Daily Life and Practice

Daily Life and Practice

Roman Lady Mosaic from Pompeii

Mar 19

5 Ways Women Participated in the Early Church

By: Megan Sauter

What was life like for women in the Christian Church during the first century C.E.? When the books of the New Testament were being written, […]

Mesopotamian tavern

Mar 3

Ancient Mesopotamian Tavern Discovered

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Modern people are not the only ones who enjoy a nice drink after work or during a night out on the town. Indeed, 5,000 years […]

Feb 21

Lebanese Cedar—The Prized Tree of Ancient Woodworking

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

From Solomon’s Temple to the Jesus Boat, the Biblical world was built of cedar.

Mudbrick Making

Jan 29

How to Make a Mudbrick

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Anyone can make a mudbrick! The recipe is simple—and the ingredients are common.

mosaic-rehov-imj

Jan 19

What Did People Eat and Drink in Roman Palestine?

By: Megan Sauter

Go on a culinary adventure through historical and archaeological remains to reconstruct the diet of the average person in Roman Palestine.

carthage-tophet

Jan 17

At Carthage, Child Sacrifice?

By: Robin Ngo

Was child sacrifice really practiced at ancient Carthage? In BAR, Patricia Smith discusses the research she and her team conducted on the cremated remains from the Carthage Tophet.

Jan 8

Ritual Sacrifice in Ancient Israel

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

What are the origins of animal sacrifice? We know that many ancient cultures practiced ritual sacrifice, and ancient sacrifice in Israel was a part of religious worship at the Jerusalem Temple. While ritual sacrifice is now discouraged in many modern religions–with the ritual sacrifice now often represented by symbolic acts and gestures—ancient sacrifice in Israel and many other ancient cultures was a common part of religious worship.

gamla-synagogue

Jan 3

Ancient Synagogues in Israel and the Diaspora

By: Megan Sauter

Were there synagogues before the Romans destroyed the Temple, or did they develop only afterward? Communal structures from the Second Temple period have been discovered, but should they be considered synagogues even though they don’t share the major architectural feature common to post-destruction synagogues?

Origins of Judaism

Dec 26

The Origins of Judaism

By: Marek Dospěl

Where can we situate the origins of Judaism? If we were able to travel back in time, would we find ancient Israelites and Judeans following […]

Biblical Bread Baking

Nov 24

Biblical Bread: Baking Like the Ancient Israelites

By: Cynthia Shafer-Elliott

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.