Weekend Roundup Archives - Page 169 of 169

Thursday Roundup

I continue to catch up on stories from earlier this month.

A building from the Neolithic period has been discovered in Tel Aviv.

Scholars in the British Museum discovered a couple of fragments similar to the Cyrus Cylinder in their collection. Iran is upset that this will delay the promised loan of the artifact.

Abu Gosh decided it wanted to take the world record for the largest hummus dish ever made. I drove by the restaurant a day after the big event and thus missed the opportunity to sample part of the 8,000 pounds of hummus, but I did see the satellite receiver in which the dish was served.

If you’re looking for a more academic trip of Turkey, I’d recommend this BAS tour led by Mark Wilson.

The sad state of the “Sanhedrin Tombs” in Jerusalem is reported in an article in Haaretz.

Two-Columned Tomb in Sanhedria neighborhood of Jerusalem

HT: Joe Lauer

Tagged Weekend Roundup

Tuesday Roundup

Ynetnews has a story on renovations of David’s Tomb on Mount Zion.

Leen Ritmeyer’s recent lecture on how he identified the location of Solomon’s Temple is recounted in a story in the Baptist Press.

A sarcophagus cover with a Medusa decoration is the now on display at Caesarea. The IAA press release (temporary link) also has some high-resolution images (direct link).

A hoard of 1,300 silver coins apparently from the Hellenistic period have been discovered in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, announced the Hamas-run “ministry of tourism and antiquities.”

The Museum of Tolerance to be built in the Mamilla neighborhood of Jerusalem will be half the size of the original plan because of reduced sources of funding. Plaintiffs who filed suit against the
construction have lost their case and been fined by the court.

I’ve had little time this month for noting the latest stories. As time permits, I’ll continue to try to catch up.

HT: Joe Lauer and Paleojudaica

Tagged Jerusalem, Weekend Roundup

Thursday Roundup

Dr. Zvi Greenhut, Deputy Director of Survey & Excavations, Israel Antiquities Authority is interviewed on Arutz-7 Radio about his excavations of Moza (Emmaus?). A summary of his Iron Age finds is given at the IAA website.

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas has purchased three fragments of Dead Sea Scrolls, with verses from Exodus, Leviticus, and Daniel.

The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel lists 93 threats to open spaces in their annual report, with the largest number falling in the north.

Richard Jones of Lee University will give a lecture entitled “Biblical Archaeology on the Karak Plateau, Jordan” on Jan. 23 at 10:30 at the Museum Center at Five Points in Cleveland, Tennessee.

Professor Emeritus Abraham Malamat of the Hebrew University passed away today at the age of 87.

HT: Joe Lauer and the Yehuda Group

Tagged Excavations, Jordan, Lectures, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

The Jerusalem Post has a story on the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv. If you haven’t been to this one yet, try to get there at the next opportunity.

A preliminary report of the Western Wall Plaza Excavations (2005-2009) is now available at Hadashot Arkheologiyot. Among other things, they’ve uncovered a four(?)-room house from the late Iron Age.

The Khirbet Qeiyafa Vol. 1. Excavation Report 2007–2008 is now available from the Israel Exploration Society. The cost is $72 ($54 to members of the Israel Exploration Society), airmail postage $13. You can contact IES for more information.

Was Qumran home to the Essenes, or was it a fortress? Or maybe a place of manufacturing perfume, or was it pottery? These and other views are considered in an article in the Smithsonian Magazine.

Paleojudaica has an update on the fabric of the Turin Shroud (noted here previously), but it doesn’t seem to clear the air.

I have a very aggressive travel schedule for the next three weeks, so I don’t expect to have much time to post. I have prepared some interesting posts and photos for my absence, and if I see anything of interest (and time permits), I’ll note it here. I’ll start things off tomorrow with my top 9 archaeological discoveries for 2009.

Tagged Dead Sea, Jerusalem, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup

Hanukkah Weekend Roundup

Hanukkah begins today. You can read all about it in this month’s issue of Jewish Magazine.

JTA has an article on how the Maccabees would be viewed in today’s world. “My guess is that most liberal Jews today wouldn’t necessarily get along with the Maccabees if they showed up again,” says Rabbi Jill Jacob.

Hanukkah is also the occasion for the Jerusalem Post to discuss in two articles the Heliodorus Stele and three additional fragments discovered earlier this year (previously mentioned here).

Israeli archaeologists have also found evidence recently that the Hasmoneans controlled territory south of the biblical Negev (near modern Sede Boqer). The IAA has a few high-resolution images here. Apparently Josephus was right, after all.

Aren Maeir has posted a stratigraphic chart from Gath in PowerPoint format.

This article brought tears to my eyes, especially when I read about the pottery that has been found from the “Persians, Umayyad, Crusaders, Mukluks and Ottomans.” The Mukluks—oh, I love that! I just wish I had a lecture to give now on the Mukluks. (The rest of the co-authored article is likewise
unreliable.)

HT: Joe Lauer

Tagged Discoveries, Negev, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup