Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A new study contrasts the construction of hundreds of churches in Israel in the Byzantine period with the building of synagogues. “Christian elites built numerous private churches, while Jewish donors appeared to pool their resources in a communal synagogue.”

In Approaching Jerusalem, Chandler Collins looks at four cases where Jerusalem’s terrain was reshaped by the cutting of vertical bedrock scarps.

Authorities seized hundreds of antiquities, including coins, arrowheads, and jewelry, from a private home in southern Israel.

Andrew Lawler writes about the origin of the pork taboo.

The final episode in the Biblical Images of God series is the “Humble King.”

The Biblical Archaeology Society provides highlights from their recent Spring Bible & Archaeology Fest.

Olive Tree Bible Software is offering the 7-volume Baker Illustrated Collection on sale for $100 (list price: $280).

New release: Ethics in Archaeological Practice, edited by Sarah Kielt Costello and Sarah Lepinski (Annual of ASOR 78, $30-$75)

Nancy Lapp died last month.

You don’t hear too many wedding stories where the archaeologist walks the bride down the aisle (a balk) and the guest book is a large potsherd.

It’s not archaeology or geography, but I think the articles by my students in the second volume of The Master’s University Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies are quite good.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Keith Keyser, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Explorator, Paleojudaica

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

The six-chambered Iron Age gate at Ashdod was recently re-excavated so that it can be conserved and opened to the public in a new Israeli national park.

The IDF will allow Israelis a rare opportunity to visit “Solomon’s Pools,” south of Bethlehem, on one day during Passover.

Doron Spielman has been involved in excavations in the City of David for more than 20 years, and he has stories to tell. Mosaic Magazine (registration req’d) has published an excerpt from a forthcoming book that describes a crawl through a long tunnel and the drama concerning the purchase of the Givati Parking Lot.

The latest video in the Biblical Images of God series looks at the metaphor of “Rock of Refuge.”

Zoom webinar on April 16: “The Dying Child: Death and Personhood of Children in Ancient Israel,” by Kristine Garroway

Conference on April 27-29: “Jerusalem through the Ages: New Perspectives.” The conference will be held at Schloss Beuggen, Rheinfelden, Germany, and broadcast on Zoom.

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on April 28: “A Biography of an Excavation: The Austrian-German Expedition to Tell Balata/Shechem 1913–1939,” by Felix Höflmayer and Agnes Woitzuck

Avi Hurvitz, longtime professor of Ancient Semitic Languages at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, died last week.

Jerusalem University College’s Online Summer Institute has announced this year’s classes:

  • Deuteronomy’s Place, taught by Cyndi Parker
  • Exodus: From the River to the Mountain, taught by Oliver Hersey
  • Geographical Voices in the Psalms, taught by Paul Wright
  • Holy People, Holy Land: A Journey through Leviticus, taught by Christine Palmer
  • The Historical and Literary Development of Shabbat, taught by Rabbi Moshe Silberschein

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Wayne Stiles, Ted Weis, Explorator

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Underwater archaeologists have discovered infrastructure of an ancient port at Asini in Greece.

Archaeologists have excavated a “grand ancient Greek tomb site” near Corinth.

“A recent study offers new insights into the pigments used by ancient Roman artists in Pompeii, revealing how they mixed raw materials to achieve a wide range of color tones.”

Persepolis’s ancient underground channels prevented flooding and destruction during a severe rainstorm.

Restoration work on Jerash’s northern theater continues.

Artnet highlights three interesting artifacts discovered in the tomb of Thutmose II.

Turkiye Today describes seven must-see cuneiform tablets in the Istanbul Archaeological Museums.

The ASOR Punic Project Digital Initiative “will provide digital files of individual stelae that can be viewed on screen or 3D printed at any scale.”

New release: Against Moab: Interrogating the Archaeology of Iron Age Jordan, by Benjamin W. Porter. (Cambridge University Press, open access)

Hybrid lecture at Penn State on March 27, 5 pm (EDT): “In the Steps of a Babylonian King: A Scholar’s Adventures in Jordan and Lebanon,” by Rocío Da Riva (Zoom registration)

“After 1,700 years the first ancient Greek temple opened in Arcadia, Peloponnese over the weekend.” The Greek Church is not happy. The site manager defends the project: “There are tens of thousands of people in Greece and abroad who believe in their ancestral gods and do not have a place to worship.”

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Explorator

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“A marble statue of Hermes from the Roman Imperial Period was found during the 2024 excavation season in the ancient city of Aspendos.”

Smithsonian Magazine runs a feature article from a forthcoming book by Joshua Hammer about the four-way mid-19th-century race to decode the Akkadian language.

Researchers at Cornell University and Tel Aviv University are developing methods to use AI in the deciphering of cuneiform tablets.

A. Bernard Knapp explores the relationship between Cyprus and Ugarit in the Late Bronze Age. His recent book on the subject is free to read online.

“The 2,000-year-old water channels of the ancient city of Smyrna in Izmir continue to function as they did centuries ago.”

“The British Museum has just unveiled the winning design in an international architectural competition for the substantial revamp of the so-called Western Range of the museum.” This article in the Greek City Times wonders whether this renovation includes a space for the Parthenon Marbles.

An archaeological display of 50 artifacts sponsored by the Associates for Biblical Research will be exhibited over Easter weekend at the Creation Museum in Kentucky.

Available next month: Archaeology and the Ministry of the Apostle Paul: A Visual Guide, by David A. deSilva (Baker Academic, $33)

Zoom lecture on March 17: “From Online Auction to JTS Special Collections: How Two Historic Bibles Were Reunited in the JTS Library,” by David Moster

Hybrid lecture at Harvard on March 26: “Murder, Poetry, and Scribes in Ancient Egypt,” by Margaret Geoga

Michael Danti and John MacGinnis are guests on Thin End of the Wedge to discuss “Nimrud: Post-conflict Archaeology in the Heartland of Assyria.”

“The Institute of Classical Studies, in collaboration with the Faculty of Linguistics and the Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies at the University of Oxford, will offer two free, online semi-intensive courses in Phoenician.” One course is at the elementary level, the second is intermediate, and both are on Zoom.

Turkish Archaeological News reviews the most important discoveries in the month of February.

Paul L. Maier, ancient history scholar and author of Pontius Pilate, The Flames of Rome, and numerous other works, died last month.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Keith Keyser, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Archaeologists have discovered at Megiddo a collection of ceramics possibly linked to Pharaoh Necho’s army (pdf here). Necho killed Judah’s King Josiah in 609 BC. The underlying journal article is available for purchase.

Archaeologists have launched a new excavation at Alexandrium/Sartaba, the first in more than 40 years.

The Roman period gate beneath Damascus Gate in Jerusalem has re-opened and now features a new exhibit.

The latest Jerusalem Tracker lists dozens of the newest publications related to the Holy City.

The 50th anniversary issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes a number of important articles:

  • “A Decade of Discoveries in Biblical Jerusalem,” by Yuval Gadot, Yiftah Shalev, and Joe Uziel
  • “Nails or Knots—How Was Jesus Crucified?,” by Jeffrey P. Arroyo García
  • “Breaking New Ground: Celebrating 50 Years of Biblical Archaeology”
  • “New Directions: How Archaeology Illuminates the Bible,”
    by Jennie Ebeling

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on March 12: “Tel Lachish 2013-2017: Excavations of the Palace Domestic Quarter, Area AA,” by Michael G. Hasel

Webinar on March 19: “Amulets and their Critics: Jews, Christians, and Samaritans in Late Antique Palestine,” by Megan Nutzman

Nathan Steinmeyer continues his series on geographical regions of Israel with a look at the Hula Valley.

Bryan Windle summarizes the top three reports in biblical archaeology in the month of February.

Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer conclude their review of the best archaeological finds of last year on the Biblical World podcast.

Jerusalem University College has several short-term programs scheduled for the coming months:

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Keith Keyser, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A new study reveals that ancient Egyptian mummified bodies smelled “woody,” “spicy,” and “sweet.”

Archaeologists working in Egypt have completed the excavation and relocation of a gold processing complex in use for a millennium beginning circa 1000 BC.

Archaeologists working in central Turkey have found evidence of ironmaking dating to 2200 BC.

A new study has been released describing the “production and use of obsidian mirrors found at Tepecik Çiftlik” in central Turkey.

“Archaeologists excavating Göbekli Tepe have uncovered evidence that challenges previous theories about the site’s purpose.”

“Authorities in Turkey have sealed off a luxury spa that was set up by illegally modifying a 1,500-year-old cistern near Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.”

A headless bronze statue believed to depict Marcus Aurelius is being returned by The Cleveland Museum of Art to Turkey.

“Archaeologists in Pompeii have unearthed a rare depiction of initiation rites into a secret female cult that centred on Dionysus.”

A new theory has been proposed to explain how the brains of a man who died in the Mount Vesuvius explosion turned to glass.

“A close look at Pompeii’s stone-paved streets has shown how traffic through the ancient city changed dramatically after it was incorporated into the Roman world.” (subscription)

Hybrid lecture on March 12 at ISAC: “Epigraphy and Exploration at Beni Hassan, Egypt,” by Anna-Latifa Mourad Cizek

The Jerusalem Post explains why mummies are disappearing from museums.

The palace of Knossos set a new record in 2024 with more than one million visitors.

Howard Carter’s lost suitcase has been found and will be auctioned.

HT: Agade, Explorator, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis, Paleojudaica

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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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