Archaeologists discovered a Ramesside-era tomb belong to “Paser” on Luxor’s west bank.

“An Egyptian archaeological mission has uncovered three New Kingdom rock-cut tombs at the Bubasteion Necropolis in Saqqara.”

A new study suggests that a sophisticated hydraulic system was built near the Red Pyramid in Dahshur.

“Many of Syria’s archaeological sites were damaged not only by looting but also, in areas occupied by the Turkish military, by systematic bulldozing.”

Restoration work has been completed for the Hidirlik Kulesi, an ancient Roman tower, in Antalya, and a new viewing terrace has been opened.

Archaeologists excavating at Aspendos discovered a large Roman-era mosaic that depicts the river god Eurymedon. They have also been uncovering portions of the city’s main street.

Archaeologists at Pompeii have partially reconstructed a rare ceiling fresco depicting scenes from Greek mythology.”

“Archaeologists have identified the oldest known library on the Iberian Peninsula inside a Roman villa in southern Spain.”

Bible History Daily explains who the “People of the Sea” are that “hang over the plot [of Nolan’s Odyssey] like a dark cloud.”

On Digging for Truth, Ted Wright shares some of the most significant discoveries related to the New Testament.

New release: Egypt and the Levant: Networks and Negotiations in the Bronze Age, by Anna-Latifa Mourad (Cambridge Elements; open-access until August 6)

New release: Magic in the Ancient Near East and the Hebrew Bible, by Ilan Peled (Cambridge Elements; open-access until August 7)

New release: Proto-Elamite: Writing and Society in Early Iran, by Kathryn Kelley (Cambridge Elements; open-access until August 14)

First time on sale on Kindle: Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World’s Mightiest Empire, by Barry Strauss (Simon & Schuster, 2025; reg. $15; sale: $4). When I noted its release last year, I pointed to this positive WSJ review.

When it comes to deciphering lost languages like Linear A, Jane Adkins explains what AI can and cannot do. This article gives the background on the AI engineer’s claim to have cracked Linear A.

There will be no roundup next weekend.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Explorator, David Barrett

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Researchers have recovered 20 columns of previously hidden text on one of the oldest Herculaneum scrolls.

“A report of illegal digging on the rural edge of Rome has led archaeologists to one of the most striking recent discoveries in the city’s western countryside: a Roman imperial-period villa with mosaic floors, painted walls and a white marble statue that may represent Silvanus, the rustic god of fields, woods and agricultural life.”

After restorers added two marble blocks into empty gaps, the Parthenon’s western side looks whole for the first time in more than 200 years.

An Ugaritic treatment for a hangover involved the application of dog hair.

Writing for the BAR Test Kitchen, Jennifer Drummond provides a recipe for Roman dill sauce that comes from Apicius, a first-century Roman gourmand.

“A team of historians, scientists and engineers has developed a portable X-ray scanner to study 4,000-year-old [cuneiform] letters encased in clay envelopes.”

A European project has used AI and robotics to reconstruct and restore damaged frescoes at Pompeii.

The Archive of Mesopotamian Archaeological Reports “aims to digitize 500 archaeological site reports describing archaeological excavations in Iraq and the immediately surrounding areas (Turkey, Syria, Iran, and the Gulf). This will include both out-of-copyright as well as in-copyright and in-print materials.”

Henry Colburn explores the meaning of Achaemenid silver. “Achaemenid silver was fungible in meaning as well as substance. Gifts of silver from the king, such coins and drinking vessels, were simultaneously monetary objects and tokens of prestige, and their precise meaning could shift according to their context.”

A local newspaper runs a story about the Biblical History Center in LaGrange, Georgia.

Lisa Lock and Andrew Zinin write about the history of glassblowing and its effect on the Roman world.

A team has used 3D printing to revive an ancient Roman board game.

There will be no roundup next weekend.

HT: Agade, Explorator

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Recently discovered photographs of a building underneath Hebron’s Machpelah have led to the proposal that Herod built the complex as a sacred precinct for his own tomb. A 2025 journal article is online here, and a 2026 journal article is here.

Bryan Windle just returned from supervising at the Shiloh excavations, and he shares three significant discoveries they made this year.

The Herodium was the stage for the grand opening of a conference hosted by an organization who wants to transform archaeological ruins in Judea and Samaria into “premier educational, cultural, and tourism destinations.”

“A governmental vetting committee on Thursday nixed Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu’s nominee to lead the Israel Antiquities Authority.”

The “Tracing Scribes and Scrolls” project has been awarded €2.5 million to understand the origin and creation of the Dead Sea Scrolls using analytic chemistry, AI, and paleography.

On Digging for Truth, Scott Stripling discusses the evidence from Manetho for the identity of the pharaoh of the exodus.

New release: New Studies in the Historical Geography of the Ancient Near East, edited by Kyle H. Keimer, Chris McKinny, Aharon Tavger (Archaeology of the Biblical Worlds; De Gruyter, $121; Amazon)

First time on sale on Kindle: Populus: Living and Dying in Ancient Rome, by Guy De la Bédoyère (U of Chicago Press, $2.99)

Shmuel Browns shares photos from his hike up Mt. Ebal.

Leon Mauldin shares a couple of photos of the Arbel cliffs and the Sea of Galilee.

I see that Carl Rasmussen’s useful website, HolyLandPhotos.org, has a beautiful redesign, including a new AI Search feature.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

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“Egyptian authorities have unveiled a plaster blocking wall from King Tutankhamun’s tomb in Luxor, an artefact described as unparalleled due to its survival from ancient looters.”

Tombs belonging to Amenhotep and his son Samut have been opened following extensive restoration.

Gary Urie explains the significance of Egyptian scarabs on Digging for Truth.

“Iraq is restoring the Ziggurat of Ur, one of the world’s oldest surviving temple structures, using locally made bricks and traditional building methods.”

Pigeons have been domesticated since at least 1400 BC, according to a new study (gift link).

“The new AI tool ‘Palaeographicum’ is revolutionizing research into the cultures of the Ancient Near East: It identifies individual variations of cuneiform signs—a huge step forward for academia.”

The Epigraphic Institute is offering online courses in Safaitic and Ancient South Arabian next month.

New release: The 2008 Season at Tall al-’Umayri and Subsequent Studies, edited by Larry G. Herr, Douglas R. Clark, Lawrence T. Geraty, and Monique Roddy (Eisenbrauns, $140; save 30% with code NR26; Amazon)

HT: Agade, Explorator

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Excavations of the Shamash Gate at Nineveh shows evidence of the city’s fall in 612 BC. The work being done is part of a project to conserve and restore the gate.

Turkish Archaeological News rounds up the top stories for the month of April, including:

Recent claims of the discovery of Noah’s Ark are refuted in this 1992 article by Andrew Snelling.

Archaeologists have used AI to reconstruct the face of one of the victims of Pompeii.

Fifty US students will be volunteering in the first year of the Kenchreai Coastal and Marine Survey, studying the area of New Testament Cenchreae.

New release: On the Face of the Deep: The Sea in Scripture, by Linford Stutzman (Baker Academic)

The Classical Association of Scotland is offering online classes in the month of June in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Egyptian, Hurrian, Sumerian, Ugaritic, and Latin.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

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“A collection of painted sarcophagi and papyrus scrolls dating to Egypt’s Third Intermediate Period (c. 1077–664 BCE) was discovered during excavations in Seneb’s tomb in the Kurna area on the west bank of the Nile River near Luxor.”

A temple dedicated to the local god Pelusius has been unearthed after six years of excavations at Tell el-Farma in the city of Pelusium in the northern Sinai.”

“The oldest ruins of the ancient Egyptian city of Buto, dating to approximately 2,600 years ago, have been rediscovered by archaeologists testing new technology meant to aid in locating structures buried deep beneath the surface.”

Hybrid lecture on April 22: “Revisiting the Peoples of the Hills: the Legacy and Afterlife of Charles Burney’s Research in Anatolia and Iran,” by Roger Matthews

New release: Archaeology & Artificial Intelligence, by Lorenzo Nigro (Sapienza Università di Roma; open-access)

New release: A Bestiary of Ancient Nubia, edited by Marc Maillot (Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, $40; free pdf)

The latest issue of Buried History is now available (open-access).

John DeLancey hiked up Mount Olympus and made a video of the experience.

Accordance has a big sale on all of their graphics collections.

The Study of Antiquity and the Middle Ages has released a video about the Behistun Inscription of Darius the Great (43 min).

National Geographic Travel has released an Easter and Passover special with three episodes from the Lost Treasures of the Bible series about Nineveh, Noah’s flood, and the exodus.

HT: Agade

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