Rome’s ongoing subway system project has uncovered several glimpses of the past, this time the ruins of a Roman military commander’s 14-room luxury villa. ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives has a report on the current status of the Ain Dara Temple. Authorities caught tomb raiders in Galilee as they used a bulldozer to loot graves from the Roman period. 3D computational geometry is being used in a long-distance virtual reconstruction to piece together ancient cuneiform texts. Christopher Rollston is on the OnScript Podcast speaking about the Isaiah seal impression. The Digital Archive for the Study of pre-Islamic Arabian Inscriptions “seeks to gather all known pre-Islamic Arabian epigraphic material into a comprehensive online database, with the aim to make available to specialists and to the broader public a wide array of documents often underestimated because of their difficulty of access.” A proposed restructuring at University College London may have adverse effects on the Petrie Museum. You can learn how to help here. Bible Gateway has published an interview with Lois Tverberg about her new book, Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus. On sale for Kindle: Provan, Long, and Longman, A Biblical History of Israel ($3.99). Accordance has a big sale going on now on atlases and related resources. The Satellite Bible Atlas is now available on Accordance, and it too is on sale (40% off) until March 12. BAS is offering subscriptions to its video lecture service for 75% off for a limited time. David Z. Moster’s latest video explains how to use the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Wayne Stiles shares some new video footage shot over biblical Joppa. The LMLK Blogspot links to a new video of aerial footage of Hebron. HT: Ted Weis, Agade, Charles Savelle, Mark Hoffman
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
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
A recent DNA study confirms that the “Screaming Mummy” is the son of Ramses III, and the hanging marks around his neck indicate that he was the conspirator who plotted to murder his father.
Haaretz: “About a dozen life-sized stone sculptures and reliefs of camels have been found in a markedly inhospitable site in northern Saudi Arabia.”
A 2nd-century Roman temple has been discovered in Kom Ombo, Egypt.
Randall Younker will be lecturing on “Ancient Worlds of the Bible” on Feb 23 and 24 in Medford,
Oregon.
The Times of Israel has a short article on a seal depicting Cupid that was discovered in Jerusalem in 2010.
The Albright Institute has a busy schedule of events in February and March.
Luke Chandler notes a new video on the Lachish excavation that includes a number of interviews
with dig volunteers and career archaeologists.
Carl Rasmussen looks more closely at Herod’s Tomb in the Israel Museum.
Israel’s Good Name describes the second day of the Wadi Qilt Tour.
John DeLancey is wrapping up another tour of Israel.
The Book and the Spade is celebrating 35 years of broadcasts, and this week Mark Fairchild is on the program discussing the latest discoveries at Laodicea.
Gordon Govier was on The Eric Metaxas Show yesterday discussing the world of biblical
archaeology.
HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer
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
A colorful mosaic with a lengthy Greek inscription has been uncovered in Caesarea. The badly damaged mosaic features three men and dates to about AD 200.
Israeli security forces may have destroyed ancient ruins as early as the Middle Bronze Age in demolition work in Gush Etzion.
Biblical Archaeology Review is teasing “a major new discovery connected to an important biblical figure” in its upcoming double issue.
Israel has begun construction on a permanent pavilion for mixed prayer at the Western Wall near
Robinson’s Arch.
An Israeli family had be rescued while hiking in the Nahal Darga in the Judean wilderness.
Wayne Stiles explores the two times that Dothan appears in the Bible.
Carl Rasmussen shares photos from the Herodium display in the Israel Museum.
Leen Ritmeyer refutes the claims of some who argue that the Temple Mount is actually the Antonia Fortress.
Israel’s Good Name went on a hiking trip in and around the Wadi Qelt.
John A. Beck, author of The Holy Land for Christian Travelers and many other works, has just launched a new website. You can check out his resources and sign up for his quarterly newsletter.
HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer
- Tagged Discoveries, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Judah, Museums, Samaria, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup