The following lectures are free, open to the public, and held in the Breasted Hall of the University of Chicago, Oriental Institute.  

Wednesday, Nov 7, 7pm-9pm

Allison Thomason, “Banquets, Baubles and Bronzes: Material Comforts in Neo-Assyrian Palaces”

Wednesday, Dec 5, 7pm-9pm

Scott Branting, “Mapping the Past”

Wednesday, Jan 9, 7pm-9pm

Harald Hauptmann, “Neolithic Revolution of the Ancient Near East”

Wednesday, Feb 6, 7pm-9pm

Terry Wilfong, “Anxious Egyptians: Personal Oracles as Indices of Anxieties in the Later Periods”

Wednesday, Mar 5, 7pm-9pm

David Schloen, “Excavations at Zincirli”

Wednesday, Apr 2, 7pm-9pm

Nadine Moeller, “Tell Edfu, Egypt”

Wednesday, May 7, 7pm-9pm

Larry Stager, “Excavating Ashkelon, Sea Port of the Phillistines”

Wednesday, Jun 4, 7pm-9pm

Stuart Tyson Smith, “Death at Tombos: Pyramids, Iron, and the Rise of the Nubian Dynasty”

The American Jewish University (formerly University of Judaism) is hosting the 18th and final series of lectures on biblical archaeology at their Los Angeles campus starting next week.  The lectures are on Monday evenings, beginning at 8:00 p.m., and with a cost of $25 each.  The lecture dates, topics, and speakers are:

October 15

Jerusalem in the Days of David and Solomon: What Do We See in Excavations and What Does It
Actually Mean?

Jane M. Cahill

October 22

Archaeology, History and the Patriarchs

Gary Rendsberg

October 29

The Exodus from Egypt and the Conquest of Canaan in Archaeology, Egyptology and the Bible:
What Do We Know for Certain?

James K. Hoffmeier

November 12

Death Styles of the Rich and Famous and of the Kings of Israel: An Archaeologist Examines the
Evidence and Arguments

Jodi Magness

November 19

Two Temples Stood in Zion: How New Excavations, Old Photographs, Recent Observations and
Ancient Texts Enable Us to See the Temples of Solomon and Herod

Leen Ritmeyer

November 26

The First Synagogues and Churches: What Can We Learn from Newly Excavated Sites About the
Beliefs, Organization and Origins of Early Christian and Jewish Groups?

Steven Fine

December 3

Cosmos from Chaos: the Creation of Heaven and the Search for Divine Presence in Israelite Religion

Ziony Zevit


This really is an outstanding program and if I didn’t have to jump on an airplane to attend, I would
go.  If you have limited time or funds, the four that would be of most interest to me are Cahill,
Hoffmeier, Magness, and Ritmeyer.  The last three have great books on their subjects which I
recommend to all.  (Perhaps they would sign it if you brought it.)  Those books are Hoffmeier, Israel 
in Egypt ($30); Magness, Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls ($15); Ritmeyer, The 
Quest ($60).

Dr. Gabriel Barkay is a distinguished archaeologist in Israel whose significant discoveries include the silver amulets from Ketef Hinnom.  His current project is sifting the debris from the Temple Mount. 

Barkay is lecturing this month in various places in the U.S.


Feb. 1 New Rochelle, NY—Beth El Synagogue


Feb. 4-7 Dallas, TX—Dallas Theological Seminary


Feb. 5 Fort Worth, TX—Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary 7pm


Feb. 8 Lubbock, TX—Lubbock Christian University, 7 pm


Feb. 9-10 Ashland, OH—Ashland Theological Seminary


Feb. 11 Silver Spring, MD—Jewish Center, 2:00pm


Feb. 12 Wheaton, IL


Feb. 13 Milwaukee, WI


Feb. 14 Madison, WI


Feb. 15-16 Springfield, MO—Missouri State University


Feb. 20 Atlanta, GA—Atlanta Museum, Emory University


Feb. 22 Southern California—UCLA and UC Riverside, 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM


Feb. 27 Nyack, NY—Alliance Theological Seminary, 6:30-9 p.m

If you have never heard Barkay speak, you can see a short sample taken by a student on a recent tour here.  Of course, he’s better in person.

HT: Yehuda News

Update (2/10): The entry for Feb 15 was corrected and the lecture for Feb. 27 added.

Here’s another archaeology lecture series of interest, this time for those in the Chicago area. This is the 51st annual lecture series of Wheaton College, this year entitled “Greeks in the Holy Land.” Note the lecture title by Kletter gives away the “startling new discoveries” that were to be revealed in his lecture in Los Angeles. Kudos to John Monson and the guys at Wheaton for making all of the lectures free! Here are the details:

There is a long history of interaction between the peoples of the Aegean and the Holy Land. This year’s lecture series will emphasize the key points of intersection between these cultures and the impact that their interaction had upon the history, culture, and religion of ancient Israelites, Jews, and Christians. The lectures are free to the public and will be on select Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm in the Billy Graham Center, Room 140.

Tuesday, September 26
David Chapman, Professor of New Testament and Biblical Archaeology, Curator of the W.H. Mare Institute for Biblical and Archaeological Studies, Covenant Theological Seminary
Marriage and family in the Jewish/Greek world

Tuesday, October 3
Assaf Yasur-Landau, Researcher, Institute of Archaeology, Tel-Aviv University
How the Philistines reached the Holy Land

Tuesday, October10
John McRay, Professor of archaeology emeritus, Wheaton College
Archaeology and the life of Paul

Tuesday, October 24
Gene Green, Professor of New Testament, Wheaton College
The Gospel and the Thessalonians in their cultural context

Tuesday, October 31
James Jeffers, Professor and Coordinator of Humanities MA, California State University, Dominguez Hills
Greeks, Romans, and religion in the Holy Land

Tuesday, November 7
Raz Kletter, Excavations and Surveys Department, Israel Antiquities Authority
What to do with a Hundred Cultic Stands–the Finds From Yavneh of the Philistines

Tuesday, Nov 28
Michael Graves, Visiting Professor, Wheaton College
A Roman in Greek Palestine: Jerome and the development of Near Eastern studies

The University of Judaism has announced their fall lecture series on Archaeology and the Bible. This year the series is entitled, “Archaeology and the Bible: New Discoveries, New Methods, New Interpretations, New Insights.” As in previous years, the cost to attend individual lectures is $25. Or if you register by October 6, the cost for all is $125. More information is available at the UoJ website. 

The UoJ campus is in Los Angeles, not far from the Getty Museum off the 405. The scheduled lectures are:

Christopher A. Rollston, “Fakers, Forgers, and Con Artists: How Forged Artifacts and Inscriptions Corrupt Biblical History” (Oct. 23)

Raz Kletter, “Philistine Cult and Religion: The Startling New Discoveries from Yavneh” (Oct. 30)

Tessa Rajak, “Melting Pot or Market Place? Jews, Christians and Pagans in the Cities of the Roman Empire” (Nov. 6)

Eveline van der Steen, “Bedouins and the Bible” (Nov. 13)

Avi Faust, “Biblical Archaeology, the Prophets of Israel and the Poor” (Nov. 20)

William Schniedewind, “The First Scribes in Ancient Israel and the Beginnings of Biblical Literature” (Nov. 27)

Marvin Meyer, “The Recently Published Gospel of Judas, Gnosticism, and the Jewish Connection” (Dec. 4)

Christoph Uehlinger, “Insights from Images: What Do Assyrian Sculptures Tell Us About the History of Religion in Ancient Israel?” (Dec. 11)

I think if my budget or time were limited, my first two choices would be the lectures by Faust and Schniedewind.