Seven inscriptions were discovered in three Byzantine churches excavated in Galilee this summer. Haaretz (premium) also covers the story. Archaeologists have discovered a Hellenistic-era gymnasium in the Fayoum province of Egypt. A recently discovered Assyrian tablet provides the first-known diagnosis to determine infertility. An intact sundial from the Roman period has been discovered in the excavation of a theater near Mount Cassino in Italy. A year-long mysterious excavation with high security in Tarsus ended with no explanation of what they found or why they were excavating. A gemstone discovered in Pylos, Greece, from the 15th century BC is a “masterpiece of miniature art.” Megan Sauter describes the Terra Sancta Museum, a new stop on the Via Dolorosa. Wayne Stiles’s post this week on Lachish includes some new drone video footage he shot recently. The Museum of the Bible is the topic of discussion this week on The Book and the Spade. Israel welcomed its 3 millionth tourist of 2017 this week. A new Biblical Archaeology Review Archive provides every article from 1975 to 2016 and is on sale for $130. Or you can subscribe to All-Access Membership for $35/year. HT: Jared Clark, Agade, Charles Savelle
Scientists have discovered a void in the Great Pyramid of Giza that is 100 feet long.
Archaeologists excavating in the Timna Valley have discovered remains of a pregnant Egyptian woman.
A swimmer in the Sea of Galilee found a Byzantine-era “chicken-shaped object.”
Young Gazans have begun a campaign on social media to stop the destruction of Tall es-Sakan.
An international team from Spain, Portugal, and the Palestinian Authority conducted excavations at Tirzah (Tell el-Farah North) last month in order to “1. to evaluate the state of conservation of the site in order to implement a program of protection and restoration; 2. topographical survey; 3. archaeological sounding on the Iron Age II sector.” (Not online, as far as I can tell.)
A paper in Astronomy and Geophysics by Colin Humphreys and Graeme Waddington dates the oldest solar eclipse yet recorded to October 30, 1207 BC and suggests this is the “sun-standing-still” event mentioned in Joshua 10. But this connection was proposed last year by H. Yizhaq, D. Vainstub, and U. Avner. The biblical texts, however, date Joshua’s conquest a couple of centuries earlier than this eclipse.
New research suggests that about 80% of antiquities available for sale online are looted or fake.
This week marked the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration and the 100th anniversary of a significant Australian victory over the Ottoman defenses at Beersheba.
A new release on an important subject with many nice photos: The Old Testament in Archaeology and History, edited by Jennie Ebeling, J. Edward Wright, Mark Elliott and Paul V. M. Flesher. Waco, TX:
Baylor University Press, 2017.
HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Joseph Lauer, Charles Savelle
- Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Exodus-Conquest, Forgery, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Negev, Samaria, Weather, Weekend Roundup
“The ancient city of Ephesus . . . is set to once again have a harbor on the Aegean coast, according to an ambitious new project.”
Archaeologists working at Saqqara in Egypt have discovered a portion of a large obelisk from the Old Kingdom period.
The rulers of Gaza are systematically destroying one of the earliest archaeological sites in the Gaza Strip.
“There is a growing emerging consensus among Dead Sea Scroll scholars that many of the fragments in the private collections are fakes.”
Atlas Obscura has a brief, illustrated article on the Tophet of Carthage.
“A Dartmouth-led study has demonstrated how the latest aerial thermal imagery is transforming archaeology due to advancements in technology.”
Yeshiva University Museum is hosting an international conference on “The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back.”
Prior to its opening in November, the Museum of the Bible will be hosting a scholarly panel to “discuss evolutionary process for developing content” as well as addressing questions about disputed artifacts in their collection.
Yale students are “touring” Nimrud before it was destroyed via a new VR system. The story includes a 4-minute video.
A new free MOOC from Bar Ilan University on “The Bible in Light of the Ancient Near East” begins later this month. Some video previews are available: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5.
Israel’s Good Name reports on his recent visit to Apollonia (Arsuf).
Kenneth Holum, whose work included directing excavations of Caesarea, died last month.
HT: Paleojudaica, Joseph Lauer, Agade
- Tagged Egypt, Israel's Coast, Italy, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Technology, Turkey, Weekend Roundup
Robert Mullins has written an update on the major discoveries at Abel Beth Maacah after 5 years of excavation.
A head of an Akhenaten statue has been discovered in excavations at Tel el-Amarna.
Some medieval artifacts were seized in Turkey, including a gold seal attributed to Solomon. James Davila provides some commentary.
The Jerusalem Post profiles the Temple Mount Sifting Project.
Mordechai Aviam and R. Steven Notley make a case that el-Araj should now be considered the leading candidate for the site of Bethsaida-Julias.
Appian Media has released a “sneak peek” from an upcoming upside in the “Following the Messiah” series with an acoustical experiment at the Cove of the Sower.
With the water level of the Sea of Galilee nearly at an all-time low, Ferrell Jenkins illustrates the dramatic difference with several photos of Heptapegon.
David Moster will be lecturing on “The Jordan River and the Two Half-Tribes of Manasseh” in NYC on Nov 14. (We noted some of David’s work on the Jordan River here last year.)
Ben Witherington is on The Book and the Spade talking about his newest book, A Week in the Fall of Jerusalem.
HT: Paleojudaica, Joseph Lauer, Agade
- Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Galilee, Jerusalem, Lectures, Temple Mount, Turkey, Weekend Roundup
Archaeologists have discovered a Jewish settlement under an abandoned military base near the town of Beit El.
Excavation of a tomb near Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo uncovered an “afterlife snack pack of nine decapitated toads.”
A lost city of Alexander the Great has been identified at Qalatga Darband, six miles from Iraqi Kurdistan.
The Yeshiva University Museum recently opened a new exhibition, “The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back.”
The Brooklyn Museum has just opened “Soulful Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt.”
The Arab World Institute Museum in Paris is hosting through January 2018 the exhibition, “Oriental Christians: 2,000 Years of History,” featuring artifacts never before displayed in Europe.
BYU has constructed a full-size tabernacle replica.
“The Center for Ancient Middle Eastern Landscapes (CAMEL) at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago is pleased to present the Anatolian Atlas, an online resource for geographical data related to the archaeology of Anatolia (ancient Turkey).”
The IWC at Tel Aviv University has announced its lecture schedule for the fall all centered around the theme “Jerusalem.”
Malka Z. Simkovich tries to explain why Christian monks copied Jewish manuscripts.
Bill Schlegel has created a new video showing sites in Benjamin from the air.
Wayne Stiles explains the value of using maps in your Bible study.
In light of his recent visit to el-Araj, John DeLancey discusses the two proposed locations for Bethsaida.
Ferrell Jenkins has written a well-illustrated post on Barclay’s Gate in the Western Wall. I suspect that most visitors don’t even know that it exists.
New release: Qedem 57: The Temple Mount Excavations in Jerusalem 1968-1978, Directed by Benjamin Mazar. Final Reports Volume V. Herodian Architectural Decoration and King Herod’s Portico.
Eisenbrauns is selling all available volumes of Excavations and Surveys in Israel for $5 each (with a few restrictions).
The population of Israel is now 8.7 million, including 6.5 million Jews and 1.8 million Arabs.
HT: Ted Weis, Charles Savelle, Joseph Lauer, Agade
- Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Galilee, Lectures, Museums, New Exhibits, Resources, Samaria, Turkey, Weekend Roundup
Israel’s Tourism Ministry has approved construction of 4-mile-long cable car line connecting Upper Nazareth and the lower slopes of Mount Tabor.
Tomb raiders have vandalized the Judean desert fortress of Hyrcania.
Reader’s Digest suggests 10 sites (mostly eateries) to visit in Israel that you (probably) have never heard of before.
Leave it to Wayne Stiles to figure out a way to make good use of my photos of Horeshat Tal (and make an important application).
“All the stone inscriptions from ancient Athens in UK collections are to be presented in English translations for the first time, thanks to a new project undertaken by Cardiff University.”
The Times of Israel reports on Lawrence Mykytiuk’s study that confirms the historical existence of 53 individuals mentioned in the Old Testament.
Steven Notley will be lecturing on “Unearthing Bethsaida-Julias: Has the City of the Apostles been Found?” at Nyack College on September 28.
Aren Maeir has posted the schedule for the 11th annual conference on “New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and Its Region,” to be held Oct 18-20.
Charles E. Jones’s “Working Bibliography of Autobiographies” continues to grow.
Bible Story Map has released a new resource: Bible Story Places, a series of 12 posters of sites including Jericho, Valley of Elah, Mt. Sinai, and the Sea of Galilee.