Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists working at Knossos, Crete, have discovered the longest known inscription in Linear A script.

Archaeologists have discovered defensive structures and military housing at Tell Abu Saifi in northern Sinai.

Scholars have confirmed that one of the Herculaneum papyri as a work written by the Greek philosopher Philodemus.

A scholar claims that he has discovered previously unidentified hieroglyphics on an Egyptian obelisk located in Paris.

A treasure hunter claims to have discovered the actual location of the Council of Nicaea and is willing to disclose it for payment of $50 million.

“The painstaking restoration of glass and ceramic artifacts from the Hatay Museum damaged during the devastating earthquakes in February 2023 earthquake in Turkey is underway.”

“Starry paintings found on ancient Egyptian coffins and tombs indicate that the sky goddess Nut was closely associated with the Milky Way galaxy, according to a new study by an astronomer.”

“Jordanian authorities evacuated hundreds of tourists from the ancient city of Petra on Sunday after heavy rains caused flash floods.” Here’s another video.

“A National Endowment for the Humanities grant to create the first scholarly edition of one of the great classics of biblical literature, the Psalms” has been cancelled.

Turkish Archaeological News surveys major stories from the month of April, including:

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Explorator

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“Archaeologists in southern Jordan have uncovered a hieroglyphic inscription bearing the royal cartouche of Pharaoh Ramesses III.”

Egyptian authorities “announced the discovery of the tomb of Prince Weser Khaf Ra, son of King Userkaf, the founding monarch of Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty, in the Saqqara necropolis.”

“A California research collective known as Noah’s Ark Scan says it will begin the first controlled excavation of the Durupınar Site on Mount Ararat’s southern flank.”

The NY Times has posted a beautiful photo essay of the mostly open Grand Egyptian Museum.

A new genetic study reveals that the people of Carthage were not significantly related to the Phoenicians.

Brent Nongbri writes about the recently discovered mikveh at Ostia as well as some of the Jewish material on display in the Ostia Museum.

Smithsonian magazine asks if “Talos, the bronze automaton who guarded the island of Crete in Greek myth [was] an early example of artificial intelligence.”

Leon Mauldin has posted some recent photos of Istanbul’s ancient water system.

New release: Archaeology and the Ministry of Paul: A Visual Guide, by David A. deSilva (Baker, 320 pages, full-color, $33; also on Logos)

New release: Populus: Living and Dying in Ancient Rome, by Guy de la Bédoyère (University of Chicago, 500 pages, $24)

New release: The Aegean and Cyprus: Interaction Between Two Distinct Cultural Mediterranean Areas from the Third Millennium to ca 1200 BC, by Giampaolo Graziadio (free download)

New release: The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and Scribal Scholarship in Antiquity: Studies in Honor of Arie van der Kooij on the Occasion of his Eightieth Birthday, edited by Wilson de Angelo Cunha, Martin Rösel, and Michael N. Van der Meer (Peeters, 65 euros, free download)

The WSJ reviews Toby Wilkinson’s new book, The Last Dynasty: Ancient Egypt from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra ($29 at Amazon).

Leslie C. Allen, longtime professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, died on April 10.

Bible Passages has just released two short videos (7 min ea):

  • Secrets of the Arch of Titus – goes beyond the well-known menorah and table of showbread to investigate scenes of military conquest, dedicatory inscriptions, and the depiction of a deified emperor.
  • Erastus: Did Paul Get It Right? – considers the inscription for its insight into the social and economic standing of early Christians as well as how this archaeological discovery supports the historicity of Romans 16:23.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Keith Keyser, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Explorator, Paleojudaica

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A new study of a Bronze Age tomb in Turkey reveals that female teenagers were the victims of human sacrifice.

“Two almost lifesize sculptures of a man and woman, who was believed to have been a priestess, have been found during the excavations of a huge tomb in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.”

Scientists are arguing over the claims that technology has identified chambers far below the Giza pyramids.

Zoom lecture on April 7: “Jesus’s Parables as Jewish Stories,” by Amy-Jill Levine

Hybrid lecture at Harvard on April 23: “The Daily Lives of Ancient Egyptian Artists,” by Hana Navratilova (Zoom registration)

New release: The Amarna Letters: The Syro-Levantine Correspondence, by Jacob Lauinger and Tyler R. Yoder (Lockwood, $100-$125)

Farmers in Sicily are cultivating a resin that some identify as biblical manna.

Bryan Windle summarizes the top three reports in biblical archaeology in the month of March.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Archaeologists working at Rome’s port city of Ostia discovered the oldest ritual bath (mikveh) known outside the land of Israel.

“A team of researchers identified and mapped a vast network of irrigation canals near Eridu, considered the oldest city in history.”

“Artificial intelligence has discovered ancient civilizations over 5,000 years old hidden beneath some of the world’s largest deserts, including one in the heart of the Dubai desert, without the use of a single shovel.”

The recently renovated Side Museum in southern Turkey has more than 3,000 artifacts and 9,000 coins on display.

“The 2,000-year-old lighthouse in the ancient city of Patara, built by Roman Emperor Nero in CE 64, is set to illuminate once again after centuries, as restoration efforts reach their final stages.”

The excavation director at Pisidian Antioch wants artifacts taken to the Istanbul Archaeology Museum in the early 20th century to be returned.

A German tourist was arrested when he tried to leave Greece with an ancient Greek marble column hidden in his car.

The Greek Reporter suggests the top 20 archaeological sites in the country.

A portion of the famous Torlonia Collection, locked away for most of the 20th century, will be displayed in North America for the first time, beginning with Chicago and then heading to Fort Worth and Montreal. The 58 sculptures in the exhibition largely date to the Roman Imperial Period.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“A marble statue of Hermes from the Roman Imperial Period was found during the 2024 excavation season in the ancient city of Aspendos.”

Smithsonian Magazine runs a feature article from a forthcoming book by Joshua Hammer about the four-way mid-19th-century race to decode the Akkadian language.

Researchers at Cornell University and Tel Aviv University are developing methods to use AI in the deciphering of cuneiform tablets.

A. Bernard Knapp explores the relationship between Cyprus and Ugarit in the Late Bronze Age. His recent book on the subject is free to read online.

“The 2,000-year-old water channels of the ancient city of Smyrna in Izmir continue to function as they did centuries ago.”

“The British Museum has just unveiled the winning design in an international architectural competition for the substantial revamp of the so-called Western Range of the museum.” This article in the Greek City Times wonders whether this renovation includes a space for the Parthenon Marbles.

An archaeological display of 50 artifacts sponsored by the Associates for Biblical Research will be exhibited over Easter weekend at the Creation Museum in Kentucky.

Available next month: Archaeology and the Ministry of the Apostle Paul: A Visual Guide, by David A. deSilva (Baker Academic, $33)

Zoom lecture on March 17: “From Online Auction to JTS Special Collections: How Two Historic Bibles Were Reunited in the JTS Library,” by David Moster

Hybrid lecture at Harvard on March 26: “Murder, Poetry, and Scribes in Ancient Egypt,” by Margaret Geoga

Michael Danti and John MacGinnis are guests on Thin End of the Wedge to discuss “Nimrud: Post-conflict Archaeology in the Heartland of Assyria.”

“The Institute of Classical Studies, in collaboration with the Faculty of Linguistics and the Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies at the University of Oxford, will offer two free, online semi-intensive courses in Phoenician.” One course is at the elementary level, the second is intermediate, and both are on Zoom.

Turkish Archaeological News reviews the most important discoveries in the month of February.

Paul L. Maier, ancient history scholar and author of Pontius Pilate, The Flames of Rome, and numerous other works, died last month.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Keith Keyser, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A new study reveals that ancient Egyptian mummified bodies smelled “woody,” “spicy,” and “sweet.”

Archaeologists working in Egypt have completed the excavation and relocation of a gold processing complex in use for a millennium beginning circa 1000 BC.

Archaeologists working in central Turkey have found evidence of ironmaking dating to 2200 BC.

A new study has been released describing the “production and use of obsidian mirrors found at Tepecik Çiftlik” in central Turkey.

“Archaeologists excavating Göbekli Tepe have uncovered evidence that challenges previous theories about the site’s purpose.”

“Authorities in Turkey have sealed off a luxury spa that was set up by illegally modifying a 1,500-year-old cistern near Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.”

A headless bronze statue believed to depict Marcus Aurelius is being returned by The Cleveland Museum of Art to Turkey.

“Archaeologists in Pompeii have unearthed a rare depiction of initiation rites into a secret female cult that centred on Dionysus.”

A new theory has been proposed to explain how the brains of a man who died in the Mount Vesuvius explosion turned to glass.

“A close look at Pompeii’s stone-paved streets has shown how traffic through the ancient city changed dramatically after it was incorporated into the Roman world.” (subscription)

Hybrid lecture on March 12 at ISAC: “Epigraphy and Exploration at Beni Hassan, Egypt,” by Anna-Latifa Mourad Cizek

The Jerusalem Post explains why mummies are disappearing from museums.

The palace of Knossos set a new record in 2024 with more than one million visitors.

Howard Carter’s lost suitcase has been found and will be auctioned.

HT: Agade, Explorator, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis, Paleojudaica

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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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