Museums Archives - Page 18 of 99

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“A 3,000-year-old scarab – an ancient amulet and impression seal – was discovered during a school field trip to Azor, about seven kilometers southeast of Tel Aviv.”

Archaeologists discovered a section of Roman road from the 2nd century AD west of Tiberias in excavations along the Sanhedrin Trail.

“The Khirbet Midras pyramid is thought to be the largest and best preserved of a handful of pyramid-topped mortuary complexes dating back to the Second Temple and Roman eras in Israel.”

“Graffito from Beit She’arim cemetery confounded scholars for decades – until they figured out it was written in Aramaic using a Persian alphabet.”

“The Tower of David Jerusalem Museum’s citadel and exhibition rooms on its upper levels have become accessible to all for the first time after a five-year process.”

“The headlines this month from the world of biblical archaeology included the discovery of a previously unknown Egyptian queen, a possible Judahite royal inscription, and an everyday item with big implications.”

“Tel Aviv University’s Archaeometallurgical Laboratory offers a limited number of student scholarships for participating in the upcoming excavations at Timna Valley (January 22nd – February 4th 2023). Those who wish to apply, please write directly to Mr. Yoav Vaknin ([email protected]) by January 1st 2023, and include your CV and a short reference letter.”

Hybrid lecture on Dec 7: “Recently Found Inscriptions from Israel / the Southern Levant,” by Jonathan Stökl. Registration required.

The “Spirit of Scholarship” conference will be held in Jerusalem (in-person) only on Dec 12-14. “The conference investigates the groundbreaking scholarship by Catholic priests in the burgeoning disciplines of ancient Near Eastern studies from the late-19th to the mid-20th centuries and also considers where these efforts have led to today.” The schedule and abstracts are posted at the website.

Leon Mauldin shares several springtime photos he took at Beth-shemesh.

Carl Rasmussen shares some photos and impressions of his recent visit to the Mount of Beatitudes.

Oliver Hersey and Chris McKinny discuss the cultural backgrounds to the book of Ruth in the latest episode of the BiblicalWorld podcast.

–>We have finished creating photo collections for every book in the New Testament. You can purchase the new Revelation volume with its 3,000 photos for only $79. But for a few more days, you can take advantage of the launch discount price of $49. Purchasing now is also a great way to support our work and help us to keep going.

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

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Lectures, Museums, Photo Resources, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists working at Saqqara discovered the pyramid of Queen Neith, a queen hitherto unknown in the historical record.

Archaeologists have found the earliest Egyptian tomb oriented to the winter solstice.

“A hoard of gold coins once thought to be fakes have been authenticated by researchers who say the artefacts reveal a long-lost Roman emperor.” The underlying journal article is here. Not all are convinced.

King Tut’s tomb was opened 100 years ago on Thursday.

BBC radio has aired “The Epic of Gilgamesh: A Quest for Immortality,” with Anmar Fadhil discussing the latest discoveries.

Hybrid lecture on Nov 29: “Trade in the Eastern Mediterranean of the 2nd and 1st millennia BCE—A Petrographic Perspective,” by Paula Waiman Barak. (Webex link)

The best-preserved Roman ruins in Morocco are at the site of Volubilis.

New release: “‘Now These Records are Ancient’: Studies in Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical History, Language and Culture in Honor of K. Lawson Younger, Jr.,” edited by James K. Hoffmeier, Richard E. Averbeck, J. Caleb Howard and Wolfgang Zwickel (Zaphon, €128).

National Geographic asked scholars why Noah’s Ark will never be found.

Ben Witherington has several blog entries about his recent trips to Turkey, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt.

Penn Museum has opened its new Eastern Mediterranean Gallery: Crossroads of Culture after an extensive renovation.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Jared Clark, Paleojudaica, Ted Weis

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

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Newly discovered Byzantine-era mosaics with four inscriptions have been discovered at Hippos. This Haaretz article by Ruth Schuster has many beautiful photos.

“A new museum at the Armenian Monastery [in the Old City in Jerusalem] offers displays of stunning mosaics and artworks, artifacts and architecture, going back to Armenia’s 4th-century roots in the Holy Land.”

A Qumran cave will be opened to the public for the first time, with a path being created to lead from the site to Cave 61. (I do not have a link at this time.)

The search of a home of a man using a metal detector at an archaeological site revealed a trove of ancient coins including a rare coin of Antiochus Epiphanes.

Yonathan Adler suggests that “Judaism as we know it became a mass religion relatively late, possibly only when Judea was ruled by the Hasmonean dynasty” (subscription).

Michael Hasel is on The Book and the Spade discussing the ivory comb alphabetic inscription.

The program and abstracts for the 2022 ASOR meetings in Boston are online.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Dead Sea Scrolls, Discoveries, Galilee, Jerusalem, Museums, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Archeologists in Egypt have uncovered a vast underground tunnel near the city of Alexandria, and hope it may lead them to the long-lost tomb of Egypt’s last pharaoh and possibly its most famous ruler, Queen Cleopatra VII.”

Archaeologists discovered “an extremely rare and incalculably valuable Roman glass vessel” in a “remarkable state of preservation” in the ancient Roman city of Augustodunum (modern Autun, France).

“Archaeologists in Italy have uncovered more than two dozen beautifully preserved bronze statues dating back to ancient Roman times in thermal baths in Tuscany.”

The Temple of Apollo in Side, Turkey, will be restored as an archaeological museum.

Turkish Archaeological News has a roundup of stories from the month of October, including a report of a well-preserved Byzantine shops and dining area in Ephesus.

The International Herodotus Workshop was held recently in the city of Bodrum, ancient Halicarnassus, the historian’s hometown.

Ádám Németh’s Virtual Reconstructions includes 3D artwork of ancient buildings in Ephesus, including the Celsus Library, Terrace Houses, Trajan’s nymphaeum, theater, agora, and Temple of Artemis.

Digital Maps of the Ancient World: “The aim is to map out all the different aspects of Roman cities so that it can be used as a teaching aid or a guide for those interested in the site.”

“A giant cardboard imitation of the Trojan Horse, which won Greeks the war of Troy in antiquity, broke the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest cardboard sculpture in U.K.”

“An American man has returned 19 antiquities to the four countries they came from after reading reports in the Guardian about the repatriation of looted antiquities.”

The Immersive King Tut exhibit is at, or coming to, a dozen US cities.

“Tutankhamun: His Tomb and his Treasures” will open at the Columbus Science Museum on March 18.

On The Book and the Spade, Charles Aling and Gordon Govier discuss King Tut’s Tomb on the 100th anniversary of its discovery.

Leon Mauldin shares a recent photo he took of the Merneptah Stele in the Egyptian Museum.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Joseph Lauer, Jared Clark, Wayne Stiles, A.D. Riddle, Explorator

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Egypt, Italy, Lectures, Museums, New Exhibits, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

The University of Pennsylvania, in partnership with an Iraqi team, has announced the discovery of seven very fine wall reliefs from the time of King Sennacherib in Nineveh. The team is also actively reconstructing the ancient city’s Mashki Gate, which was destroyed by militants a few years ago.

“An ancient Christian monastery possibly dating as far back as the years before Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula has been discovered on an island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.”

Archaeological work is underway near the Church of St. Peter in Antioch on the Orontes.

The fourth of five excavation seasons at Amphipolis has concluded, and this story summarizes the latest discoveries.

“An intact skeleton of a woman lying next to a stunning necklace and other important artifacts from the Early Minoan era (circa 2,600 BC), were unearthed recently at the archaeological site of Sisi on Crete.”

“Archivists have uncovered a long-lost historical relic hidden underneath a Christian manuscript: the earliest known map of the stars.”

“We, a group of Egyptologists, IT scholars and enthusiasts, have started an initiative to promote the digitization of Egyptian texts as open, re-usable data. Inspired by the great ORACC, we call ourselves ORAEC, Open Richly Annotated Egyptian Corpus.”

Brent Nongbri reviews the new exhibition at the Cheater Beatty Library called “First Fragments: Biblical Papyrus from Roman Egypt.” It looks worth adding Ireland to your travel list for 2023.

John DeLancey has posted a 360 Interactive Video in the Colosseum in Rome. It provides a great perspective of this ancient slaughterhouse.

The Greek Reporter lists the top 20 archaeological sites in the country. It is a good list.

Ferrell Jenkins posts a photo of the Appian Way south of Rome.

Robert Miller died last month.

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

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Greece, Italy, Mesopotamia, Museums, New Exhibits, Resources, Sad News, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A virtual tour has been posted of the Assyrian canal and rock-reliefs at the Faida Archaeological Park in northern Iraq.

“Teach Ancient Egypt is a library of free teaching resources for learners of all kinds. Browse videos, lesson plans, coloring pages, slides, language-learning materials, and more—created and vetted by Egyptologists and other experts.”

“A new exhibition at the British Library explores the diverse and remarkably enduring legends that have sprung up about Alexander [the Great], and the ways successive cultures have shaped stories of him to their own ends.”

A one-minute video gives a preview of the 1st-century Jerusalem model coming to the Ark Encounter.

Classical artworks were originally full of color, and this 6-minute BBC video questions whether that reality has been intentionally suppressed in modern times.

Art & Object lists ten of the most significant underwater finds made in recent decades.

Ferrell Jenkins shares photos of Corinth, Cenchrea, and Isthmia.

“John P. Meier, a theologian and biblical commentator who wrote the multi-volume ‘A Marginal Jew,’ died Oct. 18, 2022.”

Burton MacDonald, best known for his survey work in Jordan, died on October 20.

The Bible Society of Taiwan has published a Chinese (Traditional Script) edition of the Satellite Bible Atlas. Also, the English edition is available once again after a delay caused by printer supply chain issues.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick

Tagged Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, Museums, Resources, Sad News, Tourism, Weekend Roundup