“A four-line ancient Aramaic inscription, possibly inked by Jewish rebels from the Bar Kochba Revolt against the Romans in the 2nd century CE, has been discovered in a cave in the Judean Desert.”

An ivory fragment depicting a woman’s head was discovered in a layer of 7th-century BC fill material near the City of David’s eastern wall.

Rescue excavations along Route 60 north of Jerusalem uncovered a sophisticated ancient water system that includes “six water springs, a 200-meter-long channel, and, most recently, a large wall.” A local guide thinks it can become “a central attraction in Benjamin.” There is a video in Hebrew here (4 min).

After years of abandonment, a crocodile farm in the Jordan Valley underwent a “culling operation” in which 262 crocodiles were shot. Shev Tov Sasson was there on the morning of the operation, on his way to a night birding expedition near the Dead Sea.

The Tel Burna team is preparing to begin excavations at Tel ‘Ether later this month and they welcome volunteers.

The latest issue of Near Eastern Archaeology (subscription) is the first of two to commemorate the centennial of the University of Chicago excavations at Megiddo. The first issue provides articles providing introduction, background, and Bronze Age material. The second issue will focus on the Iron Age. (There is also a conference about Megiddo on October 9, but I’ve only yet found a flyer in Hebrew.)

“Jewish sages in Late Antiquity were not detached from the land but actively involved in the robust wine culture of the Roman-Byzantine world.”

BibleStock has released a new coaching video, this one exploring the Kidron Valley and how it connects the suffering David and the suffering Jesus.

Shmuel Browns notes that the En Gedi Nature Reserve remains closed, and he posts some photos of En Prat.

Lecture on Aug 13: “The Heartland of Judah: Excavations at Biblical Libnah,” by Steven M. Ortiz ($10)

The Albright Institute is hosting a book launch on September 3 (in-person and Zoom) for Ancient Jewish Food in Its Geographical and Cultural Contexts: What’s Cooking in the Talmuds?, by Susan Weingarten 

New release: The City of Gaza in the Roman Period: The Numismatic Evidence (First Century BCE–Third Century CE), by Yoav Farhi (Israel Numismatic Society, 500 pages, $175)

Biblical Backgrounds has released some new wall maps – some smaller, some larger, and some sets.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Explorator