Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Egypt announced the discovery of two private 18th-dynasty tombs in Luxor yesterday.

Heath D. Dewrell provides an introduction to child sacrifice in Israel that is based on his recent monograph on the subject.

The Jewish Week interviews Lawrence Schiffman about his involvement with the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society has posted its schedule of spring lectures.

Writing on Forbes, Sarah Bond suggests five ways to listen to the music of the ancient world.

With Germany’s refusal to recognize Israeli ownership of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Israel Antiquities Authority is not allowing any scrolls to be part of a special exhibit at the Bible Museum in Frankfurt.

This week on The Land and the Book with Charlie Dyer: a discussion on Biblical Customs and Curiosities with George Knight.

Tel Lachish and Tel ‘Eton are the latest stops on the tour schedule of Israel’s Good Name.

Ferrell Jenkins shares a photo of a new scene he saw on his last visit to Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity.

If you’ve ever wondered how an expert restores dozens of pottery sherds into an intact vessel, watch this short video.

Check out this site if you’re interested in touring southern Jordan on a bike. Or ride your bike 850 miles (1,400 km) in the Holyland Challenge from Mount Hermon to Eilat.

HT: Joseph Lauer, Agade, A.D. Riddle

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Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Israeli archaeologists have found that early Muslim coins and vessels were inscribed with menorahs.

Scholars have discovered more than 1,000 seal impressions from the 2nd-3rd centuries AD in southeastern Turkey.

“An Egyptian-European archaeological mission working in Luxor Governorate uncovered a collection of 27 fragmented statues of the lioness goddess Sekhmet.”

The gate of Amenemhat I is being moved from north Cairo to the Grand Egyptian Museum.


Haaretz (premium) reports on a new study of the decoration of the Temple Mount by Orit Peleg-Barkat. Leen Ritmeyer considers her work on the Royal Stoa and proposes another plan.

On Academia: Yosef Garfinkel argues for the identification of Khirbet Qeiyafa as an Israelite site.

The excavations of the Galilean synagogue of Huqoq are summarized following a recent lecture by Jodi Magness.

Shmuel Browns shares a beautiful photo of a supermoon rising over the Dead Sea this week.

Now released: The second and third videos of Wayne Stiles’s new series, “The Promise That

Changed the World: A Journey through the Birth of Christ.”

Barnes & Noble has a 25% off coupon, good in store or online (GETGIFTING), valid through Sunday. Here are four recommendations:

HT: Joseph Lauer, Agade, Rodger Young, Steven Anderson

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Weekend Roundup

Archaeologists have excavated an Edomite/Idumean temple in a live-fire zone near Lachish that they first identified using drones. High-res photos and a video are available here.

An ancient gymnasium with well-preserved mosaics has been discovered near biblical Iconium (modern Konya) in Turkey. (References that suggest it was near the Laodicea mentioned in
Revelation are apparently incorrect.) For more photos, see this article in the Turkish press.

Scholars have identified the first-known Greek copy of the Apocalypse of James.

Owen Jarus corrects some misinformation about the “castle” recently “discovered” under the waters of Lake Van.

You can learn more about pigeons and ancient dovecotes from Jennifer Ramsay’s article at the ASOR Blog.

Turkish authorities have arrested four men who tried to sell an ancient Torah manuscript.

Indiana Joan, a real-life tomb raider, is 95 years old and lives in Western Australia.

Carl Rasmussen explains how the Altar of Augustan Peace (Ara Pacis) illustrates an aspect of “the fulness of time” when God sent his Son.

The First Days of Jesus, by Andreas J. Kostenberger and Alexander Stewart, is for sale for Kindle for $2.99.

The second edition of the NET Bible has been released. Print copies are available here. In an act of remarkable transparency (and courage!), they have posted a complete list of changes.

R. Steven Notley (Nyack College) will be lecturing on “Geography, Christianity and the History of
Second Temple Judaism” at the Yeshiva University on Wednesday, December 6th, 6:45-7:45pm in the Furst Hall Room 308, 500 W 185th St, NYC.


The New York Times reviews the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

Chanan Tigay describes his worldwide hunt to unravel the mystery of Moshe Shapiro’s “Dead Sea Scrolls.”

Now open: The Jordan Trail runs from Gadara (Um Qais) in the north to Aqaba in the south. The official website includes downloadable maps and GPX files. Here’s a fun video on hiking the trail by Epic Trails.

HT: Charles Savelle, Agade, Joseph Lauer, Bill Schlegel, Mike Harney, Wayne Stiles, A.D. Riddle

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Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Appian Media has released a trailer for episodes 6–10 of Following the Messiah. You can get further updates on their Facebook page.

See the Holy Land has created a mobile app that provides a guide to 110 sites in Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. The Android-only app is available for free from seetheholyland.net or for $0.99 from Google Play.

Philippe Bohstrom considers new evidence from ancient mining operations in discussing whether David and Solomon’s kingdom ever existed.

“The British Library last week launched a new website showcasing 1,300 Hebrew manuscripts, ranging from ancient Torah scrolls and prayer books to philosophical, theological and scientific works.”

“The newly opened Louvre Abu Dhabi has been accused of displaying looted antiquities.”

Egyptian authorities are working to stop the illegal exporting of antiquities.
Some interesting discoveries were made during a recent excavation season at Gird-î Qalrakh in northern Iraq.

The Times of Israel provides some of the background of the making of the “Spoils of Jerusalem” relief that is now exhibited in the Arch of Titus exhibition at the Yeshiva University Museum.

Eisenbrauns has published a festschrift in honor of Israel Finkelstein: Rethinking Israel: Studies in the History and Archaeology of Ancient Israel in Honor of Israel Finkelstein, edited by Oded
Lipschits, Yuval Gadot, and Matthew Adams.

Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport may need to add a massive tent to accommodate travelers.

Chaim (Harold R.) Cohen died recently. A list of some of his publications is posted here.

HT: Joseph Lauer, Mike Harney, Agade

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Weekend Roundup

Noam Chen has produced a photo essay of the “hidden gems of Jerusalem,” including the Kishle, Siebenberg House, the Italian Synagogue, Jason’s Tomb, Helena’s Well, Little Western Wall, Church of St. John the Baptist, and the Mamluk Halls inside the Western Wall Tunnels.

Israel’s Good Name recently participated in an excavation of the Upper Aqueduct south of Jerusalem.

“More than half a dozen lost Bronze Age cities have been tracked down in Turkey through a mathematical analysis of the accounts left on 12,000 clay tablets by ancient Assyrian traders.” (Registration required.)

“An international seminar about the recently discovered gap in the Great Pyramid of Giza will be held in the upcoming period.”

Golden sheets from Tutankhamun’s tomb will be on display for the first time ever at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. There are more photos here.

An exhibition of the photographs of the excavation of King Tut’s tomb has opened at The Collection in Lincoln, UK.

Michael Press challenges the notion that Palestine was “desolate” in the 19th century. (I observe that his essay does not include any photos.)

For those who have long been wondering: eggplant arrived in Jerusalem just over 1,000 years ago.

Excavations at Ein Hatzeva, home of the “Biblical Tamar Park,” are summarized.

What can we learn from the cities of refuge?

The Museum of the Bible is now open and The Times of Israel gives some highlights. The Washington Post calls it “an up-to-date version of an old-fashioned museum.” World Magazine reviews some of the controversy associated with the museum.

New release: Walking through Jordan: Essays in Honor of Burton MacDonald, edited by Michael Neeley, Geoffrey Clark, and P. M. Michèle Daviau (Equinox, 2017).

Accordance has a big sale going on now in conjunction with the annual meetings of ETS/ASOR/SBL.

Karl Katz, founding curator of the Israel Museum, died this week.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer

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Weekend Roundup

Seven inscriptions were discovered in three Byzantine churches excavated in Galilee this summer. Haaretz (premium) also covers the story. Archaeologists have discovered a Hellenistic-era gymnasium in the Fayoum province of Egypt. A recently discovered Assyrian tablet provides the first-known diagnosis to determine infertility. An intact sundial from the Roman period has been discovered in the excavation of a theater near Mount Cassino in Italy. A year-long mysterious excavation with high security in Tarsus ended with no explanation of what they found or why they were excavating. A gemstone discovered in Pylos, Greece, from the 15th century BC is a “masterpiece of miniature art.” Megan Sauter describes the Terra Sancta Museum, a new stop on the Via Dolorosa. Wayne Stiles’s post this week on Lachish includes some new drone video footage he shot recently. The Museum of the Bible is the topic of discussion this week on The Book and the Spade. Israel welcomed its 3 millionth tourist of 2017 this week. A new Biblical Archaeology Review Archive provides every article from 1975 to 2016 and is on sale for $130. Or you can subscribe to All-Access Membership for $35/year. HT: Jared Clark, Agade, Charles Savelle

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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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