Discoveries Archives - Page 4 of 141

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Newly-deciphered text from ancient scrolls may have finally revealed the location of where Greek philosopher Plato was buried, along with how he really felt about music played at his deathbed.”

Marek Dospěl provides a quick primer of the ancient Egyptian language.

Bible History Daily explains why Egeria’s Travels is such a valuable “source of geographical and historical information.”

Ruth Schuster explores the history of the pomegranate.

The Yale Babylonian Collection has a permanent exhibition space in the Yale Peabody Museum for the first time.

A virtual one-hour tour of Pompeii is being offered on May 23.

Titus Kennedy is a guest on Digging for Truth to discuss archaeological sites in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Persia.

Free this month from Logos: Warfare in the Old Testament: The Organization, Weapons, and Tactics of Ancient Near Eastern Armies, by Boyd Seevers

Bible Mapper Atlas has just produced a poster map of Paul’s travels.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Joseph Lauer

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Greece, Museums, Resources, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

An Israeli team believes that they have established an absolute chronology for Jerusalem in the Iron Age based on a study of 100 samples of organic material. One upshot is that Jerusalem was larger and more urban in the time of David and Solomon. Another conclusion is that the Broad Wall was built not by Hezekiah but by Uzziah. The underlying journal article is not free, but the 84 pages of “supporting information,” including pictures, is free.

A related lecture will be given at the Albright and on Zoom on May 16: “Radiocarbon Chronology in Historical Jerusalem and the Challenges to Reconstruct Its Urban Development,” by Elisabetta Boaretto

“Archaeologists have uncovered rare evidence of burial practices at a rural cemetery in the Jezreel Valley, where more than 3,000 years ago the dead were honored with rituals that involved the use of fire and beeswax.” They are not sure if the occupants were Israelites, Canaanites, or other.

Tuvia Pollack explains why there are two Golgotha sites.

Israel365 has a well-illustrated article about the site of Magdala.

A Final Conference will be held on May 31 and June 1 for the “Stamp Seals from the Southern Levant” project.

New release: Judah in the Biblical Period: Historical, Archaeological, and Biblical Studies, by Oded Lipschits (De Gruyter, $145; Amazon)

Accordance Bible Software is offering users three free books by Alfred Edersheim:

Three other books by Edersheim are on sale for only $4.99 each:

Bryan Windle surveys the top three reports in biblical archaeology in the month of April.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Joseph Lauer

Tagged Discoveries, Galilee, Jerusalem, Lectures, Resources, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists believe they have found a villa belonging to Emperor Augustus near Mount Vesuvius.

The city of Anqa is said to be “a near mirror image of Dura-Europos, of the same size, comparable composition, and potentially equal value to scholars of the region.”

A new study suggests that “wine produced around the Mediterranean during the Roman era may have been just as complex and flavorful as wine produced today, in contrast to what is commonly assumed.”

“Egypt welcomed home a 3,400-year-old statue depicting the head of King Ramses II after it was stolen and smuggled out of the country more than three decades ago.”

We don’t know much about Shalmaneser V, but Bryan Windle still managed to create a pretty extensive illustrated archaeological biography.

Webinar on May 9: “Sensing the Past: Sensorial Experiences in Ancient Mesopotamia,” by Allison Thomason

The Albright Institute posts videos of their special lectures on their YouTube channel. Recent lectures include:

“The Iron Age II Tombs from Mamillah, Jerusalem,” by Ronny Reich
“Jews and Palestinians between Istanbul and Jerusalem,” by Louis Fishman
“The Archaeology of Olive Oil: Excavating a Bronze Age Olive Oil ‘Factory’ in Jordan,” by Jamie Fraser

Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer conclude their series of the best archaeological finds of 2023 on the Biblical World podcast.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Franz, Paleojudaica

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem, Jordan, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Some newly discovered frescoes inspired by the Trojan War are among the finest ever to have been found at Pompeii.

Archaeologists working on the Greek island of Aegina have discovered a Mycenean building from the time of the kingdom’s decline.

“Cats were known and domesticated in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, but are absent from the Bible and Second Temple literature. The Persians despised cats, but the Talmud tolerates them.”

For the occasion of last week’s solar eclipse, Carl Rasmussen brings back an explanation of how “the solar eclipse of June 15, 763 B.C. holds the key to the chronology of the Old Testament.”

Logos has some archaeology books available for pre-order:

Approaching Biblical Archaeology, by Anthony J. Frendo
Digging For Insights: Using Archaeology to Study the Bible, by John F. Brug
Pondering the Spade: Discussing Important Convergences between Archaeology and Old Testament Studies, by David B. Schreiner
Ancient Israel: From Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple, 3rd ed., edited by Hershel Shanks
Jesus and the Remains of His Day: Studies in Jesus and the Evidence of Material Culture, by Craig A. Evans

Ferrell Jenkins shares a photo of three milestones taken at the Museum of Mediterranean Archaeology at the Gan Hashlosha (Sachne) park.

John DeLancey has released a bonus session in his Life of Christ in Context series focused on “Jesus in Jerusalem.” His talk includes many photos and illustrations.

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

Tagged Discoveries, Greece, Italy, Jerusalem, Resources, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Andy Cook was at the Pool of Siloam this week and he recorded a video showing the site now with the news that they have apparently discovered the eastern wall of the pool.

Sifting at the Pool of Siloam excavation revealed a gaming die dating from the 13th century AD.

The find of the month (from before the war began) at the Temple Mount Sifting Project is a piece of a Byzantine stone chancel screen. What was that doing on the Temple Mount?

“Israeli archaeologists have reconstructed a 6,000-year-old vessel made of elephant ivory, which had been shattered in antiquity and preserved inside a basalt stone container for millennia.”

Bible History Daily gives a summary of an article in the latest issue of BAR on a wealthy Iron Age house discovered in Jerusalem with hundreds of ivory fragments.

The latest issue of Jerusalem in Brief reports on a tomb from the time of Judah’s monarchy that was discovered near the center of the Old City. “This is the only undisputed Iron Age II tomb that has been revealed within the confines of the Old City.”

Israeli university students are using AI to read corrupted inscriptions in Hebrew and Aramaic.

“A rare six-legged mountain gazelle has been spotted in Israel. The male gazelle has an extra pair of legs growing from its back, but wildlife experts say it seems to be managing fine with the extra appendages.”

Bible Land Passages has just released a docuseries entitled “The Temple: Then and Now.” The five episodes feature on-location footage, beautiful drone imagery, and brand-new reconstructions. Each episode is 10-15 minutes long, and you can read a description for each and view them all at the Bible Land Passages website.

A new student academic journal that I oversee was published this week. The topics are mostly related to Isaiah, not biblical archaeology, but if that’s an interest, you can take a look. I’m very impressed with their work.

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

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem, Technology, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists excavating at Philippi discovered a rare head of Apollo dating to about AD 200.

One of the oldest known codices in existence will be auctioned off in June. The Crosby-Schoyen Codex includes what may be the earliest known texts of 1 Peter and Jonah.

Elizabeth Knott explains how the Yale Babylonian Collection Seal Digitization Project used the latest photographic methods to document more than 14,000 seals and seal impressions. The Yale website has more details.

“Since 2002, more than a hundred ‘new’ Dead Sea Scroll fragments have appeared on the antiquities market. Most of these fragments are tiny and deteriorated and have later been revealed as modern forgeries. Nonetheless, they have been big business. In this database, we have catalogued all of them, providing information about their content, owners, alleged provenance, their place in the biblical corpus, size, and publication history.”

Morteza Arabzadeh Sarbanani explores the question of how Cyrus the Great really died. The article includes several beautiful photographs.

“How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep in Antiquity” is the latest episode on This Week in the Ancient Near East.

Next Stop Italy is hosting a virtual walking tour of the hidden treasures of Roman Assisi.

Phillip J. Long reviews the Lexham Geographical Commentary on the Pentateuch, edited by Barry Beitzel. The review includes a list of the 47 chapter titles and authors. He concludes that “these essays go beyond simple identifications of major locations, often dealing with the fine details of the text and larger biblical-theological questions. This volume will be a welcome addition to the library of any Old Testament student, whether professional or layperson.”

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Franz

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Greece, Italy, Museums, Persia, Resources, Tourism, Weekend Roundup