with a collective value of $3.7 million, were returned to Greece” by the Manhattan District Attorney.

Jonathan Robie explains how artificial intelligence is beneficial in creating Bible translations.

Zoom lecture on Jan 23: “Scrolls and Scribes: How Well has the Bible Survived?,” by Hugh Williamson

Walking The Text has just released its “Proclamations of Christmas Study Guide.”

Leon Mauldin shares photos of the Arch of Constantine, with a close-up of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Gordon Dickson

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The following is a “roundup of roundups.” Surveying more than 100 roundup posts written over the year, I have created a series of lists for what I consider to be most significant, beginning with the Top 10 Discoveries related to biblical archaeology. Our survey also recalls the most controversial stories of the year and other noteworthy reports from Jerusalem, Israel, and the broader biblical world. We have a section of top stories related to tourism, and for the first time, I am including a section of stories related to the antiquities trade and vandalism. As usual, we round up the best print and digital resources noted here over the year, as well as the deaths of influential figures. At the end, you can find links to other top 10 lists.

Top 10 Discoveries of 2023

1. A deep rock-hewn moat on the northern side of Jerusalem’s City of David dates to approximately the reign of King Joash (ca. 800 BC) and includes two sets of large channels, the purpose of which is yet unknown. Archaeologists also discovered a handprint carved into the stone.

2. Archaeologists excavating Tel Shimron in Galilee discovered a massive Middle Bronze monument that was 15 feet tall and covered the entire acropolis. Soon after its construction, it was filled in with gravel, thus preserving it for nearly 4,000 years.

3. Four Roman swords were discovered in a cave near En Gedi. Three are spatha swords, and all were likely stolen from Roman soldiers by Jewish rebels during the Bar Kochba revolt. The swords were discovered incidentally while doing multispectral imaging on a 7th-century BC inscription in the cave. The new reading of the inscription may include the word “salt.”

4. Archaeologists working on Mount Zion discovered, for the first time ever, destruction levels from the Romans and the Babylonians in the same space.

5. Excavations in front of the edicule in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher revealed the 4th century arrangement of the rotunda.

6. The 11th and final season at the Huqoq synagogue in Galilee wrapped up with the discovery of additional sections of the Samson mosaic panels along with a new mosaic section two inscriptions. The site will be developed into a tourist attraction.

7. Scientists identified, for the first time ever, ancient DNA from the bodies of Israelites who lived during the Old Testament period.

8. The oldest gate ever found in Israel was accidentally discovered near Kiryat Gat. The gate dates to about 2500 BC and has been reburied.

9. About 1,000 feet of the Upper Aqueduct bringing water to Jerusalem was discovered in a neighborhood south of the Old City. This is the longest section of this aqueduct ever discovered.

10. A recreational swimmer discovered a shipwreck that included a cargo of 44 tons of marble blocks headed to the Roman port of Ashkelon or Gaza for an elite building project.

Most Controversial Stories of 2023

Following the controversial purchase of a garden where the Pool of Siloam was located, archaeologists began work to expose the entire pool in order to open it to tourists. They found almost nothing.

Israeli archaeologists upset with ridiculous claims by Gershon Galil published an open letter.

An inscribed potsherd was discovered on the surface at Lachish, and after careful investigation and three scans, they announced it to be an authentic inscription read “Year 24 of Darius,” a reference to the Persian king who ruled over the land of Israel from 522 to 486 BC. The next day a professor reading the news report told the IAA that she had inscribed the potsherd in a demonstration to students.

The “curse tablet” from Mt. Ebal was published, but scholars are challenging its identification, date, and whether it is even inscribed at all.

Jericho was named a World Heritage Site “in Palestine.”

Noteworthy Stories from Jerusalem

A new study suggested that a 10th-century BC inscription discovered near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem may provide a link with the Queen of Sheba’s visit to Solomon. Or not.

The oldest ceramic rooftiles discovered in Israel date to the 2nd century BC and were found in the Givati Parking Lot excavations in the City of David.

A rare gold bead was discovered by a teenage volunteer in excavations on the “Pilgrimage Road” leading from the City of David to the Temple Mount.

A 1st-century receipt was discovered in a 19th century excavation tunnel in Jerusalem.

Archaeologists discovered a Second Temple period stonemason’s workshop near Jerusalem.

Israeli scientists were mapping the movement of subatomic particles in order to map underground Jerusalem.

Noteworthy Stories from Israel

An excavation in Ashkelon revealed a 6,000-year-old copper fishing hook that may have been used for catching sharks.

Israeli archaeologists discovered the oldest hoards of silver, attesting to its use as currency some centuries earlier than previously thought.

Archaeologists discovered evidence of brain surgery in two brothers buried under a Late Bronze building in Megiddo.

A study claims that five sites in Judah demonstrate that Judah was expanding into the Shephelah already in the 10th century.

A large Israelite purple dye factory was discovered at Tel Shikmona near Haifa. This supplied the prestigious color to Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem from about 850 to 750 BC.

Israeli archaeologists excavated a large tomb with dozens of skeletons in a remote area in the Negev desert.

A Hellenistic burial cave in Jerusalem contained the remains of a young female courtesan along with a well-preserved bronze mirror.

Archaeologists working at Megiddo identified a small amphitheater that was used for “brutal combat training exercises.”

More than 120 tombs, including two rare lead sarcophagi, were discovered in the northern Gaza Strip.

New excavations at Hyrcania in the Judean wilderness revealed an inscription in Greek adapted from Psalm 86.

Excavations at el-Araj, possibly biblical Bethsaida, uncovered a 5th-century Byzantine basilica that was built over a “venerated wall” that did not belong to Peter’s house.

A 6th-century Byzantine church with beautiful mosaics was uncovered in Jericho.

Researchers created an AI program to translate cuneiform tablets written in Akkadian into English instantaneously.

Other Noteworthy Stories

The earthquake in southeast Turkey and northern Syria caused massive loss of life and devastation to property and antiquities. Antakya, ancient Antioch on the Orontes, was largely destroyed. The Gaziantep Castle and the citadel of Aleppo also sustained significant damage. Gobekli Tepe and Arslantepe Mound suffered little or no damage in the recent earthquake in southern Turkey.

An Iron Age temple in Khirbet Al Mudayna, possibly biblical Jahaz, was discovered with altars, bones, and animal figurines.

Two tablets written at least partially in the Amorite language prove that the language existed.

Part of an ancient gateway believed to have been constructed by Cyrus the Great was discovered near Persepolis.

Hundreds of 5,000-year old wine jars were discovered in the tomb of an influential woman in the royal court during the First Dynasty.

New rooms were discovered in the Sahura Pyramid.

Ruins of Nero’s theater were discovered in Rome.

The discoveries in Pompeii just kept coming, including a servant’s quarters in the house of a rich person, political graffiti, a fresco that looks like a pizza, a bakery that housed slaves, and more.

The oldest nearly complete Hebrew Bible, dating to approximately AD 900, was sold by Sotheby’s for $38.1 million. The Codex Sassoon is now on display at the ANU Museum in Tel Aviv. It has previously been digitized, is in the public domain, and is available online.

Top Stories Related to Tourism in Israel

The Israeli government approved spending more than $100 million in the next five years on various projects in Jerusalem, including on excavations in the Western Wall Tunnels and the City of David National Park.

A pedestrian suspension bridge crossing the Hinnom Valley was built (YouTube).

A seven-mile stretch of the Jordan River south of the Sea of Galilee was cleaned and developed for tourism.

An area in Caesarea underneath Herod’s palace is being billed as the prison of Paul.

Sussita National Park was opened to the public. The site, also known as Hippos, overlooks the Sea of Galilee on its eastern side.

The Israeli government approved an $8 million budget to restore and protect the ancient capital city of Samaria.

Among the sites opened this year after a period of renovation:

Top Stories Related to Tourism Outside Israel

Crowds at the Acropolis of Athens led to crowd control measures for the first time ever.

Italian authorities are working to reduce congestion at Pompeii. They are also installing solar panels at the site that look like terracotta tiles.

Several smaller museums were replaced by a new Izmir Museum in biblical Smyrna.

The James Ossuary went on display in the US for the first time ever.

Among the sites re-opened this year after renovation:

Top Stories Related to the Antiquities Trade and Vandalism

The Israel Antiquities Authority announced a two-week amnesty campaign, and thousands of people turned in antiquities.

The most expensive coin ever sold at auction was sold using false provenance and the owner of the auction house has been arrested.

A former director of the Citadel Museum in Amman, Jordan, was convicted of stealing 6,000 ancient coins and replacing them with forgeries.

The US returned to Lebanon a dozen looted artifacts valued at $9 million, including three from the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

An American attacked several ancient Roman statues in the Israel Museum that he considered to be “blasphemous” and “in violation of the Torah.” He was acquitted of a crime, but sent to involuntary hospitalization.

The Protestant Cemetery on Mount Zion was vandalized, damaging several grave markers including that of Bishop Gobat.

Roman sarcophagi at Tel Kedesh were vandalized. Criminals apparently believed that Deborah the prophetess’s tomb is located there.

Notable Resources of 2023: Books

14 Fresh Ways to Enjoy the Bible, by James F. Coakley(Moody, 208 pages; $15)

Ancient Persia and the Book of Esther: Achaemenid Court Culture in the Hebrew Bible, by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Bloomsbury, 280 pages, $31; Amazon)

Ancient Synagogues Revealed 1981-2022, edited by Lee I. Levine, Zeev Weiss, and Uzi Leibner (Israel Exploration Society, 300₪)

Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire, by Eckart Frahm (Basic Books, 528 pages, $35; Amazon).

Discovering the Bible inside your Bible: The Gospel of John, by Andy Cook (Experience Israel Now, 208 pages, $20)

Excavating the Land of Jesus, by James Riley Strange (Eerdmans, $30)

Hazor: Canaanite Metropolis, Israelite City, by Amnon Ben-Tor, expanded edition (Israel Exploration Society, 180₪)

The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East: Volume IV: The Age of Assyria, edited by Karen Radner, Nadine Moeller, and D. T. Potts (Oxford, 1288 pages, $150; Amazon)

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Science, Engineering and Technology, by Michael Denis Higgins (Oxford Academic, 360 pages, $35; Amazon)

A set of three Gateways from Biblical Backgrounds: Bible in its Land: The Land Between Concept; Bible in its Time: An Overview of 4000 Years; Bible in its Time: 500 Years of Israelite Kings

Notable Resources of 2023: Digital Resources

The New York Public Library made available Charles W. Wilson’s Ordnance Survey of Jerusalem (1865).

“Lessons from the Land: The Kings” is the latest series produced by Appian Media. The 13 episodes are about 5 minutes each.

An impressive video of a 3D model of Herod’s Temple was released by Bible Scenes. A second video tours 50 different areas of the virtual 3D model of Herod’s Temple Mount.

Reading the Bible Lands is a new Bible-reading program developed by Wayne Stiles and enriched by his excellent videos, photos, devotionals, and community.

Our team here at BiblePlaces.com created and released two new volumes in the Photo Companion to the Bible series: Ezra and Nehemiah.

Losses This Year

Yehoshua Ben-Arieh, professor of geography at The Hebrew University

Amnon Ben-Tor, professor of archaeology at The Hebrew University and director of excavations at Hazor

Weston Fields, managing director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation

Rafael Frankel, retired archaeologist from the University of Haifa

Dennis E. Groh, professor of humanities and archaeology at Illinois Wesleyan University

Heinz-Wolfgang Kuhn, one of the first to engage with the archaeological research of el-Araj

Amélie Kuhrt, professor of ancient Near Eastern history at University College London

Jaromir Malek, Egyptologist and creator of the Tutankhamun Archive

Robert D. Miller, professor of Old Testament at The Catholic University of America

Ilan Sharon, co-director of the excavations at Tel Dor

Jonathan Tubb, archaeologist and curator at the British Museum

Other Top 10 Lists

Gordon Govier writes about the top 10 stories in biblical archaeology for Christianity Today (subscription required).

Bryan Windle has compiled his top 10 discoveries in biblical archaeology of 2023.

Haaretz identifies top archaeology stories in 2023, with no attempt to rank them. They also link to top stories in world archaeology this year.

National Geographic listed “seven of the most exciting archaeological discoveries in 2023,” placing the Judean desert swords in the top spot. (The Times of Israel has an article about the story, if the paywall prevents access.)

Previous Years

You can revisit the top stories of previous years with these links:

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A couple of 12-year-old boys hiking in the hills west of Jerusalem discovered a coin from the time of Herod Agrippa I.

An analysis of fingerprints on Late Bronze pottery discovered at Tel Burna suggests that the potters were mostly young females.

Haaretz has a story about the miniature Jeroboam seal impression that a new study claims is genuine. (It was real before it was fake before it was real again.) Some, I suspect, may grow only more suspicious of the authentication methods in use. BHD has a brief response from Christopher Rollston.

Lawrence Schiffman discusses the recent research that supports the existence of a centralized government during the time of David and Solomon.

Biblical Archaeology Society has released its 2024 digs list, featuring 20 excavations mostly in Israel and Jordan. They do us a great service by compiling this list every year. They are also offering $2,000 dig scholarships.

David Moster has created a video telling the story of Ruth using beautiful images from the American Colony photo collection.

Approaching Jerusalem looks back at three topographical disagreements in the middle of the 19th century between Edward Robinson and George Williams, including the route of the Second Wall.

Jewish Press has a rare article on the important biblical site of Beth Horon. I don’t think I was aware of the lookout point that he mentions.

Leon Mauldin shares a couple of aerial photos of Joppa.

The 125th anniversary celebration of the German Protestant Institute for Archaeology has been rescheduled to March 4-7.

Israeli guide Dan Mossek is guest on the GTI Tours podcast discussing Hanukkah and Jesus’s declaration that he is the light of the world.

John DeLancey has posted a 1-minute non-narrated video walking into the Chapel of the Shepherds at Shepherds’ Field in Beit Sahour.

Nathan Steinmeyer looks at why it is so difficult to determine what the star of Bethlehem was.

Bryan Windle lists the top ten archaeological discoveries related to Christmas. They are quite interesting, and I was unaware of a couple of them.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Gordon Dickson, Arne Halbakken, Paleojudaica

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