The Israel Antiquities Authority recently announced that its Antiquities Theft Prevention Unit recovered a rare 9,000-year-old stone mask. Read more…
Daily Life and Practice
Archaeology, inscriptions and literature all give us an insight into daily practice in the ancient world. How did the Israelites live? What material culture did they interact with on a daily basis? How did an average person practice religion?
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IAA Announces Recovery of 9,000-Year-Old Neolithic Stone Mask
• 12/11/2018
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Biblical Pharisees and Jewish Halakhah
• 11/29/2018
Were the Biblical Pharisees really as bad as the New Testament makes them seem? Professor Roland Deines of the University of Nottingham thinks not. Read more…
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You Are What You Eat: The Israelite Diet and Archaeology
• 11/25/2018
Pigs weren’t part of the Israelite diet. Therefore if you are excavating and find lots of pig bones at your site, it can’t be Israelite—or can it? A new survey Read more…
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Making Sense of Kosher Laws
• 11/24/2018
The origins of Jewish dietary or kosher laws (kashrut) have long been the subject of scholarly research and debate. Read more…
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A Biblical Spice Rack
• 11/21/2018
The brevity of life is compared to the delicate bloom of the caper in one of the Bible’s many references to fragrant and edible plants. Enjoy a glimpse of some Read more…
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How to Make a Mudbrick
• 11/08/2018
Anyone can make a mudbrick! The recipe is simple—and the ingredients are common. Read more…
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The Origins of Democracy
• 11/06/2018
When we think of democracy, we usually think of the ancient Greeks, but identifying the exact origins of political practices can be tricky. Read more…
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Canaan and Egypt: Ancient Fish Trade
• 11/01/2018
Scientists determined through an analysis of fish teeth that there was an extensive fish trade between Canaan and Egypt 3,500 years ago. Read more…
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Lay That Ghost: Necromancy in Ancient Greece and Rome
• 10/30/2018
When seeking “hidden” knowledge, ancient Greeks and Romans visited sacred oracles and consulted necromancers, who communed with the dead. The necromancer’s art often involved strange journeys, sleep-and-dreaming rituals and even Read more…
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Delikkemer: Hydrating Democracy at Patara
• 10/28/2018
Explore the water system that supplied the world’s oldest federalist democracy. Read more…
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BAR Test Kitchen
• 09/04/2018
If you have ever wanted to eat like an ancient person, now you can. Read more…
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Fruit in the Bible
• 09/03/2018
Seeds and fruit remains are exciting discoveries for archaeologists, and they provide radiocarbon data to help date buried strata. Fruit also plays an important role in the Biblical narrative. Read more…
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Ancient Combat Sports
• 08/26/2018
Three ancient Olympic combat events—wrestling, boxing and pancratium—reveal much about the aspirations and values of ancient Greece, about what was deemed honorable, fair and beautiful, both in the eyes of Read more…
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Classical Corner: The Antonine Plague and the Spread of Christianity
• 08/17/2018
In 166 C.E., the Roman Empire was at the zenith of its power. The triumphant Roman legions, under the command of Emperor Lucius Verrus, returned to Rome victorious after having Read more…
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BAR Test Kitchen: Mersu
• 08/15/2018
For this BAR Test Kitchen dish, we made mersu, an ancient Syrian delicacy made of flour, dates, and pistachios. Read more…
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The Prehistoric Diet and the Rise of Complex Societies
• 08/13/2018
Learn about prehistoric dining at Tel Tsaf, an ancient village about 20 miles south of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. Read more…
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Ancient Bread: 14,400-Year-Old Flatbreads Unearthed in Jordan
• 07/25/2018
In northeast Jordan, archaeologists discovered ancient “bread-like” remains that pre-date the emergence of agriculture by at least 4,000 years. Read more…
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Why Study Prehistoric Israel?
• 07/22/2018
Studying prehistoric Israel can give us a better perspective on Israel in the Biblical period, says archaeologist Daniel Nadel. Read more…
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Biblical Bread: Baking Like the Ancient Israelites
• 07/21/2018
A team from the Tell Halif archaeological excavation made their own tannur, a traditional oven referenced in the Hebrew Bible, and baked bread in it. Read more…
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Fragment of Homer’s Odyssey Unearthed at Olympia
• 07/16/2018
Archaeologists working at the Greek site of Olympia, home of the ancient Olympic Games, discovered a Roman-period clay tablet containing 13 lines of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. Read more…
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An Ancient Jewish Lamp Workshop in the Galilee
• 07/04/2018
Excavations conducted in an ancient Jewish village near Nazareth in Israel uncovered the remains of an oil lamp workshop. Read more…
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The Philistine Marketplace at Ashkelon
• 06/20/2018
In “Buy Low, Sell High: The Marketplace at Ashkelon” in the January/February 2014 issue of BAR, Daniel Master and Lawrence Stager examine what was traded and by whom in Philistine Read more…
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Philistine Cemetery Unearthed at Ashkelon
• 06/17/2018
The first and only Philistine cemetery ever discovered was found outside the walls of ancient Ashkelon. Read more…
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The Enduring Symbolism of Doves
• 06/13/2018
Few symbols have a tradition as long and as rich as the dove. Read about what it represents and how its use has been shared, adapted and reinterpreted across cultures Read more…
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How Ancient Taxes Were Collected Under King Manasseh
• 04/17/2018
Discovered during the Temple Mount Sifting Project, this seventh-century B.C.E. clay bulla inscribed in paleo-Hebrew script with the phrase “Gibeon, for the king” provides evidence for how ancient taxes were Read more…
