Weekend Roundup Archives - Page 5 of 165

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Archaeologists excavating 15 miles east of Tel Aviv uncovered “the largest [ancient] Samaritan site outside of the Samaritan homeland,” including colorful mosaics, two ritual baths, and lots of coins and oil lamps.

“Israeli archaeologists discovered rare preserved lamp wicks believed to be some 4,000 years old during excavations for a new neighborhood in Yehud, in central Israel.”

A ceramic bearing reed impressions is the “find of the month” for the Temple Mount Sifting Project.

The Times of Israel has more about the effects of the wildfire that burned the excavation site at el-Araj, likely the New Testament site of Bethsaida.

John DeLancey writes and shares photos from his time volunteering at the Tel Eter excavation.

“Megiddo: A City Unearthed, A Past Imagined marks 100 years since ISAC’s first major archaeological expedition (1925–1939), which revealed layers of palatial complexes, fortifications, and elite material culture.”

Correction: Eric Cline’s upcoming lecture will be on Sept 9, not Sept 8.

Zoom lecture on Sept 18: “Excavations of Crusader Akko,” by Danny Syon, sponsored by the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society.

The latest issue of Tel Aviv has been released, and it includes open-access articles about Tel Azekah, Manasseh’s wall in Jerusalem, and Late Roman mansion in the Givati Parking Lot excavations in Jerusalem.

“The top three reports in biblical archaeology from August 2025 included reports of gold, silver, and a monumental structure in Jerusalem.”

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Franz

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Lectures, Museums, New Exhibits, Shephelah, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

“A trove of ancient statues, coins, pottery and pieces of a merchant ship has surfaced from the waters off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt.”

“An Italian archaeologist said recently he has found the exact location of Plato’s grave in the Platonic Academy in Athens after deciphering the Herculaneum papyri.”

New remains from the Kingdom of Lydia will soon be open to visitors to Sardis.

“The Minister of Culture and Tourism declared 2025 a ‘Golden Age of Archaeology’ for Türkiye.”

Zoom lecture on Sept 9: “After 1177 BC: The Survival of Civilizations,” by Eric Cline (date corrected)

Owen Jarus explains why identifying the Roman emperor who ruled the longest is complicated.

Philip Chrysopoulos explains why Nabonidus was the world’s first archaeologist.

Bible Mapper Atlas has created an audio-visual reading of Paul’s dramatic voyage to Rome in Acts 27.

in Biblical World’s second episode in its Second Temple series, Mary Buck explains the significance and major events of the Neo-Babylonian period.

I’ve recently been browsing Nancy S. Dawson’s All the Genealogies of the Bible (Zondervan Academic, 2023), and it is an impressive body of research on an important but neglected topic. It’s remarkable how much genealogies permeate Scripture. It’s available in hardcover from Amazon ($31) and digital from Logos ($30).

HT: Agade

Tagged Egypt, Greece, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

The big announcement we’ve been waiting for from the Pool of Siloam excavations came this week as the archaeologists revealed that they found a massive dam wall that dates to between 805 and 795 BC. King Joash died in 796, so one of his last accomplishments must have been the creation of a large reservoir. The underlying study is here.

“Archaeologists from the University of Haifa have uncovered the earliest evidence of bronze production in the Southern Levant, dating back about 3,000 years, in a site [el-Ahwat] that might have been part of the early Israelite kingdom.” The underlying journal article is here.

Omri Abadi and Boaz Zissu reconsider the purpose of the two huge ritual baths at the Tomb of the Kings in Jerusalem. The underlying journal article is here.

A bill to make put archaeological sites in the West Bank under the jurisdiction of the Israel Antiquities Authority is controversial. (The lengthy article includes an impressive aerial view of excavations on the slope of the Herodium.)

The latest video from Expedition Bible is about the archaeology of Capernaum.

This quarter’s Jerusalem Tracker lists all the latest publications, stories, videos, and events related to Jerusalem.

The fall issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes stories on the latest southern Temple Mount excavations, Samarian scribes in Hezekiah’s court, marine archaeology, and more.

The latest issue of ‘Atiqot is dedicated to crafts and industry in the Southern Levant. All articles are open-access.

ASOR webinar on Sept 10: “Holier than Thou? The Temples at Tel Moza and Reflections of Ritual Practices in Ancient Judah,” by Shua Kisilevitz. The webinar is free but donations are appreciated.

Now available for pre-order: Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Historical Books, Volume 1: Joshua–Ruth, edited by Barry Beitzel (Logos, $49)

The Lachish Letters are the subject of the second post in Bible Archaeology Report’s “Letters from the Biblical World” series.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, A.D. Riddle, Arne Halbakken, Andy Cook, Joseph Lauer, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Jerusalem, Judea, Resources, Samaria, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Nathan Steinmeyer has written an introduction to the Sinai, including its role in biblical history.

“Egypt Eternal: 4,000 Years of Fascination” is a new exhibition opening at the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East on September 21.

A Scottish tourist was accused of stealing five stones and a brick fragment from the ancient city of Pompeii.

An ancient footpath network connects 46 villages in northwestern Greece.

New release: Slavery and Honour in the Ancient Greek World, edited by David Lewis, Mirko Canevaro, Douglas Cairns (Edinburgh University Press, 312 pages, $140, open-access)

New release: The Boomer Archaeologist: A Graphic Memoir of Tribes, Identity, and the Holy Land, by Thomas Evan Levy (Equinox, 400 pages, $40). The reviews are quite good. Use code 2893-25 for 25% off. (Publisher’s website is clunky, but the book is not yet available at Amazon.)

Applications are now open for the 2026 Biblical Field Studies tour—a funded study trip in Turkey for Bible teachers and scholars in the Majority World.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Alexander Schick, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Tagged Egypt, Greece, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“A rare coin depicting Queen Berenice II of Egypt that dates back to Jerusalem’s Hellenistic era was discovered in the City of David.” The 3rd-century BC gold coin, found in sifting of material excavated in the Givati Parking Lot, may challenge the scholarly view on Jerusalem’s importance at the time.

The discovery of a Byzantine-era mosaic medallion inscribed “Peace be with the elders” leads archaeologists working at Hippos to believe that they have discovered “the world’s oldest home for the elderly.”

“A lead weight bearing a Greek inscription about 2,150 years old was seized this week in an intelligence-based operation by the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Theft Prevention Unit at an antique shop in Jerusalem.”

Golan Shalvi writes about the rise of the Israelite dye industry in light of discoveries at Tel Shiqmona.

According to a new study, “silver was used as currency in ancient Israel more than 1,000 years before the invention of the coin, and earlier than in Egypt and Greece.”

The Flora Palaestina Ethnobotanical website is an educational resource that “preserves the historical legacy of plant use in this region, contributing to its conservation, research, and development.”

Charlie Trimm’s “A Virtual Walk Through the Land of the Bible” was released this week on Logos ($24).

Walking The Text’s latest recommended resource is Heart of the Holy Land, by Paul Wright.

Last week, I noted the open access availability of volume 1 of the Western Wall Plaza Excavation report; indeed, all of the volumes and all of the IAA Reports are available.

The Lanier Center for Archaeology at Lipscomb University is celebrating its five-year anniversary, and their press release provides various updates, including the hiring of our longtime friend and partner, Chris McKinny. Chris will be starting a new excavation of a New Testament site in Galilee. The LCA has 25 PhD students enrolled.

Alumni of the IBEX semester program are invited on a reunion tour next summer.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Alexander Schick, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Resources, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

“Analysis of 3,000-year-old smelting droplets shows copper from Timna and Feinan was alloyed with tin at a mountain site in Samaria, revealing a budding regional trade and technology network.” The underlying journal article is here.

A fire along the shore of the Sea of Galilee cleared the overgrowth at el-Araj (possibly Bethsaida), exposing piles of stones which may be ancient buildings.

A new video tours the not-yet-open museum below the Western Wall plaza (22 min).

The first volume of the excavation reports is now open-access: Jerusalem Western Wall Plaza Excavations I: The Roman and Byzantine Remains; Architecture and Stratigraphy, by Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah (IAA Reports, 2019)

“Police arrested a 27-year-old Jewish suspect on Monday, accused of spray-painting ‘There’s a Holocaust in Gaza’ on the ancient stones of the Western Wall, Judaism’s second-holiest site.”

Chandler Collins explores the location and significance of the Mishneh in Jerusalem.

Archaeologists have found two ancient church buildings in Egypt’s Western Desert.

“It’s now official—the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) will hold its long-awaited grand opening on November 1.”

“A new artificial intelligence (AI) system has accurately read an ancient Hammurabi tablet with 98% precision, marking a significant step forward in translating some of the world’s earliest written laws.”

New release: Ancient Mediterranean Incarceration, by Matthew D. C. Larsen and Mark Letteney (UC Press, $13, open-access)

Bible Mapper Atlas has posted an audio-visual reading of Judges 4.

With excavations underway at Colossae, Ferrell Jenkins recalls his first visit to the site several decades ago.

HT: Agade, Gordon Franz, Ted Weis, A.D. Riddle, Arne Halbakken, Wayne Stiles, Gordon Dickson, Andy Cook

Tagged Egypt, Galilee, Jerusalem, Museums, Samaria, Technology, Temple Mount, Turkey, Weekend Roundup