January 2012 Archeology - Ancient Near East and Egypt

[Aisling]

Data mining courtesy of: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/messages

Possibly the oldest depiction of the Tower of Babel:
http://news.discovery.com/history/to...el-111227.html
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/...ar-bar-tabs/(a different spin)

Afghanistan
Jewish scrolls from a cave in Afghanistan?:
http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/Jew...aspx?id=251657

Egypt
The biggest (and saddest) news of the past couple of weeks had to be the burning of the Institute of Egypt:
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?in...&int_new=52575

... and there are already plans to restore it:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsCo...Institute.aspx

... and there was a nice feature on the Description de l'Egypte which was the focus of many of the 'destruction reports':
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesi...t-lost-scrolls

A somewhat different mummy DNA study:
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-12-...c-species.html

The Avenue of Sphinxes will be opening to the public in a couple months:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsCont...-in-March.aspx

Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities is dealing with budget problems:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsCo...dget-cris.aspx

Iran
Feature on Gohar Tepe:
http://www.payvand.com/news/11/dec/1288.html

A business park threatens the cite of Pasargadae:
http://www.payvand.com/news/11/dec/1314.html

Iraq
Some looted dishes were returned to Iraq:
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/20...urned-to-iraq/

Israel
Plenty of coverage for a clay "seal" (token, more likely) found in Jerusalem's Old City which confirms some ritual practices:
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?in...&int_new=52644

... on the 'token' theory:
http://withmeagrepowers.wordpress.co...xchange-token/

Not sure where to put this 'love pipe' find:
http://news.discovery.com/history/lo...ed-111230.html

... or this item on indexing the Talmud:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/28/ny...500-years.html

Feature on the Maccabees:
http://www.jewishjournal.com/israel/...bees_20111222/

... and Channukah:
http://www.thejewishweek.com/editori...happened_where

Saudi Arabia
They're still wondering about Saudi Arabia's 'Stonehenge':
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/2705...s-unsolved.htm

Syria
Tell Halaf has a web presence:
http://www.grabung-halaf.de/

Turkey
A couple of very old sites on Mount Ararat (that aren't Noah's Ark):
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?in...&int_new=52602

Oldest obsidian bracelet identified ... from Asikli Hoyuk:
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-12-...s-amazing.html

[Aisling]

Data mining courtesy of: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/messages

Afghanistan
More on that Afghan collection of Hebrew documents:
http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/Jew...aspx?id=251913

Egypt
Feature on Egyptian animal mummies:
http://news.discovery.com/history/mu...pt-120106.html

A review of 2011 in Egyptian antiquities developments (or lack thereof):
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2011/1078/heritage.htm

Iraq
Looking at those on the 'bottom' of Babylonian society:
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-...bylonians.html

Israel
As hinted at last week, that 'ancient seal' is starting a bit of a discussion as to its purpose:
http://popular-archaeology.com/issue...emple-artifact

Recent finds via the Temple Mount Sifting Project:
http://templemount.wordpress.com/201...-temple-mount/

Overview of the past month of archaeology in Israel:
http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/rep368006.shtml

Feature on the Tel Dan excavations:
http://popular-archaeology.com/issue...ry-city-of-dan

Interesting item on hairstyles in ancient Judaea:
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/e...his_time_.html

More on that 'love pipe' from Jerusalem:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...169262,00.html

Some ancient Judean coins are coming to auction:
http://www.kusi.com/story/16454510/a...to-nyc-auction

Jordan
Archaeological sites are threatened by the Red-Dead Water Conveyance Project:
http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_...469005&src=RSS

Tourism is down in Petra:
http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_...470540&src=RSS

Syria
A bronze age burial from Aleppo:
http://www.sana.sy/eng/35/2011/12/27/390924.htm

United Arab Emirates
Plenty of digging is about to commence in Sharjah:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displaya...on=theuae&col=

[Aisling]

Data mining courtesy of: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/messages

Nice feature on conservation at Harvard's Semitic Museum:
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-...ient-clay.html

Afghanistan
Those Jewish manuscripts found in Afghanistan include an unknown work by Saadia Gaon:
http://www.thestar.com/article/11154...by-saadia-gaon

Egypt
The efforts to save all those damaged books from the Institute d'Egypte:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16534331

... and politics suggest things might get worse before they get better:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsCont...-Salafist.aspx

Iraq
More on Babylonian slaves being just like us:
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-...bylonians.html

Israel
A 'bread stamp' with an image of a menorah found near Akko:
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?in...&int_new=52948

Interesting item on some of the 'behind the scenes' work at the Leon Levy Ashkelon dig:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/sc...ient-life.html

Syria
Finds from various periods in Bosra:
http://www.sana.sy/eng/35/2012/01/08/393030.htm

United Arab Emirates
Evidence of the first domesticated camels:
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-n...ticated-camels

Yemen
Paleolithic burials from Yemen (the dating seems somewhat vague):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16477111

[Aisling]

Data mining courtesy of: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/messages

Trying to decide whether that stuff the Sumerians drank actually was beer:
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-...ians-beer.html


Egypt
Coverage of the discovery of a singer's tomb in the Valley of the Kings:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16576265

An update of/by Zahi Hawass:
http://www.drhawass.com/blog/good-it...n-doing-lately

... and we hear that digging is going on in Egypt:
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/...aspx?id=198836

... and scholars are fighting to protect Egypt's heritage:
http://chronicle.com/article/Egyptia...gle-to/130338/

Israel
Nice feature on 'microarchaeology' at Tel es-Safi and other sites:
http://israel21c.org/social-action/s...rchaeology-lab

What Ron Tappy is up to:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt.../s_776135.html
cf: http://www.zeitah.net/2011%20Brochur...inal%201.2.pdf

More coverage of challenges to the identification of a 'seal' from the Temple:
http://www.jewishtribune.ca/TribuneV...5361&Itemid=53

[Aisling]

Data mining courtesy of: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/messages

Coverage of the translation of a cuneiform tablet with some bad jokes/riddles:
http://www.livescience.com/18147-anc...sopotamia.html

Afghanistan
More on those Jewish scrolls from Afghanistan:
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012...in-afghanistan

Egypt
Interesting study of animal mummies suggests the animals were 'fed' prior to mummification:
http://news.discovery.com/history/an...es-120127.html

Pondering whether the Merneptah Stele mentions Israel:
http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/d...ion-of-israel/

Nice feature on Fayum mummy portraits:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/histor...Paintings.html

OpEd on who should be looking after Egypt's archives:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opi...641226409.html

More on that female singer tomb from the Valley of the Kings:
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?in...&int_new=53079

Israel
Feature on ancient wine:
http://www.jpost.com/ArtsAndCulture/...aspx?id=255308

LandMinds interviews Steve Weiner:
http://foundationstone.org/LandMinds...M-15Jan12a.mp3

Feature on Masada:
http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Opinio...aspx?id=254663

Turkey
Recent finds from Istanbul (various periods):
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/sc...-bathonea.html