Temple Mount Archives - Page 2 of 58

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Scholars have used radiocarbon dating and artificial intelligence to date some Dead Sea Scrolls manuscripts, with the results often providing earlier dates than previously believed based on paleographical analysis. Of particular interest is 4Q114 which preserves Daniel 8-11, now dated to 230–160 BC (earlier than it was written, according to critical scholars). The underlying journal article is here.

Excavations at Samaria-Sebaste have been underway for two weeks, and discoveries include a stone pavement and the base of a monument near the city gate.

Following a kerfuffle over a 5-ton Herodian stone on display at Ben Gurion Airport, the IAA has promised to rebury all Western Wall stones. The parties agree that Western Wall stones “must not be treated as archaeological exhibits but rather as sacred relics subject to Jewish law.” Stones on display elsewhere will be returned for burial, and the site will be fenced off to prevent the public from touching them.

Nathan Steinmeyer explains what the Galilee is.

Zoom lecture on June 10: “Hearing the Voices of the Dead in Ancient Israel,” by Elizabeth Bloch-Smith ($10)

BAS is offering a four-lecture course with Sidnie White Crawford about ancient libraries, focusing especially on the Dead Sea Scrolls ($149).

I recently read The Odyssey of Marcus Panthera: A Journey to the Land of Israel in the First Century, by Makram Mesherky (Gesher Media, 2024, $25). The author is a Palestinian believer whose fictional account reads like a travelogue during the time of Jesus. The book is not long, is easy to read, and is loaded with full-color illustrations.

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

Tagged Dead Sea Scrolls, Excavations, Galilee, Jerusalem, Lectures, Resources, Samaria, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

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

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Jerusalem, Photo Resources, Resources, Shephelah, Temple Mount, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

An Israeli team began excavations of Samaria-Sebaste this week. Some consider the excavation of ancient Israel’s capital to be a hostile takeover of Palestinian heritage.

Archaeologists working at the Roman cemetery at Legio near Megiddo have uncovered the jaws of thirteen pigs in what they believe was remains of a funerary banquet.

“Jewish veterans from the Roman army — and not Shimon Bar Kochba — may have initially led the 2nd-century Jewish rebellion against the Romans commonly known as the ‘Bar Kochba Revolt.’”

“Two enigmatic 1,500-year-old human figurines carved in rare ebony wood from India or Sri Lanka and likely made in Africa have been uncovered in the Negev.” The underlying journal article is here.

A new study has found that “the Kingdom of Israel had much greater name variety than the southern kingdom, hinting at deeper social differences.” The underlying journal article is here.

“Police arrested nine Jewish men who tried to smuggle a sacrificial goat onto the Temple Mount in Jerusalem Monday afternoon.”

The Jerusalem Post runs a short article about the road between the Pool of Siloam and the Temple Mount.

New release: Readers of the Lost Ark: Imagining the Ark of the Covenant from Ancient Times to the Present, by Kevin M. McGeough (Oxford University Press, $35; Amazon). Free chapter here.

Bible Mapper Atlas has created a (free) poster map of the tribe of Manasseh (west of the Jordan) and its surroundings, circa 1200 BC.

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

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Jerusalem, Jezreel Valley, Negev, Resources, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“Israel on Monday began long-delayed renovation and maintenance work at the Little Western Wall, a lesser-known section of the Western Wall located in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City.”

A flash flood on Sunday caused severe damage to the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. The park is now closed for restoration.

Also on Sunday, a brushfire broke out at Tell es-Safi/Gath.

Ruth Schuster has written a lengthy article about the excavations at Chorazin, including the “pay to dig” opportunity that’s been running there for more than a decade now.

Newly released: Bet Shean V: Hellenistic Nysa-Scythopolis Part 1: Stratigraphy and Architectureand Part 2: The Finds and Conclusion (IAA Reports; free download)

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on July 2: “Amorites, Their Origins, and Their Legacy,” by Aaron A. Burke

“A leading archaeology journal [Palestine Exploration Quarterly] has effectively barred submissions by Israelis on Judea and Samaria unless they ‘have cooperated with the relevant Palestinian authorities.’”

Bryan Windle interviews Joan Taylor in the latest installment of the “Scholar’s Chair” series. Among other things, she discusses her new book, Boy Jesus.

The Biblical Museum of Natural History sells archaeology-themed board games and a kosher box of locusts.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Explorator

Tagged Jerusalem, Lectures, Museums, Temple Mount, Weather, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“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

Tagged Discoveries, New Exhibits, Shephelah, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A newly discovered burial site in the Negev Highlands is shedding light on trade networks in Arabia, Egypt, and beyond circa 500 BC. There are more photos here.

A cache of 26 bronze coins discovered at a Hellenistic site west of Arbel in 2016 provides insights into the Galilean military campaign of Jonathan Maccabee.

Archaeologists have deciphered a Phoenician inscription from an amphora sunk in a shipwreck off the coast of Tel Achziv around 400 BC. The inscription mentions the Sidonians. The underlying journal article is here.

According to a new study, the inability of the southern Levant to support sheep herding in the Early Bronze Age slowed the area’s advancement in agriculture and herding. The underlying journal article is here.

Excavations at Motza uncovered the Neolithic tomb of a woman with six fingers on her left hand.

The Temple Mount Sifting Project has received financial support, so they are reducing availability and increasing participation fees. They have made some new discoveries, including a Second Temple period seal and a rare Late Bronze pottery sherd.

Nathan Steinmeyer provides a brief introduction to the Negev of Israel.

A new exhibit in the departure hall of Ben Gurion airport entitled “Eternity of Israel” will include archaeological finds, some of which have never been publicly displayed before.

Bible Passages has recently begun a new blog as well as a podcast. Recent episodes have highlighted Rhodes, Cyprus, and Ephesus.

Available for pre-order: The Bible’s First Kings: Uncovering the Story of Saul, David, and Solomon, by Abraham Faust and Zeev I. Farber (Cambridge University Press, $50; Amazon). Use code TBFK2024 for a discount at the publisher’s website.

Now online: The Samaritan Pentateuch: An English Translation with a Parallel Annotated Hebrew Text, by Moshe Florentin and Abraham Tal (Open Book Publishers; free download)

Haaretz (premium) has a story about the 70-year-old Israeli reserve officer and antiquities dealer who was killed in Lebanon.

Bible Mapper Atlas has created a poster map of the tribe of Benjamin circa 1200 BC.

Kenneth Kitchen, renowned Egyptologist, died this week. Peter J. Williams’s reflections reveal what an extraordinary man he was.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, A.D. Riddle

This is how the excavations at the Pool of Siloam looked yesterday. Photo by Bethany Bolen.

Tagged Discoveries, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Judah, Negev, Resources, Sad News, Temple Mount, Tourism, Weekend Roundup