A pyramid and scroll fragments excavated in Judean Desert

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE AND SCROLL BITS! Archaeologists discover massive 2,200-year-old pyramid in Judean Desert. Experts uncover a massive pyramid-shaped structure, ancient papyrus documents and rare artifacts from Hellenistic-era rule in southern Israel, shedding new light on the region’s history Yaron Drukman, Ynet News).

A massive pyramid-shaped structure and a roadside station dating back approximately 2,200 years — to the era of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid rulers in Judea — are being unearthed north of Nahal Zohar in the Judean Desert. The excavation, led by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Heritage Ministry, includes volunteers from across the country.

At the Zohar Fortress site, near the Dead Sea, archaeologists have discovered fragments of written papyrus documents, bronze coins from the reign of Antiochus IV and Ptolemaic kings, weapons, wooden artifacts and pieces of fabric.

Wow. This excavation is just getting started and it's already producing exciting discoveries. I look forward to hearing more. If you are in the area, they are recruiting volunteers.

A smaller Maccabean-era pyramid has been excavated at Khirbet Madras (Hirbet Madras, Horvat Midras) near Jerusalem. It appears to be a tomb. I don't know if the Nahal Zohar has the same function.

It sounds like this project is part of what was once called Operation Scroll (scroll down to links).

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Four ancient Armenian inscriptions from Jerusalem

ARMENIAN WATCH: Armenian Inscriptions Found in Jerusalem, Revealing 7th-Century Settlement (Abdul Moeed, Greek Reporter).

Archaeologists found four Armenian inscriptions in Jerusalem’s Musrara neighborhood. These writings are from the sixth or seventh century.

Experts say the discovery offers clues about early Christian life in the city. Scholar Michael E. Stone says the findings bring “completely new historical information concerning the Christian, and particularly Armenian, settlement in Jerusalem in the seventh century CE.”

[...]

Oddly, the rest of the article refers to Professor Stone as "E. Stone," which makes me wonder if an AI was involved in its writing. Be that as it may, although unmentioned, it looks as though its basis is a technical article published in the current volume, 116 (2025), of the open-access peer-review journal ‘Atiqot. As usual, this volume has a lot of goodies in it. (See immediately previous post).

Sixth–Seventh-Century CE Armenian Inscriptions of a Monastic Community in Jerusalem

Michael E. Stone, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem

Abstract

Excavations in the Musrara neighborhood of Jerusalem uncovered four Armenian inscriptions within a monastic complex founded in the fifth–sixth centuries CE. The inscriptions were found on a mosaic floor, on tombstones and on a large pottery bowl, and together with the Birds Mosaic, they probably formed part of one monastic complex, in which Armenians played a significant role. As there is no hint in the historical sources of the existence of this complex, the archaeological discovery contributes new historical information concerning the Christian, and particularly Armenian settlement in Jerusalem in the seventh century CE.

Although this article has just been published, according to a footnote, it was written in the early 1990s shortly after the discovery of the inscriptions. They have been published elsewhere in the meantime.

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Late-antique monastery excavated in northern Negev

ARCHAEOLOGY: Byzantine monastery in Northern Negev reveals monastic life in the desert. Archaeologists uncover rare Byzantine-era structures near Beersheba, including a monastery, winepress, and burials (Jerusalem Post).

An excavation report from the Israel Antiquities Authority reveals the discovery of a well-preserved Byzantine-period monastery and farmhouse at Naḥal Peḥar, within the modern settlement of Giv‘ot Bar, north of Beersheba.

According to excavator Nir-Shimshon Paran, “The monastery was well-preserved, attesting to the daily life of the monks in the Negev in the Byzantine period. It was paved with poorly executed mosaic floors, probably laid by the monks themselves.”

[...]

The underlying technical articles have just been published in the open-access peer-review journal ‘Atiqot 116 (2025):

A Byzantine-Period Monastery and Farmhouse in Nahal Pehar (Giv‘ot Bar), in the Northern Negev

Nir-Shimshon Paran, Israel Antiquities Authority

Abstract

A Byzantine-period monastery and farmhouse were uncovered on the southwestern bank of Naḥal Peḥar, within the modern settlement of Giv‘ot Bar, in the northern Negev. The monastery was well-preserved, attesting to the daily life of the monks in the Negev in the Byzantine period. It was paved with poorly executed mosaic floors, probably laid by the monks themselves. Most of the finds in the monastery were uncovered on the floors, attesting to its orderly abandonment in the late Byzantine or beginning of the Umayyad period (sixth–seventh centuries CE). The monastery seems to have belonged to the widespread ecclesiastical system documented in the Be’er Sheva‘ Valley and the southern Judean Shephelah. It is possible that the monastery was abandoned in the transition to the Early Islamic period due to a deterioration in the security situation in the region.

**********

Three Greek Inscriptions from the Monastery at Nahal Pehar (Giv‘ot Bar), in the Northern Negev

Leah Di Segni, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem

Abstract

Three Greek inscriptions were discovered within a small coenobium at Giv‘ot Bar in the northern Negev. One was set in a mosaic pavement in the chapel, and the other two were painted in red ink on building blocks found in the debris near the entrance to the chapel. The mosaic inscription mentions a string of names, probably of the monks who cared for the laying of the mosaic pavement in the chapel, or perhaps for the foundation of the coenobium. The two other inscriptions are epitaphs, indicating that the chapel was also used for burial. One epitaph mentions a date that demonstrates that the monastery was still active in the seventh century CE.

**********

The Glass Finds from the Monastery at Nahal Pehar (Giv‘ot Bar), in the Northern Negev

Tamar Winter, Israel Antiquities Authority

Abstract

The glass finds distributed throughout the monastery at Giv‘ot Bar include vessels that denote the religious nature of the building: bottles, juglets, several types of lamps and windowpanes. These finds are characteristic of ecclesiastical complexes of the late Byzantine period, and attest to an active Christian community at the site.

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An ancient garden at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher?

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE: Echoing Gospel account, traces of ancient garden found under Church of Holy Sepulchre. A landmark excavation, set to conclude soon at Old City of Jerusalem church, has offered unprecedented historical insights. ToI gets a sneak peek (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

“Low stone walls were erected, and the space between them was filled with dirt,” said Stasolla. “The archaeobotanical findings have been especially interesting for us, in light of what is mentioned in the Gospel of John, whose information is considered written or collected by someone familiar with Jerusalem at the time. The Gospel mentions a green area between the Calvary and the tomb, and we identified these cultivated fields.”

A long, detailed article with coverage of the excavation results through the late antiquity. For some PaleoJudaica posts on the recent renovations and excavations in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre), and much more on the Church, see here and links.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Review panel on Neis, When a Human Gives Birth to a Raven (2)

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Rabbinic World-Making and Imagining Multiplicity (Andrea Dara Cooper).

I suggest that Neis’s work itself takes part in making worlds, despite demarcating their project from SF strategies.

I noted the first essay in the series here.

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Where was Cana of Galilee?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Where Did Jesus Turn Water into Wine? Finding Cana of Galilee, site of Jesus’ first miracle (Robin Ngo).

Where did Jesus turn water into wine? Where is Cana of Galilee? There are at least five candidates for Cana in the Bible, but, according to archaeologist Tom McCollough in “Searching for Cana: Where Jesus Turned Water into Wine” in the November/December 2015 issue of BAR, only one site offers the most compelling evidence.

The article itself is behind the subscription wall.

They have been excavating for quite a while. Twenty years ago David Meadows and I noted some dogdy media coverage.

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Bauer & Doole (eds.), Ideas of Possession (OUP)

NEW BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Ideas of Possession

Interdisciplinary and Transcultural Perspectives

Edited by Nicole M. Bauer and J. Andrew Doole

£88.99

Hardback
Published: 18 December 2024
456 Pages
235x156mm
ISBN: 9780197679920

Also Available In:
Oxford Scholarship Online

Description

The idea that an external force can enter an individual and possess their body is prevalent in most cultures across the globe and throughout history. This possession can last for varying lengths of time, and its effects can be considered positive—when a "spirit" provides the individual with powers, abilities, knowledge, or authority—or negative—when the individual suffers and the "spirit" should ideally be cast out, usually through a ritual performed by someone with a designated role.

The study of possession remains marginal in most academic disciplines, but current public discourses indicate that the topic remains relevant across modern and postmodern societies. A globalized world has brought about an unprecedented situation in which decidedly different ideas about possession influence one another, and people attribute a wide variety of experiences and behaviors to spiritual possession. There are those who describe themselves as possessed, sometimes as an inherent element of their identities, and those who are labelled as possessed by others, though this label often comes with a stigma.

Ideas of Possession brings together scholars of various disciplines to consolidate an ongoing academic discussion on how possession is understood within different cultural contexts. Essays present ideas of possession from Antiquity, Biblical Studies, Religious Studies, History, Ethnology, Anthropology, and Psychology, demonstrating how each field's approach to this subject can benefit from interdisciplinary dialogue as we attempt to make sense of such a broad range of interpretations.

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