Ten Fascinating Discoveries in 2024 in Near Eastern and Mediterranean Archaeology
December 2024 | Vol. 12.12
By Jessica Nitschke
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). Read More...
In the News:
Gold tongues and nails found in Ptolemaic tombs (Egypt Today)
Secrets of Dur Sharrukin revealed by new discovery (Newsweek)
'Israel's oldest Chinese inscription found on Mt. Zion (Biblical Archaeology Society)
Archaeologists Exploring Prehistoric Cave Find Earliest Evidence of Ritual in Israel (Haaretz)
New Books to Explore:
Enki and the World Order: A Sumerian Myth, by Jerrold S. Cooper
Cambridge Companion to the Book of Isaiah, ed. by Christopher B. Hayes
Edom in Judah: Trade, Migration, and Kinship in the Late Iron Age Southern Levant, by Andrew J. Danielson
World Order in Late Antiquity: The Two Eyes Rivalry of Byzantium and Sasanian Persia, by Kevin Blanchard
Museum Updates:
Türkiye’s first underwater museum “Side Underwater Museum” opens
Watch & Listen:
YouTube: Mesopotamia - The Gardens of Babel (imineo Documentaries)
Podcast: The Birth of Money (The Ancients - History Hit)
In Case You Missed It:
An Alternative Timeline for the Colossus of Rhodes
By Michael Denis Higgins
Legend says that the Colossus of Rhodes fell to ruins not long after its construction. Ancient texts and geological evidence suggest a more complex history. Read More...
FOA Webinar: Geoff Emberling on January 8th
Register now for the next FOA Webinar: "Archaeology and Heritage During the Civil War in Sudan: What Can We Do?," presented by Dr. Geoff Emberling on Wednesday, January 8th at 7:00pm ET. Since 2016, the University of Michigan archaeological project in northern Sudan that Dr. Emberling co-directs has been conducting research at important sites of the ancient empire of Kush. This talk will discuss what has happened in Sudan since the outbreak of war in the country in April 2023 with a particular focus on heritage. Read more about Dr. Emberling's talk and register here.
Iraqi Scholars at the Annual Meeting
2024 was the first year that ASOR offered Tigris Travel Grants to support travel to the Annual Meeting for scholars from Iraq and its Kurdistan Region. Three scholars were able to attend the meeting in Boston this November, share their research, and make valuable connections. Read about their experiences at the meeting here.
Applications for Mesopotamian Fellowship: Due January 13
Mesopotamian Fellowships provide $9,000 for research on Mesopotamian civilization and are open to both graduate and postdoctoral students. The deadline for 2025-2026 applications is January 13. Click here for application information and guidelines.
Published with the assistance of The Lanier Theological Library and Stevan Dana