Jerusalem Archives - Page 3 of 201

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“A 1,300-year-old industrial and commercial complex was uncovered during excavations over the past few months in the Winter Stadium parking lot in Ramat Gan.”

Moshe Gilad writes about the new exhibit about Huqoq and the excavations that led to it. There is more about the site and exhibit at the KKL-JNF website, including photos and information about the mosaics.

“Israel experienced a rare midsummer storm on Saturday that brought heavy rain to Jerusalem and the surrounding area, as well as to the Golan Heights, breaking all-time August rainfall records and causing flooding in parts of the Judean Desert.”

In a lecture given in Tel Aviv earlier this week, Anselm C. Hagedorn argued that Kiriath-Jearim should be located not at Deir el-ʿAzar near Abu Ghosh, but at Tel Moẓa.

Chandler Collins writes about two new interpretations of the inscription in Hezekiah’s Tunnel.

New release: Plants and Humans in the Ancient Near East: Roots of Multispecies Connections, edited by Silvana Di Paolo and Gioele Zisa (Zaphon 98 EUR)

Bryan Windle has written an archaeological biography for Ben-Hadad III.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Joseph Lauer, Explorator

Tagged Excavations, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Judah, Syria, Weather, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

The Temple Mount Sifting Project writes about the research into the reconstruction of the temple courts’ colorful geometric floor patterns, including the release of a couple of new digital reconstructions of the Temple Mount.

The rabbi of the Western Wall is demanding the Israel Museum return the Temple Mount stone inscribed “to the place of trumpeting.”

An archaeological project to cultivate ancient varieties of grapes at Avdat has begun to bear fruit.

“Hidden beneath a thick canopy in the western Galilee, Khirbet Tzonam, once a Byzantine town, has amazing stone arches, courtyards and ruins – and still feels like a discovery.” (Haaretz subscription)

“The Byzantine-era church in Nahariya that had been hit by a Hezbollah rocket in April has reopened to the public.”

A couple of antiquities thieves have been indicted after they were caught collecting artifacts at Horvat Hadarim near Tel Dor.

Bible Mapper Atlas has created a new poster map of the land of Israel during the New Testament. It is available in high-resolution for free.

Titus Kennedy is on Digging for Truth to discuss archaeology and the people of the Bible.

On the Biblical World podcast, Paul Anderson discusses the extensive archaeological evidence that supports the historicity of the Gospel of John.

The latest video from Expedition Bible looks at five of the most significant evidences for the enduring name of God.

Marek Dospěl provides an overview of the Gezer Calendar.

New release: Judeans in the Land of the Nile. Papers on Achaemenid Egypt, Elephantine, and the Hebrew Bible Presented in Copenhagen, August 19–20, 2024, edited by Kacper Ziemba and Frederik Poulsen (Münster, 75 EUR)

Available for pre-order on Logos: Jerusalem: The Temple Mount, by Leen and Kathleen Ritmeyer (Carta, $13)

Yuval Goren, archaeology professor at Ben Gurion University in the Negev, died recently.

Keith Schoville, longtime professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, died at the age of 98. Gordon Govier writes about their partnership on The Book & The Spade.

Daniel Sivan, longtime professor at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, died last week.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Explorator, Paleojudaica

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Galilee, Jerusalem, Negev, Resources, Sad News, Technology, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

One thousand female figurines have been found in Jerusalem, but until now no such mold has been discovered in the city. Archaeologists found one when sifting soil from the Kishle excavation south of the Tower of David Museum. Lauren K. McCormick gives more background on Judean Pillar Figurines, including some explanations for why so few molds have been found in Israel.

“A municipal employee searching for lost jewelry on the beach in Ashdod instead uncovered a rare 2,500-year-old coin from ancient Cyprus, which archaeologists say is the first of its kind ever found in Israel.”

A raid of a home of an antiquities thief in the Jordan Valley recovered “approximately 400 ancient coins, pottery fragments, several arrowheads, an antique dagger, and multiple seals and rings, all dating to the Persian, Hellenistic, Hasmonean, and Byzantine eras.”

Aren Maeir visited the excavations at Tel Shadud and Hazor.

“The top three reports in biblical archaeology in July 2026 featured evidence of Judahite idolatry, remains from the Babylonian destruction in Jerusalem, and the discovery of three, previously unknown Assyrian kings.”

Online lecture on Oct 6: “When Worlds Collide: Mediterranean Mercenaries and Israel’s Genesis,” by Aaron Burke (BAS Scholars Series, $10)

New release: Jewish Quarter Excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem Conducted by Nahman Avigad, 1969-1982, Volume X: Area M (The Peristyle House), by Ronny Reich (Israel Exploration Society, $111)

First time for sale on Kindle: Pax: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age, by Tom Holland (Basic Books, 2023; $1.99)

SBL Press is running a $5 flash sale through August 2 on three ebooks related to Phoenicia when you use code PHOENICIA:

The History and Archaeology of Phoenicia, by Hélène Sader (2019, $50)
Phoenician Aniconism in Its Mediterranean and Ancient Near Eastern Contexts, by Brian R. Doak (2015, $30)
Phoenician Inscriptions, by Robert D. Holmstedt, Aaron Schade, Philip C. Schmitz (2026; $70)

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Jezreel Valley, Jordan Rift, Lebanon, Lectures, Resources, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Burnt sycamore beams from the First Temple period were discovered in the Givati parking lot excavation in the City of David. Researchers believe they belonged to the roof of an inner courtyard that was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC.

An engraved reed discovered in a cave in Wadi Murabba’at is the only such object from the Middle Bronze ever found in the Levant. The underlying journal article is here.

“The discovery of a controlled cultic deposit in Area D at Shiloh, near the presumed Tabernacle location, provides a rare archaeological window into early Israelite ritual practice.”

Glenn J. Corbett writes about the damage to Gaza’s archaeological heritage caused by the war.

Itzchak Tessler writes about different views for where the ark of the covenant and the lost Temple treasures are today.

Joshua Schwartz surveys Josephus’s writings on the temple.

The 29th Annual Bible & Archaeology Fest will be held on Nov 7 and 8 on Zoom. Speakers include Orly Goldwasser, Chang-ho Ji, Thomas Levi, and Brent Nongbri.

Jerusalem University College has announced ten online courses for the fall, including:

Biblical Jerusalem and Its Explorations, by Chandler Collins
Ancient Egypt and the Bible, by Oliver Hersey
The Life and Times of Paul, by Chris Vlachos
Geography of the Gospels, by Steven Notley

Bryan Windle explains the significance of the Lachish Letters on Digging for Truth.

Aren Maeir has submitted for publication an introduction to the archaeology of the land of the Bible.

Abigail Van Huss writes about her participation in an excavation on Mount Bezek.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Judah, Lectures, Resources, Samaria, Shephelah, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

Archaeologists found two well-preserved marble busts from the Roman era in a Byzantine winepress near the coastal town of Binyamina.

Ariel David writes about the recently published mother-of-pearl seal found at Tel Hadid. Zev Stub reports on the artifact for The Times of Israel.

Avraham Faust has proposed that a massive cultic stone (massebah) at Tel ‘Eton was toppled as part of Hezekiah’s reforms.

Abigail Van Huss reports on the final week of excavations this year at Shiloh.

Lauren K. McCormick writes about the 1st-century synagogue at Tel Rekhesh in Galilee.

This week’s Jerusalem Tracker identifies the latest blog posts, digital resources, developments, and upcoming events.

David Begoun describes his first visit to see the Madaba Map.

Clinton Moyer gives an overview of Lawrence H. Schiffman’s BAR article on the temple in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The second international “Archaeology and Site Conservation in Judea and Samaria” conference was more controversial than the first one.

Conference at the Albright on July 7-9: “The Eleventh Century CE: Archaeology and History: An International Conference.” Register here.

On the Biblical World podcast, Jason Borges talks with Chris McKinny about his book, Christian Life in the Greco-Roman City.

On Digging for Truth, Ted Wright discusses ancient creation myths.

Following the death of a US citizen, his family returned to Egypt “a granite sphinx head, a bronze hippopotamus figurine, a double bronze statue of a king, and a bronze statue of the Egyptian deity Sobek.”

“The Israeli government on Tuesday approved designating Route 60 — the highway stretching from Nazareth in the north to Beersheba in the south and passing through some of the most significant sites in history—as the ‘Biblical Highway.’” This includes the ridge route known to students as the “Road of the Patriarchs.” When looking for more information, I found a 2023 movie entitled “Route 60: The Biblical Highway.” It’s curious to me that the trailer never once shows any part of the ancient route.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Dead Sea Scrolls, Discoveries, Egypt, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Jordan, Judah, Lectures, Samaria, Shephelah, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Archaeologists working at Shiloh discovered three well-preserved Middle Bronze storage jars.

Abigail the Archaeologist gives a report on Week 3 in the excavations at Shiloh and describes what a typical day is like.

Erez Ben-Yosef believes that the hundreds of Iron Age sites in the Negev highlands were related to copper mining in the Arabah.

Chandler Collins continues to do excellent work in rounding up the latest publications related to Jerusalem. The newest Jerusalem Tracker identifies new books, book reviews, book chapters, articles, and excavation reports released in the last few months.

Bryan Windle highlights the top three reports in biblical archaeology from the month of May.

The Temple Mount Sifting Project gave two presentations at the 50th Archaeological Congress, and summaries have been posted along with one of the presentations (in Hebrew).

Zoom lecture on June 24: “Archaeology, the Gospels, and Understanding First Century Roman Galilee,” by James R. Strange ($10)

New release: Animals and Society in the Iron Age to Persian Period: Economy, Culture and Environment, by Lidar Sapir-Hen (Elements in the Archaeology of Ancient Israel; Cambridge University Press; open-access until June 24).

Hadashot Arkheologiyot—Excavations and Surveys in Israel (HA–ESI) is now online. The current volume is available, and earlier volumes will be added in the coming months.

After spending a week doing conservation work, Shmuel Browns shares some photos of mosaics on display at the Inn of the Good Samaritan Museum.

HT: Alexander Schick, Agade, Arne Halbakken

Tagged Excavations, Jerusalem, Lectures, Negev, Resources, Samaria, Weekend Roundup