Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“In the ancient city of Metropolis, located in İzmir, Turkey, archaeologists uncovered approximately 2,000 fragmented bronze statues in an area believed to have been used as a junkyard in ancient times.”

A monumental structure excavated at Assos in western Turkey is not a fountain but a tomb. They also uncovered “one of the first mosaics with polygonal tesserae from the Hellenistic period found in Anatolia.”

“A new study published in the journal PLOS One has shed light on the diverse origins of the approximately 2 million pieces that make up the Alexander the Great mosaic from Pompeii.”

The National Museum of Underwater Antiquities in Piraeus, Greece, is under construction and set to open next year.

Carl Rasmussen shares a number of photos taken in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, Turkey related to the Neo-Hittites at Carchemish and the bull-men and griffin demons of Carchemish.

On a double episode of Digging for Truth, Gary Byers talks about the Amarna Letters and their relationship to the Exodus and Conquest.

On the Biblical World podcast, Chris McKinny and Mark Janzen discuss the sites of Pi-Ramesses, Pithom, and Succoth.

Webinar on Feb 5: “Women’s Work in Abydos: Margaret Murray, Amice Calverley, and Myrtle Broome,” by Kathleen Sheppard

New release: Thutmose III and Hatshepsut, Pharaohs of Egypt Their Lives and Afterlives, by Aidan Dodson (AUC Press, $35)

New article: “Archaeology as Cultural Heritage in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Developing an Integrated Approach beyond Narratives of Catastrophe and Emergency Response” (open-access)

Researchers have reconstructed a minute-by-minute account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and its destruction of Pompeii. The article includes many graphics. The underlying journal article is available to subscribers.

Carl and Mary Rasmussen are leading an 18-day Bible tour of Turkey and Greece in May.

Ferrell Jenkins has posted photos of Jerusalem, the Horns of Hattin, Hazor from the air, Mount Hermon from Syria, and a sunset over the Suez Canal,

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

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“A farmer in eastern Turkey discovered a rare, largely intact late Roman mosaic while planting a cherry orchard. Spanning almost 1,000 square feet, the mosaic is thought by archaeologists to be the largest example of its kind unearthed in the country.”

Archaeologists working in Pompeii uncovered “one of the largest private thermal complexes” found in the city to date.

“In Libya’s ancient city of Ptolemais on the Mediterranean coast, Polish archaeologists have uncovered a dwelling equipped with an advanced drinking water collection system, and a mysterious mask.”

“The 4,100-year-old tomb of a doctor who ‘treated the pharaoh himself’ has been discovered at the site of Saqqara in Egypt.”

The Yale Ancient Pharmacology Program is working at a site outside Rome “to unlock the chemical signature of what might be in the amphorae by conducting organic residue analysis.”

The Egyptian government denies that it is planning to sell the Grand Egyptian Museum.

The Damascus Museum has reopened, one month after Assad left town.

“Jordan: Dawn of Christianity” is a one-month long special exhibit to be hosted by the Vatican beginning on January 31.

Bryan Windle has written an archaeological biography for Evil-Merodach, the Babylonian king best known for releasing Jehoiachin from prison and giving him a place of honor at the king’s table.

Glenn J. Corbett writes about the $12 million project to renovate the mausoleum of Augustus, slated to reopen next year.

The LA Times has a play-by-play account of how the Getty Villa was spared from the Palisade fire.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Andy Cook, Ted Weis, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“A new study utilizing advanced remote sensing technology and data analysis has found it is unlikely that Rujm el-Hiri, an ancient stone megalithic structure in the Golan Heights, was used as an observatory.”

Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am join the excavating archaeologist for a tour of the Mirsham Farmhouse, a little known Israelite-era four-room house in the southern Shephelah.

Chandler Collins surveys some notable contributions to Jerusalem’s history in 2024, including new history books, social media, excavation reports, conferences, and museums.

Jodi Magness discusses the tomb of King Herod on The Ancients podcast.

Hybrid symposium on May 17: “The Life of Jesus in History and Archaeology—A Public Symposium,” with R. Steven Notley, Jordan J. Ryan & James R. Strange; moderated by Glenn J. Corbett & Robert Duke (in-person $99; virtual $30)

On Mar Shiprim’s new YouTube channel, Eric Cline and Glynnis Fawkes discuss their collaboration in adapting 1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed book into a graphic history.

Brad Gray has begun a new series, this one on “Biblical Images of God.” The first episode is on living water.

Bible History Daily names the top ten biblical archaeology stories of last year, in no particular order.

Turkish Archaeological News has a roundup of major stories in the month of December. They also have a review of the top discoveries in 2024. Their list includes three new publications written by Izabela Miszczak:

  • Highlights of Ephesus
  • From Antalya to Alanya. Highlights of the Turkish Riviera
  • Byzantine Secrets of Istanbul

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

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Weekend Roundup

“A rare, nearly intact 1,500-year-old ceramic lantern was recently uncovered during conservation work” at Sepphoris in Galilee.

Solomon’s copper mines in the Timna Valley did not cause negative environmental and health impacts on the workers.

The Udhruh Archaeological Research Project has been studying a vast and intricate water harvesting system in use during the Roman period.

“A group of four suspected antiquities looters were ‘caught red-handed’ over the weekend attempting to break into an underground area at a Galilee archaeological site associated with olive oil production during the Hasmonian period.”

Turkey’s first underwater museum opened in Side. “It is a museum where 117 sculptures, determined as 5 different themes in the depths of the sea and made by Turkish sculptors, can be seen by diving into the sea.”

Work is underway to create an “Alexander the Great Cultural Route” in northwestern Turkey.

The latest issue of the Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies (subscription required) includes an article about radiocarbon dates at Gezer with many responses from everyone from Dever to Garfinkel to Levy, Maeir, Mazar, and Ortiz.

New on This Week in the Ancient Near East podcast: “Between Death and Taxes in the 8th Century BCE, or Hezekiah’s Beltway Politics.”

New on Thin End of the Wed podcast: “Christopher Jones: Court Politics in the Neo-Assyrian Empire”

Online seminar on Jan 11, hosted by Jerusalem University College: “War & Peace in the Holy Land: Biblical and Modern Perspectives,” with presentations by Elaine Phillips, Charlie Trimm, Matt Lynch, and Jon Kaplan. A recording will be made available to all registrants.

Aaron Reich looks at three places in Jerusalem proposed to be the site of Jesus’s tomb: Talpiyot, Holy Sepulcher, and Garden Tomb.

The James Ossuary is now on display at Pullman Yards in Atlanta.

I will be posting a “top 10” list on Monday, but there will be no roundup next weekend.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“More than a dozen Egyptian mummies embellished with gold tongues and fingernails have been uncovered by archaeologists… in the Behnese area, an important archaeological site in Middle Egypt.”

The now-deciphered “Frankfurt silver inscription” provides the earliest evidence for Christianity north of the Alps, dating to about AD 250.

After 20 years of research, a professor has pinpointed the site of the Battle of the Granicus, where Alexander the Great had his first victory over the Persian empire.

An archaeologist searching for Cleopatra’s tomb believes she has found a statue that depicts the queen’s face.

The spice warehouses of the Roman emperors has been opened to the public.

Gavriel Fiske investigates why a 20-year-old claim about the oldest alphabetic inscription only now has attracted scholarly and media attention.

Ongoing restoration works at Knidos (Cnidus) include the reopening of the Great Church.

More than half of the tablets excavated at Nippur from 1948-1952 have been photographed and posted online at the electronic Babylonian Library.

The latest issue of Iraq has been published, and all articles are open-access.

In a five-minute video, Mark Janzen explains what happened to the short-lived site of Pi Raamses in the Nile Delta.

The final episode of Walking The Text’s “3 Gifts of Christmas” explores the significance of the Magi’s gift of myrrh.

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

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A research team using magnetometry has identified five monumental buildings within the city walls of Dur-Sharrukin, the Assyrian capital of Sargon II. To avoid attracting unwanted attention, they chose not to use a drone and instead each team member walked 13 miles every day for seven days.

A Phoenician shipwreck dating to 600 BC has been discovered off the coast of Spain.

“Archaeologists in Turkey uncovered a limestone sarcophagus in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Demre, Antalya, which they believe could be linked to Saint Nicholas himself, known worldwide as Santa Claus.”

More than 100 ancient artifacts were discovered in a hidden basement area during eviction proceedings in Athens.

Michael Denis Higgins believes that the Colossus of Rhodes was ultimately destroyed not in 226 BC but in AD 142, after several reconstructions.

“The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at the Ohio State University and the Digital Lab for Ancient Textual Objects is excited to announce the launch of the Online Corpus of the Inscriptions of Ancient North Arabia 2.0.” They have also released a video tutorial.

“Plauen is commemorating the biblical scholar and theologian Konstantin von Tischendorf (1815-1874) with an exhibition to mark the 150th anniversary of his death.”

New release: Egyptian Things: Translating Egypt to Early Imperial Rome, by Edward William Kelting (University of California Press, open access)

ASOR has posted a recap of its annual meeting.

The collapse of the Syrian government has led to concerns about Jewish archaeological heritage in the country.

Rami Chris Robbins explains the Jewish connection to Rome’s Colosseum.

Carl Rasmussen reports on his recent visit to an impressive Roman thermal spa in northern Turkey.

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

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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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