Mesopotamia Archives - BiblePlaces.com

Weekend Roundup

A new study reveals that the earliest bathhouses in Pompeii were not very hygienic.

“A gang of four antiquities robbers was caught red-handed on Sunday afternoon while digging inside an ancient Roman-period burial cave near Hittin, on the edge of the Arbel Valley.”

The latest video from Expedition Bible traces the route of Abraham from Iraq through Syria, Turkey, Jordan, and Israel.

Elizabeth Shenk reports on the use of AI in dating the Dead Sea Scrolls, and she includes a number of quotations from scholars about the dating of Daniel.

Marek Dospěl provides an introduction to the Nimrud Letters.

Marta Lorenzon writes about the social meaning and functionality of mudbrick architecture. “By tracing the full chaîne opératoire — from soil selection to mixing, molding, drying, and construction — we can approach mudbrick not only as a building technology but also as a reflection of cultural practice, community identity, and human engagement with the environment.”

The NY Times posted an obituary for Gabriel Barkay (gift link).

The first guest on The Book and the Spade radio program was Gabriel Barkay, and that recording from 1984 is now online.

Israel’s Good Name writes about his travels on the outskirts of Elkana.

Chris McKinny and Amy Balogh discuss the Flood Tablet from the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on Feb 4: “Unearthing an Imperially Glorious Byzantine Church near Bet Shemesh: From Fieldwork to Virtual Reality,” by Benyamin Storchan

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on Feb 25: “Willibald Goes to Jerusalem: A Trip Through the City Then and Now,” by Christie Pavey

Releasing soon: Archaeology and the People of the Bible: Exploring the Evidence for the Historical Existence of Bible Characters, by Titus Kennedy

The Sacred Thread and the BibleProject have released the 8-day Lord’s Prayer Reading Plan on YouVersion.

Friends of ASOR Tours are giving two days of insider tours in Philadelphia in April.

“Bible Mapper is pleased to announce the launch of Bible Mapper, Jr.! The new site hosts a growing collection of resources specifically designed to help kids understand where the stories of the Bible happened and why it matters. Each map lesson includes a kid-friendly map, a Bible reading, a Life Lesson, and an article that unpacks what happened in the story and how it can help us follow God more closely.”

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Explorator

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Dead Sea Scrolls, Italy, Mesopotamia, Resources, Sad News, Samaria, Shephelah, Technology, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

Archaeologists working at Hyrcania discovered tools used to make Holy Land souvenirs in the Byzantine period. They have also found a couple of Greek inscriptions and a Hebrew inscription.

The find of the month for the Temple Mount Sifting Project is an skewed palm-chisel, also known as a scarpel.

Leen Ritmeyer writes about, and illustrates, the origin of Hanukkah.

The Jerusalem Tracker is being split into two editions, with the first focusing on new books and articles related to Jerusalem. The second highlights new pop/social media and blogs, digital resources, developments, and upcoming events about Jerusalem.

I’ve learned that the free “Geography and the Bible” seminar being hosted by Jerusalem University College on January 10 includes a $300 travel course voucher for all registered attendees who join the seminar live online.

“After years of delays and spiraling costs, Rome inaugurated two new metro stations on Tuesday, including one by the Colosseum, showcasing archaeological discoveries that might become tourist attractions in their own right.”

Archaeologists are not agreed over the significance of the victims of Pompeii wearing woolen cloaks in August.

Imagery in an AI-generated video about ancient Rome is filled with errors.

Webinar on Jan 7: “Beyond Edutainment: Reclaiming Archaeology in a Clickbait World,” by Amanda Hope Haley

New release: Stones Still Speak: How Biblical Archaeology Illuminates the Stories You Thought You Knew, by Amanda Hope Haley

“Iraq’s famed Tigris is heavily polluted and at risk of drying up.”

Archaeologists may have discovered the Mycenaean palace in the region of ancient Sparta.

James Davila notes a couple of fascinating comments that Irving Finkel recently made concerning writing at Göbekli Tepe and a supposed Babylonian looting of the Library of Ashurbanipal.

We will post our annual roundup of stories, including the top 10 discoveries of the year, on Monday. There will be no roundup next weekend.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick, Explorator

Tagged Greece, Holidays, Italy, Jerusalem, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Resources, Temple Mount, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Italian scientists have confirmed a large underground complex beneath the Giza Plateau using satellite data.

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

Reporters were invited to view renovation work in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Some areas will reopen in 2027.

The Times of Israel interviewed Thomas Levy in connection with the release of his graphic autobiography.

Ben and Ann Witherington are hosting a tour of Egypt in early 2027.

Appian Way has produced a 7-minute video explaining why the Madaba Map is so important for biblical studies.

New release: Jehu’s Tribute: What Can Biblical Studies Offer Assyriology?, edited by Jeffrey L. Cooley and Rannfrid I. Lasine Thelle (Eisenbrauns, $100, or cheaper at Amazon)

New release: Narrating Archaeological Sites and Places: Fifty Years of the Madaba Plains Project at Tall Hisban, Tall al-‘Umayri, and Tall Jalul, edited by Douglas R. Clark, Øystein S. LaBianca and Randall W. Younker (Equinox, $120; Amazon)

New release: Past Perfect? The Archaeologies of Mandate Palestine 1917-1948, by Raz Kletter (90 euros)

The Biblical Archaeology Society is offering several classes in 2026:

“Women in the New Testament and Early Christianity,” taught by Elizabeth Schrader Polczer
“Historically Confirmed Figures in the Hebrew,” by Lawrence Mykytiuk
“Ancient Texts and Scribes,” by Alice Mandell

A seminar of Ancient and Medieval Middle East (AMME) at the University of Helsinki will feature two talks on ancient waste:

“Trash and Treasure: Con-textualizing Trash at Oxyrhynchus,” by AnneMarie Luijendijk (Zoom)
“Down the Drain: What Trash Reveals about Bathing Culture in Late Antique Jerash,” by Louise Blanke (Zoom)

The Ancient Near East Today lists the top archaeological discoveries of the year.

Archaeology Magazine identifies the top 10 discoveries of 2025.

The AP posts drone footage of the Colosseum of Rome.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Alexander Schick, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Italy, Jordan, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Museums, Resources, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A new study using two radiocarbon dates puts Ahmose’s reign later than previously believed and places the Thera eruption 60-90 years earlier.

New excavations in Pompeii reveal that some slaves ate better than ordinary people.

A cuneiform tablet dating to the end of the 4th millennium BC was discovered at the Sumerian city of Niĝin (Tell Zurghul).

Archaeologists working at Blaundus in western Turkey have discovered a Roman stadium, temple, and more.

The Luwian Studies Foundation has published an up-to-date map of Luwian sites from the Middle and Late Bronze Ages.

“A pioneering robotic system is set to revolutionise the painstaking task of reassembling Pompeii’s ancient Roman frescoes.”

Iraq is planning a $14 million renovation of the ancient city of Ur.

New release in open-access: The Social Context of Writing Practices in Late Bronze Age Ugarit, by Philip J. Boyes (Oxbow, £50; open-access)

A one-minute BBC video explains that the reason why Roman buildings last for millennia is the type of concrete they used.

Tickets to the Louvre are increasing sharply for non-Europeans.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Explorator, Baruch Kvasnica, Paleojudaica, Wayne Stiles

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Italy, Mesopotamia, Resources, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A discovery at Tanis indicates that Shoshenq III was buried not in his own tomb but in an unmarked sarcophagus in Osorkon II’s tomb.

“Researchers in Istanbul have confirmed the existence of an underwater copper mine near Heybeliada (Greek: Χάλκη, Latinized: Halki) island, providing rare archaeological evidence for a description recorded by Aristotle more than 2,300 years ago.”

Excavations in Tunisia have uncovered the second largest Roman olive oil mill in the Roman empire.

A monumental staircase leading to nowhere may give evidence that a large villa in Pompeii had a viewing tower.

Alex Joffe writes about the use of animal dung as fuel in ancient Mesopotamia.

Zoom lecture on Dec 9: “From Pasargadae to Neyrīz, ca. 500 BCE: The View from the Persepolis Fortification Archive,” by Rhyne King

Students who climbed onto the roof of a temple of Apollo in Cyprus have been criticized.

Mick Boersma, a longtime professor at Talbot School of Theology and faithful friend to me and this ministry, is with the Savior he loved so much and served so well.

HT: Agade, Explorator, Paleojudaica

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Sad News, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A Roman sarcophagus was discovered in Hungary, “untouched by looters and sealed for centuries … with its stone lid still fixed in place, secured by metal clamps and molten lead.”

“Five theatrical mask reliefs have been discovered during excavations in the theater area of Kastabala, an ancient city in Osmaniye, southern Türkiye.”

Excavations at Ugarit have resumed after a 14-year hiatus.

Remember the Jordan Lead Codices? A new scientific analysis provides some answers about their dating. (James Davila gives some background.)

“A stunning replica of an ancient trireme will be displayed as the centerpiece of the new Greek Underwater Archaeology Museum” in Piraeus, opening next year.

The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition opens at The Museum of the Bible this weekend. “The exhibition will feature biblical texts and scrolls from the community at Qumran, as well as hundreds of artifacts that reveal details about life and Judaism during the Second Temple period.”

“More than 40 precious artifacts from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem are currently on display at the Frick in New York City.”

The Metropolitan Museum of Art just launched a virtual reality tour of the 1st-century BC Egyptian Temple of Dendur.

New release: Assur 2024: Continuing the Excavations in the New Town and Other Research across the Site, edited by Karen Radner and Andrea Squitieri. Exploring Assur 2. (PeWe-Verlag; 59 €; open-access)

New release: Excavating Ancient Egypt: Fifty Years of Archaeological Memories, by Jeffrey Spencer (Archaeopress; £16-£32)

In the latest episode on the Biblical World podcast, Mary Buck explains the importance of the Achaemenid Empire, including figures like Cyrus and Darius.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis, Explorator

Tagged Dead Sea Scrolls, Discoveries, Egypt, Jerusalem, Jordan, Mesopotamia, Museums, Persia, Resources, Syria, Turkey, Weekend Roundup