Tim Bulkeley of ebibletools.com has recently completed several videos (or narrated slideshows) of archaeological sites in Israel, including Lachish, Arad, and Megiddo. Each is approximately five minutes long and they are interesting and informative (though the Arad remains are Early, not Middle Bronze). I’ve had it in mind to do something like this myself, and perhaps this will renew my motivation. One subject that would lend itself well to this is the location of Jesus’ crucifixion. Tim also has some of his photos of Israel available for free (non-commercial) use.

HT: ANE-2 Yahoo Group

From the ANE-2 yahoo group:

Have you always wanted to be able to decipher the secrets of ancient Egypt yourself by reading the hieroglyphs? Have you tried teaching yourself hieroglyphs but gave up because you had no one to answer your questions and no other students with whom to learn? If so, Glyphdoctors’ course in Middle Egyptian provides you with a complete introduction to Middle Egyptian grammar, enabling you to comprehend and translate literary, religious, historical and documentary texts in the language. The course is taught online and is self-paced so you can fit it into any schedule, anywhere. You will gain access to a virtual classroom where you will have the guidance of Egyptologist Nicole Hansen (who has a Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago) and be able to interact with other students.

You can read more about the course here, view an animated course preview here, or see what currently enrolled students are saying about the course here.

The material covered by this course is the equivalent of a first year university-level course in Middle Egyptian.

BiblePlaces.com has been one of the premier websites for biblical studies for over five years now and we’ve never celebrated or even noted our anniversaries. We’re not particularly proud of ourselves because we know how much better we could be. But we’re trying, and there are some terrific resources that we’ve been working hard on. So, for no special reason, except maybe to encourage people who only buy when there is a “sale,” we’ve decided to offer our first “sale.”


How much? 10% percent off


What products?

• Any of the Historic Views volumes
• The Above Israel DVD collection
• The Bible and the Land DVD
• The Historic Views of the Holy Land Collection
• The Pictorial Library and Historic Views Set
• The Ultimate Teaching Set (now almost 50% off)

How long? One week, until November 28, 2006.


How do I get it? This link [expired] will take you to the order page and give you the discount. The
reduced prices will be shown on the confirmation page.


How much is shipping? Free, unless you live outside the U.S. or want it tomorrow.

I count myself a member of the Google Earth fan club.  The latest update to the software gives you the ability to overlay historic maps over the globe.  Of interest to biblical studies is the “Middle East 1961” map, which is a combination of two maps from Keith Johnston.  This map itself is interesting, but maybe no more than that because the detail is so limited.  The map covers a large swath from Turkey to Afghanistan.  A more detailed map like the Survey of Western Palestine would be more useful.

To view this map, or others such as Lewis and Clark 1814, Asia 1710, or Buenos Aires 1892, you must first install the most recent version of Google Earth.  Then in the “Layers” section, under “Featured Content,” choose the Rumsey Historical Maps section.

For more on this development, see the ZDNet blog or the comments by the map owner, David Rumsey, on the Official Google Blog.

Sunday Software has a special on the Holy Land Satellite Atlas, volume 1, with a fly-over CD, produced by Rohr Productions (Richard Cleave). The atlas itself is splendid and hard to find. This is the atlas to get if you want to see the land of Israel and Jordan. The maps are very detailed (1:275,000, 1:150,000, and 1:100,000) and includes both satellite images and layer-tint views (see the book cover for an example of each). Gorgeous and instructive!

The CD is even more difficult to find. I’ve seen various editions of this CD and am not sure exactly which one is for sale here, but I think the following adjectives apply to all of the versions I’ve seen: unique, beautiful, and buggy. For those who use Google Earth, it should be noted that this CD is not as easy to navigate and the resolution is not as high as GE (contrary to what Sunday Software says). But there are some close-up shots of biblical sites which you don’t get on GE.

The regular price for both is $70, and it’s $5 off until Thanksgiving (Nov. 23). Unfortunately Sunday Software does not carry volume 2 and I can’t tell you where to get it. Rohr Productions has been consistent for years in producing some of the best materials for studying the Holy Land and then making it nearly impossible to buy them. (Sunday Software says you can contact Rohr directly about buying volume two; good luck in getting a response.)

There are a lot more details about the atlas and software at Sunday Software’s site. They also carry a set of beautiful posters of the Holy Lands. If you’re in a rush to get them though, you’ll be disappointed. It took over a month for my set to arrive (to a US address).

Unless you’re in the Israeli military, the best maps of the country are those produced by the Survey of Israel in the 1:50,000 series. The 20 maps cover the land from Dan to Eilat and cost about $20 each. The maps are very detailed and include all the dirt roads and hiking trails, making it ideal for 4x4ers and backpackers. They are in Hebrew only, but if you can read the Hebrew alphabet, the maps are useful. I love ’em and use them all the time. No GPS needed!

A couple other maps worthy of mention from the same website:
Israel-Jordan (1;400,000) – believe it or not, this is the best map of Jordan available anywhere. In English.

South Sinai (1:250,000) – another Israeli map that is better than anything produced by the country itself. In English.

Road Atlas – the easiest one for use when driving around in a car. Not as detailed as the 1:50,000, but if you’re staying on paved roads, this will suffice. It’s a spiral-bound book, similar to the Thomas Guides or Rand McNally atlases. In English.

Two other resources worth noting:

Survey of Western Palestine – maps from the 1870s, at a scale of 1:63,000. Considered the best source for knowledge of the country before the modern population explosion. Available as part of an 11-volume set for $4,000 here, or in electronic format from us for $35.

Maps of British Mandatory Palestine – maps from the 1940s, showing the current status of Arab and Jewish settlements. We’re not sure if these are available for sale anywhere, but BiblePlaces.com is working on publishing an electronic version of them. If you’re impatient, contact us directly.

If you’re looking more for maps to use in teaching contexts, see our review of “Electronic Maps for Bible Teaching, Part 1.” Part 2 has not yet been completed.