Negev Archives - Page 4 of 23

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

The alabaster for two of Herod’s bathtubs was quarried not in Egypt but in the Te’omim cave in the Judean hills.

Excavators are claiming that the stump of a juniper tree, discovered near Eilat, may be the oldest Asherah ever found.

A new season of excavations has begun at the Apollonia-Arsuf Crusader fortress on the coast near Herzilya.

“In one of the biggest busts in Israeli history, the Israel Antiquities Authority’s theft prevention unit has recovered over 1,800 ancient artifacts from an unlicensed dealer in the central Israeli city of Modiin. Mostly coins and jewelry, the artifacts also included cuneiform tablets and bronze statuettes.”

Israel’s supreme court has “rejected four petitions against a controversial plan to build a cable car to Jerusalem’s historic Old City, shutting down the legal opposition route for opponents of the plan.”

A renovation project on an ancient Samaritan priestly residential compound is the first step in making the Mount Gerizim archaeological park more welcoming to tourists.

The latest issue of Tel Aviv includes several articles on Iron Age Jerusalem. The titles and abstracts are free, but access to the articles requires subscription.

Virtual tour on June 8: The Room of the Last Supper and Jerusalem, with Museum of the Bible and DIVE (Digital Interactive Virtual Experiences); $20

A colleague of mine at The Master’s University was honored last month by the publication of a festschrift: Written for Our Instruction: Essays in Honor of William Varner. Among the many interesting essays, two are of particular relevance to this blog:

“Where Did David Go? David’s Wilderness Wanderings and the Testing of God’s Son,” by Abner Chou (my new boss)
“‘What Have I Done in Comparison with You?’: The Itinerary of Gideon’s Pursuit of the Midianites in Judges 7–8,” by Chris McKinny (with additional color maps on Academia)

Andy Cook of Secrets from Ancient Paths has just posted “The life-saving lesson of Bet Shemesh” (5 min).

Joel Kramer at Expedition Bible has released some new videos (4-10 min ea.):

Bruce Cresson died last week. He was director or co-director of excavations at Aphek-Antipatris, Dalit, Ira, Uza, Radum, and Malhata.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, G. M. Grena

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Israel's Coast, Judah, Negev, Resources, Sad News, Shephelah, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A $3 million grant will allow the National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel to open by the end of 2022, more than 8 years after its original schedule.

“A new study of trash heaps at rest stops along the ancient Incense Route in the Negev Desert shows it was a two-way street for trade.”

Hybrid conference on May 18: “The First International Academic Conference on New Studies in Temple Mount Research,” featuring many important scholars in Jerusalem studies. Registration and a small fee is required.

“Australia’s only academic program dedicated to the study of Ancient Israel was officially launched at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) last week.” The program will support a new archaeological excavation at Lachish.

In Haaretz, Ruth Schuster uses a recent essay published by Shimon Gibson to discuss the location of where Jesus was baptized. Don’t expect much; this is the worst article I’ve read this year.

Andy Cook has released a new video about the Dead Sea, including drone footage that shows how much the water has receded in the last century.

John DeLancey’s latest devotion from Israel is on Psalm 23. Another recent video shows his run up Masada’s Snake Path.

David Moster addresses the question, “What did ancient Hebrew sound like?” in a new 6-minute video.

Three Hebrew speakers—one Yemenite, one Samaritan, and one Israeli—have a 20-minute conversation to see if they can understand each other.

New release: His Inheritance – A Memorial Volume for Adam Zertal, edited by Ralph K. Hawkins, Erasmus Gaß, and Dror Ben-Yosef (Ugarit-Verlag, 2022).

Abigail Leavitt gives some background to the writing of her new book, The El-Burnat (A) Structure(s): Joshua’s Altar?

Philip Long is leading a tour around Israel now, and he describes some new sites in Jerusalem he visited earlier this week.

Aren Maeir shares photos from the (short) spring season at Tell es-Safi/Gath.

Walking the Text’s recommended resource of the month is Biblical Backgrounds. (I will have more to say about the resources of this fine organization soon, but I’m happy to spread the word now.)

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

Tagged Jerusalem, Jordan Rift, Judah, Lectures, Museums, Negev, Philistines, Resources, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“A nearly completely intact clay oil lamp from 2,300 years ago was found near a stone bath during recent conservation work at the Mount Gerizim National Park.”

Plans to construct a zip line near Haas Promenade south of Jerusalem’s Old City is facing criticism. There are also plans to build a pedestrian suspension bridge over the Hinnom Valley.

Zvi Koenigsberg argues that the discovery of the curse inscription supports his theory that the original “place that He will choose” was a temple on Mount Ebal.

Aren Maeir is interviewed in the History Channel of Israel’s “Whatever Happened to the Philistines?”

Zoom lecture on May 11: “Beer in Israel and the Ancient Near East: New Insights from Archaeology,” by Jennie Ebeling ($7).

Albright Institute hybrid workshop on May 12: “A Comparison of the Monastery at Tel Masos and Byzantine Monasteries in the Negev Desert,” by Rachel Bernstein. Register here.

Hybrid conference at Tel Aviv University on June 13: “Local and Regional Perspectives on Nomads in the Biblical World” (pdf schedule; Zoom link).

The early bird discount for the Infusion Bible Conference ends on June 3.

The latest free maps from Bible Mapper:

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

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem, Lectures, Negev, Philistines, Resources, Samaria, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Haaretz has an extended summary of an article by Shimon Gibson about the attraction of stone vessels to Jerusalemites in the Second Temple period.

Archaeologists found a rare bronze fork at Chorazin (Korazim).

“An expedition of scientists and artists, adventurers all, embarked on a four-day desert journey. Their goal: to retrace an ancient trade route that connected the Kingdom of Judah to the Kingdom of Edom” (Haaretz premium).

Joel Kramer is interviewed on Digging for Truth about his book, Where God Came Down: The Archaeological Evidence.

The Biblical Language Center, founded by Randall Buth, is offering live video classes this summer in biblical Hebrew and Koiné Greek.

Zoom lecture on April 27: “Tell es-Sultan, Ancient Jericho: Urban Diversity in Palestine,” by Prof. Lorenzo Nigro. Advance registration required.

Hybrid lecture at the Museum of the Bible on May 26: “Tel Shimron: New Research into a Biblical City,” by Daniel Master.

Now online: “Iconography on Hebrew Seals and Bullae Identifying Biblical Persons and the Apparent Paradox of Egyptian Solar Symbols,” by Benjamin Stanhope.

The Volunteer Guide for the Tel Burna Archaeological Project is now online, and they are still accepting applications.

Morris Proctor explains how to find all the relevant maps for a site using the Atlas feature in Logos Bible Software.

Bryan Windle gives a good survey of the possible locations of where Pilate sentenced Jesus to death and concludes with a very reasonable suggestion.

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

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Jerusalem, Jordan, Jordan Rift, Negev, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

Renovations at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher have revealed a medieval high altar that once stood in the center of the church.

A Byzantine-era mosaic floor from a Christian basilica in Nahariya has been restored and will be opened to the public. The 500-square meter mosaic includes 87 surviving medallions, with illustrations of flora, fauna, and scenes from everyday life. A video in Hebrew is here. BibleWalks has more photos of the church and the surrounding area.

A family hiking in the Harovit forest in central Israel discovered a beautiful mosaic from the Byzantine period.

The recently vandalized tomb of Joseph in Nablus has been restored.

Two girls were rescued when they accidentally entered a minefield in Nahal Tamar south of the Dead Sea.

Jodi Magness takes Amanda Borschel-Dan on a walking tour of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

The Museum of the Bible and DIVE (Digital Interactive Virtual Experiences) will be conducting a virtual tour of the Via Dolorosa on April 20 ($20).

The lead tablet found on Mount Ebal is the subject of discussion in the latest episode of the Biblical World podcast.

“After decades of laying beside the sacred lake at Luxor’s Karnak Temple, a team of Egyptian restorers and archaeologists succeeded in re-erecting the restored Hatshepsut’s obelisk.”

“German researchers have tracked down and documented hundreds of antiquities located in Berlin museums that were looted from the island of Samos, Greece.”

“Scientists have debated the reason why Bronze Age wall paintings at the ancient settlement of Akrotiri on the Greek island of Santorini depict monkeys that existed thousands of miles away in Asia.”

The Jerusalem Post has a short interview with a curator of the Museum of the Bible on the role of biblical archaeology.

Expedition Bible has launched a new YouTube channel. In the first video, Joel Kramer goes to Tell Deir Alla to discuss the Balaam inscription.

Roy Albag has created a number of reconstructions of sites in Israel, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Herodian Quarter’s palatial mansion, Solomon’s temple, and Herod’s palace in Jerusalem.

New release: Jerusalem and the Coastal Plain in the Iron Age and Persian Periods: New Studies on Jerusalem’s Relations with the Southern Coastal Plain of Israel/Palestine (c. 1200–300 BCE). Research on Israel and Aram in Biblical Times IV. Edited by Felix Hagemeyer (Mohr Siebeck, 119 €).

A number of Eilat Mazar’s publications are for sale, including her excavation reports of various sites in Jerusalem.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, A.D. Riddle, Alexander Schick

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Greece, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Jordan, Mediterranean Islands, Museums, Negev, Resources, Samaria, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Erez Ben-Yosef’s re-evaluation of the copper mines at Timna has significant consequences for the archaeological evidence for David and Solomon’s era, and David Spoede provides a useful introduction to his discoveries.

Ruth Schuster writes about the history of the date palm tree in the land of Israel.

Bible Archaeology Report: “This month’s news items include three finds related to names that were considered divine in the ancient world: Baal, Horus, and YHWH.”

Ferrell Jenkins shares a recent photo of Mount Hermon after a snowfall.

New release from Eisenbrauns: Megiddo VI: The 2010–2014 Seasons. 1,924 pages, 867 illustrations, $210 (with discount code NR22).

Jerusalem University College is offering three courses in its Online Summer Institute:

Egypt and the Old Testament, with Mark Janzen
Geographical Lenses on Ezekiel, with Elaine and Perry Phillips
The Jewish Context of Jesus and the New Testament, with Oliver Hersey and Joel Willitts

Logos has the Lexham Geographic Commentary digital set on sale for 55% off (2 volumes released; 4 forthcoming).

A tiny Hebrew curse inscription on a folded lead tablet was discovered in 2019 during the wet-sifting of material in the excavation dump on Mount Ebal. The text is written in paleo-Hebrew script, allegedly dating to the 12th century BC or earlier. The hour-long press conference can be watched here. Earlier reports of this discovery are noted here. A journal article is being written and will be published later this year. I will be curious to see how they argue that this was not a Hellenistic-era amulet written in old script; its discovery alongside Late Bronze and Iron Age pottery in a dump is not conclusive, especially at a site likely frequented by pilgrims. I continue to believe that the most sensational announcements require the most rigorous scrutiny, and the public is not well-served by claims not supported by scholarly publication.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, G. M. Grena, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Lectures, Negev, Resources, Samaria, Weekend Roundup