Mesopotamia Archives - Page 16 of 36

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Two statues believed to be dating back to 2,000 years were unearthed during excavation works in the ancient Roman city of Blaundus in western Turkey.”

Five marble statue heads from the Hellenistic and Roman periods were discovered in excavations at Cnidus (Knidos).

“A 4,000-year-old mound and an architectural structure inside it have been unearthed after the water level of Atatürk Dam receded 15 meters in the southeastern province of Adıyaman.”

“The Temple of Venus and Roma, located in the Roman Forum opposite the Colosseum, has undergone a €2.5 million restoration sponsored by the luxury fashion house Fendi.”

Biblical Archaeology Review has posted its annual list of dig opportunities for 2022. The Biblical Archaeology Society is offering dig scholarships of $2,000.

The first-ever Spring Bible and Archaeology Fest will be held on April 2 and 3.

“Left in ruins by jihadists, Iraq’s once-celebrated Mosul museum and its 2,500-year-old treasures are being given a second life.”

Austen Henry Layard, renowned as the excavator of Nimrud, used his archaeological fame to catapult him into a career of politics and diplomacy.

The National Library of Israel has a new section on its website to share manuscripts from St. Catherine’s Monastery and related materials.

The final reports for the Tall Zirā‘a / Gadara Region Project have now been published. The volumes are also available in pdf format for free.

New exhibition at New York University: Pompeii in Color: The Life of Roman Painting (Jan 26 to May 29).

BBC Radio episode on the Hittites: “Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the empire based in the Land of Hatti during the Late Bronze Age, in modern Turkey, and the discoveries there over the last century.”

Carl Rasmussen begins a series on anchor stocks discovered at Malta and their possible relationship to Paul’s shipwreck.

Lectures from La Sierra University’s recent Archaeology Discovery Weekend are now online, including these two by Mark Wilson:

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

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Italy, Jordan, Lectures, Mediterranean Islands, Mesopotamia, New Exhibits, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A cache of 13,000 inscribed potsherds from the Roman and Byzantine eras have been discovered in Sohag, Egypt.

New discoveries have come to light at Pompeii in the House of the Library.

An article in Haaretz contrasts an ancient Roman doll with the modern Barbie.

A team of scientists believe they have a new understanding of the Antikythera mechanism.

The US has returned 200 antiquities stolen from Italy, including items seized from the Fordham Museum and the Getty Museum.

A new museum of Roman antiquities opened in Narbonne, France last week.

Lonely Planet names their 10 ten museums in Istanbul.

Online exhibit: Mesopotamia: An Intimate Look at Some Extraordinary Objects from an Exhibition at the Getty Villa

Clay tablets from the library of Ashurbanipal reveal an ancient Assyrian remedy for hair loss (subscription req’d).

The recorded presentations are now online for the conference on “Perspectives on the Ramesside Military System.”

Dirk Obbink owes Hobby Lobby a full refund for the $7 million of ancient papyri that he sold them.

Nearly a million tourists have visited the ancient city of Dara in southeastern Turkey this year.

New release: Edgar J. Goodspeed, America’s First Papyrologist, by Todd M. Hickey and James G. Keenan

Glenn Corbett is leading a Jordan Seminar at the Dead Sea in April.

Carl Rasmussen has begun a series on the shipwreck of Paul on Malta. He is also leading a trip to Malta, Sicily, and Italy in the spring.

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

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Egypt, Italy, Jordan, Mediterranean Islands, Mesopotamia, Museums, Resources, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

The first example of Roman crucifixion in northern Europe has been discovered. The skeleton of a man with a nail through his right heel was uncovered in a cemetery near Cambridge that dates to the 3rd or 4th century AD. The underlying article, published by British Archaeology, is available in pdf format.

Archaeologists working at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor have discovered hundreds of items in an ancient garbage dump.

Two more mummies with tongues wrapped in golden foil have been discovered in Egypt.

Kathleen Martinez has spent the last 15 years determined to find Cleopatra’s tomb.

A new study suggests ancient Egyptian elites drank thick porridge-like beer.

Leather scale armor from the Neo-Assyrian empire has been discovered in China.

Archaeological work is being carried out in Iraq by a number of foreign teams.

One of the world’s largest collectors of ancient art has surrendered 180 looted antiquities. Nearly 50 of those will be returned to Greece soon.

A tablet with the Epic of Gilgamesh has been returned to Iraq after being looted from a museum during the 1991 war.

Turkish Archaeological News has a day-by-day report for November’s stories.

Carl Rasmussen has posted some photos of the new “Museum in the Istanbul Airport.”

William J. Fulco died in late November.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Richard Bauckham, Paleojudaica, Explorator

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Mesopotamia, Museums, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Remains discovered at Herculaneum have led an archaeologist to compare the eruption of Mount Vesuvius to the WWII bomb at Hiroshima.

A large Roman villa complex with a mosaic depicting scenes from The Iliad has been uncovered in Britain.

Two Late Bronze tombs excavated in Hala Sultan Tekke in Cyprus have revealed more than 500 objects, including gold jewelry and gemstones.

“A 1,600-year-old steelyard weight has been discovered during the ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis” in northern Turkey.

Carl Rasmussen recently visited Sardis and photographed some of the changes being made to the site.

Underwater archaeology is thriving in Turkey, with 10 underwater excavations carried out this year alone.

The Greek Reporter has a story on Veria (Berea in the New Testament) which is also known as “Little Jerusalem.”

The latest episode on the Greece Declassified podcast considers whether the Hittites were an influence on Homer.

Now online: The Karkemish 3D Visualization Project

A new exhibition entitled “Child-friendly: Growing up in ancient Rome” opened recently in Florence, Italy.

Carolyn Wilke has written “a brief scientific history of glass” for Smithsonian Magazine.

Owen Jarus explains why the Egyptians stopped building pyramids.

Gil Davis provides a short history of the rise of silver coinage.

The world’s largest brick-built arch, the sixth-century Arch of Ctesiphon in Iraq, is now being restored.

The Nineveh Medical Encyclopaedia “represents the world’s first standardised, structured and systematised handbook on therapeutic medicine.”

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Explorator, Ted Weis

Tagged Egypt, Greece, Italy, Mediterranean Islands, Mesopotamia, Museums, New Exhibits, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“A huge complex of 1,500-year-old winepresses capable of producing some two million liters of wine a year has been uncovered by archaeologists in the city of Yavne, south of Tel Aviv.”

Margreet L. Steiner looks at the elusive Persian archaeological evidence in Jerusalem in order to determine what the city was like when the Jews returned from exile.

Meital Sharabi recommends visits to two interesting locations in the Judean hills west of Jerusalem.

Makhtesh Ramon in southern Israel is home to a crew simulating a colony on Mars.

Zoom lecture on October 17: “Family, food and health in the Bronze Age Aegean: Novel bioarchaeological insights into Mycenaean and Minoan societies,” by Philipp W. Stockhammer

Zoom lecture on October 20: “The City of Babylon from c. 2000 BC to AD 116,” by Stephanie Dalley. Her book on this subject was released earlier this year.

Zoom lecture on November 4: “Under Jerusalem: The Buried History of the World’s Most Contested City,” by Andrew Lawler, author of a forthcoming book with the same title.

The Florence Scroll, a 14th-century parchment depicting holy sites from Egypt to Lebanon, is now on display in the Israel Museum as part of the “Painting a Pilgrimage” exhibit.

Bible Mapper has created several new maps, available in high-res for free non-commercial use:

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Joseph Lauer, Charles Savelle, Ted Weis

Weekend Sale: Cultural Images of the Holy Land – only $20 with coupon HARVEST

Tagged Discoveries, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Judah, Lectures, Mediterranean Islands, Mesopotamia, Museums, Negev, New Exhibits, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A study of DNA taken from 90 mummies reveals the genetic makeup of ancient Egyptians.

Egypt has announced what antiquities it is sending to Expo Dubai 2020 (to run from this month until March 2022).

Turkish Archaeological News has a day-by-day recounting of events of archaeological significance in September.

This week’s article in ANE Today looks at the development of canals in ancient Assyria. As is always the case with ANE Today, the story is well-illustrated with maps, photos, and videos.

New from SBL Press (at Brill pricing): Edom at the Edge of Empire: A Social and Political History, by Bradley L. Crowell

Positively reviewed: An Educator’s Handbook for Teaching about the Ancient World, edited by Pinar Durgun. The ebook is available for free.

ACOR has announced fellowships, scholarships, and award opportunities for the coming year.

1st Congress of Ancient Near East Landscape Archaeology and Historical Geography will be held on October 5-8. Access will be available by Zoom at this link.

The Infusion Bible Conference on Paul and His Roman World begins in four weeks, and virtual registration is an option, either for an individual or a group.

Just released: “Trial & Triumph: Revelation’s Churches takes viewers to modern-day Turkey to explore seven unique cities and examine the letters that were written to the Christians who lived there. The documentary, produced by Appian Media, is a two-hour journey through the land featuring interviews with Dr. Mark Wilson, a leading researcher on ancient Biblical Turkey, and other archaeologists and historians.” Available to watch online for free.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Tagged Egypt, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Movies, Museums, Resources, Weekend Roundup