Discoveries Archives - Page 2 of 154

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Researchers working at Petra discovered a “rare 116-meter pressurized lead pipeline, an extraordinary feature in the eastern Mediterranean outside urban building interiors.”

An Iron Age Phoenician scarab seal was discovered on Sardinia.

“A recent study of the Ishtar temple at Assur has identified an unusual feature beneath the temple’s earliest floor: a thick layer of prepared sand.”

“A newly discovered chronicle from the early eighth century is giving medieval historians a rare new window onto the political shocks and religious debates that reshaped the eastern Mediterranean in the decades before and after the rise of Islam.” PaleoJudaica has more here.

“Imagine your car, your savings account, and your power grid were all the same thing, and alive. In the ancient Near East, that was the ox.” Lauren K. McCormick has written “an ode to oxen.”

Carlo Rindi Nuzzolo writes about the possibilities that 3D scanning opens up for the understanding of ancient artifacts.

Zoom lecture on Feb 21: “Piramesse – from the City of Wonders to Terra Incognita,” by Henning Franzmeier

Bible Archaeology Report shares the top three reports in biblical archaeology for the month of January.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Jordan, Lectures, Mediterranean Islands, Mesopotamia, Technology, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A beautiful seal with a Hebrew inscription from the time of Hezekiah was discovered in the Mount Carmel range. The seal is believed to have belonged to an official from Judah, and LMLK seal impressions were also found at the site.

The Caesarea aqueduct will be restored in a project that will take 40 months and cost 40 million shekels ($13 million). “The work will include planning, conservation, the constructive stabilization of each of the aqueduct’s 85 arches, engineering treatment of the upper aqueduct (the water channel itself), and of course, arranging a safe pedestrian crossing under the arches.”

The Grotto in Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity will be restored for the first time in 600 years.

The Humble Skeptic visited the Hecht Museum and asks whether an ossuary discovered in 1983 that mentions Joanna the granddaughter of Theophilus might be related to the two individuals mentioned in the Gospel of Luke (18 min).

Bryan Windle shares the results of his research into the excavations of Jericho in a two-part episode of Digging for Truth.

BibleMapper has posted an audio-visual reading of very interesting Genesis 14.

The Duke University Chronicle writes about the relationship of Carol and Eric Meyers over many years of teaching and leading excavations in Galilee. (The story doesn’t mention it, but interested readers may want to pick up Eric’s An Accidental Archaeologist: A Personal Memoir. I personally enjoyed it.)

Aren Maeir announces that the 8th Annual “Jerusalem Days” conference will be held on July 7-10 at Yad Yitzah Ben-Zvi in Jerusalem on the topic of “Jerusalem: Between East and West.”

John James Davis, professor and president of Grace Theological Seminary, died this week.

Gabriel Barkay was honored this week in an event attended by many friends, colleagues, and students. The report of the evening includes recorded tributes by Paul Wright and Andy Vaughn.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Keith Keyser, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Exodus-Conquest, Jerusalem, Jordan Rift, Judah, Resources, Sad News, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Archaeologists believe they have identified the remains of a Roman basilica in Fanum Fortunae built by the late first-century BCE architect Vitruvius.”

“Archaeologists in northern Turkey say they have uncovered the long-lost Temple of Kubaba, a 2,600-year-old religious complex that is reshaping understanding of belief and ritual in ancient Anatolia.”

“Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Lystra in central Türkiye have restored a rare medieval bronze reliquary cross discovered intact and permanently sealed.”

“A groundbreaking archaeological discovery in eastern Türkiye is reshaping historians’ understanding of the ancient Kingdom of Sophene, a little-known Hellenistic-era polity that once stood at the crossroads of Anatolian, Iranian, and Greek civilizations.”

Newly published texts shed light on Nebuchadnezzar’s accomplishments.

Zoom lecture on Feb 3, 10am Eastern: “200 Years of Archaeology in Türkiye,” by Tuba Ökse. The recording will be posted a few days later on the ARWA channel.

New release: Materials from Karkemish I. The Numismatic Finds from the 2011-2024 Excavations, by Aliya Erol (OrientLab Series Maior 9; 35 euros; open access)

HT: Agade, Paleojudaica

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Italy, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

“Excavations at the ancient city of Smyrna in central Izmir have uncovered a mosaic floor featuring a ‘Solomon’s Knot’ motif.”

Nathan Steinmeyer writes about the latest discoveries at the house believed to have once belonged to Nero’s second wife.

A new IAA research project plans to trace the origin of thousands of pottery vessels based on the mineral and chemical composition of the pottery kiln.

“The Huqoq Excavation Consortium will benefit from a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of State to the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research.”

Aren Maeir attended the Jerusalem and Samaria conference which included visits to Samaria and Mount Ebal. His beautiful photos fit with my observation that January is the best month for taking photos in Israel.

Protected archaeological sites have inadvertently become safe harbors for plants and animals.

BibleMapper’s latest audio-visual reading is of Joshua 17, illustrating the description of the tribal territory of Manasseh.

The Great Isaiah Scroll: A Voice from the Desert, edited by Marcell Fidanzio, was written to accompany the special Israel Museum exhibit on the scroll, which I’m told will go on display in late February.

Jerusalem Seminary is offering several free lectures in the coming weeks:

Jan 24: Baruch Haba: An Introductory Lesson in Biblical Hebrew
Jan 30: The Torah that Jesus Read – Insights into God’s First Words, by Baruch Kvasnica
Feb 7: Bethsaida: Discovering the Last Lost City of the Gospels, by Ethan Knapp

The British Museum is hiring a treasure hunter to recover its lost Greek and Roman artifacts.

Gabriel Barkay’s life is remembered by Zachi Dvira, Chandler Collins, the Jerusalem University College, The Jerusalem Post, and The Times of Israel.

HT: Jack Sasson, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Italy, Lectures, Resources, Sad News, Technology, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

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

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Egypt, Italy, Lectures, Persia, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A ritual bath was discovered in excavations beneath the Western Wall Plaza. A sealed layer of ash indicates that the mikveh was in use until the Roman destruction in AD 70. The 2-minute video shows imagery of the large space being excavated underneath the prayer plaza.

An extraordinary stalactite cave has been discovered near Ofra in Samaria.

The Great Isaiah Scroll was originally two scrolls, written separately and then joined together. The break is between (what was later marked as) chapters 33 and 34.

“A new version of a bill whose purpose is to extend Israeli authority over antiquities and heritage sites in the West Bank, aims to include Areas A and B — where the Palestinian Authority has civilian control — under the scope of its applicability.”

Some very old cedar beams on the Temple Mount were left uncovered, provoking a protest.

The Times of Israel interviews Avraham Faust and Zev Farber about their new book, The Bible’s First Kings – Uncovering the Story of Saul, David, and Solomon. “The book brings together archaeology, anthropology, and biblical scholarship to support the thesis that the kingdom did exist and that findings from the ground offer evidence for it.”

The Biblical Archaeology Society has posted a list of excavation opportunities for 2026, including Azekah, Dan, el-Araj, En-Gedi, Hazor, Jerusalem, and Tel Shimron. They also are offering Dig Scholarships of $2,000 to qualified individuals. They are also accepting donations for scholarships.

The theme of the latest volume of ‘Atiqot is “Archaeological Perspectives on Water Use and Management.” All articles are available for download.

Zoom lecture on Jan 13: “Herod’s Many Faces as Reflected in His Art and Architecture,” by Orit Peleg-Barkat

Religion in Ancient Israel: Essays in Honour of John Day, edited by Katherine E. Southwood, Stuart Weeks, and H.G.M. Williamson (Bloomsbury, $87-106)

Accordance is selling many photo collections at 40-67% off, through Monday.

Israel’s Good Name reports on his visit to the Israel Aquarium in Jerusalem.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Explorator, Paleojudaica

Tagged 10th Century, Dead Sea Scrolls, Discoveries, Excavations, Jerusalem, Lectures, Photo Resources, Resources, Samaria, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup