Bible History Daily’s top ten 2024 stories

ANNUAL ARCHAEOLOGY LIST WATCH: Bible History Daily’s 2024 Year-in-Review. A look back at the year’s most popular stories (Nathan Steinmeyer).

What were the most read biblical archaeology stories of 2024? As the year winds down, we look back at some of the most popular news stories published on Bible History Daily in 2024, plus a few of our own favorites thrown in. From carrying out sci-fiesque excavations of Jerusalem to unlocking an ancient library destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius, this year provided some incredible archaeology news. The articles below are not listed in any particular order, though readers are welcome to share their top picks in the comments section below.

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ANE & Mediterranean top ten discoveries 2024

ANNUAL ARCHAEOLOGY LIST WATCH: Ten Fascinating Discoveries in Near Eastern and Mediterranean Archaeology in 2024 (Jessica Nitschke, The Ancient Near East Today).

Another year done and dusted! We’ve been sharing news stories about archaeological breakthroughs and discoveries all year. In case you missed any, here are some of the highlights (in no particular order).

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Top ten 2024 discoveries in Egypt

ANNUAL ARCHAEOLOGY LIST WATCH: 10 stunning ancient Egyptian discoveries made in 2024, from hidden temples to hallucinogenic rituals. Every year brings new discoveries from ancient Egypt and 2024 was no exception. In this countdown, Live Science takes a look at 10 fascinating discoveries from the past year. (Owen Jarus, Live Science).

An astronomical observatory, gold tongues found in mummies, a sword inscribed with the name of pharaoh Ramesses II and a 4,500 year-old attempt to treat cancer are just some of the interesting ancient Egyptian discoveries made in 2024. Here are 10 of the biggest discoveries from ancient Egypt this year.

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More lists coming today!

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Hanukkah coin hoard excavated

HANUKKAH NUMISMATICS: ‘Miracle’ hoard of Hasmonean coins discovered during Hanukkah in Jordan Valley dig. Haifa University team finds cache of 160 extremely rare coins – dated to 80/79 BCE, during the reign of Judah Maccabee’s grand-nephew – near Alexandrion Fortress, north of Jericho (Gavriel Fiske, Times of Israel).

The coins were dated by experts to the reign of “King Alexander Jannaeus, whose Hebrew name was Jonathan… He reigned from 104–76 BCE. He was the son of Johanan Hyrcanus, [and] the grandson of Simon the Hasmonean (brother of Judah Maccabee),” the statement said, noting that the Alexandrion Fortress, near where the coins were discovered, was built by Jannaeus.

One of the archaeologists manifested the coin hoard with Hanukkah Gelt. Really, that's what it says.

Happy Hanukkah!

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Haaretz top archaeology stories 2024

ANNUAL ARCHAEOLOGY LIST WATCH: Stoned Barbarians, Kneading Cats, and Nine Other Top Archaeology Stories of 2024 (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

Another top-eleven list from Ms. Schuster. This one has a wider geographic and chronological range. Again, PaleoJudaica has posted and commented on some of the stories.

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Top Haaretz biblical archaeology stories 2024

ANNUAL ARCHAEOLOGY LIST WATCH: Where Jacob Wrestled, When Shishak Destroyed: Top Biblical Archaeology Stories in 2024 (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

This top-eleven list contains all first-Temple-era stories, but PaleoJudaica has noted some of them.

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On Shikhin and its pottery works

FOR HANUKKAH: Lost Village of Shikhin and Its Oil Lamp Industry Discovered in Israel. On the green hills of Galilee in the shadow of Sepphoris, archaeologists found the village recorded by Josephus and Jewish sources, and its synagogue (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

Standing on the weathered ruins of the synagogue of Shikhin, one can see the great city of Sepphoris it served, just a mile to the south.

The name Shikhin stems from the Hebrew word for cave, today denoting a dugout for soldiers. Yet, it's hard to think of a less baleful place than this ancient Jewish village nestled amid the rolling hills of the Lower Galilee, which existed from about the second century B.C.E. Its raison d'etreO wasn't to fight the good fight but to serve the pottery needs of Sepphoris (Tzipori in Hebrew) and the wider Galilee until it was abandoned – apparently in the third century.

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A long and informative article

PaleoJudaica posts on the ancient village of Shikhin are here and links, here, and here. And for posts on nearby Sepphoris (Zipori//Tzipori/Tzippori/Zippori), where an impressive oil-lamp lantern was recently excavated, start here and follow the links.

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Late-antique oil lamp inscribed with menorah excavated

FOR HANUKKAH: Rare oil lamp with Temple menorah found from time when Romans barred Jews from Jerusalem. Intricately designed 1,700-year-old artifact was discovered intact near the Mount of Olives, will go on display in Jerusalem (Gavriel Fiske, Times of Israel).

A rare, 4th-century CE ceramic oil lamp recently discovered during Israeli Antiquities Authorities excavations near the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem will be displayed to the public for the first time during the current Hanukkah holiday, the IAA said Thursday.

The unusual lamp is decorated with imagery related to the services in the Jewish Second Temple in Jerusalem, including a Temple menorah (which had seven branches, unlike the nine-branched menorahs used during Hanukkah). Also depicted on the small lamp are an incense shovel, which Temple priests used when making offerings, and a lulav, the date palm frond used during the Sukkot holiday.

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Narsai: The Homilies. Volume 1 (Peeters)

NEW BOOK FROM PEETERS:

Narsai: The Homilies. Volume 1

SERIES:
Eastern Christian Texts in Translation, 6

EDITORS:
Butts A.M., Heal K.S., Kitchen R.A.

PRICE: 58 euro
YEAR: 2024
ISBN: 9789042950986
PAGES: XVI-189 p.

SUMMARY:

Narsai, who is variously called “the tongue of the East” and “the harp of the Spirit”, is among the most important and influential Syriac authors. His life spanned the fifth century, which was a tumultuous time for Christians following the controversies surrounding the First Council of Ephesus, the Second Council of Ephesus, and the Council of Chalcedon. Playing a crucial role at this critical juncture, Narsai would ultimately be remembered as one of the foundational figures of the Church of the East. The present volume inaugurates the series Narsai: The Homilies, which aims to provide English translations of all the surviving homilies of Narsai. The homilies translated in this volume are “On Revelations to Patriarchs and Prophets (I)” (1), “On Jonah” (14), “On Peter and Paul” (8), “On Stephen” (10), “On Mary” (5), and “On the Evil of the Time” (12).

For another new translation of selected homilies by Narsai, see here. Cross-file under Syriac Watch.

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Anthony & Shoemaker, The Capture of Jerusalem (ISAC)

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: The Capture of Jerusalem.

Notice of a New Book: Anthony, Sean W. & Stephen J. Shoemaker. 2024. The capture of Jerusalem by the Persians in 614 CE by Strategius of Mar Saba (Late Antique and Medieval Islamic Near East 5). Chicago: Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures.

Follow the link for description and link to the free downloadable pdf version.

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The oldest Hebrew manuscript of Esther?

GENIZA FRAGMENT OF THE MONTH (DECEMBER 2024): T-S A36.18 – hole-y megillah it’s the oldest! (Marc Michaels).

There is a long and technical paleographic analysis of the manuscript, which adds up to this:

Overall, it would seem that this megillah, represented by the single surviving fragment of T-S A36.18, was likely written sometime during the 10th century. This is clear from comparisons with the dated ketubba fragment T-S 24.35, the midrash on Esther, and the gimel, in particular, of the Codex Babylonicus from the National Library of Russia. However, it could even be a little earlier than that based on the Bodleian's Ms. Heb. d. 26.

The implications:

In conclusion, T-S 36.18 may have originally attracted attention because of its visually interesting damage pattern, but a full examination of this fragment has yielded what may be the oldest Megillat ʾEster fragment found to date.

The article notes that no fragments of the Book of Esther have been recovered from the Dead Sea Scrolls.

This Geniza manuscript may be the oldest preserved of the original Hebrew. There is at least one much older Greek manuscript. And at least one earlier manuscript of a Syriac translation.

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2025 digs in Israel etc.

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Digs 2025. Join an excavation to unearth the biblical past (Nathan Steinmeyer).

Let us hope and pray that the war is over by next summer.

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Looting arrests at Horbat Binit

APPREHENDED: Suspects Caught Red-Handed Looting Galilee Archaeological Site (Pesach Benson / TPS, Jewish Press).

Horbat Binit is a significant ancient settlement known for its well-preserved agricultural installations, particularly olive oil production facilities. Situated on a remote hill between the villages of Ilaniya and Kfar Kana, the site is important for understanding the agricultural and economic life in the region during several historical periods, including the Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine eras.

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Hanukkah 2024

HAPPY HANUKKAH (CHANUKKAH, CHANUKAH, HANNUKAH) to all those celebrating! The eight-day festival begins tonight at sundown.

Last year's Hanukkah post is here. It links to earlier Hanukkah/Hasmonean-era-related posts. And see also here here, here, and here.

As noted in the immediately preceding post, this year's cosmic synchronicity places Christmas and the beginning of Hanukkah on the same day. Have a great day, however you choose to celebrate or enjoy it.

UPDATE (2 January 2025): Additional Hanukkah-related posts are here, here, here, and here.

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Christmas 2024

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all those celebrating!

For posts of Christmases past, see my 2023 Christmas post and links.

More recent Christmas-related posts are here, here, here, here, and here. And since we haven't yet done the Star of Bethlehem or the Magi this year, see also here.

In a cosmic synchronicity, Hanukkah also begins this evening. See the next post (above).

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Megillat Antiochus

FOR HANUKKAH: Megillat Antiochus: The “Biblical” Chanukah Scroll (Dr. A. J. Berkovitz, TheTorah.com).

The medieval Scroll of Antiochus does more than enrich Chanukah with details. It models the holiday after Purim by telling the story in the biblical language and idiom of Daniel, Ezra, and Esther.

For PaleoJudaica posts on Megillat Antiochus, start here and follow the links. Also see here.

We did not include this work in MOTP2, for reasons explained at the latter link. But for an English translation, see the link noted here.

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The origins of the Hanukkah menorah

HANUKKAH IS NEARLY HERE: The Hanukkah Menorah and Its Obscure Origins and Evolution. Ancient Jews also marked Hanukkah with fire, but the menorahs we know today are a modern innovation (Elon Gilad, Haaretz).

On Hanukkah Jews the world over light a menorah to commemorate a miracle that occurred at the height of the Maccabean revolution against their Greek oppressors in the 2nd century BCE. But that is a postfact explanation for a tradition whose origins are shrouded in mystery.

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When did December 25th become Christmas?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: December 25th and Christmas. When did December 25 become the date for Christmas? (Megan Sauter).

This essay's answer to the question may surprise you.

For more on this subject, see here.

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What does Daniel 11 actually say about Antiochus IV?

HANUKKAH IS COMING: Antiochus IV’s Persecution as Portrayed in the Book of Daniel (Prof.Reinhard G. Kratz, TheTorah.com).

Two key accusations against Antiochus IV in 1 Maccabees are that he suspended the tamid, the daily offering, and that he placed an “abomination of desolation” on the Temple altar— either a cultic object or a new, pagan altar. What does the older source, Daniel 11:31, actually tell us about these two accusations and, more broadly, about Antiochus IV’s intervention in the Jerusalem cult?

Some interesting revisionist commentary on the account of Antiochus's desecration of the Temple in Daniel 11.

Some PaleoJudaica posts on Daniel 11 are here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, with links and commentary.

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Where was Jesus born?

'TIS THE SEASON: A second Bethlehem? Some researchers re-think Jesus' birthplace. Recent findings suggest Jesus' birthplace may differ from tradition, with experts proposing Nazareth or another Bethlehem in Galilee (Jerusalem Post).

Scientists and historians are raising fresh questions over the long-held belief that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. Recent archaeological findings and scholarly debates suggest that the historical birthplace of Jesus may not align with traditional narratives, with some experts proposing alternative locations such as Nazareth or another Bethlehem in Galilee.

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I don't seem to have posted on this question since 2007, but I agree with what I said there and don't have much to add. The current article does refer to more evidence that Bethlehem of Judea may have been inhabited in the first century CE. It's also interesting, but not significant, that the apocryphal Protevangelium of James places Jesus' birth not quite in Bethlehem, but in the desert between Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

Jesus was born sometime around the turn of the era in Bethlehem of Judea, or another Bethlehem, or Nazarerth, or somewhere. We really don't know.

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