Negev – BiblePlaces.com

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

Archaeologists believe that they have greater clarity about the roads in the southern Judean desert leading to Edom following the examination of a site near Nahal Gorer. The underlying journal article is available to PEQ subscribers.

Haaretz follows up on the Jerubaal inscription discovery with a report fashioned as a back-and-forth between David Vanderhooft and Christopher Rollston, with the former suggesting the inscription may have been Zerbaal or Ezerbaal, and the latter sticking with his original interpretation of Jerubaal.

Excavations are underway at el-Araj (Bethsaida?), and updates are posted daily on their website.

The 25th and final summer season of excavations at Tell es-Safi/Gath has concluded. They have had a remarkable run.

Haaretz surveys the debate between Erez Ben-Yosef and Israel Finkelstein on the effect of “architectural bias” in drawing conclusions about Israel’s United Monarchy.

Naama Yahalom-Mack writes about the history of iron in ancient Israel.

Naama Barak writes about the mystery of the 1,400 dog burials at Ashkelon during the Persian period.

Bryan Windle identifies the top three reports in biblical archaeology for the month of July.

Construction has begun on a new reception center at the traditional Shepherds’ Field site near Bethlehem.

A music historian plans to restore a 12th-century organ discovered beneath the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The instrument is the oldest known example of a pipe organ.

Shea Sumlin is on the GTI podcast talking about what it was like to be one of the first tour groups to be back in Israel.

Joseph L. Rife reviews A Walk to Caesarea: A Historical-Archaeological Perspective, by Joseph Patrich.

2nd edition released: The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, by Jodi Magness.

One of the books on sale at Logos right now is the Zondervan Handbook of Biblical Archaeology, by Randall Price with H. Wayne House ($9).

John DeLancey’s new Institute of Biblical Israel is launching a new course on biblical archaeology tomorrow.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Wayne Stiles, Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis, Explorator, Mark Hoffman, Roger Schmidgall, Paleojudaica

Tagged Dead Sea Scrolls, Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Judah, Negev, Philistines, Resources, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A new study indicates that Egypt was using copper mined at Timna during the reigns of David and Solomon, suggesting an important trade route was in use at the time.

A journalist proposed that Sennacherib’s failure to capture Jerusalem was owing to Tirhakah’s intervention on behalf of Judah. The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures commissioned eight scholars to evaluate it, with six scholars affirming the theory. Alice Ogden Bellis summarizes the discussion.

The City of David YouTube channel has released a Tisha B’Av special in which they look at newly discovered evidence of the destructions of Jerusalem in 586 BC and AD 70 (25 min).

Zachi Dvira is the guest on the “Times Will Tell” podcast, talking about the history of the Temple Mount Sifting Project.

Nadav Shragai discusses some of the stories and controversies of the 49 cisterns under the Temple Mount.

“Was a well-preserved set of game pieces and other childhood items buried [at Tel Kedesh] by a young woman before she got married?”

The team excavating Tell es-Safi/Gath has concluded their third week.

In a new episode on the Biblical World podcast, Mary Buck and Chris McKinny discuss the topography of ancient Jerusalem and the possible identification of the Millo with the Spring Tower.

From the maker of “Ushpizin,” and now playing in theaters in Israel, “Legend of Destruction” is a 90-minute film that “tells the story of the Jewish revolt against Rome in 70 CE, from the perspective of Ben Batiach, a good-hearted scholar who turns zealot, leading to the Roman siege on the city and the destruction of the Second Temple.”

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

Tagged Egypt, Galilee, Jerusalem, Negev, Philistines, Temple Mount

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Several dozen fossilized shark teeth were discovered in the City of David.

The first week of excavations has ended at Tell es-Safi. Here’s the most recent update.

The IAA announced the discovery of a “city council building” near the Western Wall. But this same building has been open to tourists for several decades, so I think the story is more properly that additional facts have been learned about this building, such as that it was used as a triclinium, featured a fountain, and was built in AD 20 (and not in the Hasmonean era). Or maybe the story is that a new tourist route is opening.

A new study has found that Egypt’s primary source of copper during the Third Intermediate Period was the Arabah, in turn suggesting that this was a significant motivation for Shishak’s campaign (underlying journal article here).

Bible History Daily introduces a recent BAR article by Jeffrey P. Garcia by describing the three pilgrimage paths from Galilee to Jerusalem.

Brian Blum describes his hike on the new Emmaus Trail which runs from Abu Ghosh to Canada Park. The trail begins near a new visitor center that includes a museum dedicated to the life of Jesus.

The Bethsaida (et-Tell) Excavations Project website has been updated with the latest publications, including field reports.

New release: The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel – Samuel, edited by David Arnovitz. Contributors include Aren Maier, Yosef Garfinkel, Erez Ben-Yosef, and Chris McKinny (publisher’s website; Amazon). An early enthusiastic review is here; the previously released Exodus volume is available here.

Free download: Beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre Jerusalem: The Archaeology and Early History of Traditional Golgotha, by Shimon Gibson & Joan E. Taylor (Palestine Exploration Fund, 1994)

Ram Gophna, Professor Emeritus at Tel Aviv University, died on Monday.

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

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Galilee, Jerusalem, Negev, Resources, Sad News

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Forty years after it was discovered in Arbel by a private citizen, a Byzantine amulet featuring the name of the God of Israel has been turned over to the Israel Antiquities Authority.

“A new study scrutinizing 2,000 years of fish consumption in the ancient holy land has found that — despite clear Torah prohibitions — non-kosher finless and scaleless fish were generally eaten by all peoples, regardless of ethnic and religious affiliation.” The story is based on a Tel Aviv journal article.

Israel’s Good Name visited the northwest Negev and saw plenty of birds, several reservoirs, a couple of bridges, and animal parts falling from the sky.

On the bicentenary of Napoleon’s death, Stephane Cohen revisits his campaign in Palestine in 1799.

The director of the Israel Museum is stepping down after four years.

The summer issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes articles on New Testament figures confirmed in archaeology, a history of the paleo-Hebrew script, and remembrances of Hershel Shanks.

The Biblical Archaeology Study Group of Tyndale House will be meeting virtually on June 30, with lectures on the Amorites, Ugarit, David’s scribes, and the exodus, by various scholars including Alan Millard and James Hoffmeier.

Webinar on May 31 and June 1: “Sheshonq (Shishak) in Palestine.” Registration required.

Webinar on June 17: “Reconsidering the Role of Nomads in Ancient Israel and Its World.” (Zoom link)

The first group of tourists to arrive in Israel for more than a year was a vaccinated group of theology students from Missouri. (Showing them all wearing masks is not good P.R.)

Eilat Mazar died on Tuesday at the age of 64 after a long illness. Following in the footsteps of her grandfather, Benjamin Mazar, her work focused especially on the City of David and southern Temple Mount excavations. A list of her publications is here.

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

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Lectures, Negev, Sad News, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“Archaeologists have discovered a rare oil lamp, shaped like a grotesque face cut in half, at the foundation of a building erected in Jerusalem’s City of David shortly after the destruction of the Second Temple almost 2,000 years ago.”

Israel’s easing of coronavirus restrictions allowed hundreds of Christians to gather at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for the Holy Fire ceremony.

Riots on the Temple Mount led to hundreds of injured Palestinians and policemen.

“Some 2,000 years ago, an individual scribe wrote at least eight of the Dead Sea Scroll manuscripts, making him the most prolific scribe ever identified.” The scholar’s conference presentation has been posted on YouTube.

Israel’s Good Name reports on his birdwatching trip to the Hulda Reservoir.

The Jerusalem Post reviews Yoel Elitzur’s Places in the Parasha – Biblical Geography and its Meaning.

The latest issue of Israel Museum Studies in Archaeology is now available (go to “Contents” for downloads).

The 24th Annual Bible and Archaeology Fest will be held on October 16 and 17 on Zoom, with a strong lineup of speakers.

Tali Erickson-Gini is interviewed on The Times of Israel podcast, focusing on her expertise on the Nabateans’ Incense Road.

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

Tagged Dead Sea Scrolls, Discoveries, Galilee, Jerusalem, Lectures, Negev, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup