Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Claudia Chotzen describes her experience as a volunteer excavating the En Gedi synagogue 50 years ago.

The Institute of Biblical Culture is beginning a year-long biblical Hebrew course in July, and you can receive $300 off with coupon BIBLEPLACES.

Jerusalem University College has a number of excellent study options, including Historical and Geographical Settings of the Bible, Jesus and His Times, and Pastor and Parishoner trips.

Bible Archaeology Report: Top Ten Discoveries Related to the Book of Judges. It’s fun to try to make some guesses before reading through.

The latest from Walking the Text with Brad Gray: David and Goliath: Guard Your Shephelah (20 min)

Virtual lecture on June 19: Aren Maeir will be speaking on “New Views on the Philistines: What Archaeology Reveals about Goliath and His Peers” in the BAS Scholars Series ($10).

On sale for Kindle: Zondervan Essential Atlas of the Bible, by Carl Rasmussen

Our team spent years developing the Photo Companion to 1 & 2 Kings, and we finally released it this week. Woohoo!

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

An ancient shipwreck near the northern Greek island of Alonissos will be the first in Greece to be made accessible to the public. It dates to the 5th century BC and was carrying 4,000 amphoras.

Three archaeological expeditions are working at Nineveh, and authorities plan to open the city to tourists next year.

“Scientists have fully sequenced the DNA of a Pompeii man killed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79.”

Judith Sudilovsky went on a tour of Turkey, and she reports on what she saw at Harran, the city where Abraham lived, at Urfa/Edessa, and at the Haleplibahçe Mozaik Museum.

“The United Kingdom and Greece have agreed to formal talks regarding the return of the Parthenon marbles.”

A former president of the Louvre has been charged with crimes related to the trafficking of Egyptian artifacts.

Amanda Claridge, archaeologist and author of Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide, died earlier this month.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Keith Keyser, Explorator

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

The alabaster for two of Herod’s bathtubs was quarried not in Egypt but in the Te’omim cave in the Judean hills.

Excavators are claiming that the stump of a juniper tree, discovered near Eilat, may be the oldest Asherah ever found.

A new season of excavations has begun at the Apollonia-Arsuf Crusader fortress on the coast near Herzilya.

“In one of the biggest busts in Israeli history, the Israel Antiquities Authority’s theft prevention unit has recovered over 1,800 ancient artifacts from an unlicensed dealer in the central Israeli city of Modiin. Mostly coins and jewelry, the artifacts also included cuneiform tablets and bronze statuettes.”

Israel’s supreme court has “rejected four petitions against a controversial plan to build a cable car to Jerusalem’s historic Old City, shutting down the legal opposition route for opponents of the plan.”

A renovation project on an ancient Samaritan priestly residential compound is the first step in making the Mount Gerizim archaeological park more welcoming to tourists.

The latest issue of Tel Aviv includes several articles on Iron Age Jerusalem. The titles and abstracts are free, but access to the articles requires subscription.

Virtual tour on June 8: The Room of the Last Supper and Jerusalem, with Museum of the Bible and DIVE (Digital Interactive Virtual Experiences); $20

A colleague of mine at The Master’s University was honored last month by the publication of a festschrift: Written for Our Instruction: Essays in Honor of William Varner. Among the many interesting essays, two are of particular relevance to this blog:

  • “Where Did David Go? David’s Wilderness Wanderings and the Testing of God’s Son,” by Abner Chou (my new boss)
  • “‘What Have I Done in Comparison with You?’: The Itinerary of Gideon’s Pursuit of the Midianites in Judges 7–8,” by Chris McKinny (with additional color maps on Academia)

Andy Cook of Secrets from Ancient Paths has just posted “The life-saving lesson of Bet Shemesh” (5 min).

Joel Kramer at Expedition Bible has released some new videos (4-10 min ea.):

Bruce Cresson died last week. He was director or co-director of excavations at Aphek-Antipatris, Dalit, Ira, Uza, Radum, and Malhata.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, G. M. Grena

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Archaeologists from an Egyptian archaeological mission have discovered 85 tombs, a watch tower and a temple site at Gabal El Haridi in the Sohag region of Egypt.”

“A bungled looting scheme has led archaeologists to an underground Iron Age complex in Turkey that may have been used by a fertility cult during the first millennium B.C.”

“The skeleton of a woman who lived in the 1st century BC lying on her [bronze] bed was uncovered by Greek archaeologists recently near the city of Kozani, northern Greece.”

A $35 purchase at a Goodwill store in Austin, Texas, turned out to be an authentic Roman bust from the time of Christ.

Restoration work on the ancient Greek theater at Laodicea has been completed.

The Greek Reporter describes four astronomical discoveries made in ancient Greece.

“Iranian archaeology professors have published an open letter calling on parliament to step back from a draft law that would allow trade in antiquities.”

“A new exhibition at the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries—Tutankhamun: Excavating the Archives—marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery.”

Hybrid workshop on May 19: “Was There a Synagogue in the Athenian Agora,” led by Jocelyn Burney. Register here.

The 25th Annual Bible and Archaeology Fest will be a 2-day virtual event on October 8 and 9, with Carol Meyers giving the plenary lecture.

Bible History Daily: “The Israel Museum’s “Visualizing Isaiah” online exhibit invites you on a journey through a rich selection of objects from the museum’s collections that portray the life and times of the prophet Isaiah.”

Video has just been released of the press conference after Daniel didn’t get eaten by lions.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Wayne Stiles, Charles Savelle

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A $3 million grant will allow the National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel to open by the end of 2022, more than 8 years after its original schedule.

“A new study of trash heaps at rest stops along the ancient Incense Route in the Negev Desert shows it was a two-way street for trade.”

Hybrid conference on May 18: “The First International Academic Conference on New Studies in Temple Mount Research,” featuring many important scholars in Jerusalem studies. Registration and a small fee is required.

“Australia’s only academic program dedicated to the study of Ancient Israel was officially launched at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) last week.” The program will support a new archaeological excavation at Lachish.

In Haaretz, Ruth Schuster uses a recent essay published by Shimon Gibson to discuss the location of where Jesus was baptized. Don’t expect much; this is the worst article I’ve read this year.

Andy Cook has released a new video about the Dead Sea, including drone footage that shows how much the water has receded in the last century.

John DeLancey’s latest devotion from Israel is on Psalm 23. Another recent video shows his run up Masada’s Snake Path.

David Moster addresses the question, “What did ancient Hebrew sound like?” in a new 6-minute video.

Three Hebrew speakers—one Yemenite, one Samaritan, and one Israeli—have a 20-minute conversation to see if they can understand each other.

New release: His Inheritance – A Memorial Volume for Adam Zertal, edited by Ralph K. Hawkins, Erasmus Gaß, and Dror Ben-Yosef (Ugarit-Verlag, 2022).

Abigail Leavitt gives some background to the writing of her new book, The El-Burnat (A) Structure(s): Joshua’s Altar?

Philip Long is leading a tour around Israel now, and he describes some new sites in Jerusalem he visited earlier this week.

Aren Maeir shares photos from the (short) spring season at Tell es-Safi/Gath.

Walking the Text’s recommended resource of the month is Biblical Backgrounds. (I will have more to say about the resources of this fine organization soon, but I’m happy to spread the word now.)

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“A nearly completely intact clay oil lamp from 2,300 years ago was found near a stone bath during recent conservation work at the Mount Gerizim National Park.”

Plans to construct a zip line near Haas Promenade south of Jerusalem’s Old City is facing criticism. There are also plans to build a pedestrian suspension bridge over the Hinnom Valley.

Zvi Koenigsberg argues that the discovery of the curse inscription supports his theory that the original “place that He will choose” was a temple on Mount Ebal.

Aren Maeir is interviewed in the History Channel of Israel’s “Whatever Happened to the Philistines?”

Zoom lecture on May 11: “Beer in Israel and the Ancient Near East: New Insights from Archaeology,” by Jennie Ebeling ($7).

Albright Institute hybrid workshop on May 12: “A Comparison of the Monastery at Tel Masos and Byzantine Monasteries in the Negev Desert,” by Rachel Bernstein. Register here.

Hybrid conference at Tel Aviv University on June 13: “Local and Regional Perspectives on Nomads in the Biblical World” (pdf schedule; Zoom link).

The early bird discount for the Infusion Bible Conference ends on June 3.

The latest free maps from Bible Mapper:

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Charles Savelle

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About the BiblePlaces Blog

The BiblePlaces Blog provides updates and analysis of the latest in biblical archaeology, history, and geography. Unless otherwise noted, the posts are written by Todd Bolen, PhD, Professor of Biblical Studies at The Master’s University.

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