Hunting for stolen history: Inside Israel’s antiquities underworld | The Jerusalem Post Israel’s antiquities watchdog is battling black-market theft, forgery, and a global trade that strips history of its story

A striking cache of ancient coins and artifacts displayed by the Israel Antiquities Authority highlights how looted objects, though impressive, lose all their value once stripped of archaeological context. #Archaeology

www.jpost.com/jerusalem-re...

Despairing at the state of the world? The ancient Greeks and Romans knew the feeling Withdraw, endure, or laugh? The ancients have some advice about facing disillusionment.

#AncientHistory

theconversation.com/despairing-a...

Despairing at the state of the world? The ancient Greeks and Romans knew the feeling Withdraw, endure, or laugh? The ancients have some advice about facing disillusionment.

Ancient thinkers like Heraclitus of Ephesus grappled with political despair much like today. These Graeco-Roman responses provide a valuable comparative backdrop for understanding parallel reflections on suffering in texts such as Ecclesiastes.

How archaeology turns political in the West Bank Archaeologists, residents and government officials talk about how uncovering and preserving centuries-old sites and artifacts in Israel and the West Bank also serves to highlight contemporary…

Excavations at sites like Tala'at Ad-Dam and Sebastia reveal how archaeology in the region is entangled with modern political claims. These tensions highlight how material remains tied to the biblical world are reinterpreted. #Archaeology

Earliest iron blooms discovered off the Carmel coast revise Mediterranean trade in raw metal ca. 600 BCE - npj Heritage Science npj Heritage Science - Earliest iron blooms discovered off the Carmel coast revise Mediterranean trade in raw metal ca. 600 BCE

Underwater finds at Dor Lagoon reveal preserved Iron Age iron blooms, reshaping our understanding of early metallurgy, trade, and industrial organization in the southern Levant.

#Archaeology

www.nature.com/articles/s40...

2,500-year-old infant mass grave cracks open enigma of biblical-era baby burials Archaeologists found the remains of dozens of children under the age of two deposited in a water reservoir of the ancient Judean town, a new study has revealed

Archaeologists at Tel Azekah uncovered a 2,500-year-old reservoir filled with the remains of dozens of infants, raising unsettling questions about burial practices and social realities in ancient Judah.

#Archaeology

Ancient coins from Hasmonean kingdoms, Jewish revolts seized after suspected smuggling Police say they found the artifacts last month as they inspected a vehicle belonging to a Palestinian doctor as he crossed the Hizma checkpoint north of Jerusalem into Israel

Dozens of 2,000-year-old coins were seized in a suspected smuggling attempt. Once removed from context, their stories may be lost forever.

These coins are vital evidence for the political and religious world of Second Temple Judaism.

#BiblicalStudies #Archaeology #AncientIsrael

Study: Clay cylinders found in Iraq bear writings belonging to Nebuchadnezzar II | The Jerusalem Post The translation appears to align with a description of Nebuchadnezzar from the Book of Daniel, which depicts him walking on his palace roof in Babylon while boasting of his construction projects.

Clay cylinders from ancient Kish preserve inscriptions of Nebuchadnezzar II offering a direct voice from one of the Bible’s most pivotal figures.

#BiblicalStudies #AncientNearEast #Archaeology

Axes as Tools : Reflections on an Axe from Ethiopia | Near Eastern Archaeology: Vol 89, No 1 This article discusses the function and symbolism of an iron axe from contemporary Ethiopia, and suggests insights regarding axes as tools, weapons, and symbolic items in the Bronze and Iron Age…

These reflections shed light on axes in the Bronze and Iron Age Levant, helping us better understand their function and symbolism within the material culture of the biblical world.

#BiblicalStudies #Archaeology #AncientNearEast

www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...

Axes as Tools : Reflections on an Axe from Ethiopia | Near Eastern Archaeology: Vol 89, No 1 This article discusses the function and symbolism of an iron axe from contemporary Ethiopia, and suggests insights regarding axes as tools, weapons, and symbolic items in the Bronze and Iron Age…

🪓 A study of a modern Ethiopian axe reveals how tools can carry layered meanings( as practical objects, weapons, and symbols) offering fresh insight into their roles in the ancient past.

Chicago archaeologists on how war, looting threaten Iran’s cultural heritage When cultural heritage sites are destroyed abroad, we all lose.

⚠️ UNESCO warns that key heritage sites in Iran are damaged or at risk amid ongoing conflict, raising urgent concerns among archaeologists and legal experts working to protect the past. Cultural memory is caught in the crossfire.

#Archaeology #CulturalHeritage #AncientNearEast

The oldest bridge in the world | Curators' Corner S10 Ep12 For decades, this structure was known simply as the 'Enigmatic Construction'. Monumental, imposing, mysterious, the archaeologists who excavated it in the 1920-30s assumed it had to be either a…

Once thought a temple or tomb, the “Enigmatic Construction” at Girsu is now revealed as the world’s oldest bridge. A stunning rethink of ancient innovation.

#AncientNearEast #Archaeology

The Troubled Memory of Rome’s Jewish Queen | Bible Interp Contact Us

Berenice emerges as a powerful first-century figure: a devout Jew, political advocate for Jerusalem, and influential partner of Titus. Her story challenges the silences and biases of ancient sources.

#BiblicalStudies #NewTestament #AncientHistory

Strange Conical Vessels Found at Copper Age Sites Are the First Prehistoric “Candles” Used in Rituals 7,000 Years Ago For nearly one hundred years, archaeologists have wondered what a series of strange cone-shaped ceramic vessels, resembling ice cream cornets, were used for. They appear only at sites more than 5,000…

🕯️ Over 500 ancient vessels reveal a surprising use: beeswax lamps designed for outdoor rituals, shedding new light on ancient ceremonial practices. Even everyday objects carried sacred meaning in the ancient world.

#AncientNearEast #Archaeology

The Myth of the Servant: A New Tale of Kingship from the Ancient Near East - The Ancient Near East Today Why do so many of the ancient world’s most famous kings share the same unlikely origin story? The answer may lie in a mythical template first forged in Mesopotamia.

👑 A new study uncovers a recurring “myth of the servant” used across the ancient Near East to define and legitimise kingship, which reveals shared storytelling patterns behind royal power. Ancient rulers shaped narratives to justify it.

#BiblicalStudies

Notions of ‘Christendom’ often miss the mark – medieval Europe’s ideas about faith and power were not so simple There has never been a singular Christian perspective on how religion, power and politics ought to relate to each other – not even in medieval ‘Christendom.’

🇺🇸 Debates over “Christian nationalism” resurface as political leaders invoke faith, drawing on powerful (often simplified) visions of a unified Christian past. History and ideology collide in today’s public square.

#ReligionAndPolitics #History

A New Document on the Appearance of the Shroud of Turin from Nicole Oresme: Fighting False Relics and False Rumours in the Fourteenth Century For over a century, the debate surrounding the appearance of the Shroud of Turin has revolved around documents produced in Champagne in 1389–1390, when this now-controversial relic was already caug...

A 14th-century text by Nicole Oresme labels the Shroud of Turin a “fraud,” pushing its controversy further back in time and strengthening the case for a medieval origin. Even in its own age, belief and skepticism clashed.

#BiblicalStudies #MedievalHistory

Reconstructing Judah Explore Yosef Garfinkel’s groundbreaking synthesis of Judah’s archaeology, integrating new discoveries, radiometric dating, and biblical history to reconstruct the kingdom’s rise and fall.

📖 A groundbreaking new book reconstructs the rise and fall of the Kingdom of Judah using cutting-edge archaeology, reshaping debates on its origins and scale. From David to Babylon, the evidence is clearer than ever.

#BiblicalStudies #Archaeology #AncientIsrael

Why the Tower of Babel Is So Hard to Explain New insights into Genesis 11 suggest the Tower of Babel may have been portrayed as complete, raising deeper questions about its meaning and interpretation.

Nine verses long, the Tower of Babel has shaped language, art, and imagination for millennia. A tiny text with a massive cultural footprint.

#BiblicalStudies #AncientNearEast #ArtHistory

In Memoriam: Professors Migliore and Hendrix Princeton Theological Seminary mourns the loss of two long-time faculty members — Professor Emeritus Daniel L. Migliore, MDiv ’59, who died on March 1, 2026, and Professor Scott H. Hendrix, James…

We mourn the loss of theologians Daniel L. Migliore and Scott H. Hendrix, whose scholarship and teaching shaped generations of students. Their legacy lives on in classrooms, churches, and scholarship worldwide.

#BiblicalStudies #Theology #Reformation

60% of Sudan’s National Museum Looted, Report Says The destruction of cultural heritage in the war-torn nation threatens to distort the past and present beyond recognition, fracturing Sudan’s future.

⚠️ Over 60% of Sudan’s National Museum has been looted amid civil war, with priceless artifacts stolen or destroyed. Even now, experts race to document and recover what remains.

#CulturalHeritage #AncientNearEast #Archaeology

Kharg Island: The ‘Orphan Pearl of the Persian Gulf’ in Iran with a Rich and Ancient Heritage After US President Donald Trump said American forces had “totally obliterated” military targets on Kharg Island, attention has turned to the small Persian Gulf island that is not only Iran’s key oil…

🏝️ Kharg Island is back in the spotlight after strikes, revealing a place where strategic power meets ancient tombs, shrines, and deep history. A tiny island with outsized cultural significance.

#AncientNearEast #CulturalHeritage #Archaeology

⚠️ UNESCO raises alarm as war damage hits iconic heritage sites in Iran, including Golestan Palace and historic landmarks in Isfahan. Cultural treasures spanning centuries now face an uncertain future amid ongoing conflict.

#CulturalHeritage #AncientNearEast #Archaeology

Open Access Journal: Studies of Biblical Interest: A journal researching the field of biblical studies from a scientific and fact-based perspective Studies of Biblical Interest: A journal researching the field of biblical studies from a scientific and fact-based perspective   Studies of ...

Honoured and delighted that Studies of Biblical Interest is now featured in #AWOL, a cornerstone of open-access scholarship on the ancient world. Our sincere thanks for the inclusion! A big step for us in sharing bold, accessible research worldwide.

#BiblicalStudies #OpenAccess

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What's for dinner? Tooth enamel reveals what early Mesopotamians really ate We can learn a great deal about the lives and social structures of civilizations thousands of years ago by studying what they ate. While actual food remains are few and far between, scientists can…

What did Sumerians eat? Tooth enamel from Abu Tbeirah reveals hidden diets and social patterns in one of the world’s earliest cities. These insights sharpen our understanding of daily life in Mesopotamia and the wider cultural world behind the Hebrew Bible.

#Archaeology

Vast desert complex reveals how early Christians lived together | The Jerusalem Post Researchers described the settlement as aligned with the early traditions of Saint Anthony the Great and Saint Pachomius the Great.

Buried in #Egypt: a 5th-century mega-monastery with guest halls, teaching spaces, and worship areas reveals how early #Christians built thriving spiritual hubs. It offers a vivid glimpse into how biblical traditions took institutional shape beyond the text.

New discoveries from Wadi Al-Natroun to Luxor - Heritage - Al-Ahram Weekly From desert solitude to temple grandeur, new discoveries made across Egypt are revealing more ancient secrets.

Such discoveries help reconstruct not only the architecture of #Karnak, but also its function as a living, evolving religious centre shaped by many civilisations.

Egypt uncovers 5th-century Coptic monastic guesthouse in Beheira - Coptic - Antiquities Egypt has uncovered a fifth-century AD building believed to have served as a monastic guesthouse during the early days of Coptic monasticism in Beheira governorate.

#Egypt has uncovered a fifth-century building believed to have served as a monastic guesthouse during the early days of #Coptic monasticism in Beheira governorate.

A study argues the destruction of the Jewish temple at Elephantine was driven by political rivalry, not early antisemitism, revealing complex power struggles in Persian Egypt.

#Egypt #Judaism

Vast scale of overseas human remains held in UK museums decried by MPs and experts Exclusive: Guardian study finds UK museums hold more than 260,000 items of remains, often in sacrilegious ways

An investigation by The Guardian found that UK museums hold more than 263,000 items of human remains from around the world, including whole skeletons, preserved bodies, such as #Egyptian mummified persons, skulls, bones, skin, teeth, nails, scalps and hair.