Haaretz reports on the discovery of a stone mug found in the Mount Zion excavations that has a very unusual inscription.

An ostracon discovered in the Babylonian destruction layer of Lachish has been published.

Adi Erlich and Ron Lavi report that in their three-year excavation of the famous cave of Caesarea Philippi, they found no evidence of Herod’s temple in front of that cave.

An impressive Byzantine mosaic with 55 richly detailed medallions has been restored and is now on display in the Negev near where it was discovered.

A journal article published in Antiquity studies the cargoes from three Iron Age shipwrecks discovered near the port of Dor.

Ynetnews runs a lengthy story about the Weizmann Institute of Science’s particle accelerator, how it is used for dating Carbon-14 samples, and its impact in dating antiquities in Jerusalem.

Zoom lecture on June 5: “Tel Azekah after Twelve Seasons of Excavation,” by Oded Lipschits

This week’s Jerusalem Tracker highlights new books, book reviews, blogposts, podcasts, videos, as well as the latest developments in Jerusalem.

Steven Smith at OpenBible used AI to create 180 maps of the Holy Land. He discusses his methodology and the weaknesses of the results.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Alexander Schick, Mark V. Hoffman, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken

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A gold ring with a red gemstone dating to the Hellenistic period has been discovered in the Givati Parking Lot excavations in the City of David. It is quite similar to another ring found at the same place last year.

Yosef Garfinkel recently completed excavation of Ophel’s “Water Gate” area, removing several Byzantine walls in order to highlight the Iron Age walls. The report includes numerous pictures and a video interview.

All Israel News has created a 5-minute video showing some of the archaeological evidence for a Jewish temple on the Temple Mount.

A visitor center telling the story of tekhelet (biblical blue color) opens in the Judean wilderness later this month.

Leon Mauldin posts a photo and a map of Taanach by the Waters of Megiddo.

Denny Sissom has a new series of videos explaining each chapter of his book, The Bridge to the New Testament: A Comprehensive Guide to the Forgotten Years of the Inter-Testament Period, in detail.

BibleStock has released a new coaching video, explaining how to use video footage in teaching the story of David and Goliath.

With this week’s release of the Photo Companion volumes for Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs, we’re offering both for the price of one. Luke Chandler calls the Photo Companion to the Bible his “favorite overall Bible study resource.”

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

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Researchers have uncovered graffiti from the Middle Ages in the traditional Upper Room in Jerusalem.

Bryan Windle has written an archaeological biography for Caiaphas the high priest.

Leen Ritmeyer shares photos of the cave of Gethsemane where Jesus may have spent the night with his disciples.

Jeffrey P. Arroyo García wonders whether Jesus was hung from the cross, not nailed.

On a double episode on Digging for Truth, Dr. Jonathan Moore discusses the anatomy of crucifixion and especially how their feet were positioned on the cross.

Biblical Backgrounds has announced the “Gospel Companion,” a 44-page book with unique 3D maps and interactive map marking illustrating the Way of the Cross. They also have released new wall maps.

The latest episode of This Week in the Ancient Near East looks at the recent excavations at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Ynetnews suggests five excursions in Israel that recall the twelve tribes’ departure from Egypt.

A royal purple dye was being produced at Tel Shiqmona at industrial levels during the time of the Israel’s monarchy, according to a new study.

A new article “examines how vassal kingdoms, elite consumption, and imported luxury goods shaped Iron Age Lachish and Jerusalem.” And I’m not sure what’s going on at The Jerusalem Post, when the headline on the article, now more than a week old, misspells Jerusalem.

The NY Times runs a story on the recently deciphered Bar Kochba-era papyrus that documents a “tax-evasion scheme involved the falsification of documents and the illicit sale and manumission, or freeing, of slaves — all to avoid paying duties in the far-flung Roman provinces of Judea and Arabia.”

Jacob Sivak addresses two frequently asked questions about Roman-era synagogues: how were Jews able to thrive under Roman oppression, and why were the synagogues decorated with pagan iconography?

“Hezekiah” is a new documentary miniseries, and its first episode premieres this weekend.

In Jerusalem in Brief, Chandler Collins writes about two pools that have been filled in and two books of interest.

Archaeologists have discovered a quarry that may have supplied the construction of Darius’s palace in Susa.

Reconstruction of the 87-foot tall Roman lighthouse at Patara has been completed. AI was used to identify the original locations of the 2,500 stones.

Construction will begin next year on an Alexander the Great theme park at Amphipolis in northern Greece.

Italian authorities levied $22 million in fines on ticketing agencies for buying up tickets for the Colosseum to resell to tourists.

A new study suggests that the gears of the Antikythera Mechanism jammed frequently, making the device not very useful.

Aaron Burke writes about avoiding the ethnicity trap in a new article entitled “The Amorites: Rethinking Approaches to Corporate Identity in Antiquity.”

A new exhibition opened this week at the ISAC Museum: “Staging the East: Orientalist Photography in Chicago Collections”

Members of the American Oriental Society have voted to change the society’s name to “American Society for Premodern Asia” (ASPA).

John Van Seters, a biblical scholar known for his minimalist approach, died last week.

HT: Agade, Keith Keyser, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

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“A three-year-old Israeli girl has found a scarab-shaped Canaanite amulet dating back some 3,800 years at the site of Tel Azeka near Bet Shemesh.”

The Times of Israel runs an illustrated story about the exhibition “Rescued Treasures of Gaza: 5000 Years of History” that opened this week in Paris.

Western Wall authorities have carried out their semi-annual removal of prayer notes, and they have announced that due to high demand, the priestly blessing will be held twice during Passover this year.

New release: Reconfiguring the Land of Israel: A Rabbinic Project (Brill, 2024; $175; free download)

New release: The Victorians and the Holy Land: Adventurers, Tourists, and Archaeologists in the Lands of the Bible, by Allan Chapman (Eerdmans, $35)

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on May 14: “Rethinking the Early Christian Book in the Eastern Mediterranean,” by Timothy B. Sailors

The Local Reporter runs a short profile of Jodi Magness.

Ferrell Jenkins explains how we know that Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken

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Archaeologists excavating Azekah found a new type of female figurine that comes expected forms with new elements.

Radiocarbon dates for the Huqoq synagogue place its construction in the late 4th or early 5th centuries AD, lending support to those who advocate a late date for Galilean-type synagogues.

Ruth Schuster has written a lengthy article for Haaretz (subscription) about various interpretations of the iconography on the Magdala Stone, including the proposal that it depicts God’s chariot in the temple.

Bible Mapper Atlas has published a new poster map of the tribal territory of Zebulun, and the accompanying article explains why the map extends Zebulun’s border to the sea.

The Torah.com has posted an eight-part series on the Amarna Letters, written by Alice Mandell.

David Jacobson and Nikos Kokkinos’s 2022 paper on Agrippa II’s royal triclinium in Jerusalem further strengthens the case against those who want to move the temple to the City of David. I’m told that a book is forthcoming with the conference papers, but this article is already available on Academia.

The Biblical Archaeology Society is now accepting nominations for its 2025 Publication Awards.

New release: Megiddo VII, the Shmunis Excavations of a Monumental Middle Bronze Tomb and its Environs, edited by M.J. Adams, M.D. Cradic and I. Finkelstein (Eisenbrauns, $125)

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on April 16: “‘Trowel Blazers’ in the Archaeology of the Levant & Near East during the Early 20th Century,” by Kathleen Nicoll

The recently announced discoveries in the City of David of the big grooves and standing stone are the subject of the latest episode of This Week in the Ancient Near East.

Jerusalem Seminary is running a 10-day study tour in May entitled “Discovering Jesus in His Jewish Context.”

Bryan Windle summarizes the top ten archaeological discoveries related to Jeremiah in the latest episode of Digging for Truth.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Explorator

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An article in the latest issue of Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament suggests that the Rephaim Valley should be located not in the vicinity of Jerusalem but east of the Elah Valley.

Excavations at Khirbat an-Nahas reveal a marked improvement in technology of copper mining in the early 10th century BC.

Experts are joining forces to protect what may be the last wild olive trees in Israel, located on kurkar ridges south of Haifa.

In an expansive article for Haaretz (subscription), Elon Gilad explains how modern Hebrew addressed the problem of the lack of fish terminology in biblical Hebrew.

Walking The Text’s latest video explores how the Bible uses the metaphor of “bedouin host” for God.

A new study reveals that Greco-Roman statues were “enriched with fragrances.”

With Purim being celebrated this week, Bryan Windle wrote an excellent illustrated essay on the top 10 discoveries related to the book of Esther. Archaeology has done much to illuminate this book!

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

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