Mesopotamia Archives - Page 24 of 35

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A headless statue of Aphrodite and a large mosaic were discovered during subway construction in Thessaloniki.

“Researchers have discovered the oldest figurative tattoos in the world on the upper arms of two ancient Egyptian mummies, the British Museum said.”

Iraqi authorities discovered 75 artifacts near the Shrine of the Prophet Abraham after a torrential rain.

Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities Newsletter for January 2018 has been published.

Rome was covered by a rare snowfall this week. Photos here.

The Frist Center in Nashville is hosting over 200 objects from the Roman Empire, courtesy of the British Museum.

Four Persian kings are buried in the necropolis of Naqsh-e Rustam, including Darius I.

A rare 2nd-3rd century AD Roman ivory relief of Greek mythology is for sale.

A Hungarian pilot has flown his stunt plane through the Corinth Canal.

Wayne Stiles explains how your mind is like an archaeological dig.

HT: Agade, Charles Savelle, Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis, Paul Mitchell, Mark Hoffman

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Greece, Italy, Mesopotamia, Museums, Weather, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Seven inscriptions from the Assyrian king Esarhaddon have been found in looter tunnels beneath the tomb of Jonah in Mosul, Iraq.

A rare pair of 2nd AD Roman boxing gloves was unearthed near Hadrian’s Wall in Hexham, England.

Egypt has announced the discovery of a large cemetery near the city of Minya. Photos are here.

“Remains of a 2,600-year-old statue with an inscription written in Egyptian hieroglyphics has been discovered in a temple at Dangeil, an archaeological site along the Nile River in Sudan.”

LiveScience reports on the excavations that have identified a different location for the Plutonium at Hierapolis.

The theater in Perga will be restored with a grant of 3 million Turkish Lira.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was closed for several hours today in protest of a new tax plan.

The US Supreme Court has ruled the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago will be allowed to retain thousands of cuneiform tablets that originate from Iran.

The Minerva Center for the Relations between Israel and Aram is hosting its annual conference on
May 14–17, 2018, in Leipzig, Germany on the theme of “Re-Writing History by Destruction.”

Adriano Orsingher provides a short introduction to tophets on the ASOR Blog.

A conference on “Rethinking Layard 1817-2017” will be held in March in Venice.

BBC and Netflix have created an 8-part series on the Trojan War that is the most expensive drama in
BBC’s history.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis, @go2Carl

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Movies, Museums

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

The tomb of Hathor’s priestess Hetpet has been discovered on the Giza plateau.

“More than 120 images of ancient Egyptian boats have been discovered adorning the inside of a building in Abydos” from the time of pharaoh Senwosret III.

Excavations of the ancient city of Hadrianapolis have revealed a 5th-century church that is decorated with images of the Gihon, Pishon, Tigris, and Euphrates Rivers.

Archaeologists have been working to discover evidence of Nabatean seafaring, including the location of their chief port, Leuke Kome.

The Awwam Temple is one of many historic sites at danger in Yemen.

Kurdistan is attracting tourists with its ancient fortresses, historic monasteries, and beautiful landscapes.

The “Khirbet el-Maqatir—A Journey through Biblical History” exhibit will open at Southwest Baptist University on February 24.

A 1920 article in National Geographic on the Samaritan Passover, with many photos now in the
American Colony collection, is posted online.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Paleojudaica

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Museums, Samaria, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Appian Media has released a trailer for episodes 6–10 of Following the Messiah. You can get further updates on their Facebook page.

See the Holy Land has created a mobile app that provides a guide to 110 sites in Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. The Android-only app is available for free from seetheholyland.net or for $0.99 from Google Play.

Philippe Bohstrom considers new evidence from ancient mining operations in discussing whether David and Solomon’s kingdom ever existed.

“The British Library last week launched a new website showcasing 1,300 Hebrew manuscripts, ranging from ancient Torah scrolls and prayer books to philosophical, theological and scientific works.”

“The newly opened Louvre Abu Dhabi has been accused of displaying looted antiquities.”

Egyptian authorities are working to stop the illegal exporting of antiquities.
Some interesting discoveries were made during a recent excavation season at Gird-î Qalrakh in northern Iraq.

The Times of Israel provides some of the background of the making of the “Spoils of Jerusalem” relief that is now exhibited in the Arch of Titus exhibition at the Yeshiva University Museum.

Eisenbrauns has published a festschrift in honor of Israel Finkelstein: Rethinking Israel: Studies in the History and Archaeology of Ancient Israel in Honor of Israel Finkelstein, edited by Oded
Lipschits, Yuval Gadot, and Matthew Adams.

Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport may need to add a massive tent to accommodate travelers.

Chaim (Harold R.) Cohen died recently. A list of some of his publications is posted here.

HT: Joseph Lauer, Mike Harney, Agade

Tagged 10th Century, Antiquities Trade, Excavations, Mesopotamia, Museums, New Exhibits, Resources, Sad News, Technology, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“The ancient city of Ephesus . . . is set to once again have a harbor on the Aegean coast, according to an ambitious new project.”

Archaeologists working at Saqqara in Egypt have discovered a portion of a large obelisk from the Old Kingdom period.

The rulers of Gaza are systematically destroying one of the earliest archaeological sites in the Gaza Strip.

“There is a growing emerging consensus among Dead Sea Scroll scholars that many of the fragments in the private collections are fakes.”

Atlas Obscura has a brief, illustrated article on the Tophet of Carthage.

“A Dartmouth-led study has demonstrated how the latest aerial thermal imagery is transforming archaeology due to advancements in technology.”

Yeshiva University Museum is hosting an international conference on “The Arch of Titus – from Jerusalem to Rome, and Back.”

Prior to its opening in November, the Museum of the Bible will be hosting a scholarly panel to “discuss evolutionary process for developing content” as well as addressing questions about disputed artifacts in their collection.

Yale students are “touring” Nimrud before it was destroyed via a new VR system. The story includes a 4-minute video.

A new free MOOC from Bar Ilan University on “The Bible in Light of the Ancient Near East” begins later this month. Some video previews are available: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5.

Israel’s Good Name reports on his recent visit to Apollonia (Arsuf).

Kenneth Holum, whose work included directing excavations of Caesarea, died last month.

HT: Paleojudaica, Joseph Lauer, Agade

Tagged Egypt, Israel's Coast, Italy, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Technology, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

The Biblical Archaeology Society has announced its 2017 Publication Awards.

Chris McKinny and Itzhaq Shai explain how they have implemented PlanGrid as a digital field registration system at Tel Burna.

New evidence reveals how the Egyptians transported limestone and granite along the Nile River in order to build the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Ferrell Jenkins notes some of the latest books published by Carta.

Josette Elayi writes about “Sargon II, ‘King of the World’” at The Bible and Interpretation.

The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit that has been touring the country goes to Denver in March.

Carl Rasmussen has written two posts this week on the island of Patmos: The Monastery of Saint John and A Fortress on Patmos.

“Staircases, richly decorated walls and important artifacts are among the findings of this past season’s excavations at the extensive and complex Minoan palace of Zominthos.”

The Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project has found 60 ancient ships, dating from 4 B.C. to the 8th A.D., with many of them well preserved because of the anoxic conditions at the bottom of the ocean.

The Bryn Mawr Classical Review reviews Graffiti from the Basilica in the Agora of Smyrna.

The Vatican will analyze bones allegedly from St Peter that were discovered in the Church of Santa Maria in Capella in Rome.

HT: Charles Savelle, Agade, Ted Weis

Tagged Greece, Italy, Mesopotamia, Museums, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup