One archaeologist is calling the 900-seat arts center built by Hadrian the most important Roman discovery since the discovery of the Forum in the 1920s. There is a photo of the dig site here.

The Temple Mount Sifting Project blog has a series of posts on the recent debris removal from the
Temple Mount. Nadav Shragai provides a summary in Israel Hayom. Leen Ritmeyer provides a brief commentary.

A baptistery has been discovered in the Byzantine monastery of Khirbet el-Maqatir.

Ferrell Jenkins has wrapped up his series of photo illustrations for the book of Acts.

The BBC has a month-by-month review of archaeological stories in 2012.

Our Archaeological Surveys Bibliography has been significantly expanded.

HT: Jack Sasson, Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis

Share:

For the year that just ended, we posted about 325 times. According to Blogger statistics, our readers come from many countries, the top 5 of which are:

#1: United States

#2: United Kingdom

#3: Israel

#4: China

#5: Canada

Yesterday we listed the top stories related to discoveries and technology. Today we conclude with three additional categories. Yesterday’s disclaimers apply here as well.

Significant Stories in 2012:

Reconstruction of Herod’s Tomb Criticized (and Defended)

Jesus Discovery: Early Christian Burial in Jerusalem, with lots of follow-up

Temple Mount Model at Christ Church, Jerusalem

New Visitor Center Approved for City of David

Not Guilty: James Ossuary Trial Ends

Turkey Halts Loan of Museum Artifacts

$100 Million for Biblical Tourism in Jerusalem

Construction Begins on Israel National Archaeology Library

Greek Economic Crisis Threatens Antiquities

Seven Wonders of Israel

Somebody Once Believed Jesus Had a Wife (and lots of links)

Cyrus Cylinder Coming to the U.S.

Ancient Cedar Beams on Temple Mount
 
Noteworthy Posts:

The Promised Land Includes Transjordan (No, It Doesn’t)

Speculating on the Mysterious Marks in City of David, by A.D. Riddle

Biblical Problems with Locating Sodom at Tall el-Hammam, by Bill Schlegel

The Best Maps of Israel

Jonah, Jesus and the Talpiot Ossuary, by Chris McKinny

My Recent Trip to Israel

Picture of the Week: Mount Hermon and Caesarea Philippi, by Seth Rodriquez

Critiques of the Work of Robert Cornuke

Notes on the Water in Antiquity Conference, by Chris McKinny

Favorite Resources in 2012:

In the Footsteps of Paul

Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith? 

Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus

Books from Eretz Magazine

The Walls of the Temple Mount

Free Volumes in the Loeb Classical Library

Alexander to Constantine

The Archaeology of the Holy Land

ARTIFAX Magazine 

Israel Topographical Relief Map

The Land and the Book

Our favorite, naturally, is the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, Revised and Expanded (recommended by Jenkins, Gundersen, Chandler, and Savelle).

As 2013 begins, we wish our readers all the best in the coming year.


The 2012 release of the new Pictorial Library of Bible Lands marked the culmination of 9 years of travel, research, and writing.
Share:

The Times of Israel is reporting that Muslim authorities moved tons of illegally excavated earth from the Temple Mount into a city dump.

Aren Maeir posts an astounding video of a flood in the Harod Valley this week.

Frankincense has returned to Israel after 1,500 years.

More tourists visited Israel in 2012 than in any year before.

An Israeli committee will review modern prohibitions against mixed prayer at the Western Wall.

Jean Perrot died this week. Among other things, Perrot excavated several Chalcolithic sites near
Beersheba.

Marked down to $1.99 for Kindle: The Aleppo Codex: A True Story of Obsession, Faith, and the 
Pursuit of an Ancient Bible, by Matti Friedman. These sales are brief.

HT: Jack Sasson, Joseph Lauer

Western Wall prayer area from south, amd042108530
Segregated prayer areas at Western Wall.
Photo by Austen Dutton (source).
Share:

Leen Ritmeyer has photos from Alexander Schick of a wooden version of the formerly Holyland Hotel model of Jerusalem, now on display at Ben Gurion Airport.

Haaretz has a story about a Canaanite banquet hall discovered at Tel Kabri.

The Samaritans are using genetic testing (and abortion) to reduce the chances of birth defects caused by inbreeding.

The first snow of the season has fallen on Mount Hermon.

Vandals have attacked the Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem for the second time this year.

You can now purchase the high-resolution artwork from the ESV Study Bible. The maps, illustrations, and charts/diagrams are available in packages for $10, or you can download everything for $25.

Eisenbrauns has a 30-50% off sale on the 4 volumes of the Ashkelon reports.

HT: Jack Sasson

IMG_1291
Model of Jerusalem at Ben Gurion Airport.
Photo by Alexander Schick.
Share:

Eisenbrauns has a one-day special on The Uttermost Part of the Earth: A Guide to Places in the Bible, written by Richard R. Losch. Until about mid-day tomorrow, the book is marked down from $16 to $1.60 (90% off).

Here’s the publisher’s description of the 260-page book:

Richard Losch sets the stage with a brief history of the Holy Land from ancient LOSUTTERMtimes to the present. Writing clearly and vividly, he then offers alphabetically listed entries on dozens of locations found in the Old and New Testaments. He devotes considerable attention to the Roman Empire because of its prominence in the world of early Christianity. Also included are a number of places not specifically named in the Bible that nonetheless played significant roles in shaping biblical events.

I not read the book but a few minutes of flipping through suggests that it is a generally reliable guide to about 75 sites and regions mentioned in the Old and New Testaments.

HT: Daniel Wright

Share:

The blog for Eilat Mazar’s excavations south of the Temple Mount has some new posts, including one reporting the discovery of a 10th-century Egyptian scarab. Mazar asks if the scarab belonged to Solomon’s wife.

The largest Egyptian sarcophagus ever identified belonged to Merneptah and is now being re-assembled.

The Harvard Gazette: “In a high-tech project that would have been impossible even four years ago, technicians are attempting to re-create a 2-foot-long ceramic lion that likely flanked an image of the goddess Ishtar in a temple in long-ago Nuzi.”

NY Times: “The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology . . . is undertaking an ambitious effort to become more accessible to the public.”

Seth Rodriquez continues his biblical geography series with the Coastal Plain – Plain of Dor.

SourceFlix records a funeral procession in front of the tomb of Lazarus and reflects on the meaning of Jesus’ miracle.

Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus is $2.99 on Kindle for a few days (recommended previously here).

Glo is now available for $35 (reg. $90).

Logos has several new Archaeology sets available at a discount. All of them include the standard surveys by Mazar and Stern. The medium size includes the “Cities of Paul” images volume.

HT: Jack Sasson

Dor harbor area from north, tb090506883
View of Dor’s harbor from the tell
Photo from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands
Share: