A new excavation at Samaria/Sebastia

ARCHAEOLOGY: Archaeologists launch new excavation in West Bank at capital of ancient Israel. Sebastia archaeological site features remains from biblical to modern times; Palestinian Authority denounces dig, accusing Israel of ‘colonial and Judaization practices’ (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

A new archaeological dig at the ancient site of Sebastia in the West Bank was inaugurated on Monday in the presence of several government officials.

Sebastia – known in Hebrew by its biblical name, “Shomron” – is thought to have been the capital of the northern Israelite kingdom in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE.

The excavations will be led by Uzi Greenfeld, an archaeologist from the Archaeology Unit of the Civil Administration.

[...]

The Jerusalem Post Staff and their AI are pleased:

Israel restarts archaeological excavations at Sebastia after 12-year hiatus. Israel's Minister of Heritage Amihai Eliyahu states, "Sebastia is one of the most important sites in our national and historical heritage."

Haaretz, not so much:

Israel Launches Excavation at Ancient Site of Sebastia in Palestinian Village in West Bank. For decades, Israel refrained from excavating the site, located north of Nablus. The decision to proceed is highly contentious, as international law prohibits such activity by Israel. 'The goal here is about settlement, not tourism,' said the Palestinian head of the local council (Hagar Shezaf)

Politics aside, I hope the new excavation finds more inscribed Samaria ostraca.

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

Social inferences from the ancient Hebrew onomasticon

EPIGRAPHIC ONOMASTIC ALGORITHM WATCH: Names Reveal Unseen History of Biblical Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, Researchers Say. Using statistical methods first developed to decode Nazi messages in WWII, new study on ancient Hebrew names sheds light on society and belief in First Temple period (Ariel David, Haaretz).

Here's an "Enigma" for you: What links Alan Turing, famed cracker of Nazi codes, to rare butterflies and Hebrew names from the First Temple period?

The answer is that a team of researchers has revealed new information about the history of the biblical kingdoms of Judah and Israel by studying the Hebrew names scribbled on pottery or etched on personal seals during the First Temple period. The analysis used statistical methods first developed during World War II by Turing and colleagues to decode Germany's Enigma cipher, and which have since been applied by ecologists to study rare species.

[...]

Sounds like an interesting study, albeit one that squeezes the last bit of inference out of very limited data. The Haaretz article gives lots of helpful background. The underlying article is also covered in:

What’s in a name? Diving into the ancient names of biblical Israel. Ancient name data reveals Israel was more diverse than Judah, offering new insight into biblical-era societies through a modern statistical lens (JOANIE MARGULIES, Jerusalem Post)

Ancient Israelites were more worldly than their insular Judean cousins, study shows. Using statistical methods from field of ecological biodiversity, Israeli scholars analyze 1,000 First Temple period names and find that the northern state was likely more ‘cosmopolitan’ (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

A Hebrew University press release is published at Phys.org:

Name diversity sheds light on social patterns in ancient Hebrew kingdoms.

I cannot comment on the underlying article, because, oddly, it is no longer up at the PNAS site. The link is correct, shared by all the above articles, but it goes to a dead end. And neither the title nor the author show up in a search of the site. But you should check the link again. Perhaps it is back up when you read this.

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

On the Cairo Geniza

CAIRO GENIZA WATCH: The Cairo Geniza: How a Dusty Attic Changed Jewish History Forever. A thousand years of daily life, debate, and devotion, preserved in a forgotten storeroom in Cairo is reshaping Jewish history (Eliyahu Freedman, AISH.COM).

In 1896, in a forgotten storeroom above the ancient Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Jewish history changed forever.

The room was dark, dry, and filled with dust—and also with nearly 400,000 fragments made of paper and parchment that had remained untouched for centuries, preserved by Egypt's arid climate. When scholars, notably Solomon Schechter of Cambridge University, first began sorting through this treasure, they unearthed something profound—a time capsule preserving nearly a thousand years of continuous Jewish life and rare texts previously thought to be extinct.

[...

It's good to re-tell this story from time to time.

Especially notable for PaleoJudaica's purposes:

What makes the Cairo Geniza genuinely unparalleled is how it preserved texts once thought lost forever. Among its most significant discoveries is the Damascus Document, an ancient Jewish sectarian manuscript previously known only through medieval copies but later found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Geniza's fragment predates the Dead Sea Scroll version by centuries.

Similarly, it contained the original Hebrew text of Ben Sira (Ecclesiasticus), a wisdom book composed around 180 BCE that had vanished from Jewish tradition for nearly a millennium.

Likewise, the most complete manuscript of the Aramaic Levi document, from the same period and with more fragmentary manuscripts also found at Qumran. And some Psalms of David, arguably from late antiquity or even older. And Sefer Ha-Razim, a Hebrew magical tracate from the Talmudic era. All three have been published in new translations, two by me, in MOTP1 and MOTP2.

For more discoveries from the Cairo Geniza, see here, here, here, here, here and many links.

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

On the Testament of Solomon

ETHNIC RELATIONS AND MIGRATION IN THE ANCIENT WORLD: Judean wisdom: Testament of Solomon on Solomon’s superiority in controlling lower spirits and in healing (first-third century CE) (Philip A. Harland).

For PaleoJudaica posts on the Testament of Solomon, see here and links and here. Perhaps also here. The Testament of Solomon is a late-antique Christian work that knows material from the New Testament, but which also is familiar with Jewish traditions. I view the Christian contribution as considerably more than "limited Christian edits."

For more on Philip Harland's blog, see here and links and here.

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

Who was the Teacher of Righteousness?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: A Dead Sea Scrolls Mystery. Who is the Teacher of Righteousness? (Nathan Steinmeyer).

... Who is the Teacher of Righteousness? This enigmatic figure appears in at least two of the major works from Qumran and has, at times, been thought to be the author of many others. Yet, as discussed by Angela Kim Harkins in her article “Are We Still Searching for the Teacher of Righteousness?” published in the Spring 2025 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, we might never know the teacher’s true identity. That is, if there ever was one. ...

The article by Harkness is behind the subscription wall, but this BHD essay goes on to summarize it.

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

Gupta on the Old Testament Apocrypha

SUBSTACK SERIES: Studying Early Judaism: The OT Apocrypha (Nijay K. Gupta, Studying Early Judaism Substack).

I have noted other posts in the series here and links.

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

Rosenblum, Forbidden: A 3,000-Year History of Jews and the Pig (NYU)

NEW BOOK FROM NYU PRESS:

Forbidden
A 3,000-Year History of Jews and the Pig

by Jordan D. Rosenblum

Published by: NYU Press

Imprint: NYU Press

272 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 in, 15 b/w figures

HARDCOVER
9781479831494
PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 2024
$30.00

EBOOK
9781479831500
PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 2024
$30.00

DESCRIPTION

Winner of the 74th National Jewish Book Award: The Jane and Stu­art Weitz­man Fam­i­ly Award for Food Writ­ing and Cook­books

A surprising history of how the pig has influenced Jewish identity

Jews do not eat pig. This (not always true) observation has been made by both Jews and non-Jews for more than three thousand years and is rooted in biblical law. Though the Torah prohibits eating pig meat, it is not singled out more than other food prohibitions. Horses, rabbits, squirrels, and even vultures, while also not kosher, do not inspire the same level of revulsion for Jews as the pig. The pig has become an iconic symbol for people to signal their Jewishness, non-Jewishness, or rebellion from Judaism. There is nothing in the Bible that suggests Jews are meant to embrace this level of pig-phobia.

Starting with the Hebrew Bible, Jordan D. Rosenblum historicizes the emergence of the pig as a key symbol of Jewish identity, from the Roman persecution of ancient rabbis, to the Spanish Inquisition, when so-called Marranos (“Pigs”) converted to Catholicism, to Shakespeare’s writings, to modern memoirs of those leaving Orthodox Judaism. The pig appears in debates about Jewish emancipation in eighteenth-century England and in vaccine conspiracies; in World War II rallying cries, when many American Jewish soldiers were “eating ham for Uncle Sam;” in conversations about pig sandwiches reportedly consumed by Karl Marx; and in recent deliberations about the kosher status of Impossible Pork.

All told, there is a rich and varied story about the associations of Jews and pigs over time, both emerging from within Judaism and imposed on Jews by others. Expansive yet accessible, Forbidden offers a captivating look into Jewish history and identity through the lens of the pig.

As noted on the Agade List, the Washington Free Beacon has a review of the book:

Why Jews Don’t Eat Pork (Though Some Do). REVIEW: ‘Forbidden: A 3,000-Year History of Jews and the Pig’ by Jordan D. Rosenblum (Meir Y. Soloveichik).

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

Nir, Characterization in Midrash and Medieval Jewish Bible Commentaries (SBL)

NEW BOOK FROM SBL PRESS:

Characterization in Midrash and Medieval Jewish Bible Commentaries
Sivan Nir

ISBN 9781628376142
Volume BibRec 8
Status Available
Publication Date December 2024

Paperback $78.00
Hardback $98.00
eBook $78.00

Sivan Nir meticulously examines the reimaginings of the biblical figures Balaam, Jeremiah, and Esther in a wide range of Jewish texts from second-century rabbinic sources to medieval Jewish biblical commentaries. Nir’s unique approach analyzes the continuity, or lack thereof, that emerges when characterization is viewed in relation to and in contrast with its cross-cultural context, including the contemporary conventions found in Hellenistic rhetoric and novels, Byzantine Christian literature, Islamic adab and Mu‘tazila literature, and more. Such an approach reveals a transition from typological depictions to richer, more lifelike portrayals—a transformation shaped by rival notions of literature and history. Nir translates the sources into accessible English for students and scholars of not only Jewish exegesis but also those in Christian theology, Islamic studies, and world literature.

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

A new Regius Professor of Hebrew at Cambridge

ANNOUNCEMENT: Aaron Koller joins AMES. Aaron Koller joins AMES as the new Regius Professor of Hebrew (Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Cambridge University).

Welcome to Professor Aaron Koller who will join the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the end of September 2025 as the newly appointed Regius Professor of Hebrew.

[..]

Yeshiva University also has an announcement of his departure:

Professor Koller to Depart YU, Join Cambridge as Regius Professor of Hebrew (Daniel Kohn, YU Commentator).

Professor Aaron Koller (YC ‘97, BRGS ‘09), instructor for Near Eastern Studies at Yeshiva University, will join Cambridge as Regius Professor of Hebrew next fall.

[...]

Congratulations both to Professor Koller and to Cambridge University on the new appointment.

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

Review of Llewellyn-Jones, The Cleopatras

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: The Cleopatras: the forgotten queens of Egypt.

Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, The Cleopatras: the forgotten queens of Egypt. New York: Basic Books, 2024. Pp. 384. ISBN 9781541602922.

Review by
Deirdre Klokow, University of Texas at Austin. deirdre.klokow@austin.utexas.edu

... Although a much-needed update to John Whitehorne’s 1994 The Cleopatras, Llewellyn-Jones’ chronicle of the foundations laid by the ascent to power of these often-ignored royal women is hindered by a novelistic style and less-than critical approach to the complexities of the source material. ...

For many PaleoJudaica posts on Cleopatra VII (the Cleopatra), who reportedly spoke Hebrew and Aramaic, start here (cf. here) and follow the links.

PaleoJudaica posts involving Cleopatra V Tryphaena, who likely was the mother of Cleopatra VII, are here and here. And comments on Cleopatra I Syra and Cleopatra III are here, and more on Cleopatra I is here and here. The latter two Cleos are mentioned in the Book of Daniel (I) and in 1 Maccabees (III).

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

The Text Lab

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Introducing the Text Lab: Helping Students Engage with Ancient Sources (Alexander Chantziantoniou and Isaac Soon).

This article introduces a classroom activity called a Text Lab, which helps students engage critically with ancient texts while familiarizing them with the tools and scholarship necessary to analyze these sources. While this has been applied to the specific fields of its authors (biblical studies), it is applicable to any field within the humanities involving source media (e.g., literature, classics, history, philosophy, etc.), just as its predecessor does, the “gobbet.” After introducing what a Text Lab is, we outline the details of how it works, before concluding with a brief discussion of why it works.

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

On the Behistun inscription in Aramaic

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Authority, Assimilation and Afterlife of the Epilogue of Bīsotūn (DB 4:36–92).

This post flags an important open-access article on the Behistun inscription:

"Imitatio Dei, Imitatio Darii: Authority, Assimilation and Afterlife of the Epilogue of Bīsotūn (DB 4:36–92)" by Gad Barnea in Religions 2025, 16(5), 597; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16050597.

Abstract

The Bīsotūn inscription of Darius I (DB) is a masterpiece of ancient literature containing descriptions of historical events, imperial propaganda, cultic statements, ethical instructions, wisdom insights, blessings and curses, and engagements with posterity. It was disseminated far and wide within the empire and left a lasting impression on the cultures with which it came into contact. However, a specific section of this royal inscription (DB 4:36–92), carefully crafted to address future audiences in the second person, stands out sharply from the rest of the text. This passage has made a striking, profound, and durable impression on future generations—which extended over the longue durée in both time and space. This article focuses on the decisive cultic theme undergirding DB in general and its fourth column in particular namely, the king’s profound sense of imitatio dei in the cosmic battle against “the Lie,” complemented by his appeal to an imitatio Darii by all future audiences of his words. The impact of this call can be traced in later literature: in a DB variant found at Elephantine and, most notably, a hitherto unknown exegetical legend found in Qumran, which seeks to explain this portion of DB through an Achaemenid court tale.

This inscription is of great historical and philogical interest. It was important for the decipherment of Akkadian cuneiform.. It is also of some interest as a propaganda precursor to the Aramaic Fantasy Babylon tradition. The latter is important for understanding, in particular, the biblical Book of Daniel. For relevant PaleoJudaica posts see here and here (cf. here and here).

In the Behistun inscription Darius recounts, among many other events, his putting down the revolts of two Babylonian kings, Nidintu-Bel (Nebuchadnezzar III) in 522 B.C.E. (lines 16-19), and Arakha (Nebuchadnezzar IV) in 521 B.C.E. (lines 49-51).

As this article notes, a fragmentary Aramaic translation of the inscription was recovered among the Elephanitine papyri. This demonstrates that Persian anti-Babylonian propaganda was already being translated into Aramaic in the fifth century BCE. The article also deals with an Aramaic form of the inscription that inspired a recently deciphered Jewish work (4Q550) among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

For additional PaleoJudaica posts on the Behuistun (Bistun, Bīsotūn) inscription, see here and links.

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

Karatepe bilingual inscriptions added to UNESCO Memory of the World International Register

PHOENICIAN WATCH: Karatepe Aslantas inscriptions enter UNESCO Memory of World Register (Türkiye Today Newsroom).

The ancient bilingual inscriptions of Karatepe Aslantas Open-Air Museum in Osmaniye, Türkiye, have been officially inscribed into the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register.

These inscriptions, written in both Anatolian Hieroglyphic and Phoenician scripts, highlight one of the earliest known examples of bilingual writing in the ancient Near East and provide invaluable insights into the linguistic and cultural landscape of the first millennium B.C.

[...]

This is good news. The article has more information on the award, the importance of the inscriptions, and their significance for tourism and cultural heritage. All good.

But, oddly, it never gets around to telling us what the inscriptions say. I am sometimes bemused by the questions that (some, not all) journalists ask and don't ask.

Luckily for you, readers, PaleoJudaica is here for you. The lapidary biligual Karatepe Phoenician/Luvian inscriptions are also known as the Azatiwada inscriptions, after the name of the 8th century BCE Cicilian local king who erected them. They tell of his accomplishments and his service to his patron overlord. You can read more about Azatiwada and his inscription, with an English translation of the latter, at Wikipedia's Karatepe bilingual entry.

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

More Philodemus from Herculaneum

TECHNOLOGY WATCH: X-ray reveals ancient Greek author of charred first century BC Vesuvius scroll. Ink traces show text is part of work by Epicurean philosopher Philodemus, burned during AD79 volcano eruption (Ian Sample, The Guardian).

A charred scroll recovered from a Roman villa that was buried under ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago has been identified as the influential work of an ancient Greek philosopher.

Researchers discovered the title and author on the Herculaneum scroll after X-raying the carbonised papyrus and virtually unwrapping it on a computer, the first time such crucial details have been gleaned from the approach.

Traces of ink lettering visible in the X-ray images revealed the text to be part of a multi-volume work, On Vices, written by the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus in the first century BC. The scroll is one of three from Herculaneum housed at the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford.

[...]

This scroll ( P.Herc. 172) was in the news earlier this year, when it was already speculated (based on several deciphered words) that it was by Philodemus. But now the researchers have found in addition the author, title, and perhaps a volume number. That confirms who wrote it, which work it was, and possibly that it was volume 1. But there's still a lot of work to do to recover any substantial part of the scroll.

Nevertheless, progress is progress and we should celebrate it. Bit by bit, a letter at a time, whatever it takes. Until we're done.

The Heculaneum library was carbonized during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE. What is left of it is gradually being recovered and deciphered with cutting-edge new technology. For much more on it and on the works by the philosopher Philodemus already recovered from Heculaneum, start here (cf. here) and follow the links.

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

On Jannes and Jambres, with an important announcement

ETHNIC RELATIONS AND MIGRATION IN THE ANCIENT WORLD: Egyptian / Persian / Judean wisdom: Judean legends of Jannes and Jambres as Magians in the Exodus account (third century CE and earlier) (Philip A. Harland).

This post is a useful introduction to the traditions about Jannes and Jambres. It includes translations of substantial fragments of the ancient book about them.

For more on this blog, see here and here and links.

With the publication of Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol. 2, More Noncanonical Scriptures, we have considerably more information the about the Book of Jannes and Jambres, with translations of new fragments of the Greek text and of a recently discovered Ethiopic translation. An additional manuscript of a complete copy of the Ethiopic version was discovered just too late for us to include a full translation. But Ted Erho has provided an appendix with a preliminary summary of the contents of the manuscript.

I hinted at this discovery here, but was unable to say more at the time.

Bit by bit, a letter at a time, whatever it takes. Until we're done.

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

Review of Lang, Handbook of the Vulgate Bible and its reception (open access)

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Handbook of the Vulgate Bible and its reception

Bernhard Lang, Handbook of the Vulgate Bible and its reception. Vulgata in dialogue. Berlin: The Vulgate Institute, 2023. Pp. 778.

Review by
Matthew Kraus, University of Cincinnati. Matthew.kraus@uc.edu

Open access

“The Handbook of the Vulgate Bible and Its Reception has no model and no predecessor, being the first work of its kind” (p.5), boldly announces Bernhard Lang in the Preface. Loosely structured as a classified and annotated bibliography and including literature reviews, a glossary of biblical Latin, a preliminary linguistic commentary on selected biblical verses, sidebars on discrete topics, and covering the history of the Vulgate from its origins to the present, the work indeed defies conventional classifications. And yet this approach from multiple, discrete angles best serves a text relevant to numerous fields. ...

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

Conference: The Achaemenid Persian Empire and its Non-Western Borderlands: A Change of Paradigm (Innsbruck)

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA:The Achaemenid Persian Empire and its Non-Western Borderlands: A Change of Paradigm.

At Innsbruck University, Australia, on 20-23 November 2025, with the first and last day for arrival and departure. Follow the link for the program. Oddly, I can't find registration information anywhere, but there are a few more details here.

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

Ptolemaic and Roman-era military fortifications excavated in North Sinai

ARCHAEOLOGY: Fortress discovered in Northern Sinai, including Roman-era soldiers' dwellings. Well-preserved Roman-era soldiers' dwellings were unearthed, providing a clear picture of daily life at the fortress during the reigns of emperors Diocletian and Maximian (Jerusalem Post Staff).

Excavations at the Tell Abu Seifi site in North Sinai uncovered extensive remains of ancient military fortifications, soldiers' quarters, and a trench.

The mission revealed more than 500 clay planting circles made of mudbrick on both sides of an ancient road. These circles are believed to have been used to cultivate trees that adorned the fortress's grand entrance during the Ptolemaic era, enhancing understanding of aesthetic and functional elements of military architecture in that period.

Well-preserved Roman-era soldiers' dwellings were also unearthed, offering a clear picture of daily life at the fortress during the reigns of Emperors Diocletian and Maximian. These structures provide valuable information on the living conditions and organization of Roman soldiers in Egypt's eastern frontier.

[...]

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

Masoretic Text variants in Rabbinic quotations

PROF. SIMCHA KOGUT: Variants in the Masoretic Text: From Talmud to Rashi (TheTorah.com).

Rabbinic quotations of the Bible differ in some instances from the Masoretic Text. In some cases, the rabbis were aware it was a variant; other times they were not.

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

Tony Burke's Regensburg Year: April

THE APOCRYPHICITY BLOG: My Regensburg Year Part 9: April 2025.

Tony Burke is on research sabbatical for the 2024-25 academic year at the University of Regensburg in Germany.

This month's post includes a Croatian adventure and report on work on the introductory chapter of Tony's book, "telling a chronological history of the composition, transmission, and publishing of Christian apocrypha."

For earlier posts in the series and more on Tony's work, see here and links.

Cross-file under New Testament Apocrypha Watch.

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