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I am Ashurbanipal: king of the world, king of Assyria
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 2 weeks ago
*British Museum 8 November 2018 – 24 February 2019Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery* This autumn, discover the world of ancient Assyria through the life and legacy of its last great ruler, King Ashurbanipal. The BP exhibition I am Ashurbanipal: king of the world, king of Assyria will transport you back to ancient Iraq in the 7th century BC, when Ashurbanipal became the most powerful person on earth. From his capital at Nineveh, he ruled a vast and diverse empire, shaping the lives of peoples from the shores of the eastern Mediterranean to the mountains of western Iran. How did on... more »
Additional 1,700 year-old mosaic discovered in Lod
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 2 weeks ago
[image: The Lod mosaic that was exposed recently] The Lod mosaic that was exposed recently Copyright: Photo: Niki Davidov, Israel Antiquities Authority (Communicated by the IAA Spokesperson) Archaeological excavations carried out in the past month by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the city of Lod,in preparation for the construction of a Visitors’ Center that will exhibit mosaics previously exposed here several years ago, have revealed an additional colorful mosaic dating from the Roman period. The mosaic was carefully removed for conservation in order for construction o... more »
A rare 9,000-year-old stone mask was recently uncovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA)
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 2 weeks ago
[image: The rare stone mask dating to the Neolithic period] The rare stone mask dating to the Neolithic period Copyright: Clara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority (Communicated by the IAA Spokesperson) This fascinating and rare stone mask dates to the Neolithic (new stone age) period. It was discovered several months ago and is currently being studied by experts of the IAA and the Geological Survey of Israel. Results of the initial study of the mask will be presented tomorrow (Thursday, 29 November 2018) at the Israel Prehistoric Society annual meeting. Information received at... more »
Ashkenazi Jewish founder mutation identified for Leigh Syndrome
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 1 month ago
[image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: *Chuckie Barnett at age 3 (left) and Michael Barnett at age 5. view more Credit: Marsha Barnett Over 30 years ago, Marsha and Allen Barnett lost their sons to a puzzling childhood disease that relentlessly attacked their nervous systems and sapped their energy. After five-year-old Chuckie died suddenly in 1981, doctors provided a name for the disease: Leigh syndrome. Leigh syndrome is a complex disorder typically caused by dysfunctional mitochondria, the tiny batteries inside all cells that generate our energy. Two years later, the same disease killed Michae... more »
Earliest hominin migrations into the Arabian Peninsula required no novel adaptations
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 1 month ago
New study provides earliest evidence for hominins in 'Green Arabia' between 500,000 and 300,000 years ago alongside direct environmental data indicating productive, relatively humid grasslands Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History [image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: *This is a sand dune in the Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia. view more Credit: Palaeodeserts Project (Klint Janulis) A new study, led by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, suggests that early hominin dispersals beyond Africa did not involve... more »
When the Syrians bathed like the Romans
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 1 month ago
Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics" [image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: *Remains of underfloor heating in the area of the bath. The supports made of tiles carried the floor, with warm air circulating in the space between view more Credit: Peter Jülich Classical scholars from the Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics" at the WWU have explored a rare bathing facility in southeastern Turkey from the time of the Roman Empire, and a magnificent basilica from Christian late antiquity. "Our excavations in the ancient town of Doliche clearly show how a town flourished across epochs and... more »
2,000-year-old inscription spells Jerusalem as Israel does today
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 2 months ago
2,000-year-old inscription spells Jerusalem as Israel does today This picture taken on October 9, 2018, at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem shows a unique stone inscription dating to the Second Temple Period (1st Century CE), mentioning Jerusalem, written in Hebrew letters, and using the spelling as we know it today. The inscription was found this last winter in Jerusalem during an IAA excavation prior to the construction of a new road, during the excavations, the foundations of a Roman structure were exposed, which were supported by columns. The most important discovery wa... more »
Extensive trade in fish between Egypt and Canaan already 3,500 years ago
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 2 months ago
[image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: *Jaw with a durophagous dentition consisting of teeth with thick enamel of the gilthead sea bream (*Sparus aurata*): The large molariform tooth was used for oxygen isotope analysis and to... view more Credit: photo/©: Guy Sisma-Ventura, Israel Some 3,500 years ago, there was already a brisk trade in fish on the shores of the southeastern Mediterranean Sea. This conclusion follows from the analysis of 100 fish teeth that were found at various archeological sites in what is now Israel. The saltwater fish from which these teeth originated is the gilthead sea brea... more »
A prehistoric thirst for craft beer
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 3 months ago
Evidence suggests that stone mortars from Raqefet Cave, Israel, were used in brewing cereal-based beer millennia before the establishment of sedentary villages and cereal agriculture Elsevier [image: IMAGE] This is the site location and artifacts analyzed. (A) The location of Raqefet Cave and three additional Natufian sites in Mt. Carmel; (B) field photos of the studied boulder mortars (BM1,2) and the location of BM3 on the cave floor (scale bar and arrow: 20 cm); (C) a functional reconstruction of the mortars: a boulder mortar used to store plants in a basket with a stone slab on ... more »
Prehistoric mummy reveals ancient Egyptian embalming 'recipe' was around for millennia
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 4 months ago
------------------------------ The mummy has been housed in the Egyptian Museum in Turin since 1901. *Credit: Dr Stephen Buckley, University of York* It is the first time that extensive tests have been carried out on an intact prehistoric mummy, consolidating the researchers' previous findings that embalming was taking place 1,500 years earlier than previously accepted. Dating from c.3700-3500 BC, the mummy has been housed in the Egyptian Museum in Turin since 1901, but unlike the majority of other prehistoric mummies in museums, it has never undergone any conservation treatmen... more »
DNA analysis of 6,500-year-old human remains in Israel points to origin of ancient culture
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 4 months ago
[image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: *Ossuaries from the Chalcolithic Period, excavated at Peqi'in Cave. view more Credit: Mariana Salzberger, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority. An international team of researchers from Tel Aviv University, the Israel Antiquities Authority and Harvard University has discovered that waves of migration from Anatolia and the Zagros mountains (today's Turkey and Iran) to the Levant helped develop the Chalcolithic culture that existed in Israel's Upper Galilee region some 6,500 years ago. The study is one of the largest ancient DNA studies ever conducted i... more »
World's oldest cheese found in Egyptian tomb
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 4 months ago
Aging usually improves the flavor of cheese, but that's not why some very old cheese discovered in an Egyptian tomb is drawing attention. Instead, it's thought to be the most ancient solid cheese ever found, according to a study published in ACS' journal *Analytical Chemistry*. The tomb of Ptahmes, mayor of Memphis in Egypt during the 13th century BC, was initially unearthed in 1885. After being lost under drifting sands, it was rediscovered in 2010, and archeologists found broken jars at the site a few years later. One jar contained a solidified whitish mass, as well as canvas fab... more »
Ancient Greek earring found at east Jerusalem site
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 4 months ago
[image: An Israeli archaeologist shows a golden earring believed to be more than 2,000 years old discovered at the site of a national park in annexed east Jerusalem near the Old City walls] [image: Best Photos of the Day] An Israeli archaeologist shows a golden earring believed to be more than 2,000 years old discovered at the site of a national park in annexed east Jerusalem near the Old City walls Israel on Wednesday unveiled a golden earring dating from the second or third century BC, found in the shadow of the Old City walls in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. The Israel Anti... more »
Ancient pottery factory unveiled in Israel
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 4 months ago
Israeli archaeologists have unveiled what they said was a major pottery plant which produced wine storage jars continuously from Roman to Byzantine times. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said that excavations near the town of Gedera, south of Tel Aviv, revealed the factory and an adjacent leisure complex of 20 bathing pools and a room used for board games. Excavation director Alla Nagorsky told journalists at the site that from the third century AD the plant produced vessels of a type known to historians as "Gaza" jars for an unbroken period of 600 years. "This kind of a p... more »
Archaeological finds at Sidon in Lebanon include the rare remains of a Canaanite child and its funerary jar,
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 5 months ago
Newly revealed archaeological finds at Sidon in Lebanon include the rare remains of a Canaanite child and its funerary jar, the British Museum excavation team revealed on Monday. Alabaster jar from Egypt found in the Phoenician temple by a British Museum team in Sidon AFP By the time of the Canaanites, burial in jars had been the local practice for thousands of years throughout the region. The burial jars archaeologists found in copper-age Sidon had all contained adults. However, the burial presented Monday was a child. The child was interred with a necklace around its neck... more »
Discoveries by archaeology team give new clues on life in ancient Jewish village
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 5 months ago
[image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: *Spies Panel from UNC-Chapel Hill professor Dr. Jodi Magness' 2018 Huqoq excavation. view more Credit: Jim Haberman Recent discoveries by a team of specialists and students at Huqoq in Israel's Galilee, led by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor Jodi Magness, shed new light on the life and culture of an ancient Jewish village. The discoveries indicate villagers flourished under early fifth century Christian rule, contradicting a widespread view that Jewish settlement in the region declined during that period. The large size and elaborate in... more »
Archaeologists uncover earliest evidence for equid bit wear in the ancient Near East
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 7 months ago
An international team of archaeologists has uncovered the earliest example of the use of a bridle bit with an equid (horse family) in the Near East. The discovery provides first evidence of the use of the bit (mouth piece) to control an animal long before the appearance of the horse in the Near East. Evidence of the bridle bit was derived from the skeleton of a donkey dating to the Early Bronze Age III (approximately 2700 BCE) found at the excavations of the biblical city Gath (modern Tell es-Safi) of the Philistines, the home of Goliath, located in central Israel. The donkey was ... more »
New evidence pertaining to expansion of the kingdom of David and Solomon uncovered
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 7 months ago
Over the last 25 years many scholars have questioned the existence of the kingdom of David and Solomon, which was supposed to have existed in the 10th century BCE. This was based to a large extent on the lack of evidence of royal construction at the heart of the region in which the kingdom supposedly existed. As a result, it was assumed that the rulers at the time were just local chiefs who ruled only over Jerusalem and its immediate surroundings. Now researchers from Bar-Ilan University in Israel have uncovered new evidence that supports the existence of Israel's united monarchy... more » Palmyra: Loss and Remembrance
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 8 months ago
*Palmyra: Loss and Remembrance * *Getty Villa. LOS ANGELES * *April 18, 2018 – May 27, 2019* The ancient city of Palmyra (“Place of Palms”), well situated in an oasis in the Syrian desert, flourished between the first and third centuries AD. At the crossroads of trade routes between the Roman and Parthian Persian empires, the people of Palmyra embellished their tombs with distinctive funerary portraits that illuminate the rich cultural exchanges and interactions taking place throughout the eastern Mediterranean and Near East. *Head of a Man, AD 190-210. Palmyran Limestone. H... more »
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 8 months ago
[image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: *This is the oldest-preserved peace treaty between Ramesses II and ?attušili III, c. 1259 B.C. view more Credit: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Vorderasiatisches Museum, Olaf M. Teßmer According to archaeologists, the world's oldest peace treaty disproves the widespread notion that in antiquity, peace was not brought about by negotiations, but always by humiliating those who had lost. "More than 3,200 years ago, Egyptians and Hittites ensured each other mutual support in the treaty; neither of them triumphed. This must have been preceded by much negotiating, ... more »
Getty Conservation Institute Announces Near Completion of Work at the Tomb of King Tutankhamen
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 8 months ago
The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) has nearly completed its work at the Tomb of Tutankhamen in Egypt, one of the most famous cultural heritage sites in the world. The project —a multiyear collaboration between the GCI and Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities (formerly known as the Supreme Council of Antiquities) focused on conservation and the creation of a sustainable plan for continued conservation and management of the tomb. Work at the legendary site included the conservation of wall paintings, environmental and infrastructure improvements, and training for future care of the si... more »
"Dead Sea Scrolls" Coming To Denver
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 8 months ago
"Dead Sea Scrolls," the exhibition that has captivated millions around the world, opened at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science on March 16. The presenting sponsor is the Sturm Family Foundation, with major support from Henry and Lorie Gordon, and GHP Investment Advisors. The regional premiere of this exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see authentic Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient manuscripts that include the oldest known biblical documents dating back over 2,000 years. Ten scrolls will be displayed when the exhibition opens. Due to strict preservation requirements, 10... more »
A hoard of rare bronze Jewish Revolt coins has been discovered
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 8 months ago
A hoard of rare bronze Jewish Revolt coins has been discovered at the recently renewed Ophel excavations. The trove of dozens of bronze coins minted during the last years of the ill-fated four-year rebellion of the Jews against Roman rule was uncovered in a cave just south of the Temple Mount by Hebrew University archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar. The Ophel excavations, located below the Temple Mount’s southern wall, were relaunched in early 2018 after a four-year hiatus. They garnered international headlines after the publication of the recent “Prophet Isaiah” seal impression, which... more »
First-Ever Archaeological Evidence of Prophet Isaiah Possibly Discovered in Jerusalem
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 8 months ago
The recent discovery in Jerusalem of a 2,700-year-old stamped clay seal potentially belonging to the Biblical prophet Isaiah is being published by a prominent Israeli archaeologist on February 22, 2018. Dr. Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem is breaking this find in her new article, *"Is This the Prophet Isaiah's Signature?"*, which is part of a special double issue of *Biblical Archaeology Review* (March/April–May/June 2018). "We appear to have discovered a seal impression, which may have belonged to the prophet Isaiah, in a scientific, archaeological excavation," s... more » research sheds light on prehistoric human migration in Europe
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 10 months ago
[image: IMAGE] *This field excavation photo shows a double burial in Kargadur, located in Istria County, Croatia. The skeletal remains are among 225 skeletal remains sampled in a study of two major migrations across southeastern Europe during prehistoric times. Results of the study are in a paper, titled 'The Genomic History of Southeastern Europe,' that was published in the Feb. 21 issue of Nature.* *Credit: Darko Komšo* Two University of Wyoming researchers contributed to a new study in which DNA of ancient skeletal remains of people from southeastern Europe were used to determin... more »
Rare Mosaic from the Roman Period Discovered in Caesarea National Park
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 10 months ago
*The mosaic was uncovered during an archaeological excavation that is part of the largest conservation and reconstruction project ever undertaken in Israel - with an investment of over 100 Million Shekels contributed by the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation and the Caesarea Development Corporation* A rare and beautiful Roman mosaic from the 2nd-3rd centuries CE, bearing an inscription in ancient Greek, is being uncovered at the Caesarea National Park. The mosaic was excavated during work by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Caesarea Development Corporation throughout Caesarea ... more »
Significant Finds Uncovered in Excavations in Ein Hanniya Park in Rephaim Valley
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 10 months ago
*A large and impressive system of pools from the Byzantine period (4th-6th centuries CE), a fragment of a capital typical of royal structures and estates in the First Temple period and a rare silver coin from the 4th century BCE, one of the most ancient ever found in the Jerusalem area, were found in excavations at Ein Hanniya.* These remarkable and significant finds were unearthed in Israel Antiquities Authority excavations at the site of Ein Hanniya between 2012 and 2016. The park will open to the public in the coming months. The excavations, which were carried out as part of t... more »
Remains of earliest modern human outside of Africa unearthed in Israel Discovery
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 11 months ago
[image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: Reconstruced maxilla from microCT images. view more * *Credit: Gerhard Weber, University of Vienna, Austria* A jawbone complete with teeth recently discovered at Israel's Misliya cave has now been dated to 177,000-194,000 years ago. The finding indicates that modern humans were present in the Levant at least 50,000 years earlier than previously thought. "This finding -- that early modern humans were present outside of Africa earlier than commonly believed -- completely changes our view on modern human dispersal and the history of modern human evolution," says... more »
DNA ends 4,000-year-old Egyptian mummy mystery
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 11 months ago
------------------------------ The Two Brothers are the Museum's oldest mummies and amongst the best-known human remains in its Egyptology collection. They are the mummies of two elite men -- Khnum-nakht and Nakht-ankh -- dating to around 1800 BC. *Credit: Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester* Using 'next generation' DNA sequencing scientists have found that the famous 'Two Brothers' mummies of the Manchester Museum have different fathers so are, in fact, half-brothers. The Two Brothers are the Museum's oldest mummies and amongst the best-known human remains in its ... more »
Prehistoric Site about Half a Million Years Old Uncovered in Jaljulia in the Sharon Region
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 11 months ago
An astonishing discovery in Jaljulia: a rare and important prehistoric site, roughly half of a million years old, extending over about 1 hectare, was uncovered during the last few months in a joint archaeological excavation conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority in cooperation with the Archaeological Department in Tel Aviv University. The archaeological excavation was funded by theIsrael Land Authority, towards the expansion of Jaljulia. The excavation revealed a rich lithic industry, including hundreds of flint hand axes, typical tools of the ancient Acheulian culture. ... more »
Ancient Phoenician DNA from Sardinia, Lebanon reflects settlement, integration, mobility
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 11 months ago
Ancient DNA from the Phoenician remains found in Sardinia and Lebanon could provide insight into the extent of integration with settled communities and human movement during this time period, according to a study published January 10, 2018 in the open-access journal *PLOS ONE* by E. Matisoo-Smith from the University of Otago, New Zealand and Pierre Zalloua from the Lebanese American University, Beirut, and colleagues. The researchers looked at mitochondrial genomes, which are maternally inherited, in a search for markers of Phoenician ancestry. The Phoenicians were an ancient civil... more »
[Belonging] To the Governor of the City": A Unique find Unearthed in Jerusalem
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 11 months ago
*The important find was discovered over the course of the IAA's excavations at the site, together with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. According to the excavator, Dr. Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah, "the Bible mentions two governors of Jerusalem, and this finding reaffirms that such a position was actually held by someone in the city some 2,700 years ago."* This extraordinary find is a lump of clay, stamped and pre-fired. It measures 13 X 15 mm and is 2-3 mm thick. The upper part of the sealing depicts two figures facing each other, and the lower part holds an inscription in an... more »
Remains of a 1,500-year-old Monastery and Church uncovered in Beit Shemesh
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 1 year ago
*December 20, 2017* The spectacular remains of a 1,500-year-old (Byzantine Period) monastery and church decorated with mosaic floors and imported marble elements are currently being uncovered during large scale excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority in Beit Shemesh with the help of over 1,000 teenagers. The excavation is being conducted prior to the expansion of Ramat Beit Shemesh, funded by the Ministry of Construction and Housing, and implemented by the CPM Corporation managed by Anatoly Snider. [image: Loading] According to Benyamin Storchan, director of th... more »
An Idumean Palace or Temple in the Lachish Region?
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 1 year ago
An impressive 2200-year-old (Hellenistic period) structure, possibly an Idumean palace or temple, was uncovered during Sukkot in archaeological excavations at the site of Horvat 'Amuda, situated at the heart of a military training area in the Lachish region. *According to the exc**a**vation directors, Dr. Oren Gutfeld of the Hebrew University, and Pablo Betzer and Michal Haber of the Israel Antiquities Authority*: "If this was indeed an Idumean palace or temple, it is a rare and exciting find - similar structures in this country can be counted on the fingers of one hand. It see... more »
1,500-year-old Mosaic Floor with Inscription Uncovered in Ashdod
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 1 year ago
*The mosaic, which was apparently the floor of a church or monastery, contains an inscription noting the year of the building's construction according to the Georgian calendar * This is the first Georgian church or monastery ever discovered on the Israeli coast.* An impressive 1,500-year-old church, with an inscription in Greek mentioning a date according to the Georgian calendar, was uncovered in archaeological excavations in Ashdod in August. According to the archaeologists, the floor was part of a Georgian church or monastery. This is the third season of excavation at the anci... more »
One-Thousand-Year-Old Eggplant Discovered in Israel
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 1 year ago
*The earliest evidence of the arrival of eggplants in this Israel has come to light in the City of David, the archeological site of ancient Jerusalem: A 1,100-year-old refuse pit found in Israel Antiquities Authority excavations in the Jerusalem Walls National Park reveals dietary habits in the Early Islamic period* When did eggplants first arrive in Israel? A 1,100-year-old refuse pit, discovered in archaeological excavations at the stepped street in the City of David in the Jerusalem Walls National Park, may provide an answer. Eggplant seeds were identified in the pit, which ... more »
4,000-year-old military network in northern Syria
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 1 year ago
The discovery of more than a thousand sites in Syria has revised our understanding of the settlement of the steppes during all periods in the history of the Near East. Recently, analysis of aerial and satellite images has enabled the discovery of a vast structured surveillance and communication network dating from the Middle Bronze Age (2nd millennium BCE). This research, led by researchers from the Archéorient laboratory (Environnements et sociétés de l'Orient ancien - CNRS/Université Lumière Lyon 2) and the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums of Syria, is published in ... more »
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 1 year ago
[image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: *Drone aerial shot of the ancient Turkish ruins on Dongoin shiree. (North at the top.) Segments of the inscriptions and sarcophagus excavated from the hole at the center of the... view more Credit: Osaka University and Institute of History and Archaeology, Mongolian Academy of Science A joint excavation team from Osaka University and the Institute of History and Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences discovered the ruins of a unique monument surrounded by 14 large stone pillars with Turkic Runic inscriptions arranged in a square on the steppe calle... more »
Archaeologists revise chronology of the last hunter-gatherers in the Near East
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 1 year ago
- New research by a team of scientists and archaeologists based at the Weizmann Institute of Science and the University of Copenhagen suggests that the 15,000-year-old 'Natufian Culture' could live comfortably in the steppe zone of present-day eastern Jordan - this was previously thought to be either uninhabitable or only sparsely populated. The hunter-gatherers of the Natufian Culture, which existed in modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria between c. 14,500 - 11,500 years ago, were some of the first people to build permanent houses and tend to edible plants. These innovation... more »
First original Greek copy of Jesus' secret revelations to his brother
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 1 year ago
[image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: A piece of the Coptic translation of the First Apocalypse of James from the Nag Hammadi Codex V. view more * *Credit: Image of artifact from the Nag Hammadi Library, Oxford University.* The first-known original Greek copy of a heretical Christian writing describing Jesus' secret teachings to his brother James has been discovered at Oxford University by biblical scholars at The University of Texas at Austin. To date, only a small number of texts from the Nag Hammadi library -- a collection of 13 Coptic Gnostic books discovered in 1945 in Upper Egypt -- have be... more »
ANCIENT FABRIC DYED IN TZITZIT BLUE FOUND
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 1 year ago
Israel Antiquities Authority researcher Dr. Na‘ama Sukenik has identified three pieces of fabric found in Judean Desert Caves (Wadi Murabba‘at caves) as being dyed using the Murex Trunculus Snail. All three date back to the Roman period. Two of these also used a second dye obtained from Cochineal insects; this gave these fabrics purple borders. These were woven in characteristic manner of imported textiles. [image: No automatic alt text available.] The third piece of fabric was made of wool and woven in the fashion of locally spun textiles. This fabric had been dyed using only ... more »
1,500-Year-old Rooster-like Clay Vessel Discovered by Vacationers at Sea of Galilee
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 1 year ago
1. 2. While vacationing by the Sea of Galilee during Sukot, Mrs. Tal Pastman dipped in the lake water, when she noticed a strange object among the pebbles. She rubbed the mud off the object only to find, to her great surprise, this unique vessel. Pastman contacted the Israel Antiquities Authority and gave their representative this rare find. Tal says: "Since childhood I read stories of finding antiquities treasures, and I was enchanted by it. I always hoped that one day I will find a significant object from the past, and it just happened to me. The incredible... more »
Oldest recorded solar eclipse helps date the Egyptian pharaohs
Jonathan KantrowitzatArchaeology News Report - 1 year ago
Researchers have pinpointed the date of what could be the oldest solar eclipse yet recorded. The event, which occurred on 30 October 1207 BC, is mentioned in the Bible, and could have consequences for the chronology of the ancient world. Using a combination of the biblical text and an ancient Egyptian text, the researchers were then able to refine the dates of the Egyptian pharaohs, in particular the dates of the reign of Ramesses the Great. The results are published in the Royal Astronomical Society journal *Astronomy & Geophysics* . The biblical text in question comes from the Ol... more »
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