Archaeologists discovered an intact burial cave from the 13th century BC on the Palmachim Beach south of Tel Aviv. Unfortunately the cave was plundered while it was being excavated.

Scientists have identified the earliest use of opium in a 14th century BC burial pit at Tel Yehud.

Here are many more photos of the beautiful Byzantine mosaic floor discovered in the Gaza Strip.

“An ancient shipwreck found off the shore of Israel and loaded with cargo from all over the Mediterranean shows that traders from the West still came to port even after the Islamic conquest of the Holy Land.”

Drew Longacre answers nine common questions about the Dead Sea Scrolls.

John DeLancey and Kyle Keimer discuss the excavations at Tel Dan (40 min).

Rocco Buttliere built a model of Jerusalem in the 1st century using 114,000 Legos.

Five perfectly red heifers, required for the ritual purification of those who have touched a dead body, arrived in Israel from a ranch in Texas on Thursday, as the Temple Institute continues preparations to lay the ground for the construction of the Third Temple in Jerusalem.” There is hope that they will produce a herd that will be a tourist attraction for Christians.

New release: The Social Archaeology of Late Second Temple Judaea From Purity, Burial, and Art, to Qumran, Herod, and Masada, by Eyal Regev (Routledge, 2022; $128; eBook $39)

Bryan Windle has written an archaeological biography for King Pekah, one of the last kings of Israel.

I had what may be a unique experience in my life this week – three articles I wrote were published within a few days of each other. Rather than pass over them briefly here, I’ll plan to say more in separate posts in the next few weeks.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Wayne Stiles, Charles Savelle, Keith Keyser

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What scholars once believed was an ancient synagogue near Khirbet Midras is actually a Roman temple. Haaretz has the story for subscribers.

A silver quarter-shekel from Year 4 of the First Jewish Revolt that was looted from the Elah Valley has now been returned to Israel. The coin is so rare that there are none in any of Israel’s museums.

With the announcement pending of the most beautiful mosaic floor ever discovered in the Gaza Strip, scholars are calling for greater protection of the area’s antiquities.

Bible History Daily’s latest OnSite video is of the Herodium. Nathan Steinmeyer has packed a lot of information and images into just over two minutes.

Chandler Collins has posted the first “Jerusalem Tracker,” with links to recent articles, books, lectures, and developments related to Jerusalem. This is like a roundup on steroids, all focused on one important city. (You can support his work here.)

The Museum of the Bible and DIVE (Digital Interactive Virtual Experiences) are hosting a virtual tour of Masada on October 19. Registration costs $20.

A new exhibition entitled “Arteology: The Power of the Ancients in Contemporary Forms” has opened near the Davidson Center in Jerusalem.

New release: The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Codices: Selected Papers from the Conference “The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Codices” in Berlin, 20–22 July 2018 (hardback $167; pdf free).

Martin Heide and Joris Peters write about “Camels in the Biblical World of the Ancient Near East.” Their evidence for their use over the millennia observes the use of domesticated camels in the time of Abraham.

In the latest episode of BiblicalWorld, “Chris McKinny and Mark Janzen discuss the early vs. late date for the date of the exodus, date of the conquest, the emergence of Israel in the land of Canaan, settlement patterns in Canaan, and biblical chronology.”

“The Kerem Tunnel, the first bicycle tunnel in Israel, has been inaugurated as part of the Jerusalem Ring Path, a 42-kilometer cycling route that surrounds the capital city.”

We have a good deal right now for the brand-new Photo Companion to Hebrews (only $39 for 1,950 photos). Or you can pick up all of the General Epistles for only $49 (4,800 photos).

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

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New research confirms that a lost branch of the Nile River played a significant role in the construction of Giza’s pyramids.

“Egypt is celebrating the bicentenary of the decipherment of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and the creation of Egyptology with a batch of new events and a social media campaign.”

The exhibition “Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs” is now on display at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

An Italian team is set to return to excavations at Ebla, 12 years after war in Syria halted 47 years of uninterrupted digging. Though the archaeological site was not bombed, the ruins were seriously damaged by tunnels, trenches, and pillboxes. The Syrians for Heritage, however, are opposed to the University of Rome La Sapienza’s resumption of excavations at Ebla and Tell Ferzat. Ferrell Jenkins posts a couple photos from his visit to Ebla 20 years ago.

Archaeologists have identified more than 350 “kites” in northern Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq.

The scholars who deciphered Linear Elamite explain how they did it.

A new archaeological museum has opened in Isfahan, Iran.

New release: Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East, by Amanda H. Podany (Oxford, 2022; $35)

The Bible Mapper Blog continues to create and share free maps each week:

I’ll have more stories in part three of this weekend’s roundup tomorrow.

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

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Christopher Rollston urges caution regarding the authenticity of the Ishmael papyrus. James Davila doubts that a forger could have gotten ahold of blank papyrus from the Iron Age.

Nathan Steinmeyer has an exclusive interview with Joe Uziel about the recently discovered papyrus.

The journal article for the “Jerusalem Ivories” announced earlier this week is available in the latest issue of ‘Atiqot (direct link to article pdf).

Shimon Gibson’s recent article in PEQ on Montagu Parker’s “throne of Solomon” identifies 13 stone toilets from the Iron Age II discovered in the kingdom of Judah, including 7 excavated in Jerusalem (subscription). Haaretz has a paywalled story on the article.

Cynthia Shafer-Elliott’s second post on ancient Israel’s geographical context focuses on the topography of the land.

Sabine Kleiman argues that archaeological evidence alleged to support Hezekiah’s cultic reform does not in fact do so.

The NYTimes reports on vineyards in Israel’s Negev.

Wayne Stiles has announced tours for 2023, including two to Israel and Jordan and one to Greece and Turkey.

New release: In the Shadow of His Hand, by Donald Brake and Shelly Beach. This is a work of historical fiction, and the Kindle edition will be on sale for $1.99 on Wednesday only.

Biblical Israel Ministries and Tours has released supplemental Bible study material for their 27 video lessons.

Walking The Text’s recommended resource of the month is biblicalelearning.org.

New Bible Land Passage videos have been released: “The data and information gleaned from the disciplines of archaeology, geology, history, hydrology, climatology, epigraphy, horticulture, agriculture, and many others, offer numerous opportunities to demonstrate a connection between the facts deduced from these disciplines and the text of the Bible. The Connections series of Bible Land Passages is dedicated to researching and revealing the compelling connections between faith and fact inferred from the data and information discovered in the land of the Bible. Seven new, brief videos have been released on the Balustrade Inscriptions, Megiddo, City of David Underground, Chorazin, Mount Carmel, and more. Additional Connection videos will be released in the near future.”

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

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Bible Land Passages has just released “The City of David Underground: What’s inside Hezekiah’s Ancient Tunnel?” (8 min).

The Times of Israel has a nicely illustrated story by Aviva and Shmuel and Bar-Am on the excavations of Usha in western Galilee. The site is one of many along the Sanhedrin Trail that has been excavated by volunteers, mostly pre-army teens.

The southern wall of the Temple Mount is being illuminated in the evening as part of a new initiative to attract tourists for evening visits to the Jerusalem Archaeological Park.

The Biblical Archaeology Society has released a new ebook entitled The Dead Sea Scrolls: Past, Present, and Future. The book celebrates the 75th anniversary of the discovery with a number of articles by and interviews with leading scholars. (Requires email address)

Leen Ritmeyer shares photos and reconstruction drawings of the Arbel synagogue in Galilee.

Cynthia Shafer-Elliott gives an introduction to the geographical context of ancient Israel.

Experience Israel Now is celebrating their seventh anniversary.

Ferrell Jenkins shares photos that illustrate the beauty of the Bible Land.

“Unearth the Land of the Bible” is a 10-day tour sponsored by the Israel Ministry of Tourism to give American Christians exposure to archaeological sites and an opportunity to excavate.

The Caesarea Maritima International Conference 2022 will be held on October 22-26 at NYU’s Washington Square campus. (I don’t have a link at this time.)

New release: Ashkelon 9: The Hellenistic Period, by Kathleen J. Birney (Eisenbrauns; $140; save 30% with code NR22).

The Minerva Center for the Relations between Israel and Aram in Biblical Times has launched a Mini-MOOC, featuring shorter video clips (10-15 min) to introduce major topics of the Center’s research:

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Paul Mitchell

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The ancient language of Linear Elamite has been almost completely deciphered, about a century after its discovery. The journal article’s authors are not happy with the way the breakthrough was reported by the Smithsonian Magazine.

The world’s oldest bar joke dates to about 2000 BC, but no one knows why it was funny.

The British geologist sentenced to 15 years in Iraqi prison has had his conviction overturned, and he has left the country.

Kyle Keimer has written the first of a three-part series exploring the connection between feasting and kingship from the time of Saul to Jesus.

An Israeli researcher used a series of voyages in a replica of an ancient merchant ship, along with wind measurements over a period of 15 years, to determine how mariners sailed against the westerly winds in the Mediterranean (Haaretz subscription).

Here is another impressive list from Bryan Windle: Top Ten Discoveries Related to the Book of Daniel.

New release: The Hunt for Ancient Israel: Essays in Honour of Diana V. Edelman, edited by Cynthia Shafer-Elliott, Kristin Joachimsen, Ehud Ben Zvi, and Pauline A. Viviano (Equinox, 2022; $55-$110; Amazon).

New release from The Oriental Institute: “Like ‘Ilu Are You Wise”: Studies in Northwest Semitic Languages and Literatures in Honor of Dennis G. Pardee, edited by H. H. Hardy II, Joseph Lam, and Eric D. Reymond (Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization 73). Free pdf download.

New release: The Ishtar Gate of Babylon: From Fragment to Monument, by Helen Gries (Schnell & Steiner, 2022), paperback, 80 pages, $15.

Norman Gottwald died earlier this year.

Aren Maeir explains why he has scaled down his excavations of Gath in the context of calling on all archaeologists to take seriously their responsibility to publish. He has written a longer article on the need for publishing for Palestine Exploration Quarterly.

Lois Tverberg shares some fascinating (and sobering) insights from her trip to Africa in “Learning to Read my Bible through Ancient Eyes – Rain and Sacrifice.” (See the post note at the bottom for a way you can help.)

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Joseph Lauer, Explorator, Paleojudaica

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