Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Amanda Borschel-Dan surveys the state of Israeli archaeology as the nation celebrates its 70th birthday.

Jill Katz offers a summary of “Israel Archaeology at 70.”

Philippe Bohstrom looks at Sennacherib’s 701 BC invasion of Judah, focusing on how to account for the Assyrian king’s failure to conquer Jerusalem (Haaretz premium).

By studying the dirt piles of burrowing mole rats, archaeologists working at Tel ‘Eton believe that they have found evidence of the site’s significance in the 10th century BC (Haaretz premium).

“The Palestinian government and international organizations started a major excavation to restore St. Hilarion Monastery, locally known as Tell Umm Amer, in the central Gaza Strip, Palestine’s oldest and largest Christian monument.”

In this week’s The Teaching Series, Brad Gray explains the paradox of the two major bodies of water in Israel: the life-giving Sea of Galilee and the lifeless Dead Sea.

The Temple Mount Sifting Project is inviting you to visit their research lab.

Is the Via Dolorosa in the right place? Wayne Stiles explains the controversy.

The “Sanhedrin Trail” will be inaugurated next week. This 45-mile (70-km) route connects Beit Shearim to Tiberias and hikers can take advantage of a Hebrew web app.

Ferrell’s Travel Blog has a new address. You can bookmark the new site, or subscribe to the blog by email (upper right).

Charles Savelle and Luke Chandler recommend our new Photo Companion to the Book of Ruth. The sale ends tomorrow. Shipping is free in the US and satisfaction is guaranteed.

HT: Joseph Lauer, Agade, Mike Harney, Ted Weis, Keith Keyser, Steven Anderson

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A headless statue of Aphrodite and a large mosaic were discovered during subway construction in Thessaloniki.

“Researchers have discovered the oldest figurative tattoos in the world on the upper arms of two ancient Egyptian mummies, the British Museum said.”

Iraqi authorities discovered 75 artifacts near the Shrine of the Prophet Abraham after a torrential rain.

Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities Newsletter for January 2018 has been published.

Rome was covered by a rare snowfall this week. Photos here.

The Frist Center in Nashville is hosting over 200 objects from the Roman Empire, courtesy of the British Museum.

Four Persian kings are buried in the necropolis of Naqsh-e Rustam, including Darius I.

A rare 2nd-3rd century AD Roman ivory relief of Greek mythology is for sale.

A Hungarian pilot has flown his stunt plane through the Corinth Canal.

Wayne Stiles explains how your mind is like an archaeological dig.

HT: Agade, Charles Savelle, Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis, Paul Mitchell, Mark Hoffman

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Adi Erlich reports the results from the renewed excavations of the Beth Shearim that she directed.

The closing of the Megiddo Prison will (finally) permit the opening of an archaeological park that features an early place of Christian worship.

“A rare, intact bronze ring from the Middle Ages bearing the image of St. Nicholas was discovered by chance during recent landscaping work in the garden of a home in the Jezreel Valley community of Moshav Yogev.”

The shrinking Dead Sea is attracting some strange people.

Photographs from the 1952 Qumran Caves’ Expedition are now online.

Israel’s Good Name explored some places in Jerusalem that many tourists never see.

On Purim 89 years ago the Graf Zeppelin flew over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

The entire double issue of Biblical Archaeology Review that celebrates Hershel Shanks is currently available in its entirety to all.

Accordance Bible Software is offering a large Lifeboat Switcher discount if you come over from any
other Bible software platform.

HT: Agade, Charles Savelle, Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis, Mark Hoffman

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Seven inscriptions from the Assyrian king Esarhaddon have been found in looter tunnels beneath the tomb of Jonah in Mosul, Iraq.

A rare pair of 2nd AD Roman boxing gloves was unearthed near Hadrian’s Wall in Hexham, England.

Egypt has announced the discovery of a large cemetery near the city of Minya. Photos are here.

“Remains of a 2,600-year-old statue with an inscription written in Egyptian hieroglyphics has been discovered in a temple at Dangeil, an archaeological site along the Nile River in Sudan.”

LiveScience reports on the excavations that have identified a different location for the Plutonium at Hierapolis.

The theater in Perga will be restored with a grant of 3 million Turkish Lira.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was closed for several hours today in protest of a new tax plan.

The US Supreme Court has ruled the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago will be allowed to retain thousands of cuneiform tablets that originate from Iran.

The Minerva Center for the Relations between Israel and Aram is hosting its annual conference on
May 14–17, 2018, in Leipzig, Germany on the theme of “Re-Writing History by Destruction.”

Adriano Orsingher provides a short introduction to tophets on the ASOR Blog.

A conference on “Rethinking Layard 1817-2017” will be held in March in Venice.

BBC and Netflix have created an 8-part series on the Trojan War that is the most expensive drama in
BBC’s history.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis, @go2Carl

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A 12-minute video on the discovery of the Isaiah seal impression describes the background and significance of this find. The video includes interviews with Eilat Mazar and Shmuel Ahituv.

Christopher Rollston issues some cautions about identifying that seal impression with the prophet Isaiah. He follows up with more here. Michael Welch goes further and says that the seal belongs to
Isaiah (son of) Nobai or Isaiah the Nobian and not the famous prophet.

Biblical Archaeology Review is honoring its founder Hershel Shanks with a double issue, the table of contents of which is now online.

Mark D. Smith investigates the probability of a body of an criminal executed by Rome being buried.

Wayne Stiles considers the purpose of Jesus’s transfiguration and its significance to us today.

Ferrell Jenkins recalls his own experiences in visiting the Jordan River near Jericho.

How was Jesus heard without a microphone? That’s the topic on this week’s The Land and the Book broadcast with Barry Britnell.

Sharon Herbert will be lecturing at the Albright Institute on March 1  on “New Work on the Sealings and the Archive from Tel Kedesh.”

Now’s a good time to sign up for the summer excavations at Tell es-Safi/Gath.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Excavations of Ein Hanya in the Judean hills have concluded with an announcement of the discovery of an Israelite royal capital (proto-Aeolic?), a 4th century Greek drachma, and a Byzantine pool system. The site is associated in tradition with Philip’s baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch. The site will soon open as an archaeological park.

Eilat Mazar has returned to the Ophel to excavate, and this video shows a large cave she believes was in use during the First Temple period. An interview with Mazar includes an aerial photo with the excavation sites labeled.

A Roman tomb complex has been discovered in the northern Gaza Strip.

The ancient temple at Ain Dara, Syria, which is the closest parallel to Solomon’s temple, was heavily damaged in recent Turkish air strikes.

A radar scan is underway in King Tut’s tomb to determine if there are any hidden chambers.

Egypt announced the discovery of a 4,400-year-old tomb in good condition at Giza.

A man carrying a metal detector around the Nabatean ruins of Halutza was arrested for looting more than 150 Byzantine coins.

Five ancient statues stolen during Lebanon’s civil war are back on display in its National Museum.

The Museum of Ancient Greek Technology recently opened in Athens.

“A new exhibition showing at the Carthage National Museum highlights the links between the Carthaginian and Etruscan civilisations before the Mediterranean came under Roman dominion.”

Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities is launching a project to document rare petroglyphs throughout the country. 

HT: Ted Weis, Agade, Joseph Lauer

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About the BiblePlaces Blog

The BiblePlaces Blog provides updates and analysis of the latest in biblical archaeology, history, and geography. Unless otherwise noted, the posts are written by Todd Bolen, PhD, Professor of Biblical Studies at The Master’s University.

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