A sonar survey has identified a large stone structure on the floor of the Sea of Galilee. It may be related to the contemporary third-millennium BC site of nearby Beth Yerah (Khirbet Kerak). The scientific article includes illustrations.

Archaeologists have discovered a port on the Red Sea from the time of Pharaoh Cheops.

Admission to the Israel Museum is free on Independence Day, April 16.

Sharks are rare in the Mediterranean Sea but not in the Red Sea. One came close to swimmers in Eilat last week.

Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, has inaugurated its Archaeology Museum Gallery.

If Israel was ever mapped out on the game of Monopoly, Megiddo would be Boardwalk.

Kyle Pope has written a good article on “The Hinnom Valley and Jesus’ Teaching on Final Punishment.” Barry Britnell shares a photo of the valley.

Details for volunteers for this summer’s dig at Tel Burna are now available. Apply before May 1.
zmetro has four 360-degree panoramas of Laodicea. The excavators and restorers are making great progress at the site.

HT: Charles Savelle, Tony Lawrence, Jack Sasson, Joseph Lauer

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Stone structure under the Sea of Galilee 
Illustration by Shmuel Marco
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Wayne Stiles wonders why the largest ancient site in Israel has been largely forgotten today.

Leen Ritmeyer provides context to the recent excavations of the “gate of hell” in Hierapolis.

On April 1, Luke Chandler revealed a stunning new translation of the Khirbet Qeiyafa Ostracon.

Few tourists are visiting Egypt these days and it’s hurting many who work in the industry.

Travel Weekly recommends how to spend a day visiting the harbor city of Jaffa (biblical Joppa).

A review of the new excavations of Azekah is available in a professionally-made 12-minute video.

HT: Charles Savelle, Jack Sasson

Azekah from northeast, tb030407700
Azekah from the northeast
Photo from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands
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The Israel Prize for the Land of Israel, Geography, and Archaeology “will not be given because the prize committee attempted to award it to two candidates, in violation of ministry rules which state that each prize may be given to only one winner.”

The Garden Tomb is now suggesting a $5 donation.

The Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem is recommended for children, according to this article in Haaretz.

A couple of Russian tourists climbed to the top of the Great Pyramid and took some photos.

Ted Weis (Living the Biblios) has written a Garden of Gethsemane Devotional and illustrated it with a number of helpful photos.

New excavations at Ur in southern Iraq have revealed a palace or temple.

David Amit, deputy director of the Excavations and Surveys Department of the Israel Antiquities
Authority, died last week.

The Vatican has asked Israel’s Chief of Police to protect Christians in Israel after criminals halted restoration work of the chapel in Nain.

Jerome Murphy-O’Connor’s new book, Keys to Jerusalem: Collected Essays, is reviewed by Joshua Schwartz in the Review of Biblical Literature.

The commercial heart of the ancient city of Thessalonica is in the way of a new subway station and
that’s a big problem.

Give SourceFlix two minutes and they’ll give you “Passion Week Archaeology.”

HT: Jack Sasson, Explorator

Garden Tomb at night, tb123005430
The Garden Tomb in Jerusalem
Photo from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands
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The last week of ASOR’s March Fellowship Madness is here, and one donor be randomly selected to receive a copy of The Photographs of the American Palestine Exploration Society, which features over 150 pictures taken at sites around the Near East in 1875.

Here’s a very high-resolution panoramic shot of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.


Popular Mechanics has a story on the value of 3-D modeling for archaeology.

A 3-D model of the Temple of Amun-Ra at Karnak has been created with the help of the UCLA team who created one of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

Archaeologists working at Tel Habuwa east of the Suez Canal have found evidence for battles between the Egyptians and Hyksos.
A well-preserved sundial from the 13th century BC was discovered in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor.
Turkey is demanding Germany return more ancient artifacts.
The 1862 Middle East tour of the future King Edward VII is the subject of a new exhibition in 
Edinburgh.
HT: Joseph Lauer, Charles Savelle, Explorator
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The Times of Israel recommends five places to visit on your next trip to Jaffa (Joppa).

National Geographic is calling all adventurers and explorers for a new adventure series.

Yes, locusts are kosher. They’re apparently good pickled, dried, smoked, boiled, roasted, barbecue grilled, fried, and stir fried.

No, locusts are not kosher. The problem is that the biblical locust may not be the same as the modern ones.

In an op-ed at the Los Angeles Times, John J. Collins provides a brief history of controversy surrounding the Dead Sea Scrolls and concludes with a summary of why the scrolls are important.

Eisenbrauns’ Deal of the Weekend is Ugarit at Seventy-Five, edited by K. Lawson Younger Jr. (Reg. $39.50; now $15.80).

ASOR’s Archaeology Weekly Roundup links to 14 other stories.

HT: Charles Savelle, Jack Sasson

Joppa ocean view with minaret, tb101806997
View of the Mediterranean Sea from Jaffa (Joppa)
Photo from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, volume 4
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The Mustard Tree is the latest video from SourceFlix.

This post has some inspiration for those interested in mapping historical events using Google Earth.

The example he uses here is the parting of the Red Sea, though I think he’s way off on the location.Art_of_the_Ancient_Near_East_A_Resource_for_Educators

A swarm of one million locusts moved from Egypt into Israel before spraying halted the invasion. Some Israelis gathered up sackfuls of the locusts to eat.

Ten years after its looting, the National Museum of Iraq is still not open to the public.

Art of the Ancient Near East: A Resource for Educators is available as a free download.

HT: BibleX, ANE-2, Jack Sasson

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