Judah Archives - BiblePlaces.com

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A final report on the Italian excavations in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher revealed a clear sequence: from stone quarry to farmland to cemetery to church. The final report requires subscription.

Authorities used a huge crane to lift a 25-ton Jewish ritual bath from the ground in Kiryat Gat in order to protect it from ongoing construction.

A four-year restoration of the traditional tomb of Jesse and Ruth at Hebron has been completed.

A new virtual exhibition, From Trash to Treasure: Nahal Omer“ highlights how the remains of everyday life in a remote desert settlement can illuminate long-distance trade and cultural connections across the medieval world.”

Elizabeth Shanks Alexander and Abigail Snyder write about four early rabbis you should know: Rabbi Akiva, Rabban Gamaliel, Rabbi Yohanan, and Resh Lakish.

ASOR Zoom lecture on Sept 30: “Current Research on the Holy Sepulchre and Faunal Remains,” by Luca Brancazi

New release: Aspects of Judean Life: Elephantine in Its Persian Imperial and Administrative Context, by James D. Moore (Eisenbrauns; open-access)

On Digging for Truth, Tim Lopez talks about a monumental building at Shiloh that he helped to excavate that may be the foundation of a permanent tabernacle structure.

We released 12 new volumes in the Photo Companion to the Bible series this week.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem, Judah, Lectures, New Exhibits, Resources, Samaria, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

During excavations of the agora at Smyrna, archaeologists discovered three rooms with wall paintings and mosaics.

“For nearly 180 years, archaeologists studying Nimrud in northern Iraq have focused on palaces, temples, and royal buildings. A new project is shifting attention to the vast lower city, where most of the Assyrian capital’s people lived.”

Archaeologists have discovered at Saqqara the tomb of a judge who heard the appeals of ordinary people.

“A scientific journal has retracted a study that claimed satellite radar could reveal hidden structures inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, finding ‘serious methodological flaws and statistical errors’ that undermined its conclusions.”

“The Egyptian Museum in Cairo completed restoration work on a stele of Ramesses II.”

Scientists are stomping grapes in an ancient reconstructed winepress in order to determine “whether ancient Judean winemakers let the juice flow directly into the adjacent collection vats to ferment, or instead left it to ferment on the treading floor itself.”

ASOR has teamed up with the Libyan Department of Antiquities to restore the archaeological site of Cyrene. The article includes many photos.

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

The Museum Fine of Arts, Boston, is presenting the exhibit “Maverick Kings,” highlighting the reigns of three Egyptian rulers of the 18th Dynasty: Hatshepsut, Amenhotep III, and Akhenaten.

New release: The Animals of Ancient Egypt: Then and Now, by Richard Hoath and Salima Ikram (AUC Press, $22)

On Digging for Truth, Ted Wright discusses a panel from Sennacherib’s palace that may depict Jerusalem.

Friends of ASOR Webinar on Sept 24: “Digging into The Odyssey: An Epic Reimagined or a Misinterpretation of Epic Proportions?,” with Eric Cline, Kim Shelton, and Alex Joffe

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

Writing for Bible History Daily, Robin Gallaher Branch explores the significance of Cornelius and his conversion.

Carl Rasmussen explains how to easily find images on his website.

The Friends of ASOR Tours is offering a 15-day tour of Tunisia, led by Andrew G. Vaughn.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Judah, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Museums, New Exhibits, Resources, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

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

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, Part 1

The first season of excavations have begun at Ashdod. Aren Maeir visited and notes that the focus is on understanding the gate’s function, dating, and plan. Abigail Van Huss reports on her experiences as a volunteer in week 1 and week 2.

“The ‘Secrets of Huqoq’ exhibition is now featured at the Yigal Allon Center Museum at Kibbutz Ginosar. The Samson mosaic is on display along with photographs of other mosaics.

Aren Maeir gives an update on two controversial matters related to archaeological authority in Israel.

Rafi Glick proposes that two tunnels in the Judean wilderness were designed to manage flash floods and recharge local groundwater reserves.

Jo Elizabeth tells the story of how the Great Isaiah Scroll (and three others) traveled 12,000 miles on its way from a Qumran cave to a Jerusalem museum.

Homeland Security agents in Tampa seized 12,000 ancient artifacts that came from the eastern Mediterranean.

Open-access: Ancient Technologies, Methods of Production and Installations in Israel—Essays in Honor of Rafael Frankel, edited by M. Eisenberg, U. ‘Ad, and E. Ayalon (Zinman Institute of Archaeology, 2025)

New release: Researching a Rigged Game: Digital Approaches to Tracing the Illicit Trade in Cultural Objects, edited by Emiline Smith and Summer Austin (Springer Nature, open-access)

New release: Thinking, Speaking and Representing Animals in Western Asia, edited by Laura Battini (Archaeopress, £16-55)

The latest issue of Tel Aviv includes a few open-access articles.

The schedule is online for this past week’s “Bringing Ancient Greek and Hebrew Literature into Conversation: An International Conference.”

Kiersten Neumann, ISAC Museum Curator, ISAC Research Associate, and Lecturer in Department of Art History, delivered this year’s commencement address for her alma mater, the Department of Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures at the University of California, Berkeley.

HT: Agade, Wayne Stiles, Explorator, Paleojudaica

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Dead Sea Scrolls, Excavations, Israel's Coast, Judah, Lectures, Museums, Resources, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Recently discovered photographs of a building underneath Hebron’s Machpelah have led to the proposal that Herod built the complex as a sacred precinct for his own tomb. A 2025 journal article is online here, and a 2026 journal article is here.

Bryan Windle just returned from supervising at the Shiloh excavations, and he shares three significant discoveries they made this year.

The Herodium was the stage for the grand opening of a conference hosted by an organization who wants to transform archaeological ruins in Judea and Samaria into “premier educational, cultural, and tourism destinations.”

“A governmental vetting committee on Thursday nixed Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu’s nominee to lead the Israel Antiquities Authority.”

The “Tracing Scribes and Scrolls” project has been awarded €2.5 million to understand the origin and creation of the Dead Sea Scrolls using analytic chemistry, AI, and paleography.

On Digging for Truth, Scott Stripling discusses the evidence from Manetho for the identity of the pharaoh of the exodus.

New release: New Studies in the Historical Geography of the Ancient Near East, edited by Kyle H. Keimer, Chris McKinny, Aharon Tavger (Archaeology of the Biblical Worlds; De Gruyter, $121; Amazon)

First time on sale on Kindle: Populus: Living and Dying in Ancient Rome, by Guy De la Bédoyère (U of Chicago Press, $2.99)

Shmuel Browns shares photos from his hike up Mt. Ebal.

Leon Mauldin shares a couple of photos of the Arbel cliffs and the Sea of Galilee.

I see that Carl Rasmussen’s useful website, HolyLandPhotos.org, has a beautiful redesign, including a new AI Search feature.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Tagged Exodus-Conquest, Judah, Lectures, Photo Resources, Resources, Samaria, Technology, Tourism, Weekend Roundup