Italy Archives - BiblePlaces.com

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A 4th-century basilica with a large reception hall has been excavated in Ostia.

A team of researchers has used AI to figure out the rules of an ancient Roman board game.

Authorities are taking action to reduce graffiti at the ancient site of Persepolis.

New benches outside the Roman Colosseum enable the visitor to comprehend just how much larger the amphitheater was before earthquakes destroyed the outer ring.

“A new study suggests that Alexandria on the Tigris was more than a regional city; it functioned as a capital of ancient global trade, linking India, Mesopotamia, and the Mediterranean for more than five centuries.”

New release: The Transjordan in Biblical Literature: A Critical Spatial Approach, by Aubrey Taylor McClain (Gorgias, $76).

A book launch for A Voice from the Desert: The Great Isaiah Scroll will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 5:30, at The Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus Campus, Mandel Building, 5th Floor, Room 530. Presentations will be made by Lawrence H. Schiffman, Emanuel Tov, Kristin De Troyer, Pnina Shor, and Marcello Fidanzio. The event is open to the public, and no registration is required.

Walking The Text has just released a “behind the scenes” series for The Lord’s Prayer. Six episodes reveal the backstory of the location shoots, the biblical scholarship, and a night in a bunker when missiles were in the air.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Explorator

Tagged Italy, Jordan, Mesopotamia, Persia, Resources, Technology, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Rock carvings found in southwestern Sinai depict a killing scene and a boat.

“A US-led research team has verified the first Mediterranean mass grave of the world’s earliest recorded pandemic, providing stark new details about the plague of Justinian that killed millions of people in the Byzantine empire between the sixth and eighth centuries.”

The musty aroma that comes from Egyptian mummies is “a complex mix of volatile organic compounds,” and recent research has identified 81 of these VOCs.

Turkish Archaeological News summarizes the top stories for the month of January.

The Times of San Diego writes about the career of archaeologist Tom Levy.

Luke Lukert profiles Bobby Duke, the chief curatorial officer of the Museum of the Bible.

New release: Karkemish of the Hittites on the Euphrates: New Discoveries and New Acquisitions, edited by N. Marchetti (OrientLab; €18, open-access)

Lee M. Jefferson explains why Michelangelo’s Moses has horns.

HT: Agade, Keith Keyser

Tagged Egypt, Italy, Museums, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Archaeologists believe they have identified the remains of a Roman basilica in Fanum Fortunae built by the late first-century BCE architect Vitruvius.”

“Archaeologists in northern Turkey say they have uncovered the long-lost Temple of Kubaba, a 2,600-year-old religious complex that is reshaping understanding of belief and ritual in ancient Anatolia.”

“Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Lystra in central Türkiye have restored a rare medieval bronze reliquary cross discovered intact and permanently sealed.”

“A groundbreaking archaeological discovery in eastern Türkiye is reshaping historians’ understanding of the ancient Kingdom of Sophene, a little-known Hellenistic-era polity that once stood at the crossroads of Anatolian, Iranian, and Greek civilizations.”

Newly published texts shed light on Nebuchadnezzar’s accomplishments.

Zoom lecture on Feb 3, 10am Eastern: “200 Years of Archaeology in Türkiye,” by Tuba Ökse. The recording will be posted a few days later on the ARWA channel.

New release: Materials from Karkemish I. The Numismatic Finds from the 2011-2024 Excavations, by Aliya Erol (OrientLab Series Maior 9; 35 euros; open access)

HT: Agade, Paleojudaica

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Italy, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

A new study reveals that the earliest bathhouses in Pompeii were not very hygienic.

“A gang of four antiquities robbers was caught red-handed on Sunday afternoon while digging inside an ancient Roman-period burial cave near Hittin, on the edge of the Arbel Valley.”

The latest video from Expedition Bible traces the route of Abraham from Iraq through Syria, Turkey, Jordan, and Israel.

Elizabeth Shenk reports on the use of AI in dating the Dead Sea Scrolls, and she includes a number of quotations from scholars about the dating of Daniel.

Marek Dospěl provides an introduction to the Nimrud Letters.

Marta Lorenzon writes about the social meaning and functionality of mudbrick architecture. “By tracing the full chaîne opératoire — from soil selection to mixing, molding, drying, and construction — we can approach mudbrick not only as a building technology but also as a reflection of cultural practice, community identity, and human engagement with the environment.”

The NY Times posted an obituary for Gabriel Barkay (gift link).

The first guest on The Book and the Spade radio program was Gabriel Barkay, and that recording from 1984 is now online.

Israel’s Good Name writes about his travels on the outskirts of Elkana.

Chris McKinny and Amy Balogh discuss the Flood Tablet from the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on Feb 4: “Unearthing an Imperially Glorious Byzantine Church near Bet Shemesh: From Fieldwork to Virtual Reality,” by Benyamin Storchan

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on Feb 25: “Willibald Goes to Jerusalem: A Trip Through the City Then and Now,” by Christie Pavey

Releasing soon: Archaeology and the People of the Bible: Exploring the Evidence for the Historical Existence of Bible Characters, by Titus Kennedy

The Sacred Thread and the BibleProject have released the 8-day Lord’s Prayer Reading Plan on YouVersion.

Friends of ASOR Tours are giving two days of insider tours in Philadelphia in April.

“Bible Mapper is pleased to announce the launch of Bible Mapper, Jr.! The new site hosts a growing collection of resources specifically designed to help kids understand where the stories of the Bible happened and why it matters. Each map lesson includes a kid-friendly map, a Bible reading, a Life Lesson, and an article that unpacks what happened in the story and how it can help us follow God more closely.”

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Explorator

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Dead Sea Scrolls, Italy, Mesopotamia, Resources, Sad News, Samaria, Shephelah, Technology, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

“Excavations at the ancient city of Smyrna in central Izmir have uncovered a mosaic floor featuring a ‘Solomon’s Knot’ motif.”

Nathan Steinmeyer writes about the latest discoveries at the house believed to have once belonged to Nero’s second wife.

A new IAA research project plans to trace the origin of thousands of pottery vessels based on the mineral and chemical composition of the pottery kiln.

“The Huqoq Excavation Consortium will benefit from a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of State to the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research.”

Aren Maeir attended the Jerusalem and Samaria conference which included visits to Samaria and Mount Ebal. His beautiful photos fit with my observation that January is the best month for taking photos in Israel.

Protected archaeological sites have inadvertently become safe harbors for plants and animals.

BibleMapper’s latest audio-visual reading is of Joshua 17, illustrating the description of the tribal territory of Manasseh.

The Great Isaiah Scroll: A Voice from the Desert, edited by Marcell Fidanzio, was written to accompany the special Israel Museum exhibit on the scroll, which I’m told will go on display in late February.

Jerusalem Seminary is offering several free lectures in the coming weeks:

Jan 24: Baruch Haba: An Introductory Lesson in Biblical Hebrew
Jan 30: The Torah that Jesus Read – Insights into God’s First Words, by Baruch Kvasnica
Feb 7: Bethsaida: Discovering the Last Lost City of the Gospels, by Ethan Knapp

The British Museum is hiring a treasure hunter to recover its lost Greek and Roman artifacts.

Gabriel Barkay’s life is remembered by Zachi Dvira, Chandler Collins, the Jerusalem University College, The Jerusalem Post, and The Times of Israel.

HT: Jack Sasson, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Italy, Lectures, Resources, Sad News, Technology, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Archaeologists working at the site of Abusir, one of the main burial grounds of the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, have uncovered an extensive temple complex dedicated to the solar deity.”

A large, well-preserved mosaic from the 4th-6th centuries AD was discovered in Antakya (biblical Antioch) during rebuilding work following the 2023 earthquake.

Workers in Rome are using lasers and spending $1 million to clean the 154-foot-tall Column of Marcus Aurelius.

Hurriyet Daily News surveys Turkey’s top 10 archaeological discoveries of 2025. Daily Sabah gives a month-by-month review of top finds.

Turkish Archaeological News surveys the major stories in the month of December, including a new maritime exhibition area opening at the Troy Museum and some rare evidence of Phoenicians in ancient Anatolia.

National Geographic writes about 2025 archaeological discoveries related to the Bible (subscription required)

PaleoJudaica has posted its top ten list for 2025.

Bryan Windle identifies the top three reports in biblical archaeology for the month of December.

Daniel Justel writes about children in the ancient (and present-day) Near East. “He recently edited a special edition volume for the journal Childhood in the Past, entitled Children in the Ancient Near East.”

“Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has made public a rare historical intelligence document concerning Thomas Edward Lawrence, widely known in the West as ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ shedding light on how British intelligence activities were perceived and monitored in the late Ottoman and early Republican periods.”

Friends of ASOR webinar on Jan 21: “Experiencing Khirbet et-Tannur: The Story of a Nabatean Temple from the Second through 21st Century,” by Sarah Wenner

Owen Jarus identifies six ancient cities archaeologists have never found, including Akkad and Al-Yahudu.

Citizens and tourists are invited to visit the Jerash Archaeological Museum, the oldest in the country of Jordan.

The palace of Pella, where Alexander the Great was born and grew up, is now open to visitors.

Tehran Times has a short illustrated article on the ancient city of Susa.

“Archaeological artifacts should not be for sale in thrift shops. But putting them in a museum is harder than it sounds.”

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Egypt, Italy, Lectures, Persia, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup