Archaeologists have discovered the tomb of an unknown Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the Second Intermediate Period.

“An Egyptian archaeological mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) has discovered the tomb of a high-ranking military commander dating back to King Ramses III, along with a collection of mass and individual graves from the Greek, Roman, and Late Periods at Tell Roud Iskander in the Maskhouta area.”

A new study by Nicholas Brown of Yale University argues that clay trays found near the sarcophagus of King Tutankhamun were used for libations in the Osirian funerary rite.

The presence of iron shackles at an Egyptian gold mine suggests that some of the workers in the Ptolemaic period were slaves.

A team using radar technology claims that they have discovered a vast underground city more than 6,500 feet beneath the Giza pyramids. Egyptian authorities deny this is true.

Joel Kramer (Expedition Bible) has posted a new video about the tomb of Amenhotep II, the possible pharaoh of the exodus.

The Antalya Archaeology Museum will be reconstructed on its current site, with its completion scheduled for the end of 2026.

The Hagia Sophia History and Experience Museum presents the history of the church and Istanbul, including artifacts never before displayed.

Jay Jean Jackson imagines what the ancient Greek pilgrimage along the Sacred Way to the temple of Apollo in Didyma would have been like.

The exhibition “Gobeklitepe: The Mystery of a Sacred Place” in Rome’s Colosseum has attracted 5 million visitors so far.

Archaeologists found four fragments of the Book of the Dead in the archives of a museum in Italy.

Smithsonian Magazine runs a feature story on Rome’s underground aqueducts.

The assassination of Julius Caesar was reenacted on location on the Ides of March.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis, Explorator

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Archaeologists working at Rome’s port city of Ostia discovered the oldest ritual bath (mikveh) known outside the land of Israel.

“A team of researchers identified and mapped a vast network of irrigation canals near Eridu, considered the oldest city in history.”

“Artificial intelligence has discovered ancient civilizations over 5,000 years old hidden beneath some of the world’s largest deserts, including one in the heart of the Dubai desert, without the use of a single shovel.”

The recently renovated Side Museum in southern Turkey has more than 3,000 artifacts and 9,000 coins on display.

“The 2,000-year-old lighthouse in the ancient city of Patara, built by Roman Emperor Nero in CE 64, is set to illuminate once again after centuries, as restoration efforts reach their final stages.”

The excavation director at Pisidian Antioch wants artifacts taken to the Istanbul Archaeology Museum in the early 20th century to be returned.

A German tourist was arrested when he tried to leave Greece with an ancient Greek marble column hidden in his car.

The Greek Reporter suggests the top 20 archaeological sites in the country.

A portion of the famous Torlonia Collection, locked away for most of the 20th century, will be displayed in North America for the first time, beginning with Chicago and then heading to Fort Worth and Montreal. The 58 sculptures in the exhibition largely date to the Roman Imperial Period.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

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“A marble statue of Hermes from the Roman Imperial Period was found during the 2024 excavation season in the ancient city of Aspendos.”

Smithsonian Magazine runs a feature article from a forthcoming book by Joshua Hammer about the four-way mid-19th-century race to decode the Akkadian language.

Researchers at Cornell University and Tel Aviv University are developing methods to use AI in the deciphering of cuneiform tablets.

A. Bernard Knapp explores the relationship between Cyprus and Ugarit in the Late Bronze Age. His recent book on the subject is free to read online.

“The 2,000-year-old water channels of the ancient city of Smyrna in Izmir continue to function as they did centuries ago.”

“The British Museum has just unveiled the winning design in an international architectural competition for the substantial revamp of the so-called Western Range of the museum.” This article in the Greek City Times wonders whether this renovation includes a space for the Parthenon Marbles.

An archaeological display of 50 artifacts sponsored by the Associates for Biblical Research will be exhibited over Easter weekend at the Creation Museum in Kentucky.

Available next month: Archaeology and the Ministry of the Apostle Paul: A Visual Guide, by David A. deSilva (Baker Academic, $33)

Zoom lecture on March 17: “From Online Auction to JTS Special Collections: How Two Historic Bibles Were Reunited in the JTS Library,” by David Moster

Hybrid lecture at Harvard on March 26: “Murder, Poetry, and Scribes in Ancient Egypt,” by Margaret Geoga

Michael Danti and John MacGinnis are guests on Thin End of the Wedge to discuss “Nimrud: Post-conflict Archaeology in the Heartland of Assyria.”

“The Institute of Classical Studies, in collaboration with the Faculty of Linguistics and the Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies at the University of Oxford, will offer two free, online semi-intensive courses in Phoenician.” One course is at the elementary level, the second is intermediate, and both are on Zoom.

Turkish Archaeological News reviews the most important discoveries in the month of February.

Paul L. Maier, ancient history scholar and author of Pontius Pilate, The Flames of Rome, and numerous other works, died last month.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Keith Keyser, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis

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Archaeologists have discovered at Megiddo a collection of ceramics possibly linked to Pharaoh Necho’s army (pdf here). Necho killed Judah’s King Josiah in 609 BC. The underlying journal article is available for purchase.

Archaeologists have launched a new excavation at Alexandrium/Sartaba, the first in more than 40 years.

The Roman period gate beneath Damascus Gate in Jerusalem has re-opened and now features a new exhibit.

The latest Jerusalem Tracker lists dozens of the newest publications related to the Holy City.

The 50th anniversary issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes a number of important articles:

  • “A Decade of Discoveries in Biblical Jerusalem,” by Yuval Gadot, Yiftah Shalev, and Joe Uziel
  • “Nails or Knots—How Was Jesus Crucified?,” by Jeffrey P. Arroyo García
  • “Breaking New Ground: Celebrating 50 Years of Biblical Archaeology”
  • “New Directions: How Archaeology Illuminates the Bible,”
    by Jennie Ebeling

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on March 12: “Tel Lachish 2013-2017: Excavations of the Palace Domestic Quarter, Area AA,” by Michael G. Hasel

Webinar on March 19: “Amulets and their Critics: Jews, Christians, and Samaritans in Late Antique Palestine,” by Megan Nutzman

Nathan Steinmeyer continues his series on geographical regions of Israel with a look at the Hula Valley.

Bryan Windle summarizes the top three reports in biblical archaeology in the month of February.

Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer conclude their review of the best archaeological finds of last year on the Biblical World podcast.

Jerusalem University College has several short-term programs scheduled for the coming months:

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Keith Keyser, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis

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The ancient harbor of Adramyttium, mentioned on Paul’s voyage to Rome (Acts 27:2), became visible when the Aegean sea receded. Photos are posted in the Turkish article.

Recent excavations in Perga have uncovered five statues.

Egypt has begun restoring the Ramesseum in Luxor.

MrBeast spent 100 hours inside the Giza pyramids, including visiting areas not open to the general public.

Mark V. Hoffman notes a temporary exhibition entitled “In the Footsteps of Paul” that is at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki through April and then will be in Athens.

Mark V. Hoffman also gives an introduction to MARBLE (Modular Aggregation of Resources on the Bible), a UBS project that includes biblical texts, semantic dictionaries, images, and videos.

New release: Tel Dover (Khirbet ed-Duweir) on the Yarmuk River: The Late Bronze and Iron Age Levels, by Amir Golani and Samuel R. Wolff (Ägypten und Altes Testament 130; Zaphon; €75).

New release: Slavery and Servitude in Late Period Egypt (c. 900–330 BC), by Ella Karev (Ägypten und Altes Testament, €70)

New release: Scribes and Language Use in the Graeco-Roman World, edited by Sonja Dahlgren, Martti Leiwo, and Marja Vierros (The Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, free pdf).

Color paintings made by Joseph Lindon Smith in an Egyptian tomb remain valuable today.

An archaeological exhibition entitled “From Sharjah to Rome via the Spice Route” is currently on display at the Colosseum in Rome.

Lawrence Schiffman is giving two lectures on the Dead Sea Scrolls at Penn State University on February 19:

  • 12:15 to 1:30 pm: “Temple City: Jerusalem and its Temple in the Urban Planning of the Dead Sea Scrolls” (register for Zoom here)
  • 6:00 to 7:30 pm: “The Dead Sea Scrolls and the History of Judaism” (register for Zoom here)

The Itinerarium, written by the anonymous Piacenza Pilgrim circa 570 and translated by Andrew S. Jacobs, is now available online.

Colleen Morgan explains how AI imagery could be used to develop fake archaeology.

Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer discuss the best archaeological finds of 2024 on the Biblical World podcast.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Explorator, Paleojudaica

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A Second-Temple-period inn that served travelers moving between Tiberias and Sepphoris is being excavated near the Golani Junction. Volunteers are welcome now through March.

“Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient glass workshop in the Jewish quarter of Hebron, dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries.”

The Jerusalem Post has more information about the new archaeological exhibit at Ben Gurion airport, as does The Times of Israel. The Rabbi of the Western Wall wants his stone back.

“The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has rejected the idea of receiving responsibility for antiquities in the West Bank.”

Ran Silberman reviews the history and interpretation of the “Pool of Siloam” over the last twenty years.

Adam Montefiore explains the significance of Tu BeShvat, the Israeli festival for planting trees.

The list of sessions for this week’s Archaeology and Site Conservation of Judea and Samaria international conference is online. The PEF and others denounced the event. An academic boycott of archaeological research in these areas is hurting researchers.

Nathan Steinmeyer gives a brief introduction to the importance of the Judean Desert in biblical history.

Andrew Lawler writes for Archaeology Magazine about the origin of the pork taboo.

The Jerusalem Post interviewed Doron Spielman about his forthcoming book, When the Stones Speak: The Remarkable Discovery of the City of David and What Israel’s Enemies Don’t Want You To Know.

The T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism is much cheaper in paperback (vol. 1, vol. 2) than it is in hardcover.

Brad Gray explores the good shepherd in the latest episode of the “Biblical Images of God” series at Walking The Text.

Michael Hasel and Yosef Garfinkel discuss the ivory comb of Lachish on the latest episode of The Book and the Spade.

Yesterday’s “Jerusalem in Brief” looks at the Ordnance Survey Map of 1865, Kathleen Kenyon’s view of ancient Jerusalem, and a new book by Lukas Landmann with high-quality photos.

The University of Haifa’s School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures has begun an English-taught Master’s program on Heritage Management.

Online lecture on March 1: “Teaching Scripture in the Context of the Biblical World,” with Oliver Hersey and Jack Beck. The announcement also notes that Jerusalem University College will offer a $500 discount on a short-term course to those who register.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Explorator, Paleojudaica

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