June 2012 Archeology - Ancient Near East and Egypt

[Aisling]

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

Egypt
A First Intermediate Period tomb from Deir al-Barsha:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsCont...nerary-ri.aspx

A possible new head of Nefertiti has been identified:
http://judithweingarten.blogspot.ca/...nefertiti.html

Some pharaonic items purloined from Giza were recovered:
http://www.egyptindependent.com/news...es-seized-giza

A pair of Egyptian statues may be reunited in Brussels (for a while):
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...web9559618.DTL

Latest mummy CT scan/reconstruction effort:
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/sh...e-of-a-wo.html

More on Egyptian observations of a variable star:
http://www.livescience.com/20575-anc...emon-star.html

Iraq
40 sites from various periods from Iraq:
http://english.alarabiya.net/article...28/217097.html

… while Christian heritage sites in Iraq are neglected:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...81fbbd4ef3.511

More on the pipeline that threatens Babylon:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012.../iraq-heritage

Israel
A bilingual boundary stone from Tel Gezer:
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/arch...er/2012/05/31/

Vandals damaged a 1600 years b.p. mosaic in a Tiberias synagogue:
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?in...5713&int_sec=2

Oded Golan was sentenced this week:
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Ar...aspx?id=272106



… some pre-sentencing hype:
http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Ar...aspx?id=271871

Trying to depoliticize archaeology in Israel:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national...quest-1.433229

More on that jewellery from Megiddo:
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science...n-megiddo-dig/

… and there are still spaces available if you want to dig with the Megiddo Expedition:
https://sites.google.com/site/megiddoexpedition/

More on that Bethlehem seal:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...cientseal.html

Jordan
A Umayyad inscription from Jordan:
http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=55730

A very nice live webcam from Petra:
http://www.petralivecam.com/

Turkey
More on that ‘lost language’ discovered at Ziyaret Tepe:
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-2815...-richness.html

[Aisling]

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

Interesting study on determining the volume of various jugs:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%...l.pone.0033895

Egypt
Looking at the recent finds from Deir al-Barsha:
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2012/1101/he1.htm

see also:
http://www.dayralbarsha.com/sites/dr...s%20Report.pdf

A foiled theft attempt from near Aswan:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsCont...after-the.aspx

A pile of Egyptian relics have gone on display at Swansea University:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-s...wales-18337395

Iran
Excavating some of the sewage system at Persepolis:
http://www.payvand.com/news/12/jun/1056.html

Iraq
Iraq wants a pile of ancient (Jewish) documents back from the U.S.:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/iraqi-g...torah-scrolls/

Israel
Lots of attention for a hoard associated somehow (maybe) with the Bar Kokhba revolt:
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?in...&int_new=55686

Vandals damaged a 1600 years b.p. mosaic at Hamat Tiberias:
http://articles.boston.com/2012-05-2...archaeologists

… and the Haredim rioted at another site:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...238256,00.html

A sort of overview of archaeology finds from Israel for the month of May:
http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/rep368008.shtml

A German prof has translated the oldest known chunk of Hebrew:
http://m.thelocal.de/sci-tech/20120606-42969.html

Discussing the ‘James the brother of Jesus’ thing:
http://blogs.jpost.com/content/qa-%E...2%80%99-part-2

Hershel Shanks comments on the James Ossuary decision:
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdCo...aspx?id=272689

The Ashkelon dig blog is live again:
http://digashkelon.com/blog/

Qatar
Searching for shipwrecks off the coast of Qatar:
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topic...7&parent_id=56

[Aisling]

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

Egypt
Security guards foiled an attempt to steal a panel depicting Merenptah from a quarry:
http://www.egyptindependent.com/news...iled-culture-2

… and heavy sentences for folks caught after breaking into a German storage facility in Luxor:
http://www.egyptindependent.com/news...ng-antiquities

Twitter in ancient Egypt:
http://www.historytoday.com/blog/201...-ancient-egypt

Israel
An interesting find associated with the Gezer water system:
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38051

Some thieves were caught ‘red handed’ in Modi’in:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/antiqui...d-near-modiin/

Latest in the Mugrahbi bridge thing:
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPol...aspx?id=273899

Plenty going on at the official Gath Excavations blog:
http://gath.wordpress.com/

… and Tel Burna:
http://telburna.wordpress.com/

More James ossuary business:
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/...,6215574.story

Review of D. Hendin, *The Coins of Herod*:
http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/r...lassification/

Syria
A summary of the damage that has been done to Syria’s cultural heritage in the ongoing conflict:
http://globalheritagenetwork.ning.co...tural-heritage

Turkey
Nice feature on Turkey’s first underwater archaeology department:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/und...&NewsCatID=375

More on Turkey’s demand for artifacts to be returned from various places:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tur...&NewsCatID=375

United Arab Emirates
A 7500 years b.p. pearl from the UAE:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ol...he-uae/960530/

[Aisling]

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

Egypt
Interesting Bes talisman find:
http://news.yahoo.com/talisman-ancie...154851461.html

Feature on the Great Pyramid:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/secrets-of-...-20120523.html

Feature on the Tomb of the Chantress:
http://www.archaeology.org/1207/feat...ss_coffin.html

Another bust in Giza:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsCont...al-posses.aspx

Interesting medieval will of an Egyptian woman:
http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Judais...aspx?id=274733

Review of Andrew Robinson, *Cracking the Egyptian Code*:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...googlenews_wsj

Israel
Concerns for the Dead Sea Scrolls (!?):
http://cenblog.org/artful-science/20...red-documents/

… and plans to use technology to read the ‘unopenable’ ones:
http://uknow.uky.edu/content/compute...ural-institute

On ‘sensationalizing’ archaeological finds in the ANE:
http://chronicle.com/article/Raiders...Relics/132247/

A replica of an ancient Egyptian synagogue has arrived at TAU:
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/...useum-1.439895

The Tel es-Safi/Gath excavation blog continues to be updated:
http://gath.wordpress.com/

More on antiquities theft in Modi’in:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/tomb-ro...sleepy-suburb/

Review of Geoffrey Hartman, *The Third Pillar*:
http://www.tnr.com/book/review/third...m_medium=email

More on the James Ossuary verdict:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/...y-verdict.html

Jordan
Marking the 30th anniversary of the excavations of the ancient city of Jerash:
http://jordantimes.com/a-chance-roma...tory-literally

Saudi Arabia
A 7000 years b.p. natural pearl from Saudi Arabia:
http://news.discovery.com/history/ol...ia-120618.html

Syria
Hopes of being able to excavate some mysterious tombs (?) near Deir Mar Musa:
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...esert-mystery/

Turkey
A find of what might possibly be the earliest known synagogue:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pb...9945/-1/LIVING