Excavations Archives - Page 60 of 97

Recent IAA Excavation Reports

The final report of a small excavation of biblical Japhia (Josh 19:12) has been published. The excavators identified possible hiding places used during the Jewish Revolt but not the double fortification described by Josephus.

Another stone workshop was excavated two miles north of Nazareth in the village of er-Reina.

Remains date from the Persian to Late Roman periods.

A final report was also recently published for Khirbet Keila near Zorah and Eshtaol, with remains from the Early Bronze, Intermediate Bronze, and Byzantine periods.

A final report is now available for a survey along the northern part of the “Diagonal Route,” from Shaar HaGai to the Elah Valley. The survey included portions of Tel Bet Shemesh and the area around Beit Jimal and Moshav Zekhariya.

Beth Shemesh and “Diagonal Route”
Labeled slide from Judah and the Dead Sea

Tagged Excavations, Galilee, Shephelah

Conference Report: Innovations in Archaeology in Jerusalem

The Jerusalem Post reports on recent discoveries made in connection with development projects in the Jerusalem area. (Emphasis added.)

In order to secure the necessary construction permits from the Interior Ministry, public works projects need approval from the IAA [Israel Antiquities Authority]. Preconstruction surveys during preparation for the expansion of Highway 1 around the Motza Interchange have yielded a plethora of new discoveries, including Iron Age buildings at Tel Motza, explained Dr. Doron Ben Ami, a chief researcher at the HU archeology institute. At the Motza Stream, archeologists discovered ruins dating back to the Neolithic period and an enormous underground water reservoir from the Crusaders.
Pre-construction surveys of the Ramot highway have yielded discoveries of Roman terraces. And when baseball fans in Ramat Beit Shemesh decided to build a baseball field, they discovered a new field of dreams: Just a few centimeters below the surface, there were hundreds of clay pots and figurines.
Nearby, archeologists discovered an enormous burial ground from the Bronze Age.
Even in the posh Jerusalem neighborhood of Rehavia, construction of fancy new apartments can sometimes lead to the most startling archeological discoveries. A 6-meter-high column was unearthed during construction of a new apartment building on the leafy neighborhood’s Abarbanel Street, leading scholars to believe it could have been a Byzantine era quarry. The column was mostly likely destined for one the magnificent cathedrals of the era before it cracked and became dangerous to move.

The full story is here.

HT: Joseph Lauer

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Jerusalem

Help Needed for Ur Excavation Documents

From UrCrowdsource:

Ever wonder if old archaeological excavations were really like they are in the movies?
Find out.
Help us document a 1922-1934 excavation by reading and transcribing letters, field notes, and reports from the dig in southern Iraq.
The site of Ur, one of the earliest cities in the world, was jointly excavated by the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania Museum for 12 years in the early 20th century. Despite many publications on the site, there is still much to learn. And new digital techniques mean we can get data to researchers more completely and efficiently.
We have a plethora of 90-year-old information to make digitally searchable. And we need help. With thousands of pages of typed letters and reports from the field and thousands more handwritten field notes in need of transcription, one or two research assistants just can’t do the job.

You can sign up and get started here. Ur is mentioned in the Bible four times in connection with Abraham: Genesis 11:28, 31; 15:7; Nehemiah 9:7.

HT: Charles Jones

Ziggurat of Ur from the east
Photo: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-DIG-matpc-13196

Tagged Excavations, Mesopotamia

New Excavations: Palmahim, Nahariyya, and Jerusalem

Three excavation reports were published yesterday by the Israel Antiquities Authority.

In Palmahim, on the coast south of Tel Aviv, archaeologists uncovered a large and unique Chalcolithic cemetery with fourteen circular tombs and six ossuaries.

In Nahariyya, excavations revealed a portion of the Roman road running from Acco to Tyre.

On the west side of Jerusalem, an agricultural farmstead from the Iron, Roman, and Byzantine periods was excavated. The discoveries include three winepresses, a watchman’s hut, three quarries, a couple of caves, and farming terrace walls.

All of the reports include maps, plans, and photographs.

“Chain-type burials” from the Chalcolithic period near Palmahim.
Photo by IAA.

Tagged Excavations, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem

Wednesday Roundup

Eilat Mazar has resumed excavations in the (so-called) Ophel, and her partners at Armstrong College plan to provide regular updates. They begin with an on-location interview of Mazar.

Excavations continue to reveal Egyptian presence in Joppa from the New Kingdom period.

Mark Fairchild’s search for ancient synagogues in Turkey is profiled in the local press. The article includes an interesting video by Fairchild of his discoveries.

In light of an article in the Wall Street Journal, Charles Savelle reflects on the value of knowing biblical geography.

Ferrell Jenkins is back in Israel and he shares a rare photo of Jacob’s well.

King Tut and his predecessors may have been afflicted with temporal lobe epilepsy.

Did you forget to celebrate the 2000th anniversary of Caligula’s birthday?

Clean-up of the polluted Kishon River is finally scheduled to begin, 12 years after divers were found
to have contracted cancer.

The cedars of Lebanon are threatened by climate change.

As Rosh HaShanah (the New Year) begins in Jewish homes around the world at sundown on Sunday,

Wayne Stiles reflects on the Gezer Calendar and other ways we keep time.

The 50th anniversary of Lawrence of Arabia inspires Anthony Horowitz to travel to Jordan.

HT: Explorator, Jack Sasson

Wadi Rum. Photo from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands.

Tagged Egypt, Excavations, Holidays, Italy, Jerusalem, Jordan, Lebanon, Samaria, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Recent Archaeological Reports

About half a dozen new excavation reports were published yesterday at the IAA’s Hadashot Arkheologiyot, including three from Jerusalem: Mishkenot Sha’ananim – a section of the Low-Level Aqueduct from the Roman-Byzantine period and an earlier unknown period. This aqueduct brought water from Solomon’s Pools to Jerusalem. St. Claire’s Monastery, Talpiot – a section of the High-Level Aqueduct from the 1st-2nd centuries AD. Zedekiah’s Cave – co-sponsored by the [Ron] Wyatt Museum of Tennessee, this 2011 excavation focused on two areas in the lower level of the cave. Remains were found from the Arab and Crusader periods, but the ark of the covenant was not located. All reports include maps, plans, and photographs. Several other discoveries have been mentioned in recent days: Byzantine-era remains of Jewish town found 9 miles (15 km) north of Beersheba will require the re-routing of Israel’s new north-south toolway. Imported pottery from Cyprus discovered at Tel Burna in the Shephelah has been photographed. A figurine was discovered on the surface of Tell es-Safi/Gath by a student. Water channel excavated at St. Claire’s Monastery. Photo by IAA.

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Jerusalem, Negev, Philistines, Shephelah