Ferrell Jenkins describes the biblical significance of the Black Sea coast of Turkey, his visit to the city of Sinop, and some famous Sinopeans.

Dorothy D. Resig provides an introduction to the newest issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

The current issue of Near Eastern Archaeology is free for a limited time, with a Facebook account and a MyJSTOR account.

Israel is still on a record pace for number of tourists this year.

Finding the Dead Sea Scrolls Isn’t Enough, says Wayne Stiles.

Antiquities thieves caught in the act were arrested near Modi’in.

The Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem is celebrating its 20th anniversary with an exhibit entitled “Pure Gold.”

The James Ossuary and its trial was the subject of several stories this week. Matthew Kalman describes his experience as the only journalist at the seven-year-long trial as a way of introduction to his article in The Jerusalem Report (subscription required). Hershel Shanks declares the ossuary inscription authentic and observes that opposition seems motivated by politics, not scholarship. One of the figures in the case, Yuval Goren, is interviewed on the LandMinds show (Part 1, Part 2). A small survey of evangelical archaeologists and biblical scholars polled by Christianity Today shows that half believe the inscription authentic with most others unsure.

The best article of the week is an interview with the director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, the controversial Shuka Dorfman. Among other matters, he addresses charges made against Elad and how left-wingers hurt the people they claim to help.

HT: Joseph Lauer, Jack Sasson