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Weekend Roundup

A 12th-century BC Canaanite or Egyptian fortress in the Guvrin Forest has been restored and reopened to the public.

Rabbi Daniel Rowe writes about the search for Ai.

Marek Dospěl gives an introduction to Amihai Mazar’s article in Biblical Archaeology Review on “Tell Qasile: Harbor Town from the Days of the Judges.”

“An ancient residence [of Marcus Fabius Rufus] believed to be the grandest in the Pompeii archaeological site is being restored with the entire 1.4 million euros ($1.6 million) cost being covered by a private sponsor.”

Asaf Peled explains why “Rome is one of the best places to understand Jewish history.”

New release: Landscapes of Memory: The Old Testament’s Sensory Engagement with Nature, by Emma M. Austin. The foreword was written by Paul Wright, longtime president of Jerusalem University College (IVP Academic, $29)

New release: Biblical Forgery and Academic Authentication: Persisting Patterns of Guile and Gullibility, by Jonathan Klawans (Oxford University Press, $45; Kindle: $15)

Hybrid lecture at the Albright on Nov 11: “Jericho, the Biblical Bias, and Historically Founded Archaeology,” by Lorenzo Nigro

Digging for Truth has a new studio, and the first episode filmed in it looks back with Scott Stripling at the history of excavations conducted by the Associates for Biblical Research.

Chandler Collins has begun a new series reviewing Jerusalem guidebooks, beginning with Jerome Murphy-O’connor’s venerable The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide.

Leen Ritmeyer has written a couple of articles about the ark of the covenant. In the first, he considers the question of where the ark is today. In the second, he discusses the family of Elizaphan, their service in the temple, and where they may have lived.

HT: Agade, Explorator, Alexander Schick

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Israel's Coast, Italy, Jerusalem, Jordan Rift, Resources, Samaria, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

The recent discovery of 131 cuneiform tablets at Kayalipinar, Turkey, brings the total to 184, making it “the most comprehensive Hittite archive discovered in this century.”

“Remains of what appears to be the world’s oldest shipwreck have been found near the island of Kekova, off the southwest coast of Turkey.” The Early Bronze Age vessel was carrying amphorae likely containing oil or wine.

“Fragments of two massive statues depicting Ramesses II were discovered by accident by a farmer working on his land in a northern Egyptian village.”

Thomas E. Levy reviews the “Ramses and the Pharaohs’ Gold” exhibition in London and marvels at the lack of mention of the biblical exodus. He notes as well the absence of the Merneptah Stele.

The Agios Athanasios site in Greece, popularly known as the “School of Homer,” will be transformed into an archaeological park and opened to the public.

Greece’s National Archaeological Museum has extended its temporary exhibition, “Pylos of Nestor: A Mycenaean Kingdom Revealed,” until Sunday, 31 January 2027.

New release: The Synagogue at Sardis: Archaeological Exploration of Sardis Reports, by Andrew R. Seager, Frank Moore Cross, Jane DeRose Evans, et al. ($120)

A Roman imperial marble torso sold at Sotheby’s for $34.3 million, setting an auction record for a Roman antiquity. Sotheby’s has more information about the artifact.

“Retired Turkish archaeology professor Fahri Isik has raised concerns over the growing number of archaeology departments in Türkiye, arguing that universities should prioritize academic expertise, research infrastructure and long-term institutional development rather than simply opening new programs.”

Jason Borges is offering free reviews of itineraries for biblical tours in Turkey.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Greece, Museums, New Exhibits, Resources, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Tel Shiqmona is open to visitors after a two-year, $1 million renovation project.

J. D. Cohen writes about ten important biblical archaeological finds.

Efforts to restore the Birkatain archaeological site near Jerash, including its Roman pools and theater, have so far been unsuccessful.

New article in Currents in Biblical Research: “The Changing Scale of Israelite Religion: Embodiment, Space, and Material Practice,” by Jeremy D. Smoak (open-access)

New release: The Potential of Agriculture in the Phoenician Homeland: Landscape and Land Use in Southern Lebanon during the Late Iron Age and Persian Period, by Julia Rummel (BAR Publishing, 65 €)

Zoom lecture on Nov 4: “The First Oil Age: Olives, Copper & the Edge of Urbanism in the Ancient Levant,” by Jaimie Lovell (A$25; free for students)

Hybrid symposium on Feb 7, 2027: “Jerusalem Archaeology: Between Past and Present,” with Jodi Magness, Shimon Gibson and Andrew Lawler (Biblical Archaeology Society, $69)

Paul Anderson is a guest on The Book and the Spade to talk about the new book he edited on Archaeology, Jesus, and the Gospel of John.

Tagged Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Jordan, Lebanon, Lectures, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

A new study of the industrial compound at Tel Shiqmona reveals that the space was “structured by the seasonal cycle: olive pressing in late autumn, livestock sheltering in winter, and textile production in spring.” A news report may be found here.

“Two rediscovered photographs from a 1930s excavation show where tombs were located inside the North Church baptistery” of Shivta.

The Israeli government has begun renovating “Herod’s Pools,” located near the Petzael Springs in the Jordan Valley. Another project recently begun is the “Joshua Trail” which will include a suspension bridge between Elon Moreh and Mount Kabir.

Chandler Collins has converted his Jerusalem Tracker Part 2 series into “Jerusalem in Brief,” focusing on the most interesting stories and providing further comment and context.

Researchers believe there are additional rooms behind King Tut’s burial chamber based upon “cumulative architectural, decorative, and geophysical indicators.” Kara Cooney gives some fascinating background.

“Forensic reexaminations of 5,000-year-old skulls indicate over a dozen ancient Egyptian royal attendants met gruesome ends to honor their beloved, deceased pharaohs.”

“An ancient Greek funeral elegy stele was found within a pyramid-shaped mud-brick tomb in the Bir al-Shaghala archaeological site in the Dakhla Oasis.”

An AI-generated design depicting Tutankhamun and Nefertiti has been removed after residents of Cairo complained about their skin color.

Turkish Archaeological News rounds up the top stories for the month of September.

Archaeologists working in southern Turkey may have discovered tombs belonging to Alexander the Great’s soldiers.

The archaeological site of ancient Nicopolis, which Paul planned to visit (Titus 3:12), has reopened after a major restoration project.

“The top three reports in biblical archaeology in September 2026 included discoveries of an ancient treaty, a ritual bath, and a famous school.”

New release: Forgotten Empires – Remembered. Studies on the Ancient Near East in Honour of John E. Curtis, edited by Dirk Wicke, Paul Collins and Nigel Tallis (Zaphon, 125 €)

Ellen Morris reviews Eric H. Cline’s new book, Love, War, and Diplomacy: The Discovery of the Amarna Letters and the Bronze Age World They Revealed.

For sale on Kindle: Jesus, A Visual History: The Dramatic Story of the Messiah in the Holy Land, by Donald Brake with me ($4.99)

HT: Agade, Explorator, Mark Hoffman, Paleojudaica

Tagged Egypt, Greece, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Jordan Rift, Negev, Resources, Samaria, Technology, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists in Turkey have identified another fragment of the treaty between pharaoh Ramesses II and the Hittite king Hattusili III. A larger photo is here.

“An ancient fortress that guarded Egypt’s western frontier more than 3,000 years ago has yielded a rare horse burial, inscriptions linked to Ramesses II and evidence of military and daily life.”

Underwater explorers are returning to the submerged Phoenician and Roman remains off the coast of Tyre.

Laser scans of ancient temple walls at Kition Kathari revealed 23 previously unrecognized ship carvings that are nearly invisible to the human eye.

On the Biblical World podcast, Jason Borges interviews Turkish archaeologist Prof. Ilker Mimiroglu about the excavations at Lystra.

Restoration of Istanbul’s Museum of the Ancient Orient has been completed after three years.

“Excavating Antioch: The Archaeology of an Ancient City” is a new exhibition at the Davis Museum at Wellesley College.

The American School of Classical Studies at Athens is offering three excavation and conservation opportunities for students next year: (1) Agora excavation; (2) archaeological conservation; (3) Corinth excavation.

Greece’s Ministry of Culture is beginning three projects to protect and display archaeological remains at Olympia.

An upcoming exhibition, “Athena, the Stage is Yours: The Parthenon Puzzle,” will attempt “to document a new, archaeologically sound proposal for the complete reconstruction of the sculptures on the east pediment of the Parthenon.”

A four-year project to improve the visitor experience at Athens’s Kerameikos archaeological site has been completed.

“Charles K. Williams II, the renowned American archaeologist who devoted more than three decades to excavations at Ancient Corinth, died on September 16, 2026, at the age of 96.”

“A new study of nearly 300,000 kilometers of Roman roads shows how geography and major cities shaped movement across the empire. The findings challenge the old idea that Roman roads formed a simple system leading toward Rome.”

Recent release: Ancient Persian: A Linguistic History, by Kevin T. van Bladel (Cambridge University Press; open access)

A new project has been announced for the digital encoding of the Leningrad Codex.

Scientists working to decipher the Herculaneum papyri are burning modern papyrus scrolls to test methods for reading the ancient carbonized texts.

A mathematician is challenging the idea that the Parthenon’s subtly curved stylobate was designed to make the building appear straighter to the human eye.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Greece, Italy, Mediterranean Islands, Museums, New Exhibits, Persia, Resources, Sad News, Technology, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

South of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, archaeologists have uncovered a monumental complex with three ritual baths, a rectangular pool, and an elaborate drainage system, along with two nearby plastered vats.

The seven-day festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles) began last night. Hag sameah! Rabbi Steven Bob explains the history of when building a sukkah became a requirement for this feast. Rabbi David Z. Moster gives five other interpretations of the verse that is traditionally understood as referring to an etrog.

Lauren K. McCormick writes about four gold ornaments and three bronze earrings recovered from the Givati Parking Lot excavations in Jerusalem.

Multispectral imaging of Dead Sea Scroll fragments in the Martin Schøyen collection is being used to answer questions of authenticity.

“The Golan Antiquities Museum is moving to the Ancient Katzrin Park, where a new complex combining archaeology, technology, artificial intelligence, and a planetarium will be established.”

Shmuel Browns writes about hiking at En Prat as an alternative while most of the En Gedi Reserve is closed.

“Jerusalem’s wealthiest families in the early Roman period built monumental tombs along the roads approaching the city, placing their wealth and status on display. Yet pilgrims heading to the Temple had to avoid entering or coming into contact with these tombs, lest they become impure and be barred from the very Temple they came to visit.”

Ute Wagner-Lux, former director of the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology in the Holy Land, died last week.

Carl Rasmussen shares some of David Padfield’s AI-generated Bible scenes for the book of Acts, all available for free. I will underscore what Carl says: the research behind each image is exceptionally strong, making these images as historically realistic as any I know.

I am very grateful for the kind words about the new Minor Prophets volumes in the Photo Companion to the Bible by Luke Chandler, Mark V. Hoffman, and Charles Savelle.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Explorator

Tagged Dead Sea Scrolls, Golan Heights, Holidays, Jerusalem, Judah, Museums, Photo Resources, Sad News, Tourism, Weekend Roundup