Next Week: Legends of the Lost Ark

I can’t count how many times I’ve been asked: where do you think the ark of the covenant is now? The group usually laughs when I say I’m pretty sure I saw it being hidden away in a warehouse in New York.

I usually then tick off the leading theories: the ark is hidden underneath the Temple Mount, the ark was taken to Mount Nebo, the ark is now in a church in Ethiopia, the ark was destroyed by the Babylonians.

But now there is a much better, and much more entertaining, answer to this perennial question. Archaeologist Chris McKinny, a longtime friend and partner on various BiblePlaces projects, has spent years researching the subject, and Gesher Media has produced a beautiful new docudrama that travels the world to bring the best evidence to light.

Legends of the Lost Ark is the perfect combination of academic scholarship and cinematic excellence, pulling the reader into the intrigue of where the symbol of God’s presence went after the Jerusalem temple was destroyed. Legends of the Lost Ark presents dramatic footage with expert analysis, including on-site reenactments, interviews with scholars, and a cast of more than 100 actors. The movie has already received the 2025 Silver Crown Award for Best Limited Theatrical Release at the ICVM (International Christian Visual Media) meeting.

“The Ark was not only lost — its story and significance have largely been forgotten,” said Dr. McKinny. “What happened to the Ark remains one of the most fascinating mysteries in human history. This film charts new territory in investigating the most ancient legends surrounding its disappearance.”

For the first time, three enduring legends surrounding the Ark’s disappearance are scrutinized through textual analysis, archaeological exploration, and expert theological debate. Through cinematic reenactments, the film vividly portrays the prophet Jeremiah’s desperate mission to safeguard the Ark during Jerusalem’s fall, placing audiences inside a pivotal moment in biblical history.

The movie will be in theaters for three days next week: April 12, 14, and 15. Tickets are available here. You can read more about the movie (here and here) and watch the trailer (here).

I hope you’re able to see it!

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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

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Researchers working at Petra discovered a “rare 116-meter pressurized lead pipeline, an extraordinary feature in the eastern Mediterranean outside urban building interiors.”

An Iron Age Phoenician scarab seal was discovered on Sardinia.

“A recent study of the Ishtar temple at Assur has identified an unusual feature beneath the temple’s earliest floor: a thick layer of prepared sand.”

“A newly discovered chronicle from the early eighth century is giving medieval historians a rare new window onto the political shocks and religious debates that reshaped the eastern Mediterranean in the decades before and after the rise of Islam.” PaleoJudaica has more here.

“Imagine your car, your savings account, and your power grid were all the same thing, and alive. In the ancient Near East, that was the ox.” Lauren K. McCormick has written “an ode to oxen.”

Carlo Rindi Nuzzolo writes about the possibilities that 3D scanning opens up for the understanding of ancient artifacts.

Zoom lecture on Feb 21: “Piramesse – from the City of Wonders to Terra Incognita,” by Henning Franzmeier

Bible Archaeology Report shares the top three reports in biblical archaeology for the month of January.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

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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

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Italian scientists have confirmed a large underground complex beneath the Giza Plateau using satellite data.

Turkish Archaeological News rounds up the top stories for the month of November.

Reporters were invited to view renovation work in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Some areas will reopen in 2027.

The Times of Israel interviewed Thomas Levy in connection with the release of his graphic autobiography.

Ben and Ann Witherington are hosting a tour of Egypt in early 2027.

Appian Way has produced a 7-minute video explaining why the Madaba Map is so important for biblical studies.

New release: Jehu’s Tribute: What Can Biblical Studies Offer Assyriology?, edited by Jeffrey L. Cooley and Rannfrid I. Lasine Thelle (Eisenbrauns, $100, or cheaper at Amazon)

New release: Narrating Archaeological Sites and Places: Fifty Years of the Madaba Plains Project at Tall Hisban, Tall al-‘Umayri, and Tall Jalul, edited by Douglas R. Clark, Øystein S. LaBianca and Randall W. Younker (Equinox, $120; Amazon)

New release: Past Perfect? The Archaeologies of Mandate Palestine 1917-1948, by Raz Kletter (90 euros)

The Biblical Archaeology Society is offering several classes in 2026:

A seminar of Ancient and Medieval Middle East (AMME) at the University of Helsinki will feature two talks on ancient waste:

  • “Trash and Treasure: Con-textualizing Trash at Oxyrhynchus,” by AnneMarie Luijendijk (Zoom)
  • “Down the Drain: What Trash Reveals about Bathing Culture in Late Antique Jerash,” by Louise Blanke (Zoom)

The Ancient Near East Today lists the top archaeological discoveries of the year.

Archaeology Magazine identifies the top 10 discoveries of 2025.

The AP posts drone footage of the Colosseum of Rome.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Alexander Schick, Explorator

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A Roman sarcophagus was discovered in Hungary, “untouched by looters and sealed for centuries … with its stone lid still fixed in place, secured by metal clamps and molten lead.”

“Five theatrical mask reliefs have been discovered during excavations in the theater area of Kastabala, an ancient city in Osmaniye, southern Türkiye.”

Excavations at Ugarit have resumed after a 14-year hiatus.

Remember the Jordan Lead Codices? A new scientific analysis provides some answers about their dating. (James Davila gives some background.)

“A stunning replica of an ancient trireme will be displayed as the centerpiece of the new Greek Underwater Archaeology Museum” in Piraeus, opening next year.

The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition opens at The Museum of the Bible this weekend. “The exhibition will feature biblical texts and scrolls from the community at Qumran, as well as hundreds of artifacts that reveal details about life and Judaism during the Second Temple period.”

“More than 40 precious artifacts from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem are currently on display at the Frick in New York City.”

The Metropolitan Museum of Art just launched a virtual reality tour of the 1st-century BC Egyptian Temple of Dendur.

New release: Assur 2024: Continuing the Excavations in the New Town and Other Research across the Site, edited by Karen Radner and Andrea Squitieri. Exploring Assur 2. (PeWe-Verlag; 59 €; open-access)

New release: Excavating Ancient Egypt: Fifty Years of Archaeological Memories, by Jeffrey Spencer (Archaeopress; £16-£32)

In the latest episode on the Biblical World podcast, Mary Buck explains the importance of the Achaemenid Empire, including figures like Cyrus and Darius.

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

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About the BiblePlaces Blog

The BiblePlaces Blog provides updates and analysis of the latest in biblical archaeology, history, and geography. Unless otherwise noted, the posts are written by Todd Bolen, PhD, Professor of Biblical Studies at The Master’s University.

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