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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

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

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Italy, Persia, Resources, Syria, Technology, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

“Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered 18 ancient tombs, a granite sarcophagus and dozens of rare burial objects at Marina El Alamein, offering new insight into the city’s role as a cultural crossroads between ancient Egypt and the Mediterranean world.”

“Egypt has uncovered only about 30% of its archaeological heritage, with vast historic treasures from successive civilizations still buried beneath its soil, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Hisham El-Leithy said.”

Yale News reports on Eckart Frahm’s discovery of three previously unknown Assyrian kings.

“Bronze Age rulers in Greece prized rings made from meteorite iron, wearing them as symbols of power, according to new research.”

The House of Charred Furniture at Herculaneum is open to visitors after thirty years of closure.

Lauren McCormick provides an intro to a new article in BAR that observes that “the homes in which Paul and other early Christians worshiped were already shaped by generations of religious practice.”

New release: Assyria’s Plunder: From Ancient Empire to Modern Loot, by Jessie DeGrado (University Press of Colorado, $105, open-access)

The latest issue of The Journal of the Ancient Near East Society is available online.

The Institute of Biblical Culture has announced the final three of six installments of the Dr. David Marcus Book Giveaway. The books are being given away free of charge, plus shipping and handling.

Leon Maudlin posts a photo of the temple to Emperor Augustus at Ankara (ancient Ancyra).

Aren Maeir gives his quick reaction to the archaeological reliability of the movie “The Odyssey.”

HT: Agade, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, Movies, Resources, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists working at a site in the Wadi Tumilat in Egypt have “uncovered a residential complex, storage and production facilities, pottery that contains seal impressions, ten mudbrick graves, and humans buried in unusual squatting positions,” all from the Hyksos period.

Excavations of a temple in the Bahariya Oasis uncovered a number of inscriptions with the name of Psamtik (Psammetichus) I, the first pharaoh of the 26th dynasty.

Archaeologists have discovered a well-preserved 4th-century AD city with a basilica-style church in the Dakhla oasis in Egypt.

“A new exhibit at the Peabody Museum explores Yale Egyptologist Victoria Almansa-Villatoro’s study of thousands of papyri fragments from the Old Kingdom era of Ancient Egypt.”

A 1.5-min BBC video explains a photo showing the first view into King Tut’s tomb.

“Archaeologists working in the ancient city of Smyrna in İzmir, western Türkiye, have fully uncovered a 1,500-year-old mosaic room.”

Bible History Daily has posted an interview with Barış Yener, director of the excavations at Colossae. He discusses his objectives, his early finds, and his intention to excavate six months each year until he retires.

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

The Temple of Apollo in Didyma is open to visitors during the evenings this summer.

On Digging for Truth, Nate Loper shares evidence for locating the landing of Noah’s Ark on Mt. Cudi.

“Scientists have used ancient tree rings to pinpoint when builders raised the Agios Vasileios (Άγιος Βασίλειος) palace, a major Late Bronze Age site in southern Greece.”

“The Archaeological Museum of Argos [in Greece] has reopened after twelve years, unveiling a fully renovated space and a collection of newly repatriated treasures.”

New release: Assur 2025: Further insights into life and death in the New Town. Exploring Assur 3. Edited by Karen Radner, Jana Richter, and Andrea Squitieri (PeWe-Verlag, 2026; open-access).

Anthropeum is an online daily game that quizzes you on the date and geographic origin of various artifacts from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Leon Mauldin shares a beautiful photo of the unique landscape of Cappadocia.

HT: Agade, Wayne Stiles, Explorator, Andreas Heimbichner

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Greece, Museums, Resources, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

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

Tagged Discoveries, Greece, Italy, Mesopotamia, Persia, Technology, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

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

Tagged Exodus-Conquest, Judah, Lectures, Photo Resources, Resources, Samaria, Technology, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists have made some discoveries at Heracleopolis, the ancient capital of Upper Egypt’s 20th nome.

Hanan Charaf and Martine Francis-Allouche write about the history of Byblos for The Ancient Near East Today. The article includes recent research from maritime Byblos as well as many photos.

Zoom lecture on June 13: “Individuals, Households, Families, and the Law in Ancient Egypt,” by Brian Muhs

New release: Urban Life and Form in Ancient Egypt, by Nadine Moeller (Elements in Ancient Egypt in Context; Cambridge University Press; open-access until June 24).

New episode on This Week in the Ancient Near East: “Sennacherib’s Throne Room of Doom, or Hezekiah Can See His House from Here”

“The new official guide to the Archaeological Park of Pompeii accompanies the reader on a discovery of one of the most extraordinary archaeological sites in the world.”

HT: Agade, Explorator

Tagged Egypt, Mesopotamia, Tourism, Weekend Roundup