Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A new study suggests that Sennacherib’s army collected three million stones in order to construct the massive siege ramp at Lachish in about 25 days.

Researchers studying dolmen fields in southern Jordan discovered several unfinished dolmens, providing insights into how these megalithic tombs were constructed.

Authorities have recovered more than 6,000 ancient coins from the owner of a jewelry store in Ashkelon.

“Why is a citrus fruit – also known in Hebrew as etrog – featured in the magnificent mosaic paving the main hall of a caliphate castle in Jericho?”

La Sierra University’s Archaeology Discovery Weekend is being held today and tomorrow with the theme, “Southwest Turkey: Famous Cities, Churches, and Synagogues.”

In the latest episode of the Biblical World podcast, “Kyle and Chris interview Erez Ben-Yosef (Tel Aviv University) concerning his work on the 11th through 9th century BC copper industry in the Arabah of Israel and Jordan.”

Jordan is eager to end its tourism slump, and the recent filming of movies including Dune, Aladdin, and Star Wars: Rogue One may help to attract visitors.

Zoom lecture on Nov 15: “Coin Deposits: From Ancient Synagogues in Late Antique Palestine,” by Tine Rassalle

Zoom lecture on Dec 2: “Synagogues as Jesus Knew Them,” by James R. Strange

New release: Excavations in the City of David, Jerusalem (1995-2010), by Ronny Reich and Eli Shukron

New release: To Explore the Land of Canaan: Studies in Biblical Archaeology in Honor of Jeffrey R. Chadwick, edited by Aren M. Maeir and George A. Pierce (DeGruyter, $100)

Registration has opened for the 2022 season at Tel Burna.

The Institute of Biblical Culture is now taking registrations for a beginning course in Biblical Hebrew starting in January.

The Top Ten Discoveries Related to Joshua and the Conquest includes some familiar finds and some new ones. With 53 footnotes, this is a well-researched summary that will very useful for many.

The video downloads and conference notebook for the Infusion Bible Conference on Paul and His Roman World are now available for purchase. This is a valuable resource.

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

Share:
Leave a comment

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“The ancient Egyptians were carrying out sophisticated mummifications of their dead 1,000 years earlier than previously thought.”

“A shipwreck carrying Greek ceramics from the 7th century BC, discovered in Italy in 2019, sheds new light on Magna Graecia, the area of southern Italy that was settled by the Greeks.”

The Roman theater of Ankara has been rediscovered in recent years.

Excavations have revealed the largest Byzantine mosaic structure in central Turkey.

Over 100 seal impressions dating to the Hittite Empire were found at Carchemish. Most of the impressions belong to a female administrator named Matiya. Other finds included a seal impression of Piradu from the Middle Assyrian kingdom, an Iron Age cemetery from the 8th-7th centuries BC, and a tomb stela dating to the reign of King Kamani from the 8th century BC.

Archaeologists have discovered a large Assyrian wine factory from the time of Sargon II and Sennacherib. The associated discovery of royal reliefs was previously announced last year.

“Analysis of DNA from ancient remains on the Greek island of Crete suggests the Minoans were indigenous Europeans.”

Smithsonian Magazine posts an account of Montague Parker’s shenanigans in Jerusalem, adapted from Andrew Lawler’s new Underground Jerusalem: The Buried History of the World’s Most Contested City.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is using technology to enhance the visitor’s experience, including the creation of an animated film to explain the significance of the shift from black figure vase painting to red figure vase panting circa 500 BC.

New from Eisenbrauns: Camels in the Biblical World, by Martin Heide and Joris Peters. Save 30% with code NR21.

New release: The Prophets of Israel: Walking the Ancient Paths, by James K. Hoffmeier, with many of our photos as well as beautiful maps created by A.D. Riddle.

Logos Bible Software users might be interested in the addition of pronunciation to Biblical Places and Biblical Things in the Factbook resource.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle, Daniel Wright, Paleojudaica, Ted Weis, A.D. Riddle

Share:
Leave a comment

Weekend Roundup, Part 3

The Albright Institute is hosting an exhibit entitled “Gateway to the World: Jerusalem Airport 1948-1967” from Oct 28 to Nov 28. Eldad Brin has written an article for the Jerusalem Quarterly with the same title.

The Israel Oriental Studies Annual has been relaunched after a two-decade hiatus.

Mordechai Cogan laments the closing of the Department of Bible at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and especially the manner in which it was done.

“The University of Haifa is establishing the first-of-its-kind School of Archaeology in Israel, which will integrate all archaeological activities and endeavors undertaken by the university—on land and at sea.” It will be headed by Israel Finkelstein.

An antiquities dealer in New York City has confessed to manufacturing thousands of fraudulent antiquities after authorities discovered an assembly-line process in the gallery’s back rooms.

A podcast argues that a 2018 photograph of Kim Kardashian with a 1st century BC Egyptian gold coffin at the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art provided an essential clue toward determining that the coffin was looted and illegally sold.

Zoom lecture on Oct 27: “Old, but Still Topical: The Dispute Between Driver and Sayce on Biblical Archaeology,” by Hugh Williamson.

Zoom webinar on Nov 1: “Virtual Workshop: Jerusalem in Roman-Byzantine Times,” hosted by the Albright Institute with discussions in response to Jerusalem II: Jerusalem in Roman-Byzantine Times, edited by Katharina Heyden and Maria Lissek.

Author panel webinar on Nov 3, hosted by Eisenbrauns, with Seymour (Sy) Gitin, author of The Road Taken: An Archaeologist’s Journey to the Land of the Bible; Martin Heide and Joris Peters, authors of Camels in the Biblical World; and Larry G. Herr, Douglas R. Clark, and Lawrence T. Geraty, authors of The 2004 Season at Tall al ‘Umayri and Subsequent Studies.

Zoom lecture on Nov 4: “Guarding Archaeology: Everyday Labour in the British Mandate Department of Antiquities,” by Sarah Irving.

Zoom lecture on Nov 11: “Work and Worth: Women’s Household Activities in Ancient Israel,” by Carol Meyers.

Robert Mullins is interviewed on Patheos about his archaeological work in Israel and his new book, Atlas of the Biblical World.

Ferrell Jenkins writes about his “longest trip,” the 66-year journey with his wife that ended earlier this month.

Do all roads lead to Rome? It’s a little complicated.

ASOR has dozens of digital maps of the ancient world available for free use.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, A.D. Riddle, Paleojudaica, Explorator, BibleX

Share:
Leave a comment

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Many finds have been made during the course of excavations required by the Marmaray project, a railway tunnel connecting the Asian and European sides of Istanbul.

Archaeologists excavating at Istanbul’s Haydarpaşa Train Station have made a number of discoveries spanning three millennia.

New stone ram heads have been discovered in Luxor during the restoration of an ancient road.

“Egypt is using an international award it recently won for restoring the Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue in Alexandria to promote tourism.”

“Slaves were primarily for credit, not for labor,” write Ella Karev and Seth Richardson in a piece entitled “Rethinking Slavery in the Ancient Near East.”

The Oxford School of Rare Jewish Languages is offering free courses in 12 Jewish languages, including Yiddish, Ladino, and Judeo-Arabic.

A 12-minute video of the British Institute of Persian Studies’s contribution to Iranian archaeology of the 1960s and 1970s was recently screened at the Institute’s 60th anniversary and is now online.

A trailer is online advertising a documentary about Susa that will be available on BBC Select.

“The 7 Churches of Revelation: Times of Fire” will be a “virtual cinema event” beginning on October 26.

The Amarna Letters are the subject of the latest podcast episode on the Biblical World, with Mary Buck and Chris McKinny.

Two new books on coins:

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

Share:
Leave a comment

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A study of DNA taken from 90 mummies reveals the genetic makeup of ancient Egyptians.

Egypt has announced what antiquities it is sending to Expo Dubai 2020 (to run from this month until March 2022).

Turkish Archaeological News has a day-by-day recounting of events of archaeological significance in September.

This week’s article in ANE Today looks at the development of canals in ancient Assyria. As is always the case with ANE Today, the story is well-illustrated with maps, photos, and videos.

New from SBL Press (at Brill pricing): Edom at the Edge of Empire: A Social and Political History, by Bradley L. Crowell

Positively reviewed: An Educator’s Handbook for Teaching about the Ancient World, edited by Pinar Durgun. The ebook is available for free.

ACOR has announced fellowships, scholarships, and award opportunities for the coming year.

1st Congress of Ancient Near East Landscape Archaeology and Historical Geography will be held on October 5-8. Access will be available by Zoom at this link.

The Infusion Bible Conference on Paul and His Roman World begins in four weeks, and virtual registration is an option, either for an individual or a group.

Just released: “Trial & Triumph: Revelation’s Churches takes viewers to modern-day Turkey to explore seven unique cities and examine the letters that were written to the Christians who lived there. The documentary, produced by Appian Media, is a two-hour journey through the land featuring interviews with Dr. Mark Wilson, a leading researcher on ancient Biblical Turkey, and other archaeologists and historians.” Available to watch online for free.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Share:
Leave a comment

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Archaeologists have discovered a private toilet in Jerusalem that dates approximately to the time of Manasseh or Josiah.

Archaeologists have identified the first-known Crusader army camp in Israel near ancient Sepphoris.

“Jewish heritage sites in Judea and Samaria are being systematically vandalized and destroyed by local Arabs, according to a watchdog group which monitors archeological sites in the area.”

Amihai Mazar has prepared a list of publications by the late Eilat Mazar that are available for order from the publishing house.

Aren Maeir’s MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on Biblical Archaeology will run again beginning on November 1.

In the second episode of the Special Texts of the Ancient Near East series, Mary Buck and Chris McKinny discuss the Mesha Stele.

The latest subject in Bryan Windle’s archaeological biography series is Hoshea, the last king of Israel.

The 24th Annual Bible & Archaeology Fest is only one week away, and the complete list of speakers and topics is online.

“The Institute of Biblical Culture is pleased to announce the David Marcus Giving Library, which will provide more than 2,000 scholarly books to the general public free of charge, aside from shipping. The first of six subject areas is Assyriology. To view the collection and request any of the hundreds of books, visit the Institute of Biblical Culture website.”

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Share:
Leave a comment
About the BiblePlaces Blog

The BiblePlaces Blog provides updates and analysis of the latest in biblical archaeology, history, and geography. Unless otherwise noted, the posts are written by Todd Bolen, PhD, Professor of Biblical Studies at The Master’s University.

Links
Notice

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. In any case, we will provide honest advice.