Archaeologists have discovered an underground chamber in Nero’s Domus Aurea palace.

“Ancient workers used molten iron to repair Pompeii’s streets before the historic and devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79.”

Greek authorities have granted permission for the restoration of the interior of the Parthenon in Athens.

Turkish officials have discovered an ancient mosaic that was illegally excavated in Çanakkale.

“Ancient treasures pillaged from conflict zones in the Middle East are being offered for sale on Facebook, researchers say, including items that may have been looted by Islamic State militants.”

In light of ISIS’s plundering, researchers have attempted to quantity the market value of artifacts from a single site.

The Biblical History Center in LaGrange, Georgia, is seeking approval to build a replica of the Sea of Galilee.

The Minerva Center for the Relations between Israel and Aram in Biblical Times has announced the list of speakers for its 2019 conference “Between Israel, Aram and Phoenicia: Archaeological and Historical Perspectives.”

BibleX has posted a mini-review of the Photo Companion to Daniel.

HT: Ted Weis, Agade, A.D. Riddle

I just received notice of a conference to be held next summer in Turkey. The invitation is open to all, and it looks like an outstanding slate of speakers and an outstanding itinerary including on-site tours led by the archaeologists. Opportunities like this, especially geared toward non-scholars, are all too rare. I expect it will be an very beneficial conference.

Below I have copied the invitation from Levent Oral (President, Tutku) and Mark Wilson (President, Seven Churches Network). Few people know biblical Turkey as well as Mark Wilson, and probably no one runs better tours of Turkey than Levent Oral.
—————

A unique Biblical event is coming to Turkey in June of 2020!  And we’d like you and your congregation to be a part of it. 

We invite you to the Global Smyrna Meeting on the Seven Churches of Revelation to be held in Izmir (ancient Smyrna) on June 21-27, 2020.

Not only will you visit each of the Seven Churches during the course of the Meeting, but you will also hear some of the world’s leading authorities discuss these churches from the perspective of history, religion, and archaeology. A time of worship will precede each of the inspiring evening sessions. So mark these dates on your calendar and make plans to experience the Seven Churches with us.


Lecturers:



Dr. Mark Wilson http://sevenchurches.org/home/ Seven Churches Network & Asia Minor Research Center


Dr. Ben Witherington www.benwitherington.com Asbury Theological Seminary


Dr. Mark Fairchild http://www.huntington.edu/Bible/Faculty/Mark-Fairchild Huntington University.


Dr. Carl Rasmussen www.holylandphotos.org Bethel College


Dr. Jeff Weima http://www.jeffreyweima.com/ Calvin Theological Seminary


Dr. Linford Stutzman http://www.sailingacts.com/the-sailors  Eastern Mennonite University


Pastor Bernard Bell, Peninsula Bible College, Cupertino, CA https://pbcc.org/


Bishop Daniel Balais,  Philippines https://www.intercessorsforthephilippines.com/


…and more

Churches invited from:


USA, Canada, England, France, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Philippines, Russia, 
Ukraine, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and more.

To reserve a place, simply email Erin Dailey: [email protected]

For further details, please visit: www.globalsmyrnameeting.com

A large statue of Trajan has been discovered in Laodicea.

Archaeologists have excavated another thermopolium in Pompeii, bringing the number to about 80.

Steps believed to be from the palace of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem have been re-opened to visitors in Rome after 300 years.

The palace of Nero is now open to visitors and includes virtual reality features.

An ancient shipwreck off the Greek island of Alonissos is now being opened to recreational divers.

“Archaeologists have uncovered more than 100 ancient inscriptions [from the Middle Kingdom] carved into rock at Wadi el-Hudi, where the ancient Egyptians mined amethyst.”

The Temple Mount Sifting Project will re-start its sifting work on Jerusalem Day, June 2, but at a new location.

David Moster has released a new 5-minute video on butter churns from the ancient world.

Eisenbrauns has a 40-50% off sale through Sunday on some books related to ancient Israel.

New release: Excavations at Karkemish I. The Stratigraphic Sequence of Area G in the Inner Town, edited by F. Zaina. The print volume is available for purchase; the pdf is available for free (third item from the bottom).

Keith Taillon explains how Egyptian obelisks ended up in Paris, London, and New York City.

Luxor Times posts photos of the Grand Egyptian Museum, scheduled to open next year.

Brent Nongbri explains the archaeology of early Christian manuscripts.

The study of imagery from U2 spy planes is revealing numerous archaeological features.

Carl Rasmussen is giving a nicely illustrated tour of the Tomb of Annas, beginning with the exterior and continuing inside.

Ferrell’s favorite photo is one he took last week of a ewe and lamb grazing along the road from Jericho to Jerusalem.

HT: Agade, Ted Weis

The AFP was given a private tour of the “Tomb of the Kings” in Jerusalem, while discussions are ongoing with the French government on re-opening the site to the public.

Renovations of a shop in Paris revealed a large hidden painting of the city of Jerusalem.

The greatest threats to archaeology in Iraq are looting and uncontrolled building.

Carl Rasmussen shares photos of a procession of the Roman elite at Ephesus.

Wayne Stiles looks at three reminders that come from Jesus’s ministry in Galilee.

Evan McDuff describes his experience in excavating Tel Dor.

Graham Chandler provides an interesting and well-illustrated look at ivory in the ancient Near East.

The latest episodes on Digging for Truth look at the relationship between ancient child sacrifice and modern abortion (part 1, part 2, part 3).

Scattered Finds: Archaeology, Egyptology and Museums, by Alice Stevenson, is now available in print or as a free pdf.

Bryan Windle has created two top ten lists:

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Steven Anderson

The restoration of the Roman aqueduct of Gadara has been completed, and the tunnel is now open to the public.

Researchers have discovered Iron Age II pottery at Sela in Jordan.

The goal of the SCHEP project is to encourage people in Jordan to protect the ancient sites in their communities.

Britain has returned to Egypt a stolen ornamental tablet of Pharaoh Amenhotep I.

“The Ministry of Antiquities began the work of the second phase of the project of documenting the rock inscriptions in the ancient area of South of Sinai.”

Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities has posted an annual newsletter for 2018.

Saudi Arabia now wants tourists to come visit its archaeological sites.

“Trade Routes in Arabia – Masterpieces of the Monuments of Saudi Arabia through the Ages” is a new exhibit at the Louvre in Abu Dhabi.

In a third post on Assos, Carl Rasmussen describes the theater and the ancient harbor.

The British Museum celebrated its 260th birthday this week. A birthday blogpost provides some numbers, including the number of objects in the collection: 8 million!

The BBC attempts to explain why ancient people drilled holes in their heads.

Near Eastern Archaeology is soliciting articles for publication.

Wayne Stiles is leading a tour of Greece and Turkey in September.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis

The Ultra-Orthodox are upset that the French government won’t allow entrance into the Tomb of the Kings in Jerusalem. The French claim that they have renovated the site and with the right assurances, they will open it to the public.

A long tunnel has been covertly dug underneath the “Tomb of David” on Mount Zion and now some people are mad.

The large number of tourists visiting the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem has led to the development of an app that will handle reservations.

“The inauguration ceremony of Egypt’s new Greco-Roman Museum [in Alexandria] will be held by the end of 2019.”

Three ancient cities in Crete are the focus of an exhibit at the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, Greece.

Harvey Mudd College is giving its Cypriot artifacts to the University of Cyprus.

Don McNeeley shares a report on the 2018 annual meeting of the Near East Archaeological Society.
You can join the society here.

The video is now online for the 2018 Plenary Address for the ASOR Annual Meeting: “Between Looters, Private Collectors, and Warlords: Does Archaeology Stand a Chance?” by Hélène Sader, Professor of Archaeology, American University of Beirut.

Tali Erickson-Gini is on The Book and the Spade talking about the Timna Park excavations and the opportunity for the public to volunteer.

Wayne Stiles compares Peter’s boast in the Upper Room to his failure in the Garden of Gethsemane to find application today.

That “ark of the covenant” in the church in Ethiopia—it’s a replica.

Rick Lanser believes he has evidence that supports the birth of Jesus on Nisan 1, 6 BC.

Ferrell Jenkins’s favorite photos this week include Hasankef, the Roman road near Saglikli, and Riblah.

Justin Taylor interviews the filmmaker who has created “The Chosen,” the first-ever multi-season drama about the life of Christ.

HT: Joseph Lauer, Agade, Ted Weis