Biblical Archaeology Review is the flagship publication of the Biblical Archaeology Society. For more than 40 years it has been making the world of archaeology in the lands of the Bible come alive for the interested layperson. Full of vivid images and articles written by leading scholars, this is a must read for anyone interested in the archaeology of the ancient Near East.
In July 2014, an Egyptian statue from the fifth millennium B.C. was auctioned off for more than $27,000,000 in London. For such a price, one might expect that the statue depicted royalty. However, the subject of the statue is not a pharaoh—but a scribe named Sekhemka.
In 1965 Egyptian archaeologists discovered a mosaic in an ancient synagogue in Gaza. Only a few distorted black-and-white photographs remain from that initial excavation.
During the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (66–70 C.E.), which ended with the destruction of the Temple, Jews minted their own coins dated to the first, second, third, fourth and, more rarely, even fifth year of the revolt. In other words, dating began with the beginning of the revolt. Many of the coins also bore legends like “Jerusalem the Holy” or “Freedom of Zion.”
January 27, 589 B.C. The Babylonian monarch Nebuchadnezzar II lay siege to Jerusalem. After two-and-a-half years, he was successful. The Temple was destroyed and a substantial part of the Jewish community was exiled to Babylonia.
