Turkey Archives - Page 22 of 65

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A Neolithic shrine has been discovered in Jordan’s eastern desert.

Remains from Alexander the Great’s siege of Gaza have been discovered in a cemetery.

Archaeologists have found remains from the Roman period, including catacombs, in Elazıg in eastern Turkey.

A pair of “exceptional” mosaics from the Roman period have been discovered in London.

One of the iron daggers in King Tut’s tomb apparently came from a meteor that landed in Syria.

Smithsonian magazine runs a feature story on the excavations at Troy.

Bible History Daily has a brief interview with Monique Roddy as she prepares for this summer’s excavations at Khirbat al-Balu‘a.

Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer discuss the proposal that locates Sodom at Tall al-Hammam in the latest episode of the Biblical World podcast.

On the Thin End of the Wedge, Farouk al-Rawi reflects on his life as an archaeologist in Iraq.

Kasia Szpakowska writes about our knowledge of dreams in ancient Egypt.

The Mycenaean Atlas Project has added the complete Pleiades dataset, the harbor dataset from Arthur de Graauw, and the Topostext dataset from Brady Kiesling.

Carl Rasmussen thinks it is quite possible that Paul was sentenced to death in the Julia Basilica in Rome.

The latest issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes articles on the origin of the Philistines, Herod’s palace at Caesarea Philippi, and finding the Red Sea.

Bryan Windle identifies the top three reports in biblical archaeology this month.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Keith Keyser, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Greece, Israel's Coast, Italy, Jordan, Mesopotamia, Syria, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“More than 18,000 inscribed pottery ‘notepads’ are uncovered in the long-lost Egyptian city of Athribis, including shopping lists and lines written by students as a punishment”

The Khufu Boat Museum has been demolished, now allowing an unobstructed view of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Joyce Tyldesley gives a fascinating account of the discovery of the famous Nefertiti bust, how it ended up in Germany, and why it has never been returned to Egypt.

Timed with Friday’s release of the movie, Smithsonian Magazine has an interesting story about how Agatha Christie’s love of archaeology influenced Death on the Nile.

Turkish Archaeological News reviews the discoveries made in Turkey in the month of January.

“A Tunisian history enthusiast is making dye from sea snail shells inspired by a school project decades ago on ancient Carthage and the purple coloring that brought fabulous wealth to the classical world.”

“Archaeologists in southern Italy announced last week that they unearthed two helmets, fragments of weapons and armor, bits of pottery and the remains of a possible temple to Athena at an archaeological excavation of the ancient Greek city of Velia.”

Andrew Knight-Hill has created a 18-minute instrumental composition featuring “beach soundscapes and choral works sung from portions of the ancient flood myth poem Atra-Hasis.”

Paul Collins questions whether the Sumerians were a distinct ethnic people group.

A 6-minute BBC video looks at the decipherment of cuneiform.

K. Lawson Younger is the guest on the Biblical World podcast, discussing parallelomania, Arameans, and ancient conquest accounts.

John DeLancey’s new book is now out: Connecting the Dots: Between the Bible and the Land of Israel. You can read my endorsement there. The pre-order discount has been extended to Feb 19, and shipping is free.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Explorator, Charles Savelle, Steve Ulrich, Keith Keyser

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Italy, Mesopotamia, Museums, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Archaeologists have discovered an ancient Egyptian shipwreck which proves the Greek Historian Herodotus was correct about the observations he made about Egyptian vessels nearly 25 centuries ago.”

“Evidence of ancient hybrid camels has been uncovered by archaeologists who were working to restore a temple in northern Iraq damaged by ISIS.”

Plans have been approved for a Museum of Underwater Antiquities in Piraeus, the ancient harbor of Athens.

“The attitude towards ancient theatres has changed” in Greece and work has been carried out on about 40 theaters in recent years.

The AP has some photos of the recent snowfall in Athens and Istanbul.

Magnesia’s “stadium of 30,000 seats is one of the most imposing and well-preserved ancient stadiums in Anatolia.”

“Ancient Egyptian wisdom and literary texts legitimize the domination of men over women, give advice regarding constraints on women, but also recommend avoiding women who are strangers or women who are adulterous.”

“The Lapis Niger is an ancient sanctuary and a remnant of the Comitium in Rome, that some Romans believed was the venerated sacred tomb of the city’s legendary founder, Romulus.”

David Moster has posted a new video in which he explains how a real “secret code” in the Bible identifies a biblical place.

Carl Rasmussen has a few open spots on his May tour of Turkey, Greece, and Patmos. The itinerary looks outstanding.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Tagged Egypt, Greece, Italy, Mesopotamia, Museums, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Webinar: Colossae, Colossians, and Archaeology

A site I’ve long thought held the most potential for future discoveries for New Testament studies is Colossae. Many groups to Turkey don’t even bother to visit, since the ancient mound is virtually untouched and only scattered remains can be seen on the ground. So whenever I see something about archaeology at Colossae, my ears immediately perk up.

Tutku Tours is sponsoring a webinar on February 27 entitled “Colossae, Colossians, and Archaeology: Digging for Answers at a Biblical Site,” with Mark Wilson moderating. The graphic (below) provides full details, but I’ve written out the schedule here, with times in US Eastern:

10:00-10:45: “Latest Archaeological Surveys in Colossae,” by Baris Yener

10:50-11:35: “How the Excavation of Colossae Could Help Illuminate Paul’s Letter to the Colossians,” by Clint Arnold

11:40-12:00: Response: ”Archaeology and Interpreting Colossians,” by Anna Enberg

12:00-12:30: Questions and Conversation

To join, go to the Zoom website and enter Meeting ID: 629 730 8579; passcode: tutku

Tagged Lectures, Turkey

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“A Phoenician plaque, a stone pillar and the remains of boatsheds were unearthed as a result of 2021’s archaeological excavations in Kition-Pampoula, Cyprus.”

A bronze military diploma has been discovered in southeastern Turkey.

A new study has determined that a mummified fetus was preserved through acidification as the mother’s body decomposed.

“Five Roman artefacts from the ancient city of Palmyra, a site damaged during Syria’s decade-long conflict, were returned to Damascus on Thursday by a private Lebanese museum where they had been on display since 2018.”

“Turkey’s mercenaries continue to systematically destroy archaeological sites and everything related to the historical heritage of Syria.”

Archaeologists are surprised that Mesopotamians were cultivating millet centuries before the invention of large-scale irrigation.

Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs, “an internationally touring exhibition that made its world premiere at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) in November” is “a feat of technology, its layered display creating an immersive experience without the use of 3-D glasses.”

Apparently one of the “secrets” of Istanbul is the “Mosaic Museum of the Grand Palace of Constantinople.” It’s now on my list for my next visit.

The Historical Geography of the Biblical World unit is accepting paper proposals for the 2022 Annual Meeting in Denver.

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

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Mediterranean Islands, Mesopotamia, Syria, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists working in the temple of Amenhotep III in Luxor have discovered remains of a pair of gigantic limestone colossi.

“A joint Egyptian-Italian Mission excavating near Aswan in Egypt has discovered a tomb from the Greco-Roman period containing twenty mummies.”

“Scientists found the first recorded example of a bandaged wound on a mummified body, which could offer more insight into ancient medical practices.”

“Scholars have concluded that King Tutankhamun was not murdered, after a lengthy investigation that seemed to refute popular theory.”

Joshua Berman says that marks of Egyptian culture in the Torah give evidence of the Israelites’ sojourn in Egypt.

Deb Hurn argues that the meteoric airburst theory for the destruction of Tall al-Hammam does not match various details in the biblical text for the destruction of Sodom.

The world’s largest mosaic is now open to the public underneath the newly built Antakya Museum Hotel (in biblical Antioch on the Orontes).

“A new study has revealed that some 4,500 years ago the ancient Mesopotamians were the first to create a hybrid animal, producing an entirely new beast by mating two different species.”

New technology is allowing scientists to better determine the sex of ancient skeletons.

Candida Moss writes about the relationship that ancient Romans had with their dogs.

A Hellenistic necropolis near Naples is opening to the public for the first time.

Nimes is my favorite Roman city in France, and National Geographic reviews some of the highlights.

Michael Shutterly has written a brief guide to the coins of the Persian kings.

Carl Rasmussen shares photos of what’s new at Laodicea—“a two hundred foot long, 25 foot high Frescoed Wall.”

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Explorator, Arne Halbakken

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Exodus-Conquest, Italy, Persia, Technology, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup