Resources Archives - Page 69 of 146

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Excavations are set to resume at Masada, and the focus will be on Herod’s gardens and the rebels’ houses.

Tel Aviv University will begin excavations at Kiriath Jearim this August.

The IAA has inaugurated a “new” trail in the Davidson Center Archaeological Park. The “mikveh path” is described as being “experiential, circular, and modular.”

Craig Evans discusses the new DSS cave find and shares with readers the insights of Randall Price.

The article includes a picture of the 12th cave’s location.

Some scholars are claiming that any future finds relating to the Dead Sea Scrolls belong to Israel.

The latest discovery, with the blank scroll parchment, may help to detect modern forgeries.

The Oriental Institute Museum has made available an Ancient Near Eastern Cross-Cultural Timeline.

The Steinsaltz edition of the Talmud is being published online and will be available for free in Hebrew and English. This joins an already extensive collection of Jewish texts at Sefaria.

HT: Ted Weis, Agade, Joseph Lauer, Paleojudaica

Tagged Dead Sea, Discoveries, Jerusalem, Judah, Resources

New Release: Bible Mapper WebViewer

There is a new Bible Mapper WebViewer that is designed to be a quick reference tool, for use on computers, tablets, and phones. Here are several ways to use it:

Navigate around a blank base map of the biblical world.
Enter the name of a biblical site and it will appear on the map. You could try Shechem, Lachish, or Capernaum.
Choose a biblical passage and all sites mentioned in it will show. You could try Joshua 6-8, Mark 1-2, or Revelation 2-3.
Select another webpage and it will map all biblical sites on that page. Try, for example, the Sea of Galilee page at www.LifeintheHolyLand.com.
Add roads from the OT or NT periods.

In my testing, the maps load quickly and the sites are identified accurately. A time or two I had to refresh the page, perhaps because I had too much data.

This new tool is different from the original Bible Mapper (still available in free and paid versions here), which allows you to save, export, and print customized maps. I could see students and teachers using this in personal Bible study as well as in the classroom. I am grateful to David Barrett for creating such a handy resource for us all.

Note: See Mark Hoffman’s blog for his experience with the WebViewer.

Tagged Resources, Technology

Weekend Roundup, Part 4

A new exhibit has opened at the Israel Museum entitled, “Behold the Man: Jesus in Israeli Art.”

Now on display in Australia is the British Museum’s famed bronze Head of Augustus from Meroë.

The Museum of Troy is scheduled to open later this year.

Though relations have recently been repaired between Turkey and Israel, there’s no movement towards returning the Siloam Inscription, Gezer Calendar, and Temple Balustrade Inscription to Jerusalem.

Silver objects from the Roman Empire, including the Berthouville Treasure, are on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

The Eastman Museum is continuing its efforts to bring online its vast photographic collection. For example, a search for “Jerusalem” returns 24 pages with early photos by T.H. McAllister, Charles
Chusseau-Flaviens, and the American Colony.

If you missed the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibit, “Jerusalem 1000-1400: Every People Under Heaven,” you can see many photos here.

Once again in control of Palmyra, ISIS has destroyed the ancient theater and tetrapylon.

The Associated Press examines the destruction of Nimrud caused by ISIS. Agatha Christie would be very unhappy.

The Crusader castle known as Crac des Chevaliers has been damaged in the Syrian war, but the extent of destruction is currently unknown.

Armed Libyan citizens have mounted patrols to protect Leptis Magna, an ancient city of Rome.

A majority of the artifacts coming out of Syria are modern fakes.

Plans are underway for a restitution (reconstruction?) of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.

De Gruyter has made a number of its works published in 2016 open access.

Giovanni Garbini and Joseph Fitzmyer both passed away in the last month.

HT: Ted Weis, Agade, Joseph Lauer, Charles Savelle, Explorator, Paleojudaica

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Jerusalem, Mesopotamia, Museums, Resources, Sad News, Syria, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Archaeologists have discovered the Roman theater at the site of Hippos.

Excavations of the Crusader-era Montfort Castle in Galilee have discovered game pieces, belt buckles, pig bones, and much more.

Analysis of organic remains from a 10th B.C. gatehouse complex in the Timna Valley suggests that food and supplies were brought in from a long distance.

Engravings of an ancient menorah and cross were found inside a cave in the Judean Shephelah.

A gang of antiquities thieves was caught illegally digging at a site near the Golani Junction in the Galilee. A 3-minute video (in Hebrew) is online.

What are the origins of tomb raider curses?

Three scientists from Beersheba’s Ben Gurion University have used NASA data to date the “sun standing still” to an eclipse in 1207 BC.

A life-size CAVEkiosk (“cave automated virtual environment”) recently opened at UCSD will allow scholars to study 3-D data from at-risk sites.

The Israel Museum has announced that Eran Neuman will succeed James S. Snyder as director.

Wayne Stiles explains why God made the Israelites rest the land every seven years and what that means today.

Colin Hemer’s The Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic History is available in Logos this month for $1.99.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Excavations, Exodus-Conquest, Galilee, Golan, Museums, Negev, Resources, Weekend Roundup

New Video Series: Following the Messiah

I didn’t want this one to get lost in the weekend roundup, so here’s a link to the newly released, all-free video series entitled “Following the Messiah,” produced by Appian Way and featuring Barry Britnell. We have mentioned this several times in the past, including when they were raising funds for the project on Kickstarter. The work is now complete, and all five videos are posted on their website. You won’t have to watch very long to see that the production quality is first-rate. Each episode is 20-25 minutes in length. You can’t beat a personal visit to Israel, but for those who aren’t able to go, or for those eager to return, this is a terrific resource. A big thanks to Appian Way and to all of their supporters who made it possible!

Tagged Galilee, Jerusalem, Resources

Upcoming Release of “Following the Messiah”

I have mentioned previously the “Following the Messiah” video series being created by Appian Media. They’re wrapping up post-production now and have scheduled two public showings of Episodes 1 and 2 in January. Tickets are free and the event is open to the public.

You can find out more and secure tickets for the January 14 showing in Indianapolis here, and for the January 21 date in Birmingham here.

You can check out the trailer for the videos here. All five videos will be available for free at Appian Media on January 14th.

Tagged Galilee, Jerusalem, Resources, Tourism