Mesopotamia Archives - Page 22 of 35

Weekend Roundup

Researchers have constructed kilns to determine how iron was smelted in ancient Israel. (Haaretz premium)

New research has identified where refugees fleeing Mount Vesuvius’s eruption later settled.

The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art will return a recently purchased gold-gilded Egyptian coffin that turned out to be looted.

$55 million will be invested to renovate several sites in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, including the Burnt House, the Wohl Archaeological Museum, and the Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue.

A new museum will join the complex of tourist attractions at Latrun, this one honoring Jews who fought in WWII.

The Madaba Plains Project is celebrating 50 years of archaeological work in central Jordan.

Cyrene, Leptis Magna, and other antiquities sites in Libya are being neglected and vandalized since the fall of Gaddafi.

“Israel is hundreds of years overdue for a massive earthquake,” writes Ruth Schuster (Haaretz premium).

Sebastian Fink explains the significance of salt in ancient Mesopotamia.

Wayne Stiles: “The Judean Wilderness illustrates the greener grass we envy.”

Ferrell’s photo of the week is of the Appian Way that Paul traveled as he approached Rome.

Mark Barnes explains why Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, with reference to the ministries of Elijah and Elisha.

“Kings of Israel is a board game taking place in Israel (the Northern Kingdom) during the reign of its kings up until Israel’s destruction by Assyria. Players are on a team, with each person representing a line of prophets…” BibleX has a list of other Christian board games.

The Institute of Biblical Culture’s new course in March, “Daily Life in Ancient Israel,” will cover topics like agriculture, the calendar, tribalism, and lifecycles.

The topic of the Tyndale House Conference 2019 is “Exploring the Old Testament and Its World.”

HT: Agade, Ted Weis

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Italy, Jerusalem, Jordan, Judah, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Museums, Technology, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A tomb containing 50 mummies from the Ptolemaic era has been discovered in Minya, south of Cairo.

The latest documentary produced by Bible Passages is “The Power of Jesus in Galilee.” The 22-minute video was filmed on location.

The world’s first film in the Babylonian language has been released.

The latest video from the British Museum explains an Assyrian relief that depicts a battle with Elam.

In an 8-minute video, Luke Chandler explains Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah using the reliefs in the British Museum.

Carl Rasmussen is leading a tour that follows in the footsteps of Paul from his shipwreck on Malta to his martyrdom in Rome.

Now is the time to sign up for a summer excavation in Israel, including at Gath.

Lamia Al-Gailani Werr, one of Iraq’s first female archaeologists, died recently.

HT: Agade, Steven Anderson, Ted Weis

Tagged Excavations, Galilee, Mesopotamia, Movies, Museums, Sad News, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

The AFP was given a private tour of the “Tomb of the Kings” in Jerusalem, while discussions are ongoing with the French government on re-opening the site to the public.

Renovations of a shop in Paris revealed a large hidden painting of the city of Jerusalem.

The greatest threats to archaeology in Iraq are looting and uncontrolled building.

Carl Rasmussen shares photos of a procession of the Roman elite at Ephesus.

Wayne Stiles looks at three reminders that come from Jesus’s ministry in Galilee.

Evan McDuff describes his experience in excavating Tel Dor.

Graham Chandler provides an interesting and well-illustrated look at ivory in the ancient Near East.

The latest episodes on Digging for Truth look at the relationship between ancient child sacrifice and modern abortion (part 1, part 2, part 3).

Scattered Finds: Archaeology, Egyptology and Museums, by Alice Stevenson, is now available in print or as a free pdf.

Bryan Windle has created two top ten lists:

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Steven Anderson

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Mesopotamia, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists have discovered a 5th-Dynasty tomb in Saqqara, Egypt, that has never been looted.

Excavations begin today. The photos are impressive.

A 4,500-year-old marble pillar that sat in the basement of the British Museum for 150 years has been revealed as the first recorded account of a conflict over a disputed border — and the earliest known instance of word play. The pillar is featured in an exhibit entitled, “No Man’s Land,” that runs through January.

The use of machine translation may open the door to deciphering more than half a million cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia.

The Syrian Director General of Museums and Antiquities claims that the US is looting ancient tombs in northern Syria.

The November issue of the Newsletter of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities features stories on the latest archaeological discoveries, the transfer of antiquities to the new Grand Egyptian Museum, and cultural events.

All past issues of the “Archaeology in Jordan” Newsletter are now available online. The 2018 issue is also available here.

The new issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes stories on the destruction of Azekah, an artificial tell in Arkansas, and excavation opportunities in 2019.

Students from all over the world, including Arab countries, have joined Aren Maeir’s MOOC on biblical archaeology.

The Institute of Biblical Culture will be offering two classes in January: Biblical Geography I and Early Biblical Interpreters I. They are also running a buy two, get one free special.

David Moster shares his experience at this year’s SBL conference with a 10-minute video.

The first in Ferrell’s Favorite Fotos series is of Babylon, taken in 1970.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Joseph Lauer, Chris McKinny, Keith Keyser

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Jordan, Mesopotamia, Museums, Shephelah, Syria, Technology, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Peter Feinman summarizes some papers on the subject of the 10th century BC given at the recent ASOR conference.

Andrea Nicolotti looks for archaeological evidence for the scourging of Jesus.

“Italy’s highest court ruled that a 2000-year-old bronze statue, known as ‘Victorious Youth,’ should be returned to that country by the Getty Villa.”

A well-illustrated BBC feature explains how ISIS’s destruction of a mosque revealed an Assyrian palace.

I am very happy that Wipf and Stock has re-published David Dorsey’s The Roads and Highways of Ancient Israel. For too long, you could only find used copies of this excellent resource for $200 and up.

Lois Tverberg’s excellent Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus is on sale with bigger discounts if you order 2-4 copies.

Everything at Eisenbrauns is 30% off with coupon EEOY18.

Bible Land Passages has now released 10 episodes that connect the biblical stories to the biblical world, using historical, geographical, and archaeological data. The episodes are available for free online as well as for purchase on DVD. The latest episode is entitled “Khirbet Qeiyafa: Witness to David’s Kingdom.” Episode 11, “The Power of Jesus in Galilee,” will be released next month.

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

Tagged 10th Century, Mesopotamia, Museums, Resources, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Appian Media has released a trailer for their new series, “Searching for a King.” They have some impressive footage. They also are asking for some quick help with a survey.

“At the annual meeting this week of the American Schools of Oriental Research in Denver, Colorado, scholars will discuss whether to rechristen the 118-year-old society on the grounds that its moniker is irrelevant and racist.” There’s more here.

Mary Shepperson recounts the “turbulent life” of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq. The article includes some interesting photos.

Iraqi technicians are restoring ancient Babylon under a U.S.-funded project, with the goal of making the site worthy of UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

New book: Archaeogaming: An Introduction to Archaeology in and of Video Games, by Andrew Reinhard.

Mosaics looted from Turkey and sold to Bowling Green State University are now being returned.

Lawrence Schiffman explains how Dead Sea Scroll forgeries were exposed by high-tech tests.

Yosef Garfinkel’s recent lecture at the Lanier Theological Library is now online, and Carl Rasmussen recommends it. The library has also made available many seminar videos from 2012 to present.

Artofthe.Bible is a new catalog of 5,800 works of art from wikimedia arranged in 116 Bible stories.

“A Biblical Spice Rack” was published in Bible Review in 1997 and is now available online through Bible History Daily.

Robert Alter has completed his translation of the entire Hebrew Bible. It will be released in time for
Christmas. (An Amazon coupon code good through today will save $5 off purchase of $20 or more: NOVBOOK18.)

HT: Joseph Lauer, Agade, Ted Weis, Mark Hoffman, Charles Savelle, Chris McKinny

Tagged 10th Century, Antiquities Trade, Dead Sea, Mesopotamia, Resources, Shephelah, Turkey, Weekend Roundup