“For the first time in centuries, scientists have exposed the original surface of what Christians traditionally believe to be Jesus’s tomb in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, as part of a restoration project.” National Geographic has a video and photos. Justin Taylor interviews Leen Ritmeyer about the specifics of Jesus’s tomb as known from the biblical record and archaeology. The first-ever artifacts discovered in situ from the time of the First Temple have been unveiled in Jerusalem. Haaretz’s story includes a photo of a structure that was revealed. The protective cover of an enormous mosaic in Hisham’s palace in Jericho was removed for a day in advance of the construction of a protective roof. Excavations have begun in the Umayyad palace at Khirbat Al-Minya on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Ancient tombs were discovered north of the Old City of Jerusalem during recent road maintenance. Aren Maeir suspects that the Jerusalem Papyrus may be fake. An ancient Muslim inscription indicates that the original name of the Dome of the Rock was the “House of the Temple.” The TMSP blog comments on some of the reports at this week’s conference on the Archaeology of Jerusalem, including notice of a new study that the spring house over the Gihon in the City of David dates not to the Middle Bronze Age but to the 9th century BC. The Mount of Olives cemetery was ranked #8 on Bloomberg’s list of most beautiful burial sites in the world. HT: Joseph Lauer, Steven Anderson, Agade, Charles Savelle, Ted Weis, Paleojudaica
A couple of Israeli scholars are suggesting that the Hasmonean Hall (aka “Hall of the Freemasons”) in the Western Wall Tunnels may have served as a triclinium for Jerusalem’s city council.
Scientists working in Galilee have discovered caves used by rebels in the Jewish Revolt. For a more academic study, see this journal article.
The eastern temple of Ramses II at Karnak has been opened after restoration.
Excavations at Petra have revealed new information about the water systems that kept the city alive 2,000 years ago.
Municipal workers in Turkey’s Çanakkale province discovered gold jewelry in an 8th century BC sarcophagus.
Russia is sending a team of scientists to investigate World Heritage sites in Syria allegedly destroyed in the civil war.
The Basrah Museum is opening soon in a former palace of Saddam Hussein.
The Archaeological Museum of Kos re-opened up last month after renovation.
A competition is being held for the architectural design of the new Cyprus Museum in Nicosia.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague has ruled that destroying cultural antiquities is a war crime.
Wayne Stiles’s new post on the history and significance of Eilat is filled with lots of photos I really like.
Ferrell Jenkins shares a photo of a beautiful sunrise over the Sea of Galilee.
Haaretz reviews the best of archaeology in Israel this past (Jewish) year.
John S. (Jack) Holladay died last week. He was a long-time professor at the University of Toronto and he was involved in excavations at Gezer and in the Wadi Tumilat Project.
HT: Agade, Charles Savelle, Joseph Lauer
- Tagged Antiquities Trade, Egypt, Galilee, Jerusalem, Jordan, Mesopotamia, Negev, Sad News, Syria, Turkey
A stone weight from the first century with the name of the high priest has been discovered in Jerusalem. Ynet has more photos and a video in Hebrew.
Israel’s largest archaeological garden was opened this week on a military base in Tel Aviv.
Archaeologists working at Petra have discovered two statues of Aphrodite.
“Excavations in the volcanic desert of Jordan have uncovered three surprisingly advanced fortified settlements with artificially irrigated terraced gardens, dating to 6,000 years ago.”
Someone is claiming to have discovered one of the stones from the high priest’s breastplate.
“Excavations at Tatarlı Mound in the southern province of Adana’s Ceyhan district have unearthed an impression seal from a monumental Hittite-era structure.”
Aviv and Shmuel Bar-Am provide a virtual tour of the excavations of Ramat Rahel.
Israel’s Good Name describes a recent visit to Chorazin (Korazim) and the first century Galilee boat.
Wayne Stiles suggests that the Transjordanian tribes settled for “second best” and he applies that principle for us today.
Leen Ritmeyer analyzes the paving stone tiles released by the Temple Mount Sifting Project and
suggests they came from “the interior of some of the many buildings that surrounded the Temple and/or from under the colonnades around the smaller courts.”
The Hebrew Music Museum opened earlier this year in Jerusalem and features 260 instruments.
This week Southern Adventist University opened a new exhibit entitled “A World in Miniature:
Creation, Cosmos, and Ecology on Seals from Biblical Times.” The museum’s website does not appear to have information yet on this new display.
The ASOR Blog identifies their five most popular posts of the summer.
The British Institute at Ankara has published nine volumes in the series Roman Roads and Milestones of Asia Minor, all available without charge in pdf format.
HT: Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis, Charles Savelle, Agade
- Tagged Discoveries, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Jordan, Museums, New Exhibits, Resources, Temple Mount, Turkey, Weekend Roundup
A stone seal discovered this summer at Abel Beth Maacah suggests Israelite presence at the site in the 9th century.
Luke Chandler has collected a number of photos of floor tiles from Herod’s Temple Mount that have been restored by the Temple Mounting Sifting Project. The Jerusalem Post has more details. There are more photos here. A 20-minute video of the press conference is online, with English starting at about 3 minutes.
Archaeologists have uncovered a Byzantine-era stable at Avdat in southern Israel. High school students joined in the sifting of hundreds of buckets of organic material left behind by donkeys, sheep, and goats. Five high-resolution photos are available.
There’s now an island in the Sea of Galilee. It’s near the southern shore and is the result of the low water level. Artillery shells from WWI have also been discovered nearby.
A mosaic from the Huqoq synagogue may depict Alexander the Great meeting the high priest of Jerusalem. Another interpretation is that it shows the battle between Antiochus VII and John Hyrcanus I. The National Geographic article has photos.
Israel’s ancient capital of Samaria has been vandalized. A video in Hebrew shows some of the damage.
Exploring Bible Lands continues its series on “Walking like Jesus” with a photo of a Roman road in Galilee.
Wayne Stiles explores why Kiriath Jearim is ignored, and why it shouldn’t be.
Thursday’s Archaeological Conference in the City of David entitled “Digging for Truth — Jerusalem,
Archaeology & UNESCO” may be watched online. Parts are in Hebrew and other parts in English, with the whole lasting 4.5 hours. The program may be viewed here. The Jerusalem Post reports on the talk by Dore Gold.
Olive pits discovered at Khirbet Qeiyafa receive special attention at a new exhibit at the Bible Lands
Museum Jerusalem.
HT: Joseph Lauer, Charles Savelle, Agade, Ted Weis
- Tagged Discoveries, Galilee, Jerusalem, Judah, Negev, New Exhibits, Samaria, Temple Mount
The National Parks Authority has begun a $750,000 project to restore the Lower Aqueduct between Abu Tor and the Temple Mount in order to open it to visitors for Sukkot.
A stone workshop has been excavated in Galilee between Nazareth and Cana. The archaeologist suggests that perhaps the large stone jars mentioned in John 2 came from a cave like this one.
Archaeologists working in the Hittite capital of Alacahöyük have discovered a secret tunnel.
An article in Haaretz highlights similarities of Philistine culture to Cypriot cities and technology, supporting the theory of their Aegean origins.
A collection of metal artifacts discovered near the coast of Caesarea over several decades has been turned over to the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Seventy percent of the work on the archaeological park around the Giza pyramids is complete and the plan is to open it by the end of the year.
The BBC asks, “Will the skyscrapers outlast the pyramids?”
The tomb of Suleiman the Magnificent is being excavated in a small town in Hungary.
New book: The Archaeology and History of the Church of the Redeemer and the Muristan in Jerusalem, edited by Dieter Vieweger and Shimon Gibson. Publication details here.
Wayne Stiles has a very good deal going right now on the audiobook version of his excellent Waiting on God.
HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Charles Savelle
- Tagged Egypt, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup
A high school student found a ballista ball from the Bar Kochba Revolt during recent excavations of Beitar.
Excavators working at Abel Beth Maacah discovered one of the earliest silver hoards ever found.
There’s more information about the excavation of the chariot race mosaic in Cyprus.
To make the looting of Syrian artifacts more difficult, the US State Department announced emergency import restrictions.
“Oxford University researchers say that trees which grew during intense radiation bursts in the past have ‘time-markers’ in their tree-rings that could help archaeologists date events from thousands of years ago.”
Wayne Stiles explains how the Herodium testifies to God’s sovereignty.
The New York Times is no fan of the Ben-Hur remake.
The Associates for Biblical Research are beginning to recruit for their first season of excavations at Shiloh next summer.
Leon Mauldin posts on the end of wicked Queen Athaliah and shares a photo of a model of Jerusalem at the Bible Lands Museum.
If you wanted to know a little more about Enoch’s journey through the world (referenced in
Thursday’s survey results), Paleojudaica explains.
The new NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible is being released on Tuesday. It looks impressive, and you can flip through the entire books of Genesis and Matthew online to see for yourself.
Hundreds of photos, maps, and charts accompany study notes edited by John Walton (OT) and Craig
Keener (NT). The promotional website also includes videos and infographics.
HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Joseph Lauer
- Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Herod's Tomb, Jerusalem, Judah, Resources, Samaria