Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists have uncovered the burial chamber of a governor’s daughter in Asyut, Egypt.

Bryan Windle explains the archaeological evidence for Pharaoh Necho II on Digging for Truth.

A professor has donated his papers describing the process of deciphering Linear B.

Cosmote Chronos is a free Apple smartphone app designed for the acropolis of Athens. “It combines the capabilities of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies with the capabilities of the 5G network to make exploring the archaeological site and learning its history immersive, realistic and fun.”

“Kiosk is a free and open source integrated iPad recording platform and browser-based data manager for field archaeology.”

Hybrid lecture on Oct 15: “1177 B.C. and After: The Survival of Civilizations,” by Eric Cline (Zoom registration)

New release: Enuma Elish: The Babylonian Epic of Creation, by Johannes Haubold, Sophus Helle, Enrique Jiménez, and Selena Wisnom (Bloomsbury, $32-$90; open access)

Randy Smith explains macellum and restaurants in the latest episode in the Life in the Roman Empire series on Walking The Text.

Jerusalem Seminary is offering a new course on “Journeying with Paul,” and the instructors explain why they are excited about it.

HT: Agade, Craig Dunning, Gordon Franz, Paleojudaica

Leave a comment

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Archaeologists working south of Jerusalem discovered a major royal administrative center from the time of Ahaz or Hezekiah. 180 inscribed jar handles provide insights into the organization of agricultural production.

Today is Yom Kippur, and Noga Ayali-Darshan explains “the scapegoat ritual and its ancient Near Eastern parallels.”

“A helmet found in the ruins of the famous Roman city wiped out by a volcano eruption a few years after the destruction of Jerusalem depicts a palm tree, a symbol of Judea.”

“An exhibition of archaeological finds from Gaza has gone on display in Geneva this week.”

Alex Winston writes about the importance of Mount Scopus throughout history.

Friends of ASOR Webinar on Oct 23: “‘And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam’ (I Sam 17:6-7): Weaponry, Weaving, and Broken Similes in the Duel between David and Goliath,” by Laura Mazow (registration is free but required)

New release: Community Archaeology in Israel/Palestine, edited by Raz Kletter, Liora Kolska Horwitz, and Emanuel Pfoh (Equinox, $55-$115)

Expedition Bible’s latest video is about Bethel. In this 25-minute video, Joel Kramer visits Burj Beitin, the location of a Byzantine church.

In the Biblical World podcast, “Chris and Kyle continue their series on the book of Judges, looking at the Ephraimite conquest of Bethel in Judges 1:22-26. They cover problems in the archaeology of Bethel, and they discuss the identity of the “Hittites” in this same passage.”

The feature-length documentary, “Following the Footsteps,” is now streaming on Amazon Prime and YouTube (free). Those who want to go deeper can take advantage of Bob Rognlien’s The Most Extraordinary Life and a video study guide (available here).

HT: Agade, Craig Dunning, Gordon Franz, Paleojudaica

Leave a comment

Weekend Roundup

A new study claims that the Romans built the siege wall and ramp at Masada in 11-16 days and the siege as a whole took not more than a few weeks. The Romans’ motivation was not ideological but economic: the holdouts were a threat to balsam production in En Gedi. The underlying journal article is available here.

Archaeologists working in Egypt have discovered the oldest astronomical observatory ever found.

“On the Italian island of Pantelleria, located between southwestern Sicily and the coast of Tunisia, a team of archaeologists . . . has discovered a ‘tesoretto’ of 27 Roman silver coins.”

An article by Kathleen Abraham explores how to recognize Hebrew names “in cuneiform garb, what they might reveal about their bearers, and some of the challenges involved in this process.”

Italy’s Via Appia (Appian Way) has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Tel Dan Inscription will be on display in Oklahoma from September 22 to November 25.

Sotheby’s is auctioning a Hebrew Bible from AD 1312, and they have created a beautiful video about it (4 min).

The W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research has opened applications for 2025-2026 fellowships and awards.

New release: The Neo-Assyrian Empire. A Handbook, by Simonetta Ponchia and Giovanni Battista Lanfranchi (De Gruyter, $182)

New release: Luxor Illustrated, Revised and Updated, with Aswan, Abu Simbel, and the Nile, by Michael Haag and Aidan Dodson (AUC Press, $25)

Mark Wilson has just finished a second updated edition of Biblical Turkey. Purchasers of previous editions can find the new material in a pdf on Mark’s academia page.

The latest episode of Biblical World podcast addresses a recent proposal about locating Sennacherib’s war camps in Judah.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Franz, Alexander Schick, Joseph Lauer

Leave a comment

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“A Roman battering ram found at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea was used during an epic battle that unfolded more than 2,200 years ago.”

“Ancient Babylonians attributed prescient meaning to celestial events, a study published this month argues, shedding fresh light on the Mesopotamian people of the second millennium BC.”

Marilyn Perkins asked experts to explain why so many Roman statues are headless.

Konstantine Panegyres explains why modern facial reconstructions are not necessarily accurate.

For part 3 of Walking The Text’s “Life in the Roman Empire,” Randall Smith talks about gladiators and beast hunts and Paul’s use of this imagery in his writing.

New release: Crossing Borders between the Domestic and the Wild: Space, Fauna, and Flora, edited by Mark J. Boda and Dalit Rom-Shiloni (Bloomsbury, $76-$84)

Available for pre-order on Logos: T&T Clark Handbook of Food in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel, edited by Janling Fu; Cynthia Shafer-Elliott; Carol Meyers ($157 but now 83% off: $26). The table of contents looks quite interesting.

Friends of ASOR webinar on Sept 18: “How to plan your funeral in ancient Assyria,” by Petra Creamer

“A stone quarry in Jerusalem, a rare Roman prison in Corinth, and a stunning First Temple-era seal were the top three reports in biblical archaeology from August 2024.”

HT: Agade, Wayne Stiles, Gordon Dickson, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis

Leave a comment

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A seal discovered south of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount depicts a winged figure in Assyrian style and is inscribed “for Yeho’ezer son of Hosh’ayahu.”

“Last week, a five-year-old child accidentally broke a rare Bronze Age clay vessel on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa, but ended up being invited back, along with his family, for a special tour of the museum.”

“Wall paintings discovered in 1,700-year-old vaulted tombs situated in the vicinity of Ashkelon’s marina are currently being made accessible to the public.”

Aaron Goel-Angot writes about the historic importance of Tel Jezreel.

Uzi Leibner does a “show and tell” presentation on-site of a Herodian cornice discovered near the Temple Mount.

Orit Peleg-Barkat and Uzi Leibner review last year’s Ophel excavations and preview this year’s (25 min).

Bible History Daily introduces Christopher Rollston’s recent article on three sensational inscriptions that are not what they were claimed to bel.

Chandler Collins’s Jerusalem Tracker has links to the latest academic articles, books, popular media, podcasts, videos, 3D models, new developments, and upcoming events related to Jerusalem.

HT: Agade, Wayne Stiles, Gordon Dickson, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis

Leave a comment

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Archaeologists believe that a collection of silver objects discovered at Megiddo nearly a hundred years ago is linked to Thutmose III’s campaign.

A decade after a Roman sword was discovered in the City of David, its missing tip has been recovered during a soil-sifting operation.

“A part of the ancient water aqueduct arch in Caesarea collapsed on Tuesday after the Caesarea Development Corporation (CDC), refused to take steps to prevent it despite the historical remains being under its jurisdiction.” This follows another collapse that occurred a year ago.

Scott Stripling gives an update on this summer’s discoveries at Tel Shiloh on The Book and the Spade podcast.

Scientists have developed a methodology to identify the source of basalt using “chemical fingerprints.”

All Israel News has created an 8-minute video explaining the significance of the Temple Mount Sifting Project.

Susannah Schild describes how, twenty years after moving to Israel and being unimpressed with its trees, she has come to appreciate them for their suitability to their environment and their value to the traveler.

“Steve Bryan walks through the healing at Bethesda in John 5 to explore what we can know about the pool from archaeological remains, and how that helps us make sense of the text.”

Jodi Magness writes about Charlemagne’s interest in Jerusalem.

The latest issue of ‘Atiqot features more than a dozen articles related to “rural life in the southern Levant.”

The folks at The Book Podcast invited me on to talk about Israel, pictures, and more.

HT: Agade, Mark V. Hoffman, Gordon Franz, Gordon Dickson, Arne Halbakken, Keith Keyser, Paleojudaica

Leave a comment
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.

Links
Notice

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. In any case, we will provide honest advice.