Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Mosaics from the synagogue of Huqoq have been published in full for the first time, including scenes of Jonah and the fish, the tower of Babel, Noah’s ark, the parting of the Red Sea. The scholarly publication is forthcoming in BASOR.

Mark Hoffman mentions a new project that maps Paul’s missionary journeys. It looks quite impressive, though if the pop-ups don’t work for you on one browser, you might try another. You can support further development of the project here.

Onomasticon.net is a new website that provides “a comprehensive collection of personal names and their various characteristics from the Iron II Southern Levant.”

The controversy over the plan to construct a cable car to Jerusalem’s Old City continues.

A conference commemorating the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the Mesha Stele will be held on Nov. 29 in Jerusalem.

Israel’s Good Name describes his latest field trip to Megiddo and Hazor, guided by Aren Maeir.

Registration has opened for the free MOOC taught by Aren Maeir: “Biblical Archaeology: The Archaeology of Ancient Israel and Judah.”

The new courses for December at The Institute of Biblical Culture are “Assyria and the Bible” and
“The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls.”

In a clip from this summer’s Institute of Biblical Context conference, Doug Greenwold explains the significance of Psalm 23’s reference to “still waters.”  All of the conference DVDs are now available for a very good price.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“An early depiction of Jesus was recently discovered in a circa 6th century Byzantine church deep in Israel’s Negev Desert.”

The remains of an unborn child and its mother, who possibly died giving birth, have been excavated in Aswan, Egypt, and date to about 1600 BC.

Archaeologists excavating a tomb near Cairo have discovered dozens of mummified cats.

“A Polish-Kuwaiti team of archaeologists have unearthed a 7,000-year-old temple, the oldest in the Persian Gulf region.”

Marine archaeologists believe they may have found a missing piece of the Antikythera Mechanism (Haaretz premium).

The excavations of ancient Hattusha in Turkey are providing an income for many local residents who would otherwise be unemployed.

The October issue of the Newsletter of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities reports the latest discoveries, artifact repatriations, famous visitors, and more.

Two new excavation reports from Eisenbrauns (latest catalog here) have been published:

HT: Agade, Charles Savelle

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

After being closed for six years to protect artifacts during the civil war, Syria’s National Museum of Damascus has reopened.

A Haaretz premium article suggests that the Israelites at Dan worshiped the Lord. “Suggestive finds include seal impressions with Yahwistic names, temple architecture, and artifacts typical of Yahwistic temple rituals.”

The latest in Brad Gray’s Psalm 23 series looks at the rod and staff (and sling) of the shepherd.

Israel’s Good Name has written a couple of posts about the Autumn Raptor Migration.

Biblical Israel Ministries and Tours has begun a new series of short devotional videos: “It Happened Here—Life Lessons from Israel.”

A snake crawled out of the stones of the Western Wall above the women’s prayer area, creating a bit of a scare.

Glenn Corbett and Jack Green explain the tremendous value of the ACOR Photo Archive.

A new 17-minute film entitled “Paul in Athens” reconstructs the famous events of Acts 17. This documentary was created by Yaron Eliav and the University of Michigan TLTC Team.

John McRay, longtime professor of New Testament and Archaeology died in August. The Book and the Spade shares an archived interview with him about Athens in the Time of Paul.

HT: Ted Weis, Charles Savelle, Agade

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Weekend Roundup

An intact 2,400-year-old ancient Greek shipwreck, believed to be the world’s oldest, has been found at the bottom of the Black Sea.

The Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. announced that independent testing revealed that five of its Dead Sea Scroll fragments “show characteristics inconsistent with ancient origin and therefore will no longer be displayed at the museum.” Kipp Davis, who initially questioned their authenticity, thinks that more fragments held by American institutions will be proven to be forgeries.


Haaretz (premium) has an article on the new excavations at Tel Shimron, a biblical site that is three times larger than Megiddo.

At least 19 people were killed when a flash flood swept away a group of students touring on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea.

The Smithsonian magazine looks at the work of Virtual Wonders in using drone and other advanced technology to create extremely detailed 3D models of Petra. The article includes a video preview of their work.

“For a video game that includes bloody mercenaries, extraterrestrial beings, and time travel, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is shockingly faithful to our contemporary historical understanding of what Ancient Greece looked like during its golden age.”

Leon Mauldin shares photos and descriptions of Troas and Gamla.

Two new books on ancient Israel:

HT: Ted Weis, Keith Keyser, Charles Savelle, Agade

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists believe they have found ruins of the church building where the First Council of Nicaea was held.

“Turkish archeologists have found an eye cream jar in a 2,200-year-old tomb during their excavation works in an antique city of Aizanoi in country’s west.”

A cache of gold coins dating to the 5th century has been found in an old theater in northern Italy.

A full-scale replica of a Roman triumphal arch from Palmyra will be on display in Washington DC later this month.

Museums are full of fake cuneiform tablets, and Sara Brumfield suggests a few ways to identify them.

An ancient Torah scroll in Brazil’s National Museum was spared from the fire because it was being restored off-site.

The August 2018 issue of the Newsletter of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities includes information about recent discoveries, meetings, exhibitions, and fee increases.

John DeLancey is posting daily summaries of his tour of Greece.

HT: Ted Weis, Agade, Steven Anderson, Gordon Franz

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Egypt has announced the discovery of an ancient village in the Nile Delta.

A 3-D topographical survey of the Lisht necropolis area in Egypt has been completed.

Archaeologists made some important discoveries in the port of the Greek island of Kythnos.

The fire at Brazil’s National Museum destroyed millions of items, including the entire collection of 700 Egyptian artifacts.

Biblical Archaeology Society has limited space remaining for its Bible History of the Nile tour in February.

Unlike many of the reviews of the Museum of the Bible in D.C., this one by Alex Joffe is intelligent and balanced.

Seetheholyland.net has compiled a list of more than 120 tour operators who offer pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

Accordance is running a High Holy Days Sale that includes discounts on significant works from Carta, including The Quest, Echoes from the Past, and The Raging Torrent.

Appian Media has just released a sneak peek for their upcoming series, “Searching for a King.”

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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