Egypt Archives - BiblePlaces.com

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

An almost-complete ancient Egyptian funerary set was discovered during excavations of Heliopolis.

The exhibition “Lives and Literacy in Ancient Egypt” is on display at the University of Texas at Austin until August 3. “A highlight of the exhibition is one of the world’s earliest New Testament fragments—the St. John’s Fragment (P52)—on view in the United States for the first time. Additionally, visitors can see early adaptations of The Odyssey by Homer, as well as early writing palettes, and panel paintings.”

“Excavations at the ancient city of Olympos on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast have uncovered a monumental tomb containing a richly decorated sarcophagus believed to belong to an aristocratic woman from the Roman period.”

Turkish Archaeological News lists the top stories in the month of May, including:

Turkey intercepts over 1 million artifacts annually to stop smuggling
Rare pyramid tomb in Marmaris opens to visitors after restoration
Hierapolis debuts modern visitor reception centers
Roman-era strategy game board discovered in the city walls of Apollonia

Terry Madenholm has written a lengthy and interesting article in Haaretz about taxes and tax evasion in the Roman empire.

New article by Mark Wilson, “The Archaeology of Biblical Sites in Asia Minor: Its Symbiosis with Archaeobiblical Tourism.” Religions 17, no. 3 (2026). Open-access.

HT: Agade, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Museums, New Exhibits, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists using 3D laser scanning have discovered several blocks from one of the Ramesseum’s gates buried under the sand.

Arkeonews has an article about the massive stone sarcophagi built for the sacred Apis bulls and placed in the Serapeum of Saqqara.

A new study reveals that the reason why the Great Pyramid of Khufu has withstood strong earthquakes is because pressure-relieving chambers dampened seismic movement.

After viewing a silver trumpet from King Tut’s tomb now on display in the Grand Egyptian Museum, Gary A. Rendsburg writes about the silver trumpets of Numbers 10.

An Egyptologist ranks 27 Egyptian pyramids built for pharaohs (70 mins).

Zoom lecture on June 10: “Iron Age Religion in the ‘Great’ City of the Ammonites,” by Joel S. Burnett

Archaeologists working in Nicaea (Iznik) have discovered a 3rd-century fresco depicting Jesus as the Good Shepherd.

Turkey now has nearly 700 museums, an increase of 270 in the past decade.

“One of the human casts found nearly 65 years ago in Pompeii’s Garden of the Fugitives was a doctor caught amongst the fleeing crowd with a case of medical equipment.”

In a two-part interview with The Book and the Spade, David deSilva discusses the archaeological evidence related to Paul’s ministry.

HT: Agade, Mark Hoffman, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Lectures, Museums, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Egyptian authorities have unveiled a plaster blocking wall from King Tutankhamun’s tomb in Luxor, an artefact described as unparalleled due to its survival from ancient looters.”

Tombs belonging to Amenhotep and his son Samut have been opened following extensive restoration.

Gary Urie explains the significance of Egyptian scarabs on Digging for Truth.

“Iraq is restoring the Ziggurat of Ur, one of the world’s oldest surviving temple structures, using locally made bricks and traditional building methods.”

Pigeons have been domesticated since at least 1400 BC, according to a new study (gift link).

“The new AI tool ‘Palaeographicum’ is revolutionizing research into the cultures of the Ancient Near East: It identifies individual variations of cuneiform signs—a huge step forward for academia.”

The Epigraphic Institute is offering online courses in Safaitic and Ancient South Arabian next month.

New release: The 2008 Season at Tall al-’Umayri and Subsequent Studies, edited by Larry G. Herr, Douglas R. Clark, Lawrence T. Geraty, and Monique Roddy (Eisenbrauns, $140; save 30% with code NR26; Amazon)

HT: Agade, Explorator

Tagged Egypt, Jordan, Mesopotamia, Resources, Technology, Tourism, 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

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A massive statue believed to represent Ramses II has been discovered at Tel Faraoun.

An Egyptian stela features a rare depiction of the Roman emperor Tiberius in full Egyptian regalia, standing with two Egyptian gods.

Archaeologists discovered a well-preserved statue of Athena in excavations of Laodicea’s Western Theater.

David Kertai discusses the palaces of Assyria in the latest episode of Thin End of the Wedge.

Ted Wright talks about the Epic of Gilgamesh on the latest episode on Digging for Truth.

New release: The Emperor’s Treasurer Hunters: German Archaeologists and the Plundering the Orient, by Jürgen Gottschlich and Dilek Zaptcioglu-Gottschlich (Lockwood, $20-$25)

New release: A Short History of Assyriology, 1850-1970, by Benjamin R. Foster (Zaphon, 89 €)

New release: The Rise of the Babylonian Empire, by Jinyan Wang (De Gruyter Brill, $116)

New release: Profiling Cleopatra: A Psychosocial History, by Sally-Ann Ashton (Cambridge Elements, $23; open-access until May 8)

New release: Ancient Egypt: New Technology, by Stefania Mainieri (UniorPress, open-access)

“Athens cannot operate as if it were a giant hotel,” said the mayor of the city.

HT: Agade, Andreas Heimbichner, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, Resources, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

Bible Archaeology Report lists the top ten discoveries related to Ezra and Nehemiah. Every discovery is illustrated by at least one photo, and the post has 27 footnotes pointing to additional resources.

Don Binder gives a little history of the Nea Church in Jerusalem, its excavation in the 1970s, and its inaccessibility ever since.

Bible Mapper has released a clickable, searchable Hebrew calendar that includes festivals and seasonal activities.

Lauren McCormick summarizes a recent article by Mark Wilson that argues that the Ethiopian eunuch may have been a Jewish administrator.

“Bread baked according to an ancient Roman recipe was sold for the first time in 2,000 years at Pompeii.”

According to a new study, the stadium at Perga was repurposed into a gladiatorial and execution arena, and five “Gates of Death” were designed to release animals into the combat area.

A exhibition on Troy will open in June at the Colosseum in Rome.

Significant changes are being made at four temples in Luxor to improve the visitor experience.

Three 18th-dynasty tombs in Luxor are being reopened after conservation work.

A new theory proposes that 16 ramps were used to build the Great Pyramid of Khufu in a period of as little as 14 years.

Christopher Rollston is on The Book and the Spade talking about Dead Sea Scrolls research related to the current exhibit at the Museum of the Bible.

The Vanderbilt Divinity Library is soft launching the new Art in the Christian Tradition website.

HT: Agade, Explorator, Roger Schmidgall

Tagged Dead Sea Scrolls, Egypt, Italy, Jerusalem, Museums, New Exhibits, Photo Resources, Resources, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup