“Archaeologists discovered private seating areas with names engraved on them during excavation at a 1,800-year-old amphitheater in the ancient city of Pergamon.”

Excavations of the ancient Greek city of Magnesia in western Turkey have revealed the entrance gate to the temple of Zeus.

“The discovery of a 3,500-year-old paving stone, described as the “ancestor” of Mediterranean mosaics, offers illuminating details into the daily lives of the mysterious Bronze Age Hittites.”

“An international research team conducting excavations in the city of Tyre has discovered a large Roman temple complex.”

“Freedivers off the coast of Spain have uncovered a treasure trove of 53 perfectly preserved gold coins from the Roman Empire, one of the largest collections ever found in Europe.”

A forensic artist has used genetic data to create 3D models of the faces of three men who lived in ancient Egypt more than 2,000 years ago.

In light of Hobby Lobby’s lawsuit against Dirk Obbink, The New York Times gives a summary of the story to date.

Now online: An exclusive sneak peek of ‘Times of Fire’ the first feature film in The 7 Churches of Revelation series.

Now on pre-pub for Logos: CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible Notes ($20)

Accordance has a number of graphics resources on sale.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle, A.D. Riddle

The location of the biblical Red Sea is the subject of a recent book by Barry Beitzel, and he provides a sample of the evidence in a new post for the Ancient Near East Today.

The City of David YouTube channel has a new 5-minute video about the excavation of the “Pilgrimage Road” leading from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount.

Related: Helene Machline recounts some exciting moments in recent excavations in the City of David (1.5 min video in Hebrew with subtitles).

Susan de la Fuente writes about water sources of Jerusalem over the millennia.

Sergio and Rhoda give a 15-minute video overview of the discoveries at Tel Burna, including the recently revealed 10th century BC destruction layer.

On the Biblical World podcast, Mary Buck and Chris McKinny begin a new series on “Texts from the Ancient Near East” with an introduction to languages and writing in the ancient world.

The top 3 reports in biblical archaeology in September include “the building of a city, the destruction of a city, and everyday life in a city.”

Oct 4: Webinar on Orientalist photography, in celebration of the opening of the “Between Science and Art: Early Photography in the Middle East” exhibition at the Heritage Library.

Oct 12: Online lecture: “Excavating Abila: Past, Present, and Future,” by David Vila

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle, A.D. Riddle

Excavations have resumed at the Tel Motza (Moza) temple on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

“A pool of water near the Dead Sea was recently found to have turned red.”

The Jerusalem Post surveys archaeological work and discoveries made during a year of Covid.

Bryant Wood gives an update on important biblical archaeological discoveries in 2021.

Newsweek’s list of 20 largest museums in the world includes the Israel Museum in spot #17.

Al Qarara Cultural Museum is the first private museum in the Gaza Strip.

Sergio & Rhoda go searching for Micah’s hometown in the Shephelah (30-min video).

On the Rejuvenation podcast, Shay Bar discusses his archaeological studies in tribal territory of Manasseh and the Jordan Valley.

ASOR webinar on October 7: “Digging the Divine?: Judahite Pillar Figurines and the Archaeology of Israelite Religion,” by Erin Denby

HT: Agade, Charles Savelle, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

1Samuel-DVD-3d-800

Weekend Sale: Photo Companion to the Bible: 1 Samuel – only $49 with coupon SAMUEL.

Archaeologists believe that they have greater clarity about the roads in the southern Judean desert leading to Edom following the examination of a site near Nahal Gorer. The underlying journal article is available to PEQ subscribers.

Haaretz follows up on the Jerubaal inscription discovery with a report fashioned as a back-and-forth between David Vanderhooft and Christopher Rollston, with the former suggesting the inscription may have been Zerbaal or Ezerbaal, and the latter sticking with his original interpretation of Jerubaal.

Excavations are underway at el-Araj (Bethsaida?), and updates are posted daily on their website.

The 25th and final summer season of excavations at Tell es-Safi/Gath has concluded. They have had a remarkable run.

Haaretz surveys the debate between Erez Ben-Yosef and Israel Finkelstein on the effect of “architectural bias” in drawing conclusions about Israel’s United Monarchy.

Naama Yahalom-Mack writes about the history of iron in ancient Israel.

Naama Barak writes about the mystery of the 1,400 dog burials at Ashkelon during the Persian period.

Bryan Windle identifies the top three reports in biblical archaeology for the month of July.

Construction has begun on a new reception center at the traditional Shepherds’ Field site near Bethlehem.

A music historian plans to restore a 12th-century organ discovered beneath the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The instrument is the oldest known example of a pipe organ.

Shea Sumlin is on the GTI podcast talking about what it was like to be one of the first tour groups to be back in Israel.

Joseph L. Rife reviews A Walk to Caesarea: A Historical-Archaeological Perspective, by Joseph Patrich.

2nd edition released: The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, by Jodi Magness.

One of the books on sale at Logos right now is the Zondervan Handbook of Biblical Archaeology, by Randall Price with H. Wayne House ($9).

John DeLancey’s new Institute of Biblical Israel is launching a new course on biblical archaeology tomorrow.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Wayne Stiles, Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis, Explorator, Mark Hoffman, Roger Schmidgall, Paleojudaica

Several dozen fossilized shark teeth were discovered in the City of David.

The first week of excavations has ended at Tell es-Safi. Here’s the most recent update.

The IAA announced the discovery of a “city council building” near the Western Wall. But this same building has been open to tourists for several decades, so I think the story is more properly that additional facts have been learned about this building, such as that it was used as a triclinium, featured a fountain, and was built in AD 20 (and not in the Hasmonean era). Or maybe the story is that a new tourist route is opening.

A new study has found that Egypt’s primary source of copper during the Third Intermediate Period was the Arabah, in turn suggesting that this was a significant motivation for Shishak’s campaign (underlying journal article here).

Bible History Daily introduces a recent BAR article by Jeffrey P. Garcia by describing the three pilgrimage paths from Galilee to Jerusalem.

Brian Blum describes his hike on the new Emmaus Trail which runs from Abu Ghosh to Canada Park. The trail begins near a new visitor center that includes a museum dedicated to the life of Jesus.

The Bethsaida (et-Tell) Excavations Project website has been updated with the latest publications, including field reports.

New release: The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel – Samuel, edited by David Arnovitz. Contributors include Aren Maier, Yosef Garfinkel, Erez Ben-Yosef, and Chris McKinny (publisher’s website; Amazon). An early enthusiastic review is here; the previously released Exodus volume is available here.

Free download: Beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre Jerusalem: The Archaeology and Early History of Traditional Golgotha, by Shimon Gibson & Joan E. Taylor (Palestine Exploration Fund, 1994)

Ram Gophna, Professor Emeritus at Tel Aviv University, died on Monday.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle, Explorator

‘Atiqot 103 (2021), now online, includes articles about Iron Age pottery at Tel Eton, a fishpond at Illut, and Crusader remains at Acco.

Richard Elliott Friedman argues that Solomon’s temple was destroyed by the Edomites, not the Babylonians (Haaretz premium). An underlying journal article is available here.

David Ben-Gad HaCohen questions the standard identification of the Nahal Zered as Wadi al-Hasa.

Excavations are underway at Tel Burna (Days 1-2, Days 3-4).

A new study suggests that disruption of copper trade in the ancient Near East was not as severe as thought at the end of the Bronze Age.

The collection of 264 gold coins known as the Givati hoard were apparently minted as emergency coinage by Byzantine authorities in Jerusalem shortly before the Persian invasion in AD 614.

Archaeologists found remains of an Urartian castle dating to the 8th century BC in eastern Turkey.

A harpist has created a playable replica of the iconic Gold Lyre of Ur (25 min video).

Kyle Keimer and Chris McKinny conclude their podcast series on the Archaeology of Passion Week with part 2 and part 3. Accompanying visuals are available for each episode.

Zoom lecture on June 22, 11:30 am Eastern: Archaeological Sites of Iraqi Kurdistan as Tourism Destinations (Zoom link)

Zoom lecture on June 23: “What Recent Excavations Reveal About the Formation of Ancient Israel,” by James W. Hardin, Mississippi State University.

Zoom lecture on July 8, 12:00 pm Eastern: The Story of Tell Qasile: A Philistine Outpost in Northern Tel Aviv, by Amihai Mazar

The Bible Mapper Blog has posted some new maps, with downloadable high-res versions:

If you’ve ever wanted to go horseback riding on the Golan Heights, you can experience it through the report and photos of Israel’s Good Name.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle, Joseph Lauer