Bill Schlegel, author of the Satellite Bible Atlas, has just posted a video showing the ascent to Jerusalem from the Shephelah. The 6-minute video uses drone footage to show the modern highway’s route and the new construction. In antiquity, travelers followed the natural routes along the ridges.
Today when we deviate from those ridges, we spend billions to destroy the landscape in the construction of passes, bridges, and tunnels.
As a dedication to Sharon Zuckerman, Biblical Archaeology Review has made her two articles available to the public.
Now online: G. M. Grena’s recent NEAS lecture on LMLK seals: Judahite Tithes vs. Assyrian Taxes.
Charlie Dyer explains why Israel is safe.
This week’s edition of The Book and the Spade looks at temples (Megiddo) and tombs (Amphipolis).
Where Are They Now? BAR goes back to check in with individuals featured on former covers of the January/February dig issue.
Seth Rodriquez provides a short introduction to the archaeology of Joshua’s conquest.
It’s December, and that means people are interested in Bethlehem then and now. Begin with Wayne
Stiles’ introduction to the Church of the Nativity. Then see what else is of interest in the city and environs in this Jerusalem Post article.
Rear Vision looks at the history of the contested Temple Mount.
This is a good week to get some fresh illustrations of fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Ferrell Jenkins shares a couple of great images of Tabgha, followed up with a post on fish of the Sea of Galilee with five photos. Leen Ritmeyer shares illustrations on the harbors of the Sea of Galilee.
Three movies being released this month are about ancient Egypt.
A new work from Carta: Understanding the Alphabet of the Dead Sea Scrolls, by Ada Yardeni.
HT: Agade
A reporter visited the Kishle in Jerusalem on its recent opening. The article includes a nice photo and an audio version.
Portions of Jerusalem’s Decumanus have been uncovered near Jaffa Gate.
Leen Ritmeyer notes new building violations on the Temple Mount.
The Temple Mount Sifting Project is seeking volunteers who can assist them in raising money through crowd-funding.
Why should Jews and Christians be denied from praying on the Temple Mount while Muslims are
allowed?
“There is a little corner of Jerusalem that is forever India. At least, it has been for more than 800 years…”
The latest SourceFlix video short: Biblical Cities – From the Air.
A Palestinian archaeologist is claiming to have discovered the church where the martyr Stephen’s bones were buried. The site is near Ramallah (10 miles north of Jerusalem), and the claim is based on an inscription not shown in the article. Perhaps some Byzantines were trying to capitalize on the tourist trade, just as they plan to do to the site in the future.
A fortified site from the time of Persia’s conquest by Alexander the Great has been excavated near
Israel’s border with Gaza.
The laborers at the copper mines in the Timna Valley ate well, according to an analysis of bones from Slaves’ Hill.
Luke Chandler has a report on Yosi Garfinkel’s recent lecture on Khirbet Qeiyafa, including word on two more inscriptions.
Tourism in Israel was down 33% in October from the previous year.
If you can use financial help to excavate next summer at Tel Burna, check out this scholarship opportunity.
Ferrell Jenkins shares a beautiful photo of Mount Arbel and the Sea of Galilee.
HT: Ted Weis, Charles Savelle, Joseph Lauer, Keith Keyser
I’m traveling this month, and this will be the last roundup before Thanksgiving. If you’re at SBL, come find us in the exhibition hall (booth #411).
Corinth’s Lechaion port has been discovered and it is impressively large.
The British Museum plans to allow you to print 3D artifacts at home.
Elad is appealing a ruling that prevents it from running the Jerusalem Archaeological Park along the southern end of the Temple Mount.
Brian M. Howell reviews Walking Where Jesus Walked: American Christians and Holy Land Pilgrimage for Christianity Today.
With the resident of the Amphipolis Tomb now being studied, the excavation has been concluded.
Robert Cargill critiques Simcha Jacobovici’s claim that he discovered the nails of Jesus’ crucifixion.
He concludes that it is “nothing but religious profiteering.” Another reviewer calls it a “sensationalist money-making scheme.”
Volume 2 of the Khirbet Qeiyafa Excavation Report is now available.
Leen Ritmeyer continues his series showing the Temple Mount through the ages, including during the times of Hezekiah and the Hasmoneans.
Ferrell Jenkins links to a video showing flash flooding in the Qumran area. He also notes some restoration work in the Protestant Cemetery on Mount Zion.
Mari is being looted while under ISIS control.
The Wall Street Journal has a video about plans to open Carchemish to tourists in the spring. The site
is only 60 feet away from the control of ISIS. (See here for the transcript.)
HT: Explorator, Ted Weis, Agade, Charles Savelle
The Tower of David Museum is hosting an opening event this evening of the Citadel moat and the Kishle. The Kishle has served as a police station for the Israelis, Jordanians, British, Ottomans, and Romans. Some remains have been uncovered from the palace of King Herod. From the official website:
After many years that the Citadel moat was closed to the public, the southern part of Jerusalem’s historic moat has been revived. The ancient builders of the Citadel surrounded the fortress with a dry moat, the first line of defense against enemies. As years passed, the moat served other purposes. It was a market place, a passage way and even a makeshift garbage dump. Excavations in the moat have exposed archaeological remains including an ancient quarry, a ritual bath from the Second Temple, a hewn water channel, secret passageways and a giant stone staircase and pools from the Hasmonean and Herodian eras.
The renewed moat also includes passage to a building that was closed for many years – The Kishla, the Ottoman Prison which was excavated over the last decade and contains remains detailing the history of Jerusalem, from the First Temple period to the establishment of the State. The site is now being opened for group visits. The domed building served as a prison for members of the pre-State underground and evidence of the period remains in a scratched inscription on the walls. Tours and cultural events will take place in the moat and the Kishle.
The public is invited to the opening of the Moat and the Kishle, enjoy music and refreshments. Entrance is free.
This posting indicates that the excavation director, Amit Reem, will be at the event. Guided tours in Hebrew will be available on upcoming Fridays in November for a reasonable charge. An article about the site was published in the Hebrew edition of Israel Hayom last week (page 29).
HT: Joseph Lauer
A recent excavation at the Tower of David and Kishleh police station revealed a mikveh from Herod’s palace and an earlier wall from the time of Hezekiah. The site is to open to the public next week. (I don’t have any more information at this time.)
An Italian archaeologist wants to restore the Colosseum’s floor.
Wayne Stiles explains why hymn writers use the Jordan River as a metaphor for transitions in the spiritual life.
Part 3 of Mary Magdalene and Magdala is up at the Book and the Spade, with an interview of Father Eamon Kelly, assistant director of the Magdala Center.
Exploring Bible Lands reports on their recent visit to Magdala, a site now extensively open to tourists.
The spoils of Jerusalem on the Arch of Titus are the subject of a Khan Academy video narrated by Steven Fine and Beth Harris.
The first volume of the Gath excavation report is now on sale for an amazingly low price. This is the same work that won the 2013 BAS Award for Best Scholarly Book in Archaeology.
Ferrell Jenkins has great photos of the Cove of the Sower, from land, sea, and air.
William Hallo writes about the fragment of the Cyrus Cylinder that was found in Yale’s Babylonian Collection.
Abram K-J has just posted an extensive review of The Sacred Bridge, arguing that it is the best Bible atlas ever. (I would add that it may be the best ever, but not the best for you, your class, or your church. But you’ll figure out whether it’s for you very quickly from his excellent review of both the print and Accordance versions.)
HT: Paleojudaica