Israel's Coast Archives - BiblePlaces.com

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A ship that wrecked off the coast of Dor circa 600 BC was carrying chunks of iron after they had been smelted, providing the first evidence that iron was traded in this form.

“Dozens of rare coins dating to about 2,000 years ago were seized from a Palestinian doctor attempting to smuggle them through the Hizma checkpoint between the West Bank and Jerusalem on the first Friday of Ramadan.”

Oded Lipschits and colleagues have published an article in Palestine Exploration Quarterly about a mass grave of young children from the Persian period at Tel Azekah.

Ruth Marks Eglash writes about the politics of Israelis excavating in the West Bank.

Yesterday’s Jerusalem Tracker lists the latest books, book chapters, and articles about the Holy City.

“T’OMIM (Tanakh Observable Matches of Intertextual Mimesis, from Hebrew תאומים meaning “twins”) is an open-access dataset of labeled parallel passages in the Hebrew Bible, compiled for computational and literary research on inner-biblical intertextuality.”

The long-awaited Gospel Companion from Biblical Backgrounds has arrived. The resource is on sale now until the end of Passover ($29.50).

The first two episodes of Season 1 of The Sacred Thread was released this week. Remaining episodes will release one a week through April on Angel Studios.

“A new theory is drawing attention to Malaita Island in the Solomon Islands as a potential hiding place of the Ark of the Covenant.”

Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer discuss the best archaeological finds of 2025 on the Biblical World podcast.

Denny Sissom will be teaching a new online class entitled “Revealing the New Testament through the History, Politics, and Customs of the Inter-Testament Period.”

New release: The Raging Torrent, 3rd edition, by Mordechai Cogan (Carta; $88)

New release: When Israel Was Young: A History of the Jewish People from the Beginnings to the Roman Conquest of Jerusalem, by Lester L. Grabbe (Bloomsbury, $25-$90; Amazon)

Legends of the Lost Ark will be in movie theaters on April 12, 14, and 15. A richly illustrated companion book by Chris McKinny and Roy Brown will soon be available. The pre-order sale price is $32.

HT: Agade, Explorator, Paleojudaica

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Lectures, Movies, Resources, Samaria, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A rare half-shekel coin from the First Jewish Revolt was discovered during the IAA’s Judean Desert Caves survey.

Five years after discovering a Crusader sword off the coast of Dor, a diver discovered a second one.

The Times of Israel reports on the new exhibit of the entirety of the Great Isaiah Scroll.

“The Rockefeller Archaeological Museum in Jerusalem is a singular historic gem that more people are getting the opportunity to visit thanks to the guided tours, which began this year.”

Nathan Steinmeyer looks at several examples of “mundane” archaeological discoveries that revealed dramatic insights when studied with the latest scientific methods.

Aren Maeir notes the publication of an article in which he argues that the Middle Bronze cultic structure in the City of David (as proposed by Shukron) is an Iron Age production site.

New release: A Historical Archaeology of Jerusalem: Bronze and Iron Ages, by Yuval Gadot (SBL Press, $62)

Kindle sale: Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible ($3.99, an all-time low; reg; $25; Logos $38)

On Digging for Truth, Seth Rodriquez highlights great discoveries that affirm the Old Testament.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle

Tagged Dead Sea Scrolls, Discoveries, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Judea, Museums, Resources, Technology, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

The opening of the Pilgrims’ Path from Siloam to the Temple Mount is reported by The Times of Israel, The Jerusalem Post, and Israel HaYom.

“A rare 2,000-year-old stone vessel recently uncovered in the Galilee is on display for the first time as part of the exhibition, ‘From the Great Assembly to the Knesset’ at the Knesset in Jerusalem.”

Vanessa Linares writes about the discovery of vanilla-spiced oil in a Middle Bronze Age tomb at Megiddo.

John DeLancey made a video of his walk on the new trail that runs from Chorazin to Capernaum.

Aren Maeir notes his visit to the excavations at Tel Goren (En Gedi), now in their second season.

A Ram for Mars, the third book in Christopher D. Stanley’s “A Slave’s Story” trilogy has been released ($5 on Kindle; paperback coming soon). I highly recommend the first two in the series and look forward to this one.

New release: Gaza: Archaeology and History, by Wolfgang Zwickel (Ägypten und Altes Testament, Zaphon, € 160)

Gordon Govier writes about Gabriel Barkay, the “Jewish archaeologist who inspired a generation of American Christians.”

HT: Agade, Keith Keyser

Tagged Dead Sea, Excavations, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Jezreel Valley, Museums, Resources, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“More than 17,000 archaeological artefacts have disappeared from museums and heritage sites in the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s cultural authorities and international human rights organisations.”

“Inspectors in Israel have seized hundreds of ancient and forged coins hidden inside a balcony planter at a private home in East Jerusalem.”

John DeLancey filmed a video walking up the Pilgrim’s Road from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount the day after it finally opened to the public.

Stephen Compton proposes that an Assyrian relief depicts Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem, not Eltekeh. (I disagree with several things, including the underlying premise that Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem.)

A summary of the 2025 excavations at Shiloh has been published.

Bryan Windle describes the fortifications of Jericho City V, the level he believes was destroyed by Joshua.

New release: The Chronicles of David and Solomon: 1 Chronicles 10 – 2 Chronicles 9: A New Translation and Commentary, by Yigal Levin (Bloomsbury, $126-$158; more at Amazon)

Robert Stein, longtime professor of New Testament at Bethel College and Seminary and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, died recently.

BibleMapper has created a beautiful poster map of the land of tribes of Reuben, Gad, and eastern Manasseh.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Paleojudaica

Tagged Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Jordan, Museums, Resources, Sad News, Samaria, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A new study of the Masada siege system reveals that the “circumvallation wall stood to a height of 2–2.5 m and served several functions – as an obstacle, a means of psychological warfare, and a platform from which to mount counterattacks.” It also was built quickly.

Artifacts stranded outside of Gaza since the Hamas coup in 2007 are on exhibit in Paris, and strong interest has led to extending the exhibition.

“Ancient textiles from the Judean Desert reveal that many Roman-era ‘purple’ garments were not dyed with costly murex but with a clever blend of madder and woad.”

The Biblical Museum of Natural History is hosting a “culinary expedition into the unexpected corners of kashrut” on December 24.

Israel’s authorities over the West Bank are expropriating 445 acres of land around the ancient Israelite capital of Samaria.

An agreement has been reached for a 2026 theatrical release of Legends of the Lost Ark, starring Chris McKinny.

Jerusalem Dateline has a 20-minute special on Bethsaida (el-Araj) that reports on the recent wildfire and its effects on the archaeological excavations.

Biblical Archaeology Society interviews archaeologist Achia Kohn-Tavor on location at Chorazin.

On Digging for Truth, Thomas Schmidt reports on his research into Flavius Josephus and his connections with the high priests who executed Jesus and James.

New release: Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion against the World’s Mightiest Empire, by Barry Strauss (Simon & Schuster, $15-$25). This looks like a good one. (WSJ review here)

Andy Cook gives a year-end update about the work at BibleStock.

The latest issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes articles on Bethlehem, Khrbet al-Rai, Megiddo, and putting the Bible back in biblical Archaeology.

Walking The Text has been working for the last six years on a high-quality documentary on the Lord’s Prayer. The movie releases on Angel on Tuesday, and the video footage of the biblical world is spectacular! A companion book also releases on Tuesday, and you can pre-order now to receive bonus content (after purchase, fill out this form).

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis, Explorator

Tagged Galilee, Israel's Coast, Judah, Movies, Museums, Resources, Samaria, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Israel has begun pumping desalinated water into the Sea of Galilee, making it the first such effort anywhere in the world. They expect the effort to raise the lake’s level by 0.2 inches per month. The lake is currently only 1 foot above the lower red line.

“A 4,300-year-old silver goblet featuring the earliest depiction of the Creation narrative from the Near East tradition echoes the struggle between chaos and order from the book of Genesis, a new study published on Thursday suggests.” The authors of the underlying journal article have written a short piece for ANE Today.

“Ivory from sub-Saharan Africa was imported to the Land of Israel between 1600- 600 BCE, overcoming geopolitical changes in both arenas, a new study analyzing over 1,500 artifacts and fragments excavated at 46 sites in the region has shown.”

A recent study analyzed hundreds of Chalcolithic cornets from Teleilat Ghassul and concluded that they were lamps used for ceremonial fire processions.

Lawrence Schiffman has written a short article for Ami Magazine explaining the significance of recent research on Masada, including the overturning of some common views.

Winners have been announced for the BAS 2025 Publication Awards.

I’ve learned that the exhibition of the Great Isaiah Scroll has been postponed due to issues of climate control and will now open in February 2026. Perhaps they will extend the exhibit into the summer to compensate.

A bill introduced in the Israeli parliament would transfer control of the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron to Israeli authorities.

Jerusalem University College has announced its lineup of spring online courses, including:

Biblical Archaeology II, taught by Kyle Keimer
The Book of Revelation and the Seven Cities of the Apocalypse, taught by Chris Vlachos
Cultural Backgrounds of the Bible, taught by Oliver Hersey
The Parables of Jesus and the Rabbinic Meshalim, taught by Steven Notley

Israel’s Good Name reports on a summer excursion to the Sharon Beach Nature Reserve.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis, Charles Savelle, Paleojudaica

Tagged Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jordan Rift, Judah, Lectures, Museums, Resources, Tourism, Weekend Roundup