Judah Archives - BiblePlaces.com

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A fire that caused damage to the Israel Museum is being investigated as an act of arson.

“A very rare 9,000-year-old stone mask hailing from the South Hebron Hills has gone on public display for the first time at the Israel Museum.”

The Megiddo Mosaic, evidence of one of the earliest Christian meeting places in Israel, will be going on display for the first time ever at the Museum of the Bible in DC.

A new study attempts to explain the purpose of a Roman road that was built from the Sea of Galilee across the Golan Heights but that avoided local villages.

Daniel Vainstub proposes that mmšt on lmlk seal impressions is not the name of the city but a reference to “a huge and unique ad hoc collection of agricultural products initiated by King Hezekiah as part of his preparations.”

The Jerusalem Post has a short story about Jewish presence in Rafah, long before it belonged to the “Gaza Strip.”

Jodi Magness is guest on the What Matters Now podcast, speaking about Jerusalem and her recently released book on the city.

Chandler Collins has rounded up the latest news, publications, and media about Jerusalem, with links to books, journal articles, book chapters and sections, pop media and blog articles, digital resources, developments, and upcoming events.

The Biblical Archaeology Society has announced its 2024 dig scholarship winners.

Alan Millard, longtime professor at the University of Liverpool, died on Wednesday.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, G. M. Grena

Tagged Golan, Israel's Coast, Jezreel Valley, Judah, Museums, Sad News, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Archaeologists excavating in the Givati parking lot in the City of David discovered a gold ring inset with a red garnet that was extremely well-preserved.

The Times of Israel has more information on the Iron Age Canaanite cemetery in the Jezreel Valley.

After two years and $5 million in renovations, the Herodian Quarter in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City is reopening.

In a new study, Nadav Na’aman argues that there was only one place in the Bible named Gilgal and it has nothing to do with the five footprint-shaped sites identified by Adam Zertal.

The “University of Haifa’s School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures (SAMC) has recently launched a new international Master’s program, offering an MSc in Archaeological Sciences.”

New release: The Ancient Water System of Sepphoris (Land of Galilee 6), by Tsvika Tsuk (322 pages, $70, via Mordechai Aviam)

Jeffrey Chadwick is on the Biblical World podcast to talk about his excavations at Hebron.

Now online: Mapping the Holy Land: The Foundation of a Scientific Cartography of Palestine, by Haim Goren, Jutta Faehndrich, and Bruno Schelhaas.

Ora Negbi, longtime professor of archaeology at Tel Aviv University, died recently.

John Boardman, a classical archaeologist at Oxford, died last week.

The Bible Mapper Atlas continues to release free maps. Here are the latest:

HT: Agade, Frank McCraw, Gordon Franz, Gordon Dickson, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Keith Keyser

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem, Jezreel Valley, Judah, Resources, Sad News, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

An inscription in the synagogue of Susya in the Judean hills may suggest that a messianic community worshipped here.

“The arched stone-built hall in Jerusalem venerated by Christians as the site of Jesus’ Last Supper has been digitally recreated by archaeologists using laser scanners and advanced photography.”

Scott Stripling discusses archaeology related to the Judges on the latest episodes of Digging for Truth (Part 1, Part 2).

Ken Dark: “How Much Did They Really Know? Long-Term Memory, Archaeology and The Topography Of Nazareth”

A new ERETZ issue on Caesarea: Queen of the Sea provides an 184-page guide with detailed maps of Herod’s port city.

New release: Ancient Synagogues in Palestine: A Re-evaluation Nearly a Century After Sukenik’s Schweich Lectures, by Jodi Magness (Oxford University Press; £76; allegedly open access, but it doesn’t appear to be available as such yet)

The Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library allows you to view high-resolution photos of the scrolls, organized by site, language, and content.

Abigail Leavitt describes what it’s like in Jerusalem these days. She also has traveled recently to Migdal Tzedek, Caesarea, and Tel Dor. Both posts have lots of photos.

Israel’s Good Name recounts his visit to the Te’omim Cave in the Shephelah.

I am grateful for the kind words about the new Genesis photo collection from Luke Chandler, Leon Mauldin, and Charles Savelle.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Franz, Paleojudaica

Tagged Dead Sea Scrolls, Israel's Coast, Judah, Resources, Shephelah, Technology, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Scholars are trying to understand four clay tokens discovered near the Temple Mount and unlike any known elsewhere in the Roman world.

The Hamas War has resulted in damage to many archaeological sites in Gaza, though some treasures have been protected in Switzerland for years.

“Nahal HaShofet, one of central Israel’s most popular outdoor destinations, reopened this week after extensive renovations costing 25 million shekels.”

A new project at Hazor is seeking to understand the transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age based on archaeological discoveries and biblical texts.

After Roman-era mosaics was discovered at Moza (Emmaus/Colonia) near Jerusalem and then removed by the authorities, nearby residents came together to create a replica of one of them to place in the center of their community.

On April 21, 1:00 pm Eastern, “The Megiddo Expedition invites you to a webinar: Megiddo: News from the Iron Age. In this webinar, the Megiddo Expedition Team Members will update you on the latest news from the Iron Age, including the Iron Age Gates, the search for the Iron Age Administrative Building, the time of Josiah, and our secret plans for the 2025 Season.” Register here; a recording will be available here.

The subject of the latest issue of ‘Atiqot is “Wine Production, Trade and Consumption in the Southern Levant.” All articles are posted online.

Available for pre-order: Capernaum: Jews and Christians in the Ancient Village from the Time of Jesus to the Emergence of Islam, by Wally V. Cirafesi (Fortress; Amazon $45; Logos $25).

Edward Lipiński, scholar of Aramaic and Phoenician studies, died last week.

Andy Cook has been in Jerusalem, and he filmed a video of the important excavations on the south side of the Temple Mount.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Dickson, Gordon Franz

Tagged Galilee, Jerusalem, Jezreel Valley, Judah, Resources, Sad News, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“An archaeological site in the Jordan Valley that experts at the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) call a ‘prehistoric Garden of Eden’ was dedicated and opened to the public on Thursday.”

Israel has declared 42 acres surrounding the Herodium to be “state land.”

An unknown Hebrew letter was discovered in a Dead Sea Scroll, according to an announcement of the Academy of the Hebrew Language on April 1.

Abigail Leavitt describes her experience at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Easter morning.

Biblical Backgrounds has posted James Monson’s “The Way of the Cross” handout, used in teaching the Passion Weekend in Jerusalem forty years ago.

The top three reports in biblical archaeology in the month of April are a statue of Rameses II, discoveries at a temple at Azekah, and a Phoenician gold pendant found in Jerusalem.

The Times of Israel interviews Martin Goodman about his new book, Herod the Great: Jewish King in a Roman World.

The Spring 2024 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes articles on the Jerusalem Ivories, Azekah’s Canaanite temple, a wealthy residence in Jerusalem in the Iron Age, and the possible tomb of one of Jesus’s disciples.

“The twisting turning tales of Jerusalem, particularly of the environs of Agron Street, make for intriguing, compelling, and entertaining listening and viewing.”

Israeli tour guide Shmuel Browns talks about what he has been doing since the Hamas war largely shut down tourism in Israel.

Zoom lecture on April 17: “Searching for Solomon’s City: Recent Excavations at Tel Gezer,” by Steven Ortiz

New release: Kinneret II: Results of the Excavations at Tell el-ʽOrēme, 1994–2008 / Vol. 1: The Bronze Age, Iron Age II, Post-Iron Age Periods, and Other Studies, edited by Wolfgang Zwickel and Juha Pakkala (Ägypten und Altes Testament 120; Zaphon; 160 €)

I will be speaking this Wednesday in Jerusalem University College’s Culture Counts online lecture series on the topic of “The Psalms of David and Solomon.” This is one of my favorite subjects, and I’ll share some of my discoveries both from historical background as well as from the canonical arrangement of the Psalms. The lecture begins at 12:00 Eastern Time and will be followed by a Q&A. Registration is free and includes access to a recording of the lecture.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Franz

Tagged Holidays, Jerusalem, Jordan Rift, Judah, Lectures, Resources, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

Excavation results have been published for a salvage dig at Zanoah, a site located near Beth Shemesh and mentioned in Joshua 15:34 and Nehemiah 3:13 and 11:30.

Jerusalem Post: “A scroll unearthed in the Judean Desert is shedding light on the ancient practices of astrology and mysticism in a discovery that has intrigued historians and archaeologists alike.”

Haaretz: “Archaeologists have uncovered the ruins of a Canaanite temple built to greet the rising sun atop the mound of Azekah.”

“Archaeologists have discovered about 8,600-year-old bread at Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic settlement in central Turkey.”

“The Pompeii Archaeological Park is launching a 100-million-euro project aimed at regenerating the archaeological and urban landscape of the ancient Roman city. As well as reimagining the way visitors interact with the site, the project will carry out the largest archaeological campaign at Pompeii in more than 70 years.”

Jason Borges shares highlights from his recent trip through Caria, including stops at Magnesia, Bodrum (Halicarnassus), Tlos, and Oenoanda.

A professor at Columbia University is leading the Mapping Mesopotamian Monuments project.

Haaretz (subscription): Roman routes are an “unexploited tourist opportunity” in Israel.

In conjunction with the “Legion” exhibit now at the British Museum, Mary Beard writes about the role of women in Roman military life.

“The Louvre’s Department of Near Eastern Antiquities is hosting ten major works from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, whose Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art is currently closed for renovation.” Now through September 2025.

Webinar on April 18: “Amorites, Their Origins, and Their Legacy,” by Aaron Burke ($7-13)

Aren Maeir shares three of his more popular lectures now on YouTube.

New release: 1 & 2 Kings: A Visual Commentary, by Martin O’Kane (Sheffield Phoenix, $47.50 with code “scholar”). “With its over one hundred and seventy-five full-colour images, from Christian mediaeval manuscripts and Persian and Ottoman miniature paintings to contemporary Jewish art, the volume shows why stories from 1&2 Kings feature so prominently in the artistic and cultural worlds the three religions have helped to shape.”

The Lexham Geographic Commentary set is now on sale for Logos Bible Software at 55% off. For $108, you get three volumes that have already been released and three that are forthcoming.

Bible Mapper Atlas has posted a collection of map links for Holy Week, including two for Sun/Mon, two for Tues/Wed, and two for Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Keith Keyser

Tagged Excavations, Judah, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Museums, Resources, Shephelah, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup