4,000 years ago, an official named Aradmu kept economic and social records of agrarian life and the economy near Nippur in southern Iraq. After having been looted from Iraq, smuggled 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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4,000 Year Old Texts Survive the Attacks of Time and 9/11
• 05/16/2012
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The Troubled Return of the James Ossuary
• 05/14/2012
Despite the March 14th verdict declaring collector Oded Golan not guilty on all counts of forgery, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) persists in its conflict with the defendant. Prosecutor Dan Read more…
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Archaeologists Discover “New” Ancient Language from the Eighth-Century B.C.E.
• 05/11/2012
When Cambridge archaeologist John MacGinnis examined a tablet listing the names of 60 women found at an Assyrian governor’s palace in southeastern Turkey, he noticed that most did not bear Read more…
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Israeli Archaeologists Discover Byzantine Quarry and Possible Site of Sixth Century Miracle
• 05/09/2012
In the sixth century C.E. history The Buildings of Justinian, the Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea describes how God provided a miraculous supply of stone for the construction of the Read more…
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Khirbet Qeiyafa Excavator to Announce New Finds from the Era of David and Solomon
• 05/07/2012
The Biblical archaeology world is abuzz with anticipation over Hebrew University archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel’s press conference on Tuesday, May 8. The press release for the event promises to “announce all-new Read more…
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Phoenician Tombs Discovered in Southeastern Cyprus
• 05/03/2012
Renovations to the Larnaca sewer system exposed two Phoenician-period tombs in southeastern Cyprus last weekend. Dated between the 6th and 4th centuries B.C.E., the tombs may be associated with the Read more…
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First Temple Period ‘Matanyahu’ Seal Discovered in Jerusalem
• 05/02/2012
An Israel Antiquities Authority excavation in Jerusalem uncovered a small stone seal dating to the First Temple period earlier this week. The 8th-6th century B.C.E. personal seal was used to Read more…
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Mikva’ot in Galilean Caves Suggest Lives of Refuge and Religion
• 04/27/2012
Recent investigations have identified five mikva’ot (singular: mikveh), or Jewish ritual baths, in caves on the Galilean cliffs of Arbel, revealing the highly religious orientation of the inhabitants. Read more…
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Putting Faces to Roman Egypt’s Royal Twins
• 04/25/2012
New analysis of a sculpture from the Egyptian Museum reveals that it depicts Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene, the twin children of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Antony and Cleopatra’s children Read more…
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Prison Makes Way for the Holy Land’s Oldest Church
• 04/23/2012
Despite the great deal of fanfare surrounding its discovery, the third century C.E. Christian prayer hall discovered at Megiddo looks like anything but an archaeological tourist site. Likely the oldest Read more…
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City of David Archaeologists Unearth Late Bronze Age Egyptian Scarab
• 04/19/2012
Israeli archaeologists working at the City of David excavations in Jerusalem recently uncovered a rare 13th century B.C.E. Egyptian scarab. The scarab dates to Egypt’s 19th dynasty, which was marked Read more…
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Bronze Age Akrotiri Reopened
• 04/17/2012
The mid-second millennium B.C.E. volcanic eruption on the island of Thera (the modern tourist island Santorini) redefined Bronze Age history for the entire Aegean. One of the largest eruptions in Read more…
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Former Egyptian Antiquities Head Faces Charges
• 04/16/2012
Earlier this month, Egypt’s general prosecutor announced that former antiquities chief Zahi Hawass* will face charges of wasting public funds and breaking the country’s antiquities laws. Most of the charges Read more…
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Ancients Believed Israel’s Twins Cave Was Portal to the Underworld
• 04/12/2012
New explorations of the famous Twins Cave in the Judean hills west of Jerusalem have discovered evidence of ancient pagan rituals that may suggest the cave was once thought to Read more…
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Syrian Antiquities Can’t Escape Violence
• 04/11/2012
According to Syria’s director of museums, many of the country’s famous antiquities sites and museums are beginning to suffer from the violent political unrest that has engulfed the country. Hiba Read more…
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Google Helps Readers Understand Scroll Translations
• 04/10/2012
In September 2011, Google and the Israel Museum launched the ambitious Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Project, with the aim of eventually making English translations and high-resolution images of all of Read more…
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Romans Used Celebrity Fighter to Recruit Soldiers
• 04/09/2012
A newly translated Greek inscription recovered from the ancient town of Oinoanda in southwest Turkey reveals that the Roman army relied on the services of a mixed martial arts champion Read more…
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Google and Israel Museum Create Virtual Museum Experience
• 04/06/2012
Google and the Israel Museum launched an interactive search engine and Web site this week that allows visitors to take a virtual tour of the museum’s vast collection of Biblical Read more…
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IAA Seizes Smuggled Egyptian Coffins
• 04/05/2012
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced this week that two beautifully decorated and well preserved wooden coffin lids dating to the time of Egypt’s pharaohs were seized during a raid Read more…
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New Details Emerge About Lod Mosaic Artist
• 04/04/2012
Sixteen years ago, a beautiful and elegantly crafted third-century C.E. mosaic, festooned with lively depictions of wild beasts, birds and marine life, was discovered during roadwork near the town of Read more…
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ASOR Offers Free Access to Journals During April
• 04/03/2012
The American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) announced this week that during the month of April it is providing free access to the past four years of content from its Read more…
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Canaan Canine Faces Threat in Israel
• 03/29/2012
First-century rock drawings in the Sinai and more than 700 fifth-century B.C.E. canine skeletons unearthed at the coastal site of Ashkelon south of Tel Aviv attest to the historical prominence Read more…
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Price of the Shekel Rises to $1 Million
• 03/28/2012
An American collector paid $1.1 million for an ancient Judean coin at an auction in New York earlier this month. The silver shekel, dated to the first year of the Read more…
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Italian Dig in Iraq Discovers Bronze Age “Tomb of the Prince”
• 03/27/2012
Italian archaeologists working at Tal Abu Tbeirah in southern Iraq recently excavated a lavish tomb dating to the middle of the third millennium B.C.E. Dubbed the “tomb of the little Read more…
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Newly Established Hiking Trail Guides Adventurous Travelers Through Turkey’s Archaeological Wonders
• 03/26/2012
Named by The Sunday Times as one of the world’s top ten walks, the Lycian Way hiking trail weaves along 300 miles of Turkey’s southern coastline through hundreds of archaeological Read more…
