Moshe Gilad writes about the new exhibit about Huqoq and the excavations that led to it. There is more about the site and exhibit at the KKL-JNF website, including photos and information about the mosaics.
“Israel experienced a rare midsummer storm on Saturday that brought heavy rain to Jerusalem and the surrounding area, as well as to the Golan Heights, breaking all-time August rainfall records and causing flooding in parts of the Judean Desert.”
In a lecture given in Tel Aviv earlier this week, Anselm C. Hagedorn argued that Kiriath-Jearim should be located not at Deir el-ʿAzar near Abu Ghosh, but at Tel Moẓa.
“An impressive section of Jerusalem’s fortification wall from the second century BCE has been uncovered on the grounds of the Tower of David complex in the Old City.” About 130 feet of the “First Wall” has been uncovered in the Kishle.
Archaeologists have found evidence for the famous battle at Bet Zecharia described in 1 Maccabees. “It is the first time we have possible archaeological evidence from one of Judah Maccabee’s battlefields.”
A scholar believes that he has cracked Cryptic B, a rare alphabet known only from two uses in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Jerusalem University College will be presenting its 6th annual online seminar on January 10. The “Geography and the Bible” seminar is free and will include four sessions:
“Road Systems from Egypt through Sinai,” by James Hoffmeier
“Trekking from the Desert to the Land of Milk and Honey,” by Hélène Dallaire
“What Does it Mean that Jerusalem was ‘Built as a City which is Compact Together?’ A Geographical and Archaeological Reading of Psalm 122:3,” by Chandler Collins
“The Early Church’s Encounter with the Roman Imperial Cult,” by Carl Rasmussen
There is no hat tip (HT) below to Gordon Franz, because Gordon died on November 22. I met Gordon when studying at IHLS in the early 90s, and we stayed in touch over the years, including a tour he gave my family of NYC. Gordon taught for various schools over the years, including the Israel and Turkey/Greece/Rome programs for the Talbot School of Theology. Most recently Gordon sent me stories for these roundups, and in the last email he wrote me, he said he was on his way to buy Rabbi Landy’s latest book. He was quite the book connoisseur. And he had much yet he planned to accomplish. Some of Gordon’s writings are still available on his website. A recording of his celebration of life service is online. He will be missed.
Gordon Franz taking photos from the rooftop of the Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem, 1993
HT: Agade, Ted Weis, Keith Keyser, Arne Halbakken, Alexander Schick, Explorator
“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.”
“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.
“Israel on Monday began long-delayed renovation and maintenance work at the Little Western Wall, a lesser-known section of the Western Wall located in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City.”
Ruth Schuster has written a lengthy article about the excavations at Chorazin, including the “pay to dig” opportunity that’s been running there for more than a decade now.
“A leading archaeology journal [Palestine Exploration Quarterly] has effectively barred submissions by Israelis on Judea and Samaria unless they ‘have cooperated with the relevant Palestinian authorities.’”
Bryan Windle interviews Joan Taylor in the latest installment of the “Scholar’s Chair” series. Among other things, she discusses her new book, Boy Jesus.
The Biblical Museum of Natural History sells archaeology-themed board games and a kosher box of locusts.
“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.”
“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.”
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.
In reporting on the recently published inscription from Jerusalem with possible ties to the Queen of Sheba, Bible History Daily notes some resistance by Christopher Rollston to the interpretation.
New resource: 14 Fresh Ways to Enjoy the Bible, by James F. Coakley. Though only one chapter is directly about Bible geography, the whole of this book looks like an excellent guide to better reading (Moody, 208 pages; $15).
HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Alexander Schick, Explorator
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.
