Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 11hPassing tombs on the way to Jerusalem www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/b…biblicalarchaeology.orgPiety and Prestige in Late Second Temple JerusalemFor centuries, travelers and pilgrims entering Jerusalem from the north and east had gazed upon the monumental tombs cut into the cliffs of the Kidron Valley. T 023
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 28/09/2026A large mikveh (ritual bath) dating to the Second Temple Period has been discovered in Kiryat Gat, providing evidence for a previously unknown Jewish settlement in the area. biblicalarchaeology.orgSecond Temple Era Mikveh Found…then MovedA remarkable archaeological discovery has been made in Kiryat Gat (southern Israel), during excavations ahead of construction in the new Carmei Gat neighborhood 020
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 25/09/2026The famous Kadesh Peace Treaty concluded hostilities between Egyptian forces under Pharaoh Ramesses II and the Hittite King Hattusili III around 1259 BCE. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/a…biblicalarchaeology.orgFragment of World’s Oldest Peace Treaty FoundOn World Peace Day, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced a spectacular find from the world’s oldest surviving peace treaty. A portion of a ta 044
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 23/09/2026How ancient scribes used blank spaces to add a little something extra to the experience of reading the Bible. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/b…biblicalarchaeology.orgMind the Gap!If one were to open a modern printed edition of the Hebrew Bible to a random page, one would encounter a complex layering of information. In addition to the 22 011
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 21/09/2026What was the purpose of burying these beautiful pieces of jewelry? www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/a…biblicalarchaeology.orgRings Before Marriage in Hellenistic Jerusalem?A recent ’Atiqot article draws attention to a small number of remarkable finds from Hellenistic Jerusalem: four gold ornaments and three bronze earrings recover 000
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 18/09/2026New research shows that long before biblical times, people in the southern Levant considered snakes and lizards a fine meal and that reptiles were a part of the human diet for milennia. biblicalarchaeology.orgSnakes and Lizards as Food and FoeThe Bible has a complicated relationship with snakes and lizards. The serpent tempts Eve in Genesis 3. Fiery serpents afflict the Israelites in Numbers 21. Levi 000
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 16/09/2026Following the loss of the Second Temple, #Judaism went through a radical transformation led by many influential rabbis. However, four figures represent key aspects of the transition. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/b…biblicalarchaeology.orgFour Early Rabbis You Should KnowFollowing the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Judaism underwent a radical transformation. In the wake of the crisis, a new question loomed large: How 020
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 14/09/2026A Spanish cave containing 120 Latin inscriptions reveals much about the religious sphere of Roman women and the worship of the mysterious “Lady.” www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...biblicalarchaeology.orgRoman Sanctuary Hidden in “Cave of the Women”Recent discoveries at Cova Dones, in Spain’s province of Valencia, offer a fascinating glimpse into Roman religious practice, and potentially women-centered w 000
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 11/09/2026How a gentile’s conversion expanded the early church www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people...biblicalarchaeology.orgWho Was Cornelius the Centurion?Luke, the traditionally accepted author of Acts and the gospel bearing his name, often expanded and further developed theology through the story of a named char 001
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 07/09/2026A recent study of a Minoan Libation Formula text suggests that the famous Greek deities Demeter and Dionysus had their origins on the island of Crete. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/a…biblicalarchaeology.orgWere the Greek Gods Actually Minoan?Long before the world of classical Greece, the island of Crete was home to the Minoans, one of the great civilizations of the Bronze Age Mediterranean. Flouris 011
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 04/09/2026Excavations reveal temple complex, inscriptions, and links to a lost city www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/a…biblicalarchaeology.orgLost City Found on Egypt’s Way of Horus?New excavations at Tel Abu Saify, in Egypt’s eastern Delta region, are shedding light on a major site along the ancient Way of Horus, a route that connected E 111
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 02/09/2026Cozy up with your favorite hot (or cold) beverage and dive in. The new Fall Issue is here! www.biblicalarchaeology.org/magazine-iss... 010
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 02/09/2026From the world’s oldest temple complex to the traditional birthplace of the patriarch Abraham, the region of Urfa is a complex and fascinating landscape where religion and history converge. biblicalarchaeology.orgExploring the Land of Abraham’s BirthThe city of Urfa (known as Şanlıurfa in Turkish) is a living tapestry of faith. Nestled in southeastern Turkey and revered as the “city of prophets,” Urfa 020
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 31/08/2026Thank you for your thoughts and comments about our Spring 2026 issue. We appreciate your feedback. Here are a few of the letters and responses we received. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/queries…biblicalarchaeology.orgMore Queries and Comments Fall 2026Thank you for your thoughts and comments about our Spring 2026 issue. We appreciate your feedback. Here are a few of the letters and responses we received. Find 000
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 31/08/2026BAR Editor-in Chief Glenn Corbett sits down with New Testament scholar Thomas Schmidt to discuss his recent book Josephus & Jesus: New Evidence for the One Called Christ. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/p…biblicalarchaeology.orgJosephus and JesusJosephus, a first-century Jewish historian with close ties to Jerusalem’s priestly aristocracy, offers the earliest non-Christian account of Jesus. In his Jewis 010
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 28/08/2026A new study looks further into the popular "Qurayyah Painted Ware" produced in northwestern Arabia and used throughout the Levant. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/a…biblicalarchaeology.orgDid Midian Have a Brand?For decades, archaeologists have known a distinctive kind of pottery as “Midianite Pottery.” These beautifully painted vessels were associated with ancient 010
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 26/08/2026Adopted in 325, the Nicene Creed is a foundational document for all major Christian denominations and recognized Jesus as fully divine and of the same substance with God the Father. But where was the First Council of Nicea actually held? biblicalarchaeology.orgWhere Was the First Council of Nicea?An early promulgation of the new faith, the Nicene Creed is a foundational document for all major Christian denominations. In one of the most consequential stat 120
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 24/08/2026Lost Ancient Roman wine shipment discovered at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/a…biblicalarchaeology.orgShipwrecked Wine Jars Discovered Near Sicily“You can’t imagine what’s down here.” That was the reaction of diver Giacomo De Mola when he realized that what he took for a large rock on the Mediterr 081
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 17/08/2026The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of a bathing complex at Tel Nasser in the Port Said area of the eastern Nile Delta. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/a…biblicalarchaeology.orgBathing Complex Discovered at Egypt’s Tel NasserThe Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of a bathing complex at Tel Nasser in the Port Said area of the eastern Nile Delta. The 000
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 14/08/2026The roughly 121-by-39-foot pool, which is approximately 5 feet deep, has been described as “Olympic” by ancient standards. It was a cold water basin capable of accommodating some 300 people. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/a…biblicalarchaeology.org“Olympic” Pool Found in Western TurkeyA monumental open-air pool, discovered at the ancient city of Tralleis in western Turkey, looks remarkably like a modern pool. Yet, this familiar setting belong 021
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 12/08/2026Discovered in 1908 by famed Irish archaeologist R.A.S. Macalister, some believe the Gezer Calendar to be the oldest known Hebrew inscription unearthed so far. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/b…biblicalarchaeology.orgThe Gezer CalendarThe so-called Gezer Calendar is a small limestone slab inscribed with a list of agricultural activities covering one full year. Thought to date from the tenth c 031
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 10/08/2026A new study published in the journal Antiquity investigates more than 100 bronze bowls from the ancient kingdom of Urartu (biblical Ararat). www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblic...biblicalarchaeology.orgUrartu’s Inscribed Bronze BowlsA new study published in the journal Antiquity investigates more than 100 bronze bowls from the ancient kingdom of Urartu (biblical Ararat), which are now held 031
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 09/08/2026Three previously unknown rulers have been discovered that effectively rewrite how we understand the famous Assyrian Kings List. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...biblicalarchaeology.orgThree New Assyrian Kings DiscoveredIn a remarkable moment for the study of ancient Near Eastern history, Alexander Johannes Edmonds (University of Münster) and Eckhart Frahm (Yale University) ha 0272
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 31/07/2026A recent discovery in Jerusalem sheds new light on one of the most enigmatic artifact types from Iron Age Judah: the Judean Pillar Figurine. A rare figurine mold was found that offers the first direct evidence of local production in Jerusalem. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblic... 010
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 27/07/2026Sea Peoples of The Odyssey. An archaeological look at the references in the epic poem--and the current movie created by Christopher Nolan. As examined by Zachary Thomas, lecturer at Australian Catholic University. Link in response. 100
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 24/07/2026"trees are chroniclers, and they speak in the language of rings" www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...biblicalarchaeology.orgMeasuring Time Through TreesMost people know that you can count a tree’s rings to determine its age. Many also know that the rings indicate the climate in any one of the years of the tre 000
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 20/07/2026Known for its spectacular synagogue with richly decorated mosaic floors, the ancient Galilean village of Huqoq has emerged as one the region’s most remarkable archaeological sites. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/b…biblicalarchaeology.orgThe Secrets of HuqoqThe ancient Galilean village of Huqoq has emerged as one of the region’s most remarkable archaeological sites, offering an extraordinary window into Jewish li 030
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 17/07/2026Was Homer's great epic meant to preserve memories of the Late Bronze Age collapse and mourn all the civilizations that had been lost? www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/a…biblicalarchaeology.orgThe Odyssey, the Bronze Age Collapse, and the World Before IsraelFor many readers, Homer’s Odyssey is remembered as a story about journeying home. The cyclopes, Sirens, and sea monsters who prolong Odysseus’s voyage have 000
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 15/07/2026Christianity in Pagan Homes The categories we use—Christian versus pagan, sacred versus ordinary—obscure the realities of lived religion. The homes of Paul’s converts were already full of tradition. Religion entangled with acts of everyday life... www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblic...biblicalarchaeology.orgChristianity in Pagan HomesIt is well known that early Christian communities gathered in private homes. Dedicated church buildings did not appear until much later, with adapted house chur 000
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 10/07/2026Check out our recent interview with Colossae excavation director Barış Yener. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/a…biblicalarchaeology.orgColossae: A Biblical City of the Classical WorldExcavations at the ancient Phrygian city of Colossae in Turkey are uncovering new insights into the history of early Christian communities. 001
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 08/07/2026A newly discovered "standing stone" appears to have been deliberately taken down and concealed within a private residence, perhaps in response to the religious reforms of King Hezekiah. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...biblicalarchaeology.org“Canceled” Standing Stone Discovered in JudahArchaeologists discovered a buried standing stone at Tel ‘Eton that may preserve evidence of household worship and Hezekiah’s religious reforms in eighth-century Judah. 000
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 06/07/2026Our latest book review explores rise of the rabbinic movement. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/reviews… 000
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 03/07/2026A press release from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced multiple discoveries from Tell el-Ku‘a, an archaeological site in northeastern Egypt in the Wadi Tumilat, an area long associated with the biblical land of Gohsen. biblicalarchaeology.orgImagining Joseph in EgyptArchaeologists at Tell el-Ku‘a uncovered Hyksos-era homes, graves, and trade evidence, enriching our understanding of the Egyptian world behind the Joseph story. 020
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 01/07/2026Was the Virgin Mary a second wife? Church tradition and historical analysis are often at odds with one another. What do we know? www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/b…biblicalarchaeology.orgThe Question of Mary’s Perpetual VirginityNew Testament scholar Helen Bond asks whether Mary was Joseph’s second wife—a demographic and textual argument that reframes centuries of debate over Mary’s perpetual virginity as a question about family, not purity. 001
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 29/06/2026Ahab and Jezebel are famous for making Baal-worship central to their government’s religious policies. The archaeology of Iron Age Israel seems to paint a different picture. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/a…biblicalarchaeology.orgDid King Ahab Worship Yahweh?Archaeological discoveries and biblical scholarship challenge the idea of a single Israelite temple, suggesting that even Samaria under King Ahab may have featured a temple to Yahweh. 020
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 26/06/2026Archaeologists have uncovered a prehistoric cave in Fureidis, Israel, dating between 400,000 and 250,000 years ago. The archaeologists describe the cave as a “time capsule” because it remained largely undisturbed for hundreds of thousands of years. biblicalarchaeology.org“Time Capsule” Cave Discovered in IsraelArchaeologists uncovered an undisturbed prehistoric cave in Israel that preserves rare evidence of hunter-gatherer life in the Paleolithic period. 010
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 24/06/2026Add some ancient zing to your summer feasts with our latest BAR Test Kitchen. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/a…biblicalarchaeology.orgRoman Dill SauceIn this BAR Test Kitchen, recreate the first-century CE Roman gourmand Apicius’ recipe for “Cold Dill Sauce for Sausages.” 010
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 22/06/2026At ancient Ugarit "Hair of the Dog" might have been more than an expression when referring to a hangover cure after a night of drinking. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/a…biblicalarchaeology.orgNursing a Hangover in the Biblical WorldA damaged Late Bronze Age tablet from Ugarit preserves a hangover cure for a god. Its key ingredient, dog hair, connects to a healing tradition that spans Mesopotamia, the Levant, and the biblical world. 000
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 17/06/2026Using the Tabernacle as an ideal reference, the authors of these Dead Sea Scrolls present the Temple and its courts as a source of holiness, to be approached with a sense of awe and reverence and in the appropriate state of ritual purity. biblicalarchaeology.orgTeasing the Temple in the Dead Sea ScrollsThe form of the idealized Jerusalem Temple captivated early Jewish authors. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, we encounter two unique models for how the future Temple should be built. 111
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 15/06/2026Tel Rekhesh features a small synagogue in the Galilean countryside that provides evidence of rural religious life during the years Jesus is said to be moving through the Galilee. biblicalarchaeology.orgSynagogues Jesus and Mary Magdalene KnewThe first-century synagogue at Tel Rekhesh offers a glimpse into rural Galilean worship spaces like those where Jesus is said to have preached. 010
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 12/06/2026The Euphrates River was one of the great arteries of the ancient Near East. Flowing from modern-day Turkey through Syria and Iraq before joining the Tigris and emptying into the Persian Gulf, it supported some of the world’s earliest cities and empires. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...biblicalarchaeology.orgDid the Euphrates Originally Empty into the Mediterranean?A new study proposes that the Euphrates River formed only within the last few million years, when two ancient rivers once flowing into the Mediterranean merged and reversed course. 011
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 10/06/2026Between the 4th and 6th centuries, the Roman province of Syria saw an unprecedented boom in Christian worship. Early Christian communities thrived especially on the Aleppo Plateau, where agriculture and trade generated considerable wealth and prosperity www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archae...biblicalarchaeology.orgThe Dead Cities of Christian SyriaAncient Syria became the first predominantly Christian province in the Middle East. Christian Syria developed a distinctive religious, literary, and architectural culture. Now in ruins, stone-built to... 092
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 08/06/2026A recent article by archaeologist Erez Ben-Yosef has reignited debates about nomadic societies, the kingdom of Edom, and, by implication, how the Bible has been used to interpret the archaeological record. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblic...biblicalarchaeology.orgWas Edom Originally Nomadic?A look at new archaeological arguments suggesting the kingdom of Edom may have begun as a nomadic, copper-driven political system. 100
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 05/06/2026A rare shell seal has been discovered at Tel Hadid in central Israel with religious imagery involving a moon standard, a worshiper, and a possible altar. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...biblicalarchaeology.orgRare Shell Seal Shows Moon Imagery in IsraelA rare mother-of-pearl seal from Tel Hadid reveals Assyrian-period imagery of the moon god Sin, highlighting imperial influence, long-distance trade, and cultural interaction in the southern Levant du... 000
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 03/06/2026What happens when ideals of communal equality encounter concentrated wealth? www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...biblicalarchaeology.orgWere Early Christians Class Conscious?Were early Christians class conscious? How does archaeology reveal the role of wealth, patronage, and social hierarchy in late antique churches? 020
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 01/06/2026A new study from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site of Moza, just west of Jerusalem, argues that the site’s prehistoric residents mastered a sophisticated plaster technology nearly 9,000 years ago. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...biblicalarchaeology.orgMoza Rewrites History, AgainA Neolithic plaster technology discovered at Moza—a site already famous for upending assumptions about Israelite worship—suggests ancient builders mastered a sophisticated technique that was lost to h... 022
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 29/05/2026At the Late Bronze Age harbor city of Hala Sultan Tekke in Cyprus, excavations have uncovered a dense assemblage of pigeon bones that sheds light on the early relationship between pigeons and humans. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...biblicalarchaeology.orgFrom Noah’s Dove to the Holy SpiritPigeons in Bronze Age Cyprus may have been far more than urban scavengers. Excavations reveal dozens of pigeon bones with evidence suggesting the birds lived closely alongside humans, bred within the ... 0151
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 26/05/2026The new Summer Issue has arrived! Features: The Dead Cities of Christian Syria Sacred Center: The Iron Age Temple at Biblical Ataroth Sublime Sanctuary: The Jerusalem Temple in the Dead Sea Scrolls Mediterranean Mercenaries of the Bronze Age www.biblicalarchaeology.org/magazine-iss... 040
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 22/05/2026Archaeologists excavating near Ramat Rachel in #Jerusalem have uncovered an ancient rock-cut tunnel that has so far resisted explanation. www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien... 000
Biblical Archaeology Review @biblicalarchaeology.org · 20/05/2026Rethinking the famous Siloam Tunnel inscription as a memorial message from the workers who had died while carving out the tunnel. #Archaeology #Bible #Israel #Siloam #History www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...biblicalarchaeology.orgWas the Siloam Inscription a Message for the Dead?A scholar’s close reading of the Siloam Inscription inside the Siloam Tunnel raises a provocative question about whether it was carved to console workers who died during its construction. 110