Researchers have launched a global contest with $250,000 in prizes for teams to use AI for decoding unrolled scrolls from Herculaneum.

The Moabite king Mesha is the latest subject of Bryan Windle’s archaeological biography series.

Nathan Steinmeyer explains the significance of the Cyrus Cylinder and its relevance to the Bible.

Jason Borges tracked down the Istanbul Airport Museum and explains how to find it.

“In a new study, genetics and archaeology combine to reveal the ancient origins of humanity’s first beast of burden,” the donkey.

The Codex Sassoon, to be auctioned off on May 16, will be displayed in Tel Aviv, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York over the next two months.

Chris McKinny, Amy Balogh, and Kyle Keimer discuss “Biblical Geography—The Missing Ingredient” on the Biblical World podcast.

On This Week in the Ancient Near East podcast, “The Archaeology of Ancient Fingerprints, or Profiling Potters for Fun and Profit.”

A short video demonstrates how ancient languages sounded, including those spoken by the Sumerian, Egyptian, Hittite, Assyrian, Persian, Greek, and Roman peoples.

HT: Agade

Andy Cook was at the Pool of Siloam excavations on Thursday, and he interviewed an archaeologist working there about what’s next.

“The recently renovated Davidson Center Archaeological Garden in Jerusalem’s Old City opened an exhibition on Monday featuring a number of rare and ancient artifacts related to the Temple Menorah.”

Joe Zias looks at some unknown inscriptions on the “Tomb of Absalom” in Jerusalem and suggests renaming the monument the “Tomb of Zacharias,” father of John the Baptist.

A Herodian wall and Second Temple period burial caves at Samaria-Sebaste has been destroyed by road construction.

“Military officials intercepted an antiquities-smuggling ring in the West Bank.” The Jerusalem Post story reports on several other recent antiquities busts.

A seven-mile stretch of the Jordan River south of the Sea of Galilee is being cleaned of its pollution and developed for tourism.

Aren Maeir recounts his two-day trek in eastern Samaria, including a climb up Sartaba.

Adam Montefiore, known as the English voice of Israeli wines, looks at the history of winemaking in the land of Israel.

Seetheholyland.net has added a page for the newly discovered tomb of Salome.

Phillip J. Long writes about the traditional location of the Garden of Gethsemane and the nearby grotto.

Accordance is offering 40-74% off on many graphics resources, including several of our photo collections. Ends Monday.

HT: Agade

Pool of Siloam excavations, March 16. Photo by Andy Cook (Experience Israel Now)

Archaeologists working in the temple of Dendera discovered a Sphinx-like statue that may depict Emperor Claudius.

“Egyptian officials have released photos of an ancient scroll, the 52-foot-long (16 meters) Book of the Dead papyrus recently discovered in Saqqara. The 10 images show ancient illustrations of gods and scenes from the afterlife, as well as text on the document, which is more than 2,000 years old.” The released photos were first posted on the government’s Facebook page.

The British Museum’s Curator’s Corner provides a lesson in how to read ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs (27 min).

New release: Ancient Egypt, New Technology: The Present and Future of Computer Visualization, Virtual Reality and Other Digital Humanities in Egyptology, edited by Rita Lucarelli, Joshua A. Roberson, and Steve Vinson. (Brill, $174; free download)

The first-ever detailed study of the theater at Pergamum reveals that it is larger than the theaters at Smyrna, Ephesus, Miletus, or Aspendos. An aerial photo shows the locations of the theater, stadium, and amphitheater in relation to the acropolis.

Turkish Archaeological News has a roundup of major stories for the month of February. They also provide a damage assessment of cultural properties one month after the earthquake.

“The revamped archaeological museum of Argos in the Peloponnese and its upgraded display collection will soon reopen to the public.”

Archaeologists have discovered for the first time wooden stakes described by Julius Caesar and used as a kind of ancient barbed wire.

New research suggests that humans may have first begun riding horses around 3000 BC.

New exhibition at the San Antonio Museum of Art: “Roman Landscapes: Visions of Nature and Myth from Rome and Pompeii”

The Global Smyrna Meeting on the Seven Churches of Revelation will be held June 4 to 10, featuring many scholars in the field including Mark Wilson, Mark Fairchild, James Hoffmeier, David deSilva, and Ben Witherington.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Mark Hoffman, Explorator

Pool of Siloam excavations in late February. Photo courtesy of John DeLancey.

Graduate students on a field trip discovered a statue of a lioness near a synagogue in the Golan Heights.

Several editorials reflect on the Darius Ostracon fiasco, including Nathan Steinmeyer at BAS, Ruth Schuster at Haaretz, and The Jerusalem Post.

“The Davidson Center in Israel’s Jerusalem Archaeological Park will reopen to the public next week after being closed for three years for renovations. The center will have updated exhibits featuring first-ever publicly displayed archaeological finds, innovative technology, and interactive galleries.”

Nixza Gonzalez writes about 11 beautiful national parks in Israel, most of which are not on the itineraries of most groups.

Chandler Collins evaluates the evidence that identifies Herod’s tower near Jaffa Gate (“the tower of David”) as either Hippicus or Phasael, concluding that the popular view today is wrong.

Piotr Bienkowski disputes the recent proposal that Edom was related to the copper mining at Faynan in the 10th and 9th centuries BC.

New release: A Handbook of the Aramaic Scrolls from the Qumran Caves: Manuscripts, Language, and Scribal Practices, by Daniel Machiela (Brill, $192; free download)

In the latest Digging for Truth episode, Bryan Windle recounts his top 10 list of discoveries in biblical archaeology in 2022.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Mark Hoffman, Explorator

A scan of the north side of the Great Pyramid of Giza detected a corridor measuring 30 feet by 6 feet.

“The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on Friday the discovery of a group of tombs from the Persian, Roman and Coptic eras in the Al-Bhansa [Oxyrhychus] region.”

“Archaeologists excavating at the ruins of Old Dongola in Sudan have discovered ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics inscribed on sandstone blocks.”

Iran and China are collaborating to conduct underwater archaeological surveys in the Persian Gulf.

A curator at Manchester Museum describes the significance of the touring exhibition, “Golden Mummies of Egypt.”

The Art Newspaper reports on the full scale of earthquake damage to heritage sites in Turkey and Syria.

Hybrid lecture on March 9: “Iron in the Sky: Meteorites in Ancient Egypt,” by Victoria Almansa-Villatoro. Register here.

“Daniel—The Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries” is the latest episode on Digging for Truth.

Expedition Bible’s latest video is on the “Search for the Tower of Babel.”

New release: Esarhaddon, King of Assyria, by Josette Elayi

Bryan Windle highlights the top three reports in biblical archaeology in the month of February.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Dickson, Ted Weis, Explorator

The most interesting story of the week is that of the “Darius ostracon,” but I need more space for that, so see below.

There are currently 80 archaeologists working on 14 active excavations in Jerusalem. This story is focused on the Pilgrimage Road excavation.

Moshe Gilad visits the Bar’am synagogue and notes that a very “complicated and significant restoration” is underway. The story is illustrated with some beautiful photos of the site.

Aren Maeir provides a translation of a public statement made by the Israel Archaeological Association about the effect of governmental changes upon archaeological sites and research.

Ilan Sharon, longtime co-director of the excavations at Tel Dor, died recently.

A trailer is out for “Quest for the Throne of God,” a movie that follows the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant, featuring Craig Evans and Scott Stripling, produced by Gesher Media.

Season 3 of “The Holy Land: Connecting the Land with Its Stories,” hosted by John Beck, has been released.

Now to the story of the week. On Wednesday, the Israel Antiquities Authority made a dramatic announcement: a visitor walking around Tel Lachish in December picked up a potsherd reading “Year 24 of Darius,” a reference to the Persian king who ruled over the land of Israel from 522 to 486 BC. It seemed incredible that an inscription would just be laying on the surface, never before noticed, so the archaeologists worked very carefully to confirm its authenticity.

After several months of investigation by the leading researchers of the IAA, press releases were crafted, a video was created, and the discovery was announced. There was no doubt, the experts concluded, that the inscription was genuine. According to The Jerusalem Post:

A few weeks later, [Eylon] Levy received a phone call from the authority’s Saar Ganor. He said he was “on his way from the Dead Sea Scrolls labs. We’ve put it through three scanners. This is authentic. No modern hand could do it, and it’s from two and a half thousand years ago, from before the story of Purim.”

Ganor analyzed Levy’s discovery with Dr. Haggai Misgav of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and they both confirmed that the artifact dated to the Persian royal administration at Lachish in the Achaemenid period, at the turn of the fifth century BCE.

Haaretz has this:

How confident are they in their interpretation? “Very,” Ganor answers, adding that the writing is so clear that Misgav could read it on the spot. Even so, the ostracon was of course handed over for restoration, during which process its authenticity was confirmed. The inscribed potsherd will be published in the Israel Antiquities Authority journal ‘Atiqot, vol. 110.

But on Friday someone reading about the discovery contacted the IAA to let them know that she had inscribed the potsherd in a demonstration to students. The piece was then tossed aside at the site, to be picked up several months later.

The IAA took full responsibility:

In terms of ethical and scientific practices, we see this as a very severe occurrence. Leaving the newly inscribed sherd on the site was careless.

Yes, indeed. And they are going to do something about it, working to “refresh proper procedures and policies with all foreign expeditions working in the country,” so that no one else dares leave a modern inscription at any archaeological site.

For my part, I will continue to put my full trust in the archaeological experts and their three scanners as long as we know the truth from other sources. As James Davila observes, “What are all those scans and laboratory tests worth if they can’t even identify a modern pedagogical showpiece that wasn’t intended to fool anyone?”

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Dickson, Ted Weis, Explorator

Scholars have long wondered if an Amorite language existed, until the discovery of two tablets written at least partially in the language.

“An archeological site at Girsu, in modern-day south-central Iraq, a major city in the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Sumer, has been unearthed revealing a palace and a temple that date back over 4000 years.”

Egyptian police discovered a fake tomb created to defraud antiquities traffickers.

Kim Phillips addresses questions of what’s real and what’s hype in the sale of Codex Sassoon.

Eric Cline explains how the recently discovered evidence of a drought in 1198-1196 adds to our knowledge of the collapse of the Hittite Empire and other societies.

France 24 shows drone footage of the earthquake damage to Turkey’s Gaziantep castle.

“It’s still an open question among scholars whether Mycenaeans participated in long-distance metallurgical trade in the Bronze Age. The mythological narratives found in Greek literary tradition suggest they did.”

“The UK is working on a new arrangement with Greece through which the Parthenon Sculptures could be seen both in London and in Athens.”

Greece has announced a four-year renovation project of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

Online lecture on Feb 28, 10am: “Excavations at Nineveh and Nimrud in 2022.” Join by Zoom here, or watch the recording a few days later here.

New York tells the story of Michael Steinhardt and the investigation of his antiquities collection.

New release: The Most Extraordinary Life: Discovering the Real Jesus, by Bob Rognlien. Also on Kindle.

My colleague William Varner has just published his latest work, The Preacher and the Song: A Fresh Look at Ecclesiastes & Song of Songs.

HT: Agade, Explorator, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Dickson, Alexander Schick, Ted Weis

“Archaeologists have uncovered early evidence of brain surgery after the discovery of two brothers buried beneath the floor of a late Late Bronze Age-era building” in Megiddo. The underlying journal article is here.

“A family found an ornamental 1,400-year-old clay figure on the ground while hiking through the hills south of the city of Modiin.”

Roman sarcophagi at Tel Kedesh were vandalized yesterday. It seems that the criminals believe that Deborah the prophetess’s tomb is located there.

The importance of the oldest known Canaanite sentence is the subject of a 5-min BBC video.

An Israeli team is using artificial intelligence and robots to put the pieces of ancient frescoes at Pompeii back together.

Emanuel Tov explains how the process of copying a Torah Scroll became sacred.

The Spring 2023 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review includes stories on Jeremiah’s journey to Egypt, first-century synagogues in Israel, the Mesha Stele’s possible reference to the “house of David,” volunteer excavation opportunities this summer, and more.

An exhibit at Christopher Newport University pays tribute to Richard Freund, showcasing “the treasures he found, the method he used to discover them, and what they represented to both his students and the world.”

Knowing the Bible has produced several dozen high-resolution maps, including base maps, all available for free, non-commercial use. Donations are appreciated.

Olive Tree Bible Software is offering a free download of The ESV Concise Bible Atlas. A short video explains how to use them on your device.

Eisenbrauns has released two new reference guides, both by David Moster: Biblical Hebrew Grammar Card and Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary Card. Use code NR31 to save 30%.

An Israeli intelligence officer tells the story of when he seized some of the Dead Sea Scrolls from Kando in Bethlehem.

HT: Agade, Explorator, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Dickson, Alexander Schick, Ted Weis

Gobekli Tepe and Arslantepe Mound suffered little or no damage in the recent earthquake in southern Turkey. Other sites did not fare as well.

With the death of their leader and the destruction of their synagogue, the Jewish community in Antakya (biblical Antioch), Turkey, may be coming to an end after 2,500 years of continuous presence.

A new exhibition, “Late Ottoman Turkey in Princeton’s Forgotten Maps, 1883-1923,” has been created by the Princeton University Library’s Maps and Geospatial Information Center in collaboration with Richard Talbert, Research Professor of History at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

“A research project headed by Dr. Michael Hölscher of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), has uncovered that the Book of Revelation has some descriptions and phrases similar to ancient curse tablets.”

Aeon: “Some 3,700 years ago, an enslaved girl, a barber, and a king crossed paths in a city by the Euphrates. This is their story.”

“The historiography of cuneiform mathematics has been enormously fruitful in analyzing the surviving texts, such that countless aspects of the outstanding Mesopotamian mathematical techniques are known today.”

“The Database of Religious History, based at the University of British Columbia, is a digital, open access, and queryable repository of quantitative and qualitative information with the goal of covering the breadth of human religious experience.”

New from Princeton University Press: Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws: And Other Classical Myths, Historical Oddities, and Scientific Curiosities, by Adrienne Mayor

Carl Rasmussen explains “slip-strike tectonic movement” in the Jordan Rift and in the recent earthquake in Turkey.

I traveled last month in Turkey with Mark Wilson and Jason Borges. Jason’s new website on Biblical Turkey is worth checking out.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken

Jerusalem Perspective has published “Treasures New and Old (Matt. 13:52): Celebrating 35 Years of Jerusalem Perspective.” The 35 articles are organized under the following sections: “Who Was Jesus?,” “The Sermon on the Mount, “Second Temple Jewish Sects,” Bible Languages and Translation,” “Second Temple Jewish Life and Thought,” “The Land of Jesus,” and “A New Solution to the Synoptic Problem.” Highlights include:

“Was Jesus a Rabbi,” by David N. Bivin

“The Appearance of Jesus: Hairstyles and Beards in Bible Times,” by Marvin R. Wilson

“Jesus’ Devout Jewish Parents and Their Child Prodigy,” by Chana Safrai

“Lilies of the Field,” by Gloria Suess

“Jesus and the Essenes,” by David Flusser

“Spoken Languages in the Time of Jesus,” by Shmuel Safrai

“That Small-fry Herod Antipas, or When a Fox Is Not a Fox,” by Randall Buth

“Let Down Your Nets,” by Mendel Nun

“Six Stone Water Jars,” by Ronny Reich

“‘Shake the Dust from Your Feet’: What Did the Apostles’ Action Signify?” by Joshua N. Tilton

“The Search for Bethsaida: Is It Over?,” by R. Steven Notley

“A Farewell to the Emmaus Road,” by David N. Bivin

These fascinating studies are written by the best scholars in their fields, and I’m thankful that Jerusalem Perspective has made them so easily accessible and affordable. The early bird price of $19.95 for the e-book ends soon.

The Gaziantep Castle, first built in the Roman period and expanded in the Byzantine period, was severely damaged in Turkey’s earthquake (before and after). The citadel of Aleppo also sustained significant damage. The epicenter appears to have been on the northern end of the Syro-African Rift (that includes the Sea of Galilee and Dead Sea).

Antioch on the Orontes, modern Antakya, was devastated. This article has many photos. The Turkish authorities announced that “the earthquakes did not cause any damage to the Kahramanmaraş, Elbistan, Adıyaman, and Malatya museums, but that a part of the Hatay Archeology Museum [in Antakya] was damaged.” The Antioch Seminar on Paul and Peter will be postponed until 2024.

Sarah Kaplan investigates possible causes for the collapse of the Hittite empire.

Turkish Archaeological News has a roundup of archaeological stories in the month of January.

“An amateur archaeologist in Romania has discovered a unique ancient Roman parade mask.”

The ancient stadium at Nemea has reopened to visitors.

On the ASOR Blog, Robin Derricourt writes about “Absences, Archaeology, and the Early History of Monotheistic Religions in the Near East.”

New from Oxford University Press: Ancient Greek Athletics: Primary Sources in Translation, by Charles H. Stocking and Susan A. Stephens. Reviewed here.

“Ancient Roman ruins at Pompeii have been fitted with invisible solar panels, in a move that will contribute to the archaeological site’s sustainability efforts and cut costs.” CNN has photos of the solar panels that look like terracotta tiles.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

A rare gold bead was discovered by a teenage volunteer in excavations on the “Pilgrimage Road” leading from the City of David to the Temple Mount.

Israel’s driest winter in 60 years ended with a week of heavy rainfall throughout the country. The recent rains filled Herod’s pools at the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem. If you look at the photos, you’ll see that “filled” is a bit generous, but there is water where there usually is not.

“An extraordinary physical reconstruction of a Nabataean woman who lived in the Arabian peninsula more than 2,000 years ago has gone on display to the public.”

“Inside el-Janab Cave near Nablus, archaeologists have found first-ever solid evidence of Muslims fleeing Mongol forces sweeping through the Levant in 1260.”

The Book & The Spade is celebrating a remarkable 40-year run with an anniversary celebration in a live webinar on Wednesday, featuring Scott Stripling, a reflection back on the last four decades of biblical archaeology, and some prize giveaways.

Chandler Collins has posted the second issue of the Jerusalem Tracker, with an extensive roundup of news publications, and media related to Jerusalem from the last six months.

King Jehoram of Israel, the son of Ahab and victim of Jehu, is the subject of Bryan Windle’s latest archaeological biography.

In part 3 of Teaching The Text’s series on Ruth, Brad Gray explores the early encounters between Ruth and Boaz.

Volume 14 of the open-access e-journal Negev, Dead Sea and Arava Studies has been published. The articles are in English, Hebrew, and French.

New release: The Bible and Music, by James F. McGrath. Free download in several formats.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

A bronze shield thought to belong to a king of Urartu has an inscription mentioning a previously unknown nation.

Archaeologists discovered a tavern dating to 2700 BC in the ancient city of Lagash.

“Two ancient clay tablets discovered in Iraq and covered from top to bottom in cuneiform writing contain details of a ‘lost’ Canaanite language that has remarkable similarities with ancient Hebrew.”

“The ancient Egyptians employed a host of exotic ingredients – some apparently imported from as far away as Southeast Asia – to mummify their dead.”

“A battleground fought over by ancient Egyptians and the Ptolemaic Kingdom and mentioned on the Rosetta Stone has been discovered.”

Papyrus conservator Helen Sharp explains how ancient Egyptian papyri have survived for so long.

Julien Cooper writes about the travels of Khety in the Sinai Peninsula during the 11th Dynasty.

On the Tikvah Podcast, Israeli rabbi and biblical scholar Joshua Berman talks about leading tours to Egypt. (“Things that you see from there you don’t see from here.”)

“Life and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection, on view at the Michael C. Carlos Museum from February 4 to August 6, 2023, is an exhibition about the power of ancient Egyptian objects to engage and inspire.”

Jason Colavito argues against displaying mummies in museums.

Webinar on Feb 8: “Secrets of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom Capital: el-Lisht,” by Sarah Parcak

“The 20th edition of the Annual Symposium on the Iranian Archaeology will take place in the National Museum of Iran,” with presentations of the latest archaeological research.

Zoom lecture on Feb 8: “Mercenary Soldiers in the Achaemenid World,” by John W. I. Lee

New release from RevelationMedia: Polycarp. Free to view if you enter your email address. (I don’t see another viewing option.)

“Nominations are invited for the 2023 Biblical Archaeology Society Publication Awards, for books published in 2021 and 2022.”

ASOR is offering 40+ scholarships of $2,000 each for participation on ASOR-affiliated projects during the summer of 2023. The deadline to apply is February 15.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Bryan Windle highlights the top three reports in biblical archaeology in January 2023.

Expedition Bible’s latest video considers whether the archaeological evidence supports the authenticity of the traditional tomb of Lazarus in Bethany.

Carl Rasmussen shares some musings from his recent tour of Israel.

In preparing a map for the Bible Mapper Blog, David Barrett identified the hill of Ammah in the pool of Gibeon story (2 Sam 2) with el-Qubeiba, which has also been identified as the Emmaus of Luke 24.

Antiquities police caught a couple of thieves at the bottom of a pit, after they had already caused irreversible damage to a 1st-century winepress in western Galilee.

Antiquities thieves who had discovered an ancient sarcophagus at the site of Samaria were caught by authorities.

Aren Maeir has collected a number of videos where he discusses the Philistines and his excavations of the city of Gath.

The Israel Antiquities Authority has begun moving into its new home at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of the Land of Israel in Jerusalem.

The Great Isaiah Scroll arrived at what is now known as the Albright Institute on February 19, 1948. To celebrate the 75th anniversary, Marcello Fidanzio will be lecturing on Qumran Cave 1 and the Great Isaiah Scroll on February 21 at the Israel Museum.

“The Tel Shimron Experience is a 5-day, 6-night archaeological excursion in Israel where you will have the opportunity to participate in a real archaeological dig.” The price is similar to a 3-week half-season, so you are effectively paying for the privilege of a shorter commitment.

A heygo tour of “The Colosseum Inside” is planned for tomorrow morning.

HT: Agade, Arne Halbakken, Explorator

Archaeologists working in Egypt found the body of a child buried together with 142 dogs, most of them puppies who apparently died in a flood.

A copy of the Book of the Dead was recently discovered in Egypt.

“Archaeologists have uncovered a 4,300-year-old mummy wrapped entirely in gold near the Step Pyramids – and it could be the oldest ever found.”

“A 2,300-year-old mummy that was originally found in 1916 but left unexamined, recently underwent CT scans whereby scientists found him wearing 49 ritually-significant amulets and sandals.”

“Egyptian archaeologists announced Wednesday the discovery of the first burial site in the city of Luxor that dates back to the ancient Egyptian 13th Dynasty.” They also discovered a Roman city located near the Luxor Temple.

“Egypt has completed the restoration of 37 columns as part of the Karnak Temples’ Great Hypostyle Hall restoration project.”

Egyptian archaeologists are now engaged in 50 archaeological excavations around the country. This is a shift from previous reliance on foreign expeditions.

Egyptian archaeologist and filmmaker Ramy Romany discusses his fascinating life in an interview with Jordan Harbinger.

The Glyptotek Museum in Copenhagen is showing a special exhibition entitled “Amarna – City of the Sun God” from January 26 to June 18.

An 11-minute video explains why Tyrian purple dye is so hard to make and so expensive.

Valerie Abrahamsen looks at how the worship of the Egyptian god Isis influenced the veneration of Mary in the early Christian eras.

Catherine E. Pratt considers the centrality of oil and wine to the people of Greece through the ages.

Efforts to uncover the so-called “first mile” of the Appian Way in Rome have been thwarted by a powerful flow of groundwater. The entire length of the Appian Way is a candidate to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“A sword in Chicago’s Field Museum that was previously thought to be a replica has been revealed to be an actual Bronze Age sword from between 1080 and 900 B.C.”

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Explorator

Archaeologists have now finished a chronological mapping of Megiddo, with radiocarbon dates for the two dozen layers of habitation from the Early Bronze Age to the end of Iron II.

Archaeologists excavating a deep rock-hewn moat along the northern side of Jerusalem’s Old City walls have discovered a handprint carved into the stone.

Not all scholars agree that the name of David is on the Mesha Stele.

The Technion and the University of Haifa’s School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures have launched a joint initiative to support cooperation between the two institutions in archaeological sciences, especially microarchaeological research.

“Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly promised King Abdullah II that the status quo on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem will be preserved.”

“Jerusalem’s Tower of David was never built to be accessible.” The Times of Israel gives the backstory on the ingenuity required to make the ancient fortress accessible to those with disabilities.

Chandler Collins writes about a significant geographical feature in Jerusalem that he calls the “Fortress Saddle.” This was the city’s most vulnerable area on its most vulnerable side.

The Mardigian Museum has opened in Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter, documenting the community’s history and serving as a memorial to the Armenian Genocide.

“A riveting new exhibition, titled ‘Peace and War: The Assyrian Conquest of Lachish,’ will open on January 30 in the Lynn H. Wood Archaeology Museum on Southern Adventist University’s campus.” I’m not sure how much “peace” was involved in the Assyrian conquest.

Excavations at ancient Capitolias, a city of the Decapolis in modern Jordan, are shedding light on the production of glass in the Roman, Byzantine, and Umayyad periods.

A former director of the Citadel Museum in Amman, Jordan, was convicted of stealing 6,000 ancient coins and replacing them with forgeries.

Oded Lipschits will be giving a series of lectures in the UK in honor of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society’s Diamond Jubilee between February 20 and March 6. One of them will be online: “New Light on Jerusalem and its Surroundings during the Reign of King Manasseh,” on March 2. Registration required.

Preserving Bible Times has released The Bible: Its Land and Culture, Session 4, including Galilee aerial videos, cultural vignettes, and biblical culture.

Nathan Steinmeyer gives advice on finding the right archaeological dig to join. This is also the topic of an OnScript Biblical World podcast with Steinmeyer, Chris McKinny, and Kyle Keimer.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Ted Weis, Explorator

Excavations at the Pool of Siloam this week; photos by John Black

I’ve just been alerted to the spring course schedule at Jerusalem Seminary that begins in March, with some low early-bird pricing through February 1. They have some excellent courses taught by outstanding professors, all available online.

Jerusalem Seminary is also offering a Pastors/Seminarians field study course in May that is designed for those who have already been to Israel, with a number of off-the-beaten-track stops, plus a dozen unique lectures by veterans in the land. Here are the spring courses:

Biblical Hebrew as a Living Language (Level 1), taught by Talia Podkamenski and a second JS-H4N teacher

Biblical Hebrew as a Living Language (Level 2), taught by Crystal Ovadia and a second JS-H4N teacher

Celebrating Biblical and Messianic Feasts in Early Christian Traditions, taught by Petra Heldt

Faith, Politics, and Ministry in the Middle East, facilitatedby Philip Lanning

The Gospel of Matthew in its First Century Jewish Context, taught by Noel Rabinowitz

Unfolding the Psalms, taught by Murray Salisbury

Biblical Hebrew Tutoring (1-on-1, or group)

All the details are here.

“Two 3,800-year-old cuneiform tablets found in Iraq give first glimpse of Hebrew precursor.”

Asshur, the ancient religious capital of Assyria, will be flooded once construction is completed on a dam on the Tigris River.

Arab News looks at evidence of early Christianity in the Arabian Peninsula.

Mohy-Eldin Elnady Abo-Eleaz looks at how kings of the Late Bronze Age dealt with various kinds of “fake news.”

A Greek blacksmith is creating replicas of ancient armor for display in museums. I saw about a dozen of these last week in the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens.

Mark I. Pinsky reviews Eric M. Meyers’s autobiography, An Accidental Archaeologist: A Personal Memoir. Only $9.99 on Kindle.

Eric Meyers is interviewed by Eve Harow on the Rejuvenation podcast.

Alex Joffe grew the readership of ANE Today from zero to 42,000 over the last decade, and now he is stepping down. This provides him with the occasion to reflect on the challenge of getting archaeologists to write for normal people.

The Met has closed its galleries for Ancient Near Eastern and Cypriot Art for a two-year, $40 million renovation project.

“The H.A.P.S. summer scholarship is possibly the first crowd-funded grant aimed at helping humanities Ph.D. students – specifically, those studying the Ancient Near East.”

New release: City of Caesar, City of God: Constantinople and Jerusalem in Late Antiquity, edited by Konstantin M. Klein and Johannes Wienand (De Gruyter, 2022; $127; free download).

New release: Naming and Mapping the Gods in the Ancient Mediterranean, edited by: Thomas Galoppin, Elodie Guillon, Max Luaces, Asuman Lätzer-Lasar, Sylvain Lebreton, Fabio Porzia, Jörg Rüpke, Emiliano Rubens Urciuoli, and Corinne Bonnet (De Gruyter, $196; free download)

New release: The Scribe in the Biblical World: A Bridge Between Scripts, Languages and Cultures, edited by Esther Eshel and Michael Langlois (De Gruyter, $100)

New release: The Solid Rock Hebrew Bible – “this edition prints the entire Hebrew text (in a traditional two-column layout and an easy-to-read 13-point font, with vowel points included for readers’ convenience) and includes adjustments made to the base text (the Leningrad Codex) in over 2,500 places.” $35 per printed volume, and free download.

ASOR webinar on Jan 26: “Antiquities Trafficking in the Age of Social Media: How Big Tech Facilitates and Profits from the Digital Black Market,” featuring Katie A. Paul and moderated by Eric Cline ($12).

Video recordings from the “Yahwism under the Achaemenid Empire” conference are now available (also on YouTube).

Speakers at the online Spring Bible & Archaeology Fest 2023 include Erez Ben-Yosef, Shimon Gibson, James Hoffmeier, Chris McKinny, Gary Rendsburg, Sarah Parcak, and others.

Amélie Kuhrt died on January 2.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Dickson, Ted Weis, Wayne Stiles, Mondo Gonzales, Alexander Schick, Charles Savelle, Keith Keyser, Explorator

Archaeologists have uncovered cultic buildings and materials at what they believe may be the Hittite cultic center and royal city of Zippalanda.

A new decade-long study reveals that the Luwian culture extended further and lasted longer than those of Mycenean Greece or the Hittites.

Nearly two thousand Hittite tablets are being read for the first time using artificial intelligence.

A German undersecretary has called for the return of the Pergamon Altar and the bust of Nefertiti.

Turkish Archaeological News provides a summary of the major stories of 2022.

Archaeologists believe they have discovered a temple of Poseidon near Samikon, Greece.

Large-scale excavations in Thessaloniki are revealing impressive finds from the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

Greek authorities have announced an upgrade masterplan for the archaeological site of Corinth. The plan includes the building of a new museum.

“A team of international researchers analyzing the genomes of ancient human remains has discovered that, unlike in other European societies of the period, first cousins in Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece frequently married each other.”

NY Times: “The British Museum and Greece’s prime minister are getting closer to a deal on returning the so-called Elgin Marbles to Athens.”

“The archaeological park of Pompeii has found a low-tech way to prevent the site from being overrun by vegetation: hungry sheep.”

A new study of Roman concrete reveals that its longevity owes to its ability to “heal” its own cracks when exposed to water.

After 20 years of restoration, the House of Vettii in Pompeii was opened to the public.

This excellent two-minute video explains explains how the ancient Romans built roads.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Dickson, Ted Weis, Wayne Stiles, Mondo Gonzales, Alexander Schick, Charles Savelle, Keith Keyser, Explorator

A new study confirms that the name of David is indeed written on the Mesha Stele.

Smithsonian Magazine profiles Michael Langlois, an unusual scholar who identified many “Dead Sea Scroll” forgeries in various private collections around the world. More recently he has confirmed the reading of “David” on the Mesha Stele.

A BAS Dig Scholarship recipient describes his experience excavating at Khirbat al-Balu’a, a Moabite site in Jordan.

Flashfloods in Petra caused the evacuation of 1,700 tourists and locals.

Egyptian archaeologists believe they have uncovered the tomb of a queen from the 18th dynasty in Luxor.

Ten mummified crocodiles were found in an Egyptian tomb.

Three men were arrested in Aswan for trying to steal a 10-ton statue of Ramses II.

“An ancient wooden sarcophagus that was featured at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences was returned to Egypt.”

“There’s a good chance you were told ancient Egyptians pulled chunks of brains out through the nose. Experiments suggest there was a much easier way to do this: scrambling the brains.”

Middle East Eye posts several dozen interesting and annotated satellite images of Egypt.

In recent episodes on the GTI Tours Podcast, Jerrell Jobe discusses Egypt’s significance in Scripture, and Matt Bach identifies some “hidden gems” in Israel.

“As of March 2023, ‘Atiqot will become a thematic journal, publishing volumes dedicated to specific topics related to the archaeology of Israel from the protohistoric to Ottoman periods. The journal will be published in English only, both online (Open Access) and in print.” Themes of future issues include:

• `Atiqot 112: Ancient Hoards, Caches, and Deposits
• `Atiqot 113: The Archaeology of Purity and Impurity
• `Atiqot 114 (March 2024): Wine and Drinking Habits in Antiquity
• `Atiqot 115 (June 2024): Rural Life in the Southern Levant
• `Atiqot 116 (September 2024): Cult and Religion
• `Atiqot 117 (December 2024): Burials and Burial Practices

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Arne Halbakken, Gordon Dickson, Ted Weis, Wayne Stiles, Mondo Gonzales, Alexander Schick, Charles Savelle, Keith Keyser, Explorator