Turkey Archives - Page 46 of 65

Weekend Roundup

The National Parks Authority has begun a $750,000 project to restore the Lower Aqueduct between Abu Tor and the Temple Mount in order to open it to visitors for Sukkot.

A stone workshop has been excavated in Galilee between Nazareth and Cana. The archaeologist suggests that perhaps the large stone jars mentioned in John 2 came from a cave like this one.

Archaeologists working in the Hittite capital of Alacahöyük have discovered a secret tunnel.

An article in Haaretz highlights similarities of Philistine culture to Cypriot cities and technology, supporting the theory of their Aegean origins.

A collection of metal artifacts discovered near the coast of Caesarea over several decades has been turned over to the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Seventy percent of the work on the archaeological park around the Giza pyramids is complete and the plan is to open it by the end of the year.

The BBC asks, “Will the skyscrapers outlast the pyramids?”

The tomb of Suleiman the Magnificent is being excavated in a small town in Hungary.

New book: The Archaeology and History of the Church of the Redeemer and the Muristan in Jerusalem, edited by Dieter Vieweger and Shimon Gibson. Publication details here.

Wayne Stiles has a very good deal going right now on the audiobook version of his excellent Waiting on God.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Charles Savelle

Tagged Egypt, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A stunning (!) 36-foot mosaic floor depicting scenes of ancient chariot races in the hippodrome has been revealed outside Nicosia in Cyprus.

Human skeleton remains of a teenage boy dating back to 11 BC have been found on Mt. Lykaion, a site honored as the birthplace of the Greek god Zeus.

The discovery of some rare artifacts in Perge has led to the creation of a special room in the Antalya Museum in Turkey.

After two years of occupation by ISIS, previously unknown Assyrian artifacts in the Syrian city Tal
Ajaja, or ancient Shadikanni have been found looted or destroyed.

A report by Live Science documents the death of children killed as a result of looting in Egypt.

A statue of Zeus lost in the 5th century has been re-created using a 3D printer.

Cal Thomas recommends the new “Ben Hur” movie, opening on Friday.

Ben-Hur the video game is available for free download for Xbox One.

Todd Hanneken has received a $325,000 grant to fund his use of Spectral RTI for the Jubilees Palimpsest Project.

“The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (CSNTM) is proud to announce the completion of our digitization project at the National Library of Greece (NLG).”

Wayne Stiles considers the value of biblical geography for apologetics.

HT: Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis, Agade, Charles Savelle

Mosaic depicting chariot races excavated in Cyprus
Photo by the Associated Press

Tagged Greece, Mediterranean Islands, Movies, Museums, Syria, Technology, Turkey

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists working in Manisa in western Turkey have discovered a dinner set that dates to 150 BC.

Philippe Bohstrom profiles the Phoenicians and their contributions to civilization.

A map of all of Egypt’s archaeological sites and museums has been created, with a digital version to be released online next month.

“An underwater Roman era basilica found only 20 meters off the shore of Lake İznik in the northwestern province of Bursa will be revived for tourism, as an “underwater museum” project at the site is underway.”

The Bolton Museum is planning to spend millions of pounds to create a new Eternal Egypt Gallery.

Michael Harbin looks at the Bible, archaeology, and modern patterns to understand what an agricultural community in the time of the Judges might have looked like.

The World Video Bible School has released the first five of a scheduled 20 programs. These include
Jerusalem, Jesus’s northern ministry, Dan, the Mount Gilboa region, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

HT: Joseph Lauer, Agade

Tagged Egypt, Jordan, Museums, Turkey

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Forty-five shipwrecks, many dating back to ancient times, have been discovered off a Greek archipelago that is one of the Mediterranean’s richest underwater archaeological sites.”

A large and Roman mosaic has been discovered in Larnaca, Cyprus. A short video shows the excavation.

“A large number of expansive rock tombs which could constitute part of the world’s largest necropolis have been discovered during work carried out by the Şanlıurfa Municipality around the historic Urfa Castle in southeastern Turkey.”

“Excavation teams at an ancient site [Side] in the southern province of Antalya are struggling to find sponsors after it emerged that the site contains an ancient brothel.”

The Lion of Babylon is not faring well in part because of the visitors that keep climbing on its back.

The oldest writing found on papyrus is now on display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Scholars believe that have identified an ancient security system that protected the pharaoh’s burial chamber in one of the pyramids of Giza.

Philippi is in the latest group of sites to be named a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Some British MPs are proposing the return of the Elgin Marbles to smooth Britain’s departure from the EU.

Two Hellenistic marble sculptures from the Pergamon Museum in Berlin will remain on loan for the next two years at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The ancient Mamertine Prison in Rome will soon be open after three years for restoration and excavation.

After a $73 million renovation, Yale will soon be re-opening the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

“Dendrochronological and radiocarbon research by an international team led by Cornell archaeologist Sturt Manning has established an absolute timeline for the archaeological, historical and environmental record in Mesopotamia from the early second millennium B.C.”

Ben Witherington III has more than 20 posts on his recent trip to Turkey. Highlights include visits to the Miletus Museum, the Izmir Museum, and the Zeugma Museum (which has a splendid mosaic).

New book out from Eisenbrauns: “Did I Not Bring Israel Out of Egypt?” Biblical, Archaeological, and Egyptological Perspectives on the Exodus Narratives, edited by James K. Hoffmeier, Alan R. Millard, and Gary A. Rendsburg.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Ted Weis, Charles Savelle, Explorator, Daniel Wright

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Exodus-Conquest, Greece, Mesopotamia, Museums, Travels, Turkey

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A mosaic found in Antioch on the Orontes from the 3rd century BC reads “Be cheerful, enjoy your life.”

The Washington Post has more on the discovery of a waystation built during the early years of Queen Hatshepsut.

A scholar believes he has found the oldest depictions of demons in ancient Egypt.
Atlanta Jewish Times has a story on Jodi Magness’s on-going work at the Galilean village of Huqoq.

New book: Hazor: Canaanite Metropolis, Israelite City, by Amnon Ben-Tor. Available from the Israel Exploration Society.

The Hazor Expedition needs more volunteers this summer. Get all the details here.

A recent donation to the Yale Babylonian Collection includes 360 cylinder seals from the third and fourth millennia BC.

ISIS has destroyed two gates of Nineveh, but most of what they bulldozed is modern reconstruction work.

Most of the 200 objects displayed on the ground floor of the Palmyra Museum were destroyed, including the famous Lion of Allat.

The US Senate has voted to ban all imports of antiquities from Syria in order to discourage looting.

Archaeologists are trying to solve the mystery of why 150 people were buried with shackles near the port of Athens.

An article by Philippe Bohstrom in Haaretz (premium) traces the history of writing materials from clay tablets to wax tablets.

Construction workers in Spain discovered a trove of 1,300 pounds of Roman coins dating to the 3rd and 4th centuries.

A replica of Noah’s Ark will sail from the Netherlands to Brazil before coming to the United States.

Another reason to visit Jordan: Jordanian Food: 25 of the Best Dishes You Should Eat

Wayne Stiles explains why the Judean wilderness is a perfect place to escape.

HT: Charles Savelle, Joseph Lauer, Agade, Ted Weis, Steven Anderson

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Galilee, Greece, Jordan, Judah, Mesopotamia, Resources, Syria, Turkey

Weekend Roundup

IAA excavations in the Schneller Compound in Jerusalem have revealed a Roman bathhouse and a Roman- or Byzantine-era winerpress. High-res photos and a video may be downloaded here.

Archaeologists have unearthed a cemetery in use from the Middle Bronze to the Iron Ages south of Bethlehem. Two journal articles on which the report was based can be read here and here.

A hidden camera reveals for the first time the condition of Palmyra after ISIS terrorists destroyed temples, arches, and tower tombs.

A missing letter in an inscription brings into question whether the Amphipolis tomb really belonged to Hephaestion, Alexander the Great’s beloved friend and general, and may instead belong to Alexander’s mother, Olympias.

The Bethsaida Excavation Project has posted their 2015 season report (73 pages with lots of photos).

Three looted Mesopotamian sculptures were found in a Slovenian refugee camp.

Haaretz runs a story on the mysterious 90-mile long wall in Jordan.

Two UCSD professors are working with the Israel Antiquities Authority to update the Digital Archaeological Atlas of the Holy Land.

An online Neo-Assyrian Bibliography compiled by Heather D. Baker and Melanie Groß is available.

Egypt is seeking to add four archaeological sites in Alexandria and Sinai to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Jacob sheep being raised in Canada will be brought back to Israel.

The death of the Dead Sea has probably never been better illustrated than in this multi-media rich “article” at Haaretz. It includes the prediction that within 20 years there may be no access to the shoreline of the Dead Sea.

Clyde Billington and Gordon Govier discuss the latest discoveries on this week’s edition of The Book and the Spade.

Shmuel Browns visits the site of Lifta (biblical Nephtoah) on the edge of Jerusalem.

Minna Silver takes readers on a visit to biblical Haran, once home to the patriarch Abraham.

Eisenbrauns’s Deal of the Weekend: The Horsemen of Israel
Horses and Chariotry in Monarchic Israel, by Deborah Cantrell ($20).

Barry Britnell introduces a new video project entitled “Following the Messiah” and encourages everyone to support the project through their Kickstarter Campaign.

HT: Ted Weis, Gale, Joseph Lauer, Agade, Ferrell Jenkins

Tagged Dead Sea, Egypt, Excavations, Galilee, Jerusalem, Jordan, Resources, Syria, Technology, Turkey