“A contractor digging into the earth where the rubble of a destroyed house had been cleared away in northern Syria stumbled across a surprise: the remains of an underground Byzantine tomb complex.”

“A wooden-structured burial chamber believed to belong to the Phrygian royal family has been uncovered in the ancient city of Gordion in Türkiye’s capital, Ankara.” The individual is possibly related to Gordios or Midas.

“A recent study suggests that high-altitude wind patterns played a crucial role in the collapse of the Minoan civilization by spreading volcanic ash and aerosols from the eruption of the Thera volcano.”

“The Greek Culture Ministry has unveiled a series of enhancements to the Acropolis archaeological site, offering visitors access to newly restored areas and improved facilities for the first time in decades.” The Old Acropolis Museum has not yet been reopened.

Athens is working to help tourists deal with the summer heat, including planting thousands of trees, removing concrete, and closing the Acropolis.

Alison Wilkinson writes about women’s rights in marriage in ancient Egypt. The full issue of The Ancient Near East Today is online here.

The Grand Egyptian Museum will hold its official inauguration on July 3, and the museum will be open to the public beginning on July 6.

HT: Agade, Explorator

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Archaeologists believe that they have discovered the lost city of Tharais, depicted on the Madaba Mosaic Map, in southern Jordan.

“Two seal impressions found on a large storage vessel, dated to the Early Bronze Age (2700–2300 BC), raise compelling questions about the role of Greece’s Cyclades islands in the emergence of script—potentially rewriting the more commonly accepted narrative that places the birth of writing on Minoan Crete at around 2000 BC.”

St. Catherine’s Monastery has been closed to all visitors in protest of an Egyptian court ruling that challenges its ownership status. An agreement may have been reached on Wednesday.

“The Centre of Excellence in Ancient Near Eastern Empires has published an annotated text corpus of some 6,000 Babylonian texts from the sixth and fifth centuries BCE.”

Leonard J. Greenspoon, best known for his work in Septuagint and Jewish Bible translations, died recently.

Walter Brueggemann, a widely published OT scholar, died on Thursday. Brent A. Strawn has written a tribute.

Turkish Archaeological News surveys the main stories of the month of May.

Bible Archaeology Report’s top three reports for May “include shipwrecks, gold, and a stone capital with an intriguing image.”

HT: Agade, Keith Keyser, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick, Gordon Franz, Mark V. Hoffman, Ted Weis

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“An ancient tomb in Greece does not hold the remains of Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great.”

A new study shows that the interior of the Parthenon in Athens was not a “sunbathed, bright marble room,” but rather a dim, dark space that “enhanced the sense of awe and religious experience.”

“The Herod Atticus Theater in Athens will close for at least three years for essential maintenance and restoration work.”

The Lion of Amphipolis “will be treated for damage from humidity, exposure, and the use of inappropriate materials in its original restoration.”

Deirdre N. Fulton and Lidar Sapir-Hen explain what zooarchaeology is.

“A scarab beetle set in gold shows that ancient Egyptians thought the heart was the most important organ in the human body.”

Sean Manning considers an Assyrian lion hunt in order to answer the question of how heavy Iron Age bows were.

This 8-minute video explains why ancient ruins are underground.

HT: Agade, Jon Litts, Explorator

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Archaeologists working at Knossos, Crete, have discovered the longest known inscription in Linear A script.

Archaeologists have discovered defensive structures and military housing at Tell Abu Saifi in northern Sinai.

Scholars have confirmed that one of the Herculaneum papyri as a work written by the Greek philosopher Philodemus.

A scholar claims that he has discovered previously unidentified hieroglyphics on an Egyptian obelisk located in Paris.

A treasure hunter claims to have discovered the actual location of the Council of Nicaea and is willing to disclose it for payment of $50 million.

“The painstaking restoration of glass and ceramic artifacts from the Hatay Museum damaged during the devastating earthquakes in February 2023 earthquake in Turkey is underway.”

“Starry paintings found on ancient Egyptian coffins and tombs indicate that the sky goddess Nut was closely associated with the Milky Way galaxy, according to a new study by an astronomer.”

“Jordanian authorities evacuated hundreds of tourists from the ancient city of Petra on Sunday after heavy rains caused flash floods.” Here’s another video.

“A National Endowment for the Humanities grant to create the first scholarly edition of one of the great classics of biblical literature, the Psalms” has been cancelled.

Turkish Archaeological News surveys major stories from the month of April, including:

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Explorator

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A limestone capital from ca. AD 600 discovered in the Jerusalem area is decorated with menorahs.

Greek authorities dismantled a smuggling ring on the island of Crete.

The Sassoon Codex, the oldest and most complete Hebrew Bible, will be going on display in Tel Aviv on Sunday.

Bryan Windle discusses archaeological discoveries related to Darius the Great on Digging for Truth.

Bible Archaeology Report highlights the top three stories from the month of April.

The first volume of Archaeology of Western Anatolia is now online.

New release: The World of Middle Kingdom Egypt (2000- 1550 BCE). Contributions on Archaeology, Art, Religion, and Written Sources – Vol. III, edited by Gianluca Miniaci and Wolfram Grajetzki (Golden House, free pdf)

New release: Triumph and Betrayal: Assyria’s Path to Empire, 935–745 BC, by Alexander Johannes Edmonds (DeGruyter Brill; $189; open access)

Available for pre-order from Logos: Jesus and the Remains of His Day: Studies in Jesus and the Evidence of Material Culture, by Craig A. Evans

Zoom lecture on May 14: “The Queens of Nimrud’s Northwest Palace: Beauty, Power, and Presence in the Neo-Assyrian World, c. 865–705 BCE,” by Amy Gansell

The BAS Summer Seminar this year will focus on “Fakes, Mistakes, and Media Misrepresentations in Biblical Archaeology,” with Eric Cline, Jennie Ebeling, Elizabeth Schrader Polczer, and Chris Rollston. You can attend the conference in DC or register to watch online.

Mary Buck is hosting a new series about the Second Temple period on the Biblical World podcast.

BibleStock has released a new coaching video, this one focused on how to use a lesson from Psalm 121 for Mother’s Day.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz

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“Archaeologists in southern Jordan have uncovered a hieroglyphic inscription bearing the royal cartouche of Pharaoh Ramesses III.”

Egyptian authorities “announced the discovery of the tomb of Prince Weser Khaf Ra, son of King Userkaf, the founding monarch of Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty, in the Saqqara necropolis.”

“A California research collective known as Noah’s Ark Scan says it will begin the first controlled excavation of the Durupınar Site on Mount Ararat’s southern flank.”

The NY Times has posted a beautiful photo essay of the mostly open Grand Egyptian Museum.

A new genetic study reveals that the people of Carthage were not significantly related to the Phoenicians.

Brent Nongbri writes about the recently discovered mikveh at Ostia as well as some of the Jewish material on display in the Ostia Museum.

Smithsonian magazine asks if “Talos, the bronze automaton who guarded the island of Crete in Greek myth [was] an early example of artificial intelligence.”

Leon Mauldin has posted some recent photos of Istanbul’s ancient water system.

New release: Archaeology and the Ministry of Paul: A Visual Guide, by David A. deSilva (Baker, 320 pages, full-color, $33; also on Logos)

New release: Populus: Living and Dying in Ancient Rome, by Guy de la Bédoyère (University of Chicago, 500 pages, $24)

New release: The Aegean and Cyprus: Interaction Between Two Distinct Cultural Mediterranean Areas from the Third Millennium to ca 1200 BC, by Giampaolo Graziadio (free download)

New release: The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and Scribal Scholarship in Antiquity: Studies in Honor of Arie van der Kooij on the Occasion of his Eightieth Birthday, edited by Wilson de Angelo Cunha, Martin Rösel, and Michael N. Van der Meer (Peeters, 65 euros, free download)

The WSJ reviews Toby Wilkinson’s new book, The Last Dynasty: Ancient Egypt from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra ($29 at Amazon).

Leslie C. Allen, longtime professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, died on April 10.

Bible Passages has just released two short videos (7 min ea):

  • Secrets of the Arch of Titus – goes beyond the well-known menorah and table of showbread to investigate scenes of military conquest, dedicatory inscriptions, and the depiction of a deified emperor.
  • Erastus: Did Paul Get It Right? – considers the inscription for its insight into the social and economic standing of early Christians as well as how this archaeological discovery supports the historicity of Romans 16:23.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Keith Keyser, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Explorator, Paleojudaica

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