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Next Week: Legends of the Lost Ark

I can’t count how many times I’ve been asked: where do you think the ark of the covenant is now? The group usually laughs when I say I’m pretty sure I saw it being hidden away in a warehouse in New York.

I usually then tick off the leading theories: the ark is hidden underneath the Temple Mount, the ark was taken to Mount Nebo, the ark is now in a church in Ethiopia, the ark was destroyed by the Babylonians.

But now there is a much better, and much more entertaining, answer to this perennial question. Archaeologist Chris McKinny, a longtime friend and partner on various BiblePlaces projects, has spent years researching the subject, and Gesher Media has produced a beautiful new docudrama that travels the world to bring the best evidence to light.

Legends of the Lost Ark is the perfect combination of academic scholarship and cinematic excellence, pulling the reader into the intrigue of where the symbol of God’s presence went after the Jerusalem temple was destroyed. Legends of the Lost Ark presents dramatic footage with expert analysis, including on-site reenactments, interviews with scholars, and a cast of more than 100 actors. The movie has already received the 2025 Silver Crown Award for Best Limited Theatrical Release at the ICVM (International Christian Visual Media) meeting.

“The Ark was not only lost — its story and significance have largely been forgotten,” said Dr. McKinny. “What happened to the Ark remains one of the most fascinating mysteries in human history. This film charts new territory in investigating the most ancient legends surrounding its disappearance.”

For the first time, three enduring legends surrounding the Ark’s disappearance are scrutinized through textual analysis, archaeological exploration, and expert theological debate. Through cinematic reenactments, the film vividly portrays the prophet Jeremiah’s desperate mission to safeguard the Ark during Jerusalem’s fall, placing audiences inside a pivotal moment in biblical history.

The movie will be in theaters for three days next week: April 12, 14, and 15. Tickets are available here. You can read more about the movie (here and here) and watch the trailer (here).

I hope you’re able to see it!

Tagged Jerusalem, Jordan, Movies, Temple Mount

Weekend Roundup

Israel aims to become the leader in archaeological knowledge within three years as they develop an open database and transform it into an advanced scientific repository using Google’s artificial intelligence tools.

A volunteer at the Temple Mounting Sifting Project this week discovered a seal impression from the First Temple period with Egyptian symbols.

Joshua Berman wonders if the biblical account of the exodus was “mockingly subverting an earlier Egyptian text.”

Alon Gildoni and Ron Milo created “Haggadah on the Map,” with a printable pdf version and an online interactive version. The Times of Israel interviewed Gildoni.

A newly excavated fortress at Tell el-Kharouba in northern Sinai might be related to the Way of Horus which the Lord led the Israelites away from during the exodus.

Ruth Marks Eglash reports on the excavations in the Kishle, just south of the Tower of David complex in Jerusalem.

Archaeologists discovered a cache of ostrich eggs near the remains of a campfire used by desert nomads in southern Israel.

“Recent excavations in Egypt’s Kalaya region in the Beheira governorate have uncovered a fifth-century CE building that offers a detailed glimpse into early Coptic monastic life.”

A new study has identified a female beast hunter in a now-lost ancient Roman mosaic.

Woo Min Lee argues that Sennacherib’s claim that he “shut [Hezekiah] up like a bird in a cage” was a declaration of victory, not defeat.

The latest issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes articles on the Last Supper, sights and smells of synagogues, the “Diaspora Revolt” against Rome, and the Roman siegeworks built around Jerusalem in AD 70.

Greek Reporter has an article about the synagogue at Delos, the oldest one known outside the land of Israel.

Greece will be establishing two new underwater archaeological sites that will be open to divers.

New release: The Untold Story of the Kingdom of Judah, by Oded Lipschits (De Gruyter Brill, $88)

New release: Pencil and Dust. Women Who Shaped Archaeology in Greece and the Greek World, edited by Sylviane Déderix and Maguelone Bastide (École française d’Athènes; $11)

New online course: “The Archaeology of Ancient Israel: A View from Mesopotamia,” by Paul Collins (Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society; £50-£100)

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Exodus-Conquest, Greece, Holidays, Jerusalem, Judah, Mesopotamia, Negev, Resources, Technology, Temple Mount, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“A stone tool workshop from the Second Temple period was discovered on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem during an investigation by the Israel Antiquities Authority into a gang of antiquities thieves.”

“A rare bronze scale pan was discovered during excavations in the ancient Jewish town of Sussiya by a father and daughter participating in an educational dig.”

A seal discovered in the Temple Mount Sifting Project is a rare find “from Jerusalem’s ‘Second Persian Period,’ the brief 14-year window of Sassanid rule between 614 and 628 CE.”

A Roman cemetery was discovered in the village of Jifna, north of Ramallah.

“The elderly patriarch and matriarch of a prominent Israelite family living in an imposing building in the Judean lowlands nearly 3,000 years ago appear to have enjoyed their own spacious room in a strategic part of the large home, suggesting they continued to play a prominent role within the multi-generation household into their golden years.”

The latest Jerusalem in Brief looks at the history of Absalom’s Pillar through a 19th-century photo, and more.

Hybrid lecture on Feb 26: “A Book in Two Scrolls: On the Bisection of Isaiah,” by Marcello Fidanzio (registration required). This lecture is in conjunction with the Great Isaiah Scroll exhibit which opens to the public on Tuesday (through June 6). The exhibition book is now available for sale in e-book (pdf) format.

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on March 4: “Current Research on the Holy Sepulchre and Faunal Remains,” by Luca Brancazi (Zoom link)

New release: Ashkelon 10: The Philistine Cemetery, by Daniel M. Master, Adam J. Aja, and Rachel Kalisher (Eisenbrauns, $91 with code NR26).

New release: Lahav VIII: The EB III and LB II to Iron II Strata in the Western City at Tell Halif: Excavations in Field III, 1977–1987, by Oded Borowski and Joe D. Seger (Eisenbrauns, $91 with code NR26).

Following the British Museum’s review of the anachronistic use of the term “Palestine,” PaleoJudaica explored what language Second Temple-era Jews used for the land.

Israel’s Good Name describes his visit to the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem.

Bible Mapper Atlas has created a free poster map of Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Explorator, Alexander Schick

Tagged Dead Sea Scrolls, Discoveries, Excavations, Jerusalem, Judah, Lectures, Museums, Resources, Samaria, Shephelah, Temple Mount, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A ritual bath was discovered in excavations beneath the Western Wall Plaza. A sealed layer of ash indicates that the mikveh was in use until the Roman destruction in AD 70. The 2-minute video shows imagery of the large space being excavated underneath the prayer plaza.

An extraordinary stalactite cave has been discovered near Ofra in Samaria.

The Great Isaiah Scroll was originally two scrolls, written separately and then joined together. The break is between (what was later marked as) chapters 33 and 34.

“A new version of a bill whose purpose is to extend Israeli authority over antiquities and heritage sites in the West Bank, aims to include Areas A and B — where the Palestinian Authority has civilian control — under the scope of its applicability.”

Some very old cedar beams on the Temple Mount were left uncovered, provoking a protest.

The Times of Israel interviews Avraham Faust and Zev Farber about their new book, The Bible’s First Kings – Uncovering the Story of Saul, David, and Solomon. “The book brings together archaeology, anthropology, and biblical scholarship to support the thesis that the kingdom did exist and that findings from the ground offer evidence for it.”

The Biblical Archaeology Society has posted a list of excavation opportunities for 2026, including Azekah, Dan, el-Araj, En-Gedi, Hazor, Jerusalem, and Tel Shimron. They also are offering Dig Scholarships of $2,000 to qualified individuals. They are also accepting donations for scholarships.

The theme of the latest volume of ‘Atiqot is “Archaeological Perspectives on Water Use and Management.” All articles are available for download.

Zoom lecture on Jan 13: “Herod’s Many Faces as Reflected in His Art and Architecture,” by Orit Peleg-Barkat

Religion in Ancient Israel: Essays in Honour of John Day, edited by Katherine E. Southwood, Stuart Weeks, and H.G.M. Williamson (Bloomsbury, $87-106)

Accordance is selling many photo collections at 40-67% off, through Monday.

Israel’s Good Name reports on his visit to the Israel Aquarium in Jerusalem.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Explorator, Paleojudaica

Tagged 10th Century, Dead Sea Scrolls, Discoveries, Excavations, Jerusalem, Lectures, Photo Resources, Resources, Samaria, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

Archaeologists working at Hyrcania discovered tools used to make Holy Land souvenirs in the Byzantine period. They have also found a couple of Greek inscriptions and a Hebrew inscription.

The find of the month for the Temple Mount Sifting Project is an skewed palm-chisel, also known as a scarpel.

Leen Ritmeyer writes about, and illustrates, the origin of Hanukkah.

The Jerusalem Tracker is being split into two editions, with the first focusing on new books and articles related to Jerusalem. The second highlights new pop/social media and blogs, digital resources, developments, and upcoming events about Jerusalem.

I’ve learned that the free “Geography and the Bible” seminar being hosted by Jerusalem University College on January 10 includes a $300 travel course voucher for all registered attendees who join the seminar live online.

“After years of delays and spiraling costs, Rome inaugurated two new metro stations on Tuesday, including one by the Colosseum, showcasing archaeological discoveries that might become tourist attractions in their own right.”

Archaeologists are not agreed over the significance of the victims of Pompeii wearing woolen cloaks in August.

Imagery in an AI-generated video about ancient Rome is filled with errors.

Webinar on Jan 7: “Beyond Edutainment: Reclaiming Archaeology in a Clickbait World,” by Amanda Hope Haley

New release: Stones Still Speak: How Biblical Archaeology Illuminates the Stories You Thought You Knew, by Amanda Hope Haley

“Iraq’s famed Tigris is heavily polluted and at risk of drying up.”

Archaeologists may have discovered the Mycenaean palace in the region of ancient Sparta.

James Davila notes a couple of fascinating comments that Irving Finkel recently made concerning writing at Göbekli Tepe and a supposed Babylonian looting of the Library of Ashurbanipal.

We will post our annual roundup of stories, including the top 10 discoveries of the year, on Monday. There will be no roundup next weekend.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick, Explorator

Tagged Greece, Holidays, Italy, Jerusalem, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Resources, Temple Mount, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“An impressive section of Jerusalem’s fortification wall from the second century BCE has been uncovered on the grounds of the Tower of David complex in the Old City.” About 130 feet of the “First Wall” has been uncovered in the Kishle.

Archaeologists have found evidence for the famous battle at Bet Zecharia described in 1 Maccabees. “It is the first time we have possible archaeological evidence from one of Judah Maccabee’s battlefields.”

A scholar believes that he has cracked Cryptic B, a rare alphabet known only from two uses in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Coins previously believed to sloppy versions of coins minted by Alexander Jannaeus should instead be understood as coming from the economically weak era of the Hasmonean civil war between 60 and 40 BC.

Hartebeests went extinct in Israel not in the Iron Age but in the Byzantine period.

Doron Spielman spoke about some of his experiences in the City of David at a recent event in Jerusalem.

On Digging for Truth, Scott Stripling explains the archaeology that is related to Hanukkah.

On the Biblical World podcast, Kyle Keimer talks with David deSilva about his two new archaeology books.

Dig has released a 27-minute video about Labayu of Shechem.

The foundation stone of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Jerusalem was laid 100 years ago.

A powerful winter storm caused death and destruction all over Israel this week.

New release: The Archaeology of the Kingdom of Judah, by Yosef Garfinkel (SBL Press, $75)

You can now purchase soil from the Temple Mount.

Jerusalem University College will be presenting its 6th annual online seminar on January 10. The “Geography and the Bible” seminar is free and will include four sessions:

“Road Systems from Egypt through Sinai,” by James Hoffmeier
“Trekking from the Desert to the Land of Milk and Honey,” by Hélène Dallaire
“What Does it Mean that Jerusalem was ‘Built as a City which is Compact Together?’ A Geographical and Archaeological Reading of Psalm 122:3,” by Chandler Collins
“The Early Church’s Encounter with the Roman Imperial Cult,” by Carl Rasmussen

There is no hat tip (HT) below to Gordon Franz, because Gordon died on November 22. I met Gordon when studying at IHLS in the early 90s, and we stayed in touch over the years, including a tour he gave my family of NYC. Gordon taught for various schools over the years, including the Israel and Turkey/Greece/Rome programs for the Talbot School of Theology. Most recently Gordon sent me stories for these roundups, and in the last email he wrote me, he said he was on his way to buy Rabbi Landy’s latest book. He was quite the book connoisseur. And he had much yet he planned to accomplish. Some of Gordon’s writings are still available on his website. A recording of his celebration of life service is online. He will be missed.

Gordon Franz taking photos from the rooftop of the Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem, 1993

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Keith Keyser, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick, Explorator

Tagged Dead Sea Scrolls, Discoveries, Holidays, Jerusalem, Lectures, Resources, Sad News, Samaria, Temple Mount, Weather, Weekend Roundup