The harshness of the curse of Ham, his son Canaan and their descendants has been a source of scholarly debate for millennia. A new reading of the Dead Sea Scroll Read more…
News
The worlds of archaeology and the Bible move fast. Keep abreast of the latest Bible and archaeology news from around the world. Our presentation of a news story does not constitute our endorsement of a news source, or of the source’s presentation or interpretation of events.
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The Curse of Ham—A New Reading in the Dead Sea Scrolls
• 06/07/2013
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Spurned Samaria
• 06/04/2013
One of the most storied cities in the ancient world has seen better days. Samaria was established by Omri as the capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel in the Read more…
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Extraterrestrial Elements in Egyptian Equipment
• 05/31/2013
Where did Egyptians get the iron to make the beads found in a fourth-millennium-B.C.E. cache at the Gerzeh cemetery? Scholars have long been mystified by the discovery, which predates evidence Read more…
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A Sefer Torah in the Bologna Library May Be the Oldest Known Torah Scroll
• 05/30/2013
Italian scholar Mauro Perani dated a Sefer Torah scroll from the University of Bologna Library to the 12–13th centuries C.E., making the manuscript the world’s oldest extant Sefer Torah Read more…
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Lod at the Louvre
• 05/24/2013
One of the most exceptional and well-preserved mosaics ever to be discovered in the Holy Land is now on view in the world’s most visited museum. Read more…
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Curtains Rise at the Theater of Messene after 1,700-Year Intermission
• 05/22/2013
The seats of Messene’s grand theater in the south-western Peloponnese have remained empty since 300 C.E. After 20 years of excavation and restoration, the theater will be reopened—as both an Read more…
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Hidden in Plain Sight—Painted Phoenician Ivories
• 05/20/2013
French and German researchers recently discovered nearly-invisible traces of metal on Phoenician ivories, suggesting the presence of dyes including copper-based Egyptian blue and iron-based hematite, according to a recent X-ray Read more…
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Who Were the Minoans?
• 05/16/2013
Crete’s Minoan civilization has long been considered Europe’s first great Bronze Age society. But who were the Minoans? A recent DNA study suggests that the Minoan civilization comprised of local Read more…
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A Magnificent Mosaic from Byzantine Israel
• 05/15/2013
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the discovery of a well-preserved and ornate Byzantine-era mosaic at Kibbutz Bet Qama in southern-central Israel. Read more…
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Justinian Plague Linked to the Black Death
• 05/10/2013
The reign of Byzantine emperor Justinian I (482–565 C.E.) was marked by both glory and devastation. Justinian reconquered much of the former Roman Empire while establishing lasting legal codes and Read more…
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Geza Vermes (1924-2013)
• 05/09/2013
Update: BAR editor Hershel Shanks wrote an obituary for his friend Geza Vermes, and published it online in Bible History Daily. Click here to read his remembrance.
It is with great Read more…
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A Jerusalem Quarry from the Second Temple Period
• 05/08/2013
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the discovery of a massive quarry from Second Temple period (538 B.C.E–70 C.E.) Jerusalem in the modern Ramat Shlomo district on Wednesday, May 8th. Read more…
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Gabriel’s Revelation
• 05/08/2013
Gabriel’s Revelation: Download a free ebook of definitive articles on “the greatest archaeological discovery in the Middle East since the Dead Sea Scrolls,” now on display at the Israel Museum Read more…
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Thonis—A Major Egyptian Port Swallowed by the Sea
• 05/01/2013
Maritime archaeologists have recently discovered the spectacular remains of the port city under the Mediterranean Sea off the Egyptian coast. While it is unclear how and exactly when in the Read more…
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Feeding the Pyramid Builders
• 04/26/2013
It takes a lot to build a pyramid that will stand for 4,500 years. An estimated 10,000 workers built Menkaure’s pyramid at Giza. What did they eat? Read more…
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First Punic War Battle Rams Uncovered Off the Coast of Sicily
• 04/25/2013
The First Punic War ended in 241 after Rome defeated the Carthaginian navy near the Aegadian (Egadi) Islands off the coast of Sicily. Maritime archaeological surveys conducted by the RPM Read more…
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Proto-Aeolic Capital Kept Quiet—But Why?
• 04/23/2013
Archaeologist Binyamin Tropper recently discovered a proto-aeolic capital still attached to its column in a cave south of Jerusalem. Apparently the IAA has known about the proto-aeolic capital and column Read more…
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A Monumental Underwater Structure in the Sea of Galilee
• 04/15/2013
What is a monumental ancient stone structure doing in the Sea of Galilee? In a recent issue of The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, Israeli archaeologists, geophysicists and oceanographers discuss Read more…
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Mikveh Discovery Highlights Ritual Bathing in Second Temple Period Jerusalem
• 04/12/2013
Israeli archaeologists recently uncovered a mikveh, or Jewish ritual bath, in Jerusalem’s Qiryat Menachem neighborhood that dates back to the Second Temple period (538 B.C.E–70 C.E.). Read more…
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Restoring the Ancient Cave Church of St. Peter
• 04/08/2013
The world’s oldest cave church, located in Antakya, Turkey, is set to undergo a major restoration project. Read more…
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Byzantine Wine Press Uncovered in Israel
• 04/04/2013
The Israel Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of a massive Byzantine wine press near Hamei Yo’av. Read more…
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Hierapolis and the Gateway to Hell
• 04/01/2013
Italian archaeologists excavating the Phrygian city of Hierapolis in southwestern Turkey have uncovered the remains of Pluto’s Gate, a site considered an entrance into the underworld in the Greco-Roman period. Read more…
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Prominent Archaeologists Launch New Academic Journal
• 03/25/2013
The title Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies (JEMAHS) may not exactly roll off the tongue, but the new quarterly publication from Penn State Press has a big Read more…
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Stoa Poikile Excavations in the Athenian Agora
• 03/20/2013
The Stoa Poikile, or Painted Portico, was one of the major structures in Athens’ Classical Agora, the center of political and public life. In the early third century B.C.E., philosopher Read more…
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The Expulsion of the Hyksos
• 03/19/2013
Recent archaeological discoveries at Tel Habuwa (also known as Tell el-Habua or Tell-Huba), a site associated with ancient Tjaru (Tharo), shed new light on Ahmose’s campaign. Read more…
