Rome’s ongoing subway system project has uncovered several glimpses of the past, this time the ruins of a Roman military commander’s 14-room luxury villa. ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives has a report on the current status of the Ain Dara Temple. Authorities caught tomb raiders in Galilee as they used a bulldozer to loot graves from the Roman period. 3D computational geometry is being used in a long-distance virtual reconstruction to piece together ancient cuneiform texts. Christopher Rollston is on the OnScript Podcast speaking about the Isaiah seal impression. The Digital Archive for the Study of pre-Islamic Arabian Inscriptions “seeks to gather all known pre-Islamic Arabian epigraphic material into a comprehensive online database, with the aim to make available to specialists and to the broader public a wide array of documents often underestimated because of their difficulty of access.” A proposed restructuring at University College London may have adverse effects on the Petrie Museum. You can learn how to help here. Bible Gateway has published an interview with Lois Tverberg about her new book, Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus. On sale for Kindle: Provan, Long, and Longman, A Biblical History of Israel ($3.99). Accordance has a big sale going on now on atlases and related resources. The Satellite Bible Atlas is now available on Accordance, and it too is on sale (40% off) until March 12. BAS is offering subscriptions to its video lecture service for 75% off for a limited time. David Z. Moster’s latest video explains how to use the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Wayne Stiles shares some new video footage shot over biblical Joppa. The LMLK Blogspot links to a new video of aerial footage of Hebron. HT: Ted Weis, Agade, Charles Savelle, Mark Hoffman
Brad Gray has just launched a new website with a new eBook and a new weekly teaching series that I’m happy to recommend to you. His ministry, Walking the Text, is dedicated to helping people “learn, love, and live out the Bible” by explaining the original context. (I love that!) Brad knows how
to dig deep, and he excels at communicating truth in an engaging way.
You can see what I mean by visiting www.walkingthetext.com. Watch his new teaching video and download his outstanding new eBook “The #1 Mistake Most Everyone Makes Reading the Bible.”
- Tagged Resources
A team has been excavating the so-called “Cave 12” at Qumran and a statement of their latest work will be released soon.
One of the last unpublished Dead Sea Scrolls has been deciphered using high-tech imagery to put together a puzzle of 60 tiny scroll fragments.
The Times of Israel has more on the depiction of the birth of Athena on the potsherd from et-Tell.
Moshe Gilad, in a lengthy and well-illustrated article at Haaretz, asks why Qasr el-Yahud, the traditional place of Jesus’s baptism, is still mined and booby-trapped seven years after the site opened to tourists.
A conference on the Archaeology of the Dead Sea Region will be held next month at the State Museum of Archaeology Chemnitz in preparation for an exhibition on “Life at the Dead Sea” in the fall of 2019.
In a journal article for NEASB, Brian Peterson considers whether a ram’s head discovered at Khirbet el-Maqatir provides evidence for the Israelite conquest of Ai.
New images of mosaics discovered at the Huqoq synagogue will be displayed for the first time in a lecture at the University of Chester in the UK.
Carl Rasmussen shares photos of reliefs that illustrate the “dogs eating the crumbs” that fall from the table.
Leen Ritmeyer discusses the importance of the Trumpeting Stone discovered below the Temple
Mount and shares some photos from its original discovery.
Wayne Stiles explains why the Lord took his people to Mount Sinai before the Promised Land.
Kenneth Seeskin explains why the Hebrew Bible is so easy/difficult to interpret.
The Caspari Center is running a course on “Discovering Jesus in His Jewish Context” in April and May of this year.
Les and Kathy Bruce of Biblical Byways are leading a tour to Turkey and Greece in May and June.
Elisha Qimron has been awarded the Israel Prize for his work on the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The ESV Archaeology Study Bible is coming in March, and you can read about the editors and their approach.
Appian Media has released a trailer for their next big project: Searching for a King. Filming will begin this summer.
HT: Joseph Lauer, Agade, Charles Savelle
- Tagged Dead Sea, Egypt, Galilee, Jordan Rift, Lectures, Movies, Museums, Resources, Samaria, Technology, Temple Mount, Tourism
“Excavations are being carried out to make an underground pedestrian passageway, leading from beneath the Church of All Nations at Gethsemane to a private area on the other side of the Jericho
road.”
Scientists have discovered evidence of Byzantine agriculture in the Negev on the basis of bones of a gerbil.
Popular Archaeology considers whether there was an “iron throne” in the void of the Pyramid of
Cheops.
“Egyptian and American archaeologists unveiled two new discoveries in Aswan, including a royal administrative complex in the ancient Egyptian city of Tel Edfu and a collection of artefacts in the Kom Ombo temple.”
Scott Stripling reports on Week One of processing objects from ABR’s excavation of Khirbet el-Maqatir.
The lecture schedule for the Albright Institute for January and February has been released.
The Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem has posted its spring lecture schedule.
The National Geographic Museum has opened a new exhibit now through August: Tomb of Christ:
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre Experience. Samuel Pfister at the Biblical Archaeology Society provides a solid review.
Episodes 6-10 of “Following the Messiah” were released yesterday. All are free.
John DeLancey of Biblical Israel Ministries and Tours has created a 17-minute video on “Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus.”
Crossway has announced its Bibles coming in 2018, including the ESV Archaeology Study Bible.
Israel’s Good Name had a successful trip looking for wildlife in the Huleh Valley.
HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Charles Savelle
- Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Jerusalem, Lectures, Movies, Museums, Negev, New Exhibits, Resources, Samaria, Tourism, Weekend Roundup
The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities has posted a “Special Edition” of their Newsletter, featuring a list of archaeological discoveries, openings (and re-openings), major projects, temporary exhibitions, repatriated antiquities, changes to archaeological services (including photography fees and student discounts), publications, conferences, and more.
Archaeological work has revealed a fortress at Tell el-Maskhuta in the eastern Nile Delta.
Al-Ahram Weekly reviews the 30 top discoveries made in Egypt in 2017.
“Researchers in London have developed scanning techniques that show what is written on the papyrus that mummy cases are made from.”
The Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt, edited by Kathryn A. Bard (Routledge, 1999) is now online for free download.
Archaeologists working at Perga in Turkey plan to restore two towers, water fountains, the theater, and the stadium by 2019.
Turkey will resume issuing visas to American tourists after stopping for several months.
Pompeii has opened three restored Roman houses to visitors.
Scholars are using a fine-detail CT scanner to attempt to read a codex of Acts that dates to the 5th or 6th centuries.
At ANE Today: “A Proper Answer: Reflections on Archaeology, Archaeologists and Biblical
Historiography,” by Israel Finkelstein.
For purchase or free download: Highlights of the Collections of the Oriental Institute Museum, edited by Jean M. Evans, Jack Green, and Emily Teeter.
If you’re not a subscriber to ARTIFAX Magazine (in print), you can sign up here.
Lois Tverberg’s Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus is out.
HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Keith Keyser
- Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Italy, Resources, Technology, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup
The next five episodes of “Following the Messiah” are set to release next week, and there is some relevant information that I wanted to pass on.
First, Episodes 6-10 will all be free on Appian Media’s website as well as on YouTube, beginning January 12. They will also be posting several “Behind the Scenes” videos. Episode 6 focuses on Jesus’s miracles, Episode 7 is on his teaching, and Episodes 8, 9, and 10 address his crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.
They are also hosting three events, with invitations to the general public. The events are free, but reservations are required.
- Indianapolis, IN, January 12
- Athens, AL, January 19
- Birmingham, AL, January 20
You can also see the first event streamed live on Facebook on January 12 at 6:45 Eastern Time. It’s recommended that you like Appian Media on Facebook in order to see the event.
This is a great project to enjoy, share with friends, and support.
- Tagged Movies, Resources, Tomb of Jesus