Mediterranean Islands Archives - Page 4 of 13

Weekend Roundup, Part 4

“A statue head dated to the 2nd century AD was unearthed during the excavations at the Ancient Smyrna Theater.”

Archaeologists found the VIP seats of the ancient amphitheater of Pergamum.

Archaeologists have discovered a gladiator burial ground in near Adana in Turkey.

Restoration has begun on the floor mosaics of the ancient synagogue of Sardis.

The main building and exhibition halls of the Istanbul Archaeology Museums were opened last month after extensive renovations. Renovations continue on the Museum of the Ancient Orient, the Tiled Kiosk Museum and the northern wing of the Classical Building.

This article has some nice photos of the world’s largest mosaic, now part of the Antakya Museum Hotel in the ancient Antioch on the Orontes.

BBC: “More than 85m beneath the famous fairy chimneys of Cappadocia lies a massive subterranean city [Derinkuyu] that was in near-constant use for thousands of years.”

The Turkish Archaeological News surveys the top stories for the month of July.

New release: Excavations at Karkemish II. The Inner West Gate in Area N, by S. Mantellini and S. Pizzimenti (Ante Quem 2021). Free pdf downloads of entire series here.

“Greek archaeologists have discovered a virtually intact grave of an ancient noblewoman buried with her golden jewellery at a Roman burial monument in the island of Sikinos.”

“The majestic ancient Greek monument unearthed in Northern Greece in 2012 and known as the Amphipolis Tomb could open for visitors by the end of 2022.”

Ancient Athens 3D has created a video with a beautiful virtual model of the Parthenon.

Giovanna Dell’ortho describes some of the sites in Thessaloniki.

“Ancient Greeks had a great love and respect for their dogs, cherishing them as companions, protectors, and hunters, as evidenced by several dog tombstones discovered over the centuries.”

Archaeologists believe they have found a mega-monument at the ancient burial mound of Laona in Cyprus.

National Geographic takes a road trip through western Cyprus (requires registration).

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Joseph Lauer, Explorator, Paleojudaica

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Greece, Mediterranean Islands, Museums, Resources, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“The oldest-to-date medical recipes from Hippocrates were recently discovered by monks at the St. Catherine’s Monastery in South Sinai, Egypt.”

“The shaft tomb of the ancient Egyptian dignitary Wahibre-mery-Neith . . . has shed light on ‘globalisation’ in the ancient world.”

“Cyprus has opened its first underwater archaeological park, offering visitors a glimpse of history at one of the eastern Mediterranean’s best preserved ancient harbors.” There’s a video here.

“Most archaeologists study dead societies but ethnoarchaeologists look at living ones. On Cyprus, studying modern potters has yielded important insights into the past, including some that are unpredictable.”

The NY Times has a story about the new Museum of Rescued Art in Rome.

Eli Tadmor looks at ancient Assyrian texts to determine their view of abortion.

Just in case you were looking for a guide to the best road trips in Egypt, Lonely Planet wrote one.

“The Oriental Institute is currently undergoing the process of addressing issues surrounding our name, we are taking actions that will ultimately result in the renaming of the institution. As this process unfolds, we will continue to refer to our institution under the abbreviation, The OI.”

New release from SBL Press: Tiglath-Pileser III, Founder of the Assyrian Empire, by Josette Elayi, $35. (I found her book on Sennacherib to be quite interesting.)

New release: King of the World: The Life of Cyrus the Great, by Matt Waters (Oxford University Press, $28)

Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry has made a list of 11 impressive sarcophagi in museums around the country.

Carl Rasmussen explains how the Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Augustan Peace) illustrates one aspect of “the fulness of time.”

There will be no roundups while I travel the next few weeks. If you’ll be at the Infusion Bible Conference in Tennessee, stop by our table and say hello.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Italy, Mediterranean Islands, Mesopotamia, Museums, Resources, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists have excavated two Late Bronze tombs belonging to wealthy families near Hala Sultan Tekke on Cyprus.

“New excavations of the ancient complex of Girsu in Iraq, led by the British Museum, have the potential to rewrite accepted histories of the development in Mesopotamia.”

“The pyramids in Egypt are more famous, but the ones in Sudan hide royal burial sites that archaeologists can explore—as long as they don’t mind swimming.” (National Geographic; requires email registration)

“The Lost Heritage Atlas initiative is dedicated to collecting the history and memory of those archaeological sites, monuments, sacred places or cultural items that have been completely destroyed.

A rapid change of climate did not cause the fall of the Akkadian empire.

New releases: The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East: Volume II: From the End of the Third Millennium BC to the Fall of Babylon and The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East: Volume III: From the Hyksos to the Late Second Millennium BC, by Karen Radner, Nadine Moeller, and D. T. Potts. $150 each (slightly cheaper at Amazon)

thetruesize.com allows you to easily compare the sizes of countries. Israel, for example, is smaller than any of its neighbors.

“Jordan’s Tourism and Antiquities Ministry plans to encourage visits to Madaba after the Arab League designated the city as the Arab Capital of Tourism” for 2022.

The Greek Reporter lists six lesser-known archaeological sites to visit near Athens.

Carl Rasmussen shares about a funny thing that happened on his way to the temple of Apollo at Didyma.

Mark Hoffman reports on the creation of three new Pauline pilgrimage paths in Greece to open in the next couple of years. Anyone want to go hiking?

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Greece, Jordan, Mediterranean Islands, Mesopotamia, Resources, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“A team of archaeologists in Egypt has discovered the 4,300-year-old tomb of a man named Mehtjetju, an official who claimed that he had access to ‘secret’ royal documents.

“Images of 46 birds arranged in two rows were discovered at the Temple of Esna in Luxor, Egypt, during an Egyptian-German expedition this month.”

“A recently discovered tunnel at Basbük in southeastern Turkey has revealed [Neo-Assyrian] artwork depicting eight gods, three of which were labeled with Aramaic inscriptions.”

“A spectacular ancient mosaic floor that was part of a building from the Hellenistic period is among the important finds from excavations carried out recently at Fabrika Hill in Kato Paphos, Cyprus.”

“Lexundria is a digital library of classical antiquity. Although most of the texts on this site can be found elsewhere on the internet, this project aims to make them accessible in a more research-friendly format.”

The Toronto Tribune interviews Steven Fine about the Arch of Titus in Rome.

“Preserving the Biblical Past: A History of Archaeology at La Sierra University” is a 95-minute presentation given at the university’s recent homecoming celebration. Highlights of their decades-long Jordan excavations include the “best-preserved 4-room house” (~17 min), a “King’s House” inscription (~25 min), and the “earliest Moabite national script” specimen (~37 min) resembling that of the Mesha Stele. At the end, they share plans for a new archaeological museum in Madaba.

New release: Pearl of the Desert: A History of Palmyra, by Rubina Raja (Oxford, 2022; $30).

New release: Tall Zirā´a. The 2018 and 2019 Excavation Campaigns. The Iron Age, Hellenistic and Early Roman Period in Area II, The Gadara Region Project (2001–2011). Final Report 9, edited by Katharina Schmidt. (Free download here)

BASONOVA Webinar on May 25: “Sacred Prostitution and the Cult of Aphrodite/Venus in Roman Corinth,” by Barbette Spaeth ($7)

Accordance has a big sale on both OT (5 vols) and NT (4 vols) sets of the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary ($136 for all).

Recent episodes on Digging for Truth:

Excavating the Dead Sea Caves, with Randall Price (premieres later today)
King Jehu of Israel, with Bryan Windle
The Shroud of Turin, with John Long

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, G. M. Grena

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Mediterranean Islands, Museums, Resources, Syria, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

Renovations at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher have revealed a medieval high altar that once stood in the center of the church.

A Byzantine-era mosaic floor from a Christian basilica in Nahariya has been restored and will be opened to the public. The 500-square meter mosaic includes 87 surviving medallions, with illustrations of flora, fauna, and scenes from everyday life. A video in Hebrew is here. BibleWalks has more photos of the church and the surrounding area.

A family hiking in the Harovit forest in central Israel discovered a beautiful mosaic from the Byzantine period.

The recently vandalized tomb of Joseph in Nablus has been restored.

Two girls were rescued when they accidentally entered a minefield in Nahal Tamar south of the Dead Sea.

Jodi Magness takes Amanda Borschel-Dan on a walking tour of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

The Museum of the Bible and DIVE (Digital Interactive Virtual Experiences) will be conducting a virtual tour of the Via Dolorosa on April 20 ($20).

The lead tablet found on Mount Ebal is the subject of discussion in the latest episode of the Biblical World podcast.

“After decades of laying beside the sacred lake at Luxor’s Karnak Temple, a team of Egyptian restorers and archaeologists succeeded in re-erecting the restored Hatshepsut’s obelisk.”

“German researchers have tracked down and documented hundreds of antiquities located in Berlin museums that were looted from the island of Samos, Greece.”

“Scientists have debated the reason why Bronze Age wall paintings at the ancient settlement of Akrotiri on the Greek island of Santorini depict monkeys that existed thousands of miles away in Asia.”

The Jerusalem Post has a short interview with a curator of the Museum of the Bible on the role of biblical archaeology.

Expedition Bible has launched a new YouTube channel. In the first video, Joel Kramer goes to Tell Deir Alla to discuss the Balaam inscription.

Roy Albag has created a number of reconstructions of sites in Israel, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Herodian Quarter’s palatial mansion, Solomon’s temple, and Herod’s palace in Jerusalem.

New release: Jerusalem and the Coastal Plain in the Iron Age and Persian Periods: New Studies on Jerusalem’s Relations with the Southern Coastal Plain of Israel/Palestine (c. 1200–300 BCE). Research on Israel and Aram in Biblical Times IV. Edited by Felix Hagemeyer (Mohr Siebeck, 119 €).

A number of Eilat Mazar’s publications are for sale, including her excavation reports of various sites in Jerusalem.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, A.D. Riddle, Alexander Schick

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Greece, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Jordan, Mediterranean Islands, Museums, Negev, Resources, Samaria, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A rare Phoenician sarcophagus dating to 600 BC was discovered on the outskirts of Rabat, Malta.

The “perfectly preserved” Ses Fontanelles wreck, discovered recently off the coast of Mallorca, is now giving “priceless insights into the Mediterranean of the fourth century AD and the crew’s daily lives.”

Egyptian archaeologists have discovered five water wells from the 13th century BC believed to have been part of the Horus Military Road.

The Iraq Museum in Baghdad has officially re-opened.

Rulers of the great kingdoms of the ANE in the Late Bronze period rarely met each other, for a variety of reasons, explains Mohy-Eldin E. Abo-Eleaz.

Turkish Archaeological News has a roundup of stories from the month of February.

“Artificial intelligence could bring to life lost texts, from imperial decrees to the poems of Sappho, researchers have revealed, after developing a system that can fill in the gaps in ancient Greek inscriptions and pinpoint when and where they are from.”

“ARIADNE is a research infrastructure for archaeology… to support research, learning and teaching by enabling access to digital resources and innovative new services…by maintaining a catalogue of digital datasets, by promoting best practices in the management and use of digital data in archaeology, by offering training and advice, and by supporting the development of innovative new services for archaeology.”

Martha Sharp Joukowsky, excavator of the Great Temple in Petra, died in January.

Ghazi Bisheh, excavator of many sites in Jordan, died in January.

Carl Rasmussen has written a third part and a final part to his series on where the treasures of the Jerusalem temple went after AD 70.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Jerusalem, Mediterranean Islands, Mesopotamia, Museums, Sad News, Technology, Turkey, Weekend Roundup