Thursday, October 11, 2007

BAR Highlights: 10/11/07

Even more recent archaeological news from Biblical Archaeology Review:

Etruscan City Found
Italian archaeologists have uncovered the remains of Fanum Voltumnae, an important Etruscan political center and shrine.

City on the Hill
The Jerusalem Post profiles Sepphoris, the city in Galilee to which Rabbi Judah moved the Sanhedrin.

Lot’s to See
A new museum in Jordan, located near the traditional spot where Lot and his daughters fled after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, is set to open shortly.

Research al Frescoe
Polish scientists are shooting beams of protons on ancient Egyptian plaster in order to understand what went into the dyes used in Egyptian wall paintings.

A Delicate Find
Excavators have found a temple built by Ramesses II (perhaps the pharaoh of the Exodus) inside a mosque in Luxor and now must negotiate with Muslim religious leaders over what to do about the human and animal representations they’ve uncovered. Such portrayals are not allowed inside mosques.

A Visit to Ramat Rahel
A profile of the site south of Jerusalem highlights recent finds, including another proto-Ionic (also called proto-Aeolic) capital—the twelfth found there (another was recovered in the City of David).