Egypt Archives - Page 2 of 88

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Underwater archaeologists have discovered infrastructure of an ancient port at Asini in Greece.

Archaeologists have excavated a “grand ancient Greek tomb site” near Corinth.

“A recent study offers new insights into the pigments used by ancient Roman artists in Pompeii, revealing how they mixed raw materials to achieve a wide range of color tones.”

Persepolis’s ancient underground channels prevented flooding and destruction during a severe rainstorm.

Restoration work on Jerash’s northern theater continues.

Artnet highlights three interesting artifacts discovered in the tomb of Thutmose II.

Turkiye Today describes seven must-see cuneiform tablets in the Istanbul Archaeological Museums.

The ASOR Punic Project Digital Initiative “will provide digital files of individual stelae that can be viewed on screen or 3D printed at any scale.”

New release: Against Moab: Interrogating the Archaeology of Iron Age Jordan, by Benjamin W. Porter. (Cambridge University Press, open access)

Hybrid lecture at Penn State on March 27, 5 pm (EDT): “In the Steps of a Babylonian King: A Scholar’s Adventures in Jordan and Lebanon,” by Rocío Da Riva (Zoom registration)

“After 1,700 years the first ancient Greek temple opened in Arcadia, Peloponnese over the weekend.” The Greek Church is not happy. The site manager defends the project: “There are tens of thousands of people in Greece and abroad who believe in their ancestral gods and do not have a place to worship.”

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lectures, Museums, Persia, Resources, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Archaeologists excavating Azekah found a new type of female figurine that comes expected forms with new elements.

Radiocarbon dates for the Huqoq synagogue place its construction in the late 4th or early 5th centuries AD, lending support to those who advocate a late date for Galilean-type synagogues.

Ruth Schuster has written a lengthy article for Haaretz (subscription) about various interpretations of the iconography on the Magdala Stone, including the proposal that it depicts God’s chariot in the temple.

Bible Mapper Atlas has published a new poster map of the tribal territory of Zebulun, and the accompanying article explains why the map extends Zebulun’s border to the sea.

The Torah.com has posted an eight-part series on the Amarna Letters, written by Alice Mandell.

David Jacobson and Nikos Kokkinos’s 2022 paper on Agrippa II’s royal triclinium in Jerusalem further strengthens the case against those who want to move the temple to the City of David. I’m told that a book is forthcoming with the conference papers, but this article is already available on Academia.

The Biblical Archaeology Society is now accepting nominations for its 2025 Publication Awards.

New release: Megiddo VII, the Shmunis Excavations of a Monumental Middle Bronze Tomb and its Environs, edited by M.J. Adams, M.D. Cradic and I. Finkelstein (Eisenbrauns, $125)

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on April 16: “‘Trowel Blazers’ in the Archaeology of the Levant & Near East during the Early 20th Century,” by Kathleen Nicoll

The recently announced discoveries in the City of David of the big grooves and standing stone are the subject of the latest episode of This Week in the Ancient Near East.

Jerusalem Seminary is running a 10-day study tour in May entitled “Discovering Jesus in His Jewish Context.”

Bryan Windle summarizes the top ten archaeological discoveries related to Jeremiah in the latest episode of Digging for Truth.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Galilee, Jerusalem, Jezreel Valley, Resources, Shephelah, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A new study reveals that ancient Egyptian mummified bodies smelled “woody,” “spicy,” and “sweet.”

Archaeologists working in Egypt have completed the excavation and relocation of a gold processing complex in use for a millennium beginning circa 1000 BC.

Archaeologists working in central Turkey have found evidence of ironmaking dating to 2200 BC.

A new study has been released describing the “production and use of obsidian mirrors found at Tepecik Çiftlik” in central Turkey.

“Archaeologists excavating Göbekli Tepe have uncovered evidence that challenges previous theories about the site’s purpose.”

“Authorities in Turkey have sealed off a luxury spa that was set up by illegally modifying a 1,500-year-old cistern near Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.”

A headless bronze statue believed to depict Marcus Aurelius is being returned by The Cleveland Museum of Art to Turkey.

“Archaeologists in Pompeii have unearthed a rare depiction of initiation rites into a secret female cult that centred on Dionysus.”

A new theory has been proposed to explain how the brains of a man who died in the Mount Vesuvius explosion turned to glass.

“A close look at Pompeii’s stone-paved streets has shown how traffic through the ancient city changed dramatically after it was incorporated into the Roman world.” (subscription)

Hybrid lecture on March 12 at ISAC: “Epigraphy and Exploration at Beni Hassan, Egypt,” by Anna-Latifa Mourad Cizek

The Jerusalem Post explains why mummies are disappearing from museums.

The palace of Knossos set a new record in 2024 with more than one million visitors.

Howard Carter’s lost suitcase has been found and will be auctioned.

HT: Agade, Explorator, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis, Paleojudaica

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Italy, Lectures, Mediterranean Islands, Museums, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists have discovered the tomb of Thutmose II, the first royal tomb found in Egypt since King Tut’s tomb in 1922.

A previously unknown pyramid from circa 2000 BC was discovered by quarry workers in the Dahshur area.

“A devastating new report reveals the extent of destruction in Syria’s legendary city of Palmyra, where eight out of ten buildings now lie in ruins or on the verge of collapse.”

James Gold explains his work as an archaeological illustrator and why it is important.

Carl Rasmussen has posted photos from Yesemek, the largest stone masonry workshop in the ancient Near East.

“Lead pollution in ancient Rome was so high that it dropped the population’s IQ by around 3 points, if not more.”

“Malta is home to some of the oldest and arguably most mysterious megalithic structures known to man, older than the Pyramids and Stonehenge.”

Archaeology Magazine has published a well-illustrated story about the restoration of the Temple of Knum in Esna.

Kara Cooney explains when it is OK to recycle an ancient Egyptian coffin.

Zoom lecture on March 5: “Why is Alexander on the Alexander Sarcophagus? Rethinking a Funerary Monument from Sidon,” by Jessica Nitschke

Hybrid lecture on March 13: “The Amman Citadel in Light of Recent Archaeological Work,” by Katharina Schmidt

Bible Archaeology Report has posted an archaeological biography of Merodach-Baladan, the king of Babylon during the days of Hezekiah.

Correction: The notice last week about a third bridge being discovered in Jerash was a false report caused by a local reporter’s misunderstanding. There are only two bridges.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Gordon Franz, Keith Keyser

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Italy, Jordan, Mediterranean Islands, Syria, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

The ancient harbor of Adramyttium, mentioned on Paul’s voyage to Rome (Acts 27:2), became visible when the Aegean sea receded. Photos are posted in the Turkish article.

Recent excavations in Perga have uncovered five statues.

Egypt has begun restoring the Ramesseum in Luxor.

MrBeast spent 100 hours inside the Giza pyramids, including visiting areas not open to the general public.

Mark V. Hoffman notes a temporary exhibition entitled “In the Footsteps of Paul” that is at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki through April and then will be in Athens.

Mark V. Hoffman also gives an introduction to MARBLE (Modular Aggregation of Resources on the Bible), a UBS project that includes biblical texts, semantic dictionaries, images, and videos.

New release: Tel Dover (Khirbet ed-Duweir) on the Yarmuk River: The Late Bronze and Iron Age Levels, by Amir Golani and Samuel R. Wolff (Ägypten und Altes Testament 130; Zaphon; €75).

New release: Slavery and Servitude in Late Period Egypt (c. 900–330 BC), by Ella Karev (Ägypten und Altes Testament, €70)

New release: Scribes and Language Use in the Graeco-Roman World, edited by Sonja Dahlgren, Martti Leiwo, and Marja Vierros (The Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, free pdf).

Color paintings made by Joseph Lindon Smith in an Egyptian tomb remain valuable today.

An archaeological exhibition entitled “From Sharjah to Rome via the Spice Route” is currently on display at the Colosseum in Rome.

Lawrence Schiffman is giving two lectures on the Dead Sea Scrolls at Penn State University on February 19:

12:15 to 1:30 pm: “Temple City: Jerusalem and its Temple in the Urban Planning of the Dead Sea Scrolls” (register for Zoom here)
6:00 to 7:30 pm: “The Dead Sea Scrolls and the History of Judaism” (register for Zoom here)

The Itinerarium, written by the anonymous Piacenza Pilgrim circa 570 and translated by Andrew S. Jacobs, is now available online.

Colleen Morgan explains how AI imagery could be used to develop fake archaeology.

Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer discuss the best archaeological finds of 2024 on the Biblical World podcast.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Explorator, Paleojudaica

Tagged Dead Sea Scrolls, Egypt, Excavations, Greece, Jordan, Lectures, New Exhibits, Resources, Technology, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“A town approximately 3,500 years old was discovered in Kom el-Negus, Egypt, located about 27 miles west of Alexandria.”

After 14 years of war, Palmyra is finally at peace, and plans are underway to rebuild.

A rare Egyptian blue ingot weighing five pounds was discovered in Nero’s grand palace in Rome.

Greece is planning to restore the Kladios Baths in ancient Olympia. The complex was first built in AD 100 and occupies 400 square meters.

Basilica B in Philippi has been partially restored.

Last year 886 artifacts were added to the inventory of the Antalya Museum.

When the Syrian government collapsed, one lone guard protected the National Museum in Damascus from looters.

The Louvre “has requested urgent help from the French government to restore and renovate its ageing exhibition halls.”

The Rijksmuseum has taken possession of an impressive ancient hoard of Roman and British coins found in 2023.

Tyndale House is hosting a one day conference on “The World of the Bible” on March 22, with sessions led by Tony Watkins, Peter Williams, and Dirk Jongkind. Streaming tickets are available.

A new version of Archibab is now online.

Leon Mauldin has posted a photo of a milestone on the Via Egnatia.

The first spotted hyena seen in Egypt in thousands of years ate two goats and was promptly killed.

Bible Land Passages has created a new video of the city of Athens and what Paul experienced when he visited. The 10-minute video includes on-site footage as well as new 3D models of the buildings on the acropolis.

The amazing Persepolis reliefs have been brought to life by artificial intelligence (30-second video).

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

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